Summer time is filled with the best parts of life: Sun, fun, and food! Creating a dreamscape of delicious memories is high on the list for many people who are anxious to make this their best summer yet, and finding the perfect party food to bring to the table is not only a way to bring people together, but it helps bind the memories we will create. Whether you are new in the kitchen or a seasoned pro, finding new ways to enjoy party food is an incredible way for us to be creative and find joy in the things we may overlook during our busy year.
We have compiled some of our favorite ride-or-die foods and kitchen gadgets to help you enjoy all the sunny, savory, delectable party food.
Read More: 40 Summer Salads The Whole Family Will Love
Gadgets You Need To Craft The Perfect Summer Party Food
Kuhn Rikon
Adding spices to a meal can enhance the taste of food, creating extraordinary flavors and aromas. The innovative Essential Ratchet Grinder by Kuhn Rikon is a high-performance ceramic stone grinder that grinds salt, pepper, and other fresh spices with ease. Simply open the easy-fill door to load the grinder with peppercorns or whole spices, then move the ratchet handle back and forth. The attached spice jar catches the freshly ground spices to avoid any mess and comes with a lid for storage.
The Essential Spice Storage Jars are designed to be used alongside Kuhn Rikon’s Essential Ratchet Grinder. You can attach them directly to the grinder and grind fresh spices straight into the jar without creating a mess. Each jar holds 44.4 ml of ground spices and features graduated measurement markings. The brilliant gadget is perfect for pepper, cardamom, cloves, cumin, ginger, and much more. The Kuhn Rikon Essential Ratchet Grinder and Essential Spice Storage Jars are a perfect addition to any kitchen, as it’s not only easy to use but will add a kick to all of your party food dishes!
Ferry-Morse
Were you one of those families that took on an ambitious pandemic garden project, only to let it fall by the wayside as the quarantine lingered on? Revive that sad edible garden in a flash with Plantlings™ Live Plants! Ferry-Morse makes it easy to kick off your 2021 gardening projects.
Rather than patiently starting from seeds from scratch, these tiny baby plants have already been cultivated just for you. They arrive at your door ready to transplant. Real homegrown food is as simple as that – no green thumb required! Choose from a wide variety of herbs, fruits, and vegetables – from peppers and lettuce, to thyme and tomatoes – and get that container garden thriving again and ready to enhance all your summer party food with Ferry-Morse.
GoodCook®
Whether you want to store last night’s leftovers or stockpile food, it’s important that you use food-safe plastic containers. For over 30 years, GoodCook® creates tools and gadgets that make life in the kitchen easier and more enjoyable. The 40 piece EveryWare Food Storage Containers are all you need to keep your party food, leftovers, take-out lunches, or kid snacks for the family fresh and safe.
The click & fresh lid provides an audible “click” to know that the lid is closed and secure. The domed lid design provides extra air space, which prevents your food from getting squished. The BPA-free containers are dishwasher and microwave safe, making them a perfect addition to every kitchen. If you’re looking for a lightweight and portable set that keeps your food fresh, then EveryWare Food Storage Containers is the way to go.
Mouth-Watering Party Food For Everyone To Enjoy
Superior Farms
If you’re looking to expand your cooking horizons, have we got some great recommendations for you! Do yourself (and your family) a favor, and visit Superior Farms right now!
Maybe you’ll finally be reuniting with loved ones again for the first time in over a year and want to prepare a memorable dinner. You can’t go wrong ordering an American Lamb Rack for those special occasion party food menus (Although, you really don’t need a special occasion to enjoy a fantastic meal like this.) The racks are “frenched,” which means that the ends of the bones are exposed, making it a feast both on the eyes and the stomach!
Speaking of a succulent supper to celebrate summer, you’ll also want to try a Seasoned Boneless American Lamb Leg. It arrives pre-seasoned with garlic, onion, salt, and spices, to keep things easy so you can spend all day having fun with family and friends. It even includes a pop-up timer, so you’ll get it right every time, no matter your skill level in the kitchen. This special meal will soon become a family favorite recipe. (Shhh…you don’t have to tell them that Superior Farms is your secret ingredient!)
Finally, for those casual weeknight meals, grab some Ground American Lamb. Whether you’re making meatballs, burgers, or tacos, this 80% lean, all-natural ground lamb will enhance the flavor profile of any dish. Be sure to check out these recipes – Goat Cheese & Arugula Lamb Pizza, Feta Stuffed American Lamb Meatballs, and Gyro Burger with Yogurt Sauce. (OMG, yum!) This season, impress family and friends and take all of your meals up a couple of notches with Superior Farms.
Foxtrot
Foxtrot is a store, an app, and a store inside of an app. Think of it as a corner store that meets a delivery market. If you are lucky enough to live near a Foxtrot in Chicago, Washington D.C., or Dallas, then you will have access to their 1-hour delivery service. However, don’t be discouraged if you don’t because you can shop the app and purchase items and bring a little joy to your life.
Foxtrot offers wine, beer, spirits, lifestyle & gifting, meals, snacks & sweets, ice cream, groceries & pantry, drinks, coffee, teas & pastries, health & home, and a cheese shop. With so many options to choose from, it will be easy getting your party food delivered this summer.
For folks with a sweet tooth, then Deluxe Foxtrot Sweets is an excellent gift idea. The Deluxe Foxtrot Sweets have 14 delicious, sweet treats. Whether you want a Chocolate Chip N’ Fluff Crème Pie or a Berry Cake Wafer Cookie, you will find everything you want AND MORE in this plentiful sweets bundle of sinfully sweet party food.
Read More: Get Outdoors With A Nature Scavenger Hunt
True Story
If you love pork products then you will love True Story Foods. The Kurobuta Pork Sausage Bundle is a six-pack of pork sausage that enhances any meal. This bundle includes 2 packages of the Chili Relleno Kurobuta Pork Sausage, 2 packages of the Parmesan, Shitake & Truffle Kurobuta Pork Sausage, and 2 packages of the Sherry & Shallot Kurobuta Pork Sausage.
For some delicious bacon (and honestly every party food menu needs some bacon on it) the Kurobuta Uncured Bacon is a mouth-watering, thick-sliced, subtly seasoned bacon. Sourced from True Story’s family farm, this heirloom breed pork will be the highlight of your Sunday morning breakfast.
Good and Tasty Bakes
Summer is here, and what better dessert to have at the end of a hot day than a delicious cheesecake? I know what you’re thinking: “I don’t have time to make a cheesecake!” or “Yes, but there are so many calories and junk in cheesecake”. Luckily for you, Good and Tasty Bakes has created healthier (and still delicious) cheesecakes! All of their cheesecakes are made with natural ingredients, including local butter and 100% BGH-free cream cheese.
Not only are these cheesecakes free of unnatural products and artificial flavors, but they are also gluten-free and keto-friendly! The 3 Pack Bundle comes with the essential cheesecake flavors: Classic, Chocolate, and Key Lime. Whether you plan on adding this dessert to the party food menu for a summer cookout or need a little pick-me-up at the end of the day, Good and Tasty Bakes has you covered!
Raised Gluten Free
Looking for party food items that not only taste delicious but also suit your diet? Then look no further than Raised Gluten Free! Raised Gluten Free is owned by two childhood best friends who were raised by “hippie” vegan parents. They have since brought their healthy way of eating into their own children’s lives and have committed to creating the best pies you’ll eat while remaining natural!
All of the pies from Raised Gluten Free are 100% gluten-free and vegan. Don’t have time to cook a full meal for dinner? Your family will be raving about the Vegan Pot Pie and you’ll feel great knowing that they are eating healthy. For dessert, their Dutch Apple Pie and Berry Peach Pie are simply drool-worthy and for the chocolate lovers, they have the Chocolate Silk Pie! Who says you can’t have your dessert and eat it too? With Raised Gluten Free, you can eat pie every night and still stick to your healthy lifestyle!
N!CK’S Ice Cream
Just what we need after a long, hot summer day – some delicious ice cream! N!CK’S Ice Cream is Swedish-style, creamy ice cream that is delivered right to your door. In addition to being nutritious, there are also vegan, keto, gluten-free, and low-calorie options so you can actually feel guilt-free about your guilty pleasure.
If you want to keep it coming, enroll in a monthly subscription service that will send the flavors of your choice straight to your house each month. The Flavorite’s is a bundle of several mouth-watering pints of ice cream. This collection includes a variety of six different flavors of light, low-calorie ice cream. Sample every flavor until you find your “flavorite”.
Farmbox Direct
Allow Farmbox Direct to deliver delicious organic fruits and veggies to your door this summer for your family’s enjoyment! Their subscription-based boxes allow you to choose the perfect amount of healthy seasonal fruits and vegetables to meet your family’s needs.
Farmbox Direct menus can change weekly and contents will vary, allowing you and your family the opportunity to try new produce all season long. They have even created a perfectly blended box for juicing! So get ready to enjoy the season’s freshest fruits and vegetables with FarmBox Direct.
Read More: 10 Tips For Your Summer Picnics
The Spice & Tea Exchange
For the ultimate foodie with a spice drawer that could rival any top chef, The Spice & Tea Exchange has every spice you need and even a few you didn’t know you wanted. A must-have for your spice drawer is bay leaves, perfect for soups, sauces, and various types of meats and fish. Bay leaves are a simple way to add a tangy, yet earthy flavor to a recipe, just toss in while cooking, and remove before serving.
Herbs de Provence Spice Blend is a classic French herb blend that can be used in many various dishes from poultry, fish, soups, vegetables, or potatoes. You can also mix the Herbs de Provence with butter for a delicious spread for your bread basket. Ingredients include thyme, lavender, celery seed, chevril, marjoram, and tarragon for a fragrant and savory blend. Or make a homemade simple syrup to jazz up your cocktails and mocktails for all your party food needs this summer.
Along with salt, black peppercorns are one of the oldest and well-known spices that everyone needs in their spice drawer. Plucked from the vine when they are about half-ripe and before they turn a pinky-red color produces a deep robust flavor with hints of spice and fruitiness. Grind on top of all your party foods and serve immediately.
If you are looking for a fragrant and woody flavor that pairs well with oily foods from lamb, some types of fish and roasted veggies with olive oil rosemary needs to be added to your kitchen. If you are a baker, it is also delicious in bread as well as most Italian dishes and soups. Be wary of your cooking time as too much of the spice or overcooking can cause the flavor to turn bitter.
Although one of the priciest spices, saffron is used regularly in dishes in many cultures, think curries, rice, paella, and risottos. Plucked from the stamen of the saffron crocus flower, saffron is known for its vivid golden hue, perfume, and hay-like aroma. With a very distinctive, yet mild flavor, only a small amount of this spice is needed for your dishes and party food.
Tastefully Simple
What time is it, you ask? Well, with Tastefully Simple, it can be happy hour anytime! The Appy Hour Kit is seriously the perfect pre-planned party in a box! This convenient kit contains a Bountiful Beer Bread Mix, Mai Tai Cheese Ball Mix, Raspberry Peach Chipotle Sauce, Peachtini Frozen Drink Mix, and Smoked Cheddar & Jalapeño Cheese Ball Mix.
Drinks, dips, and beer bread – it has everything you need to plan an amazingly simple summer party food menu! (Serving a larger crowd? You may want to pick up an extra Peachtini Frozen Drink Mix or two, just sayin’!)
Best of all, the Appy Hour Kit includes loads of great recipes. Create an Italian version of the Bountiful Beer Bread by adding cheese and chopped pepperoni, or make it the star of your brunch board with a cinnamon sugary French Toast flair instead. The Mai Tai Cheese Ball makes a delightfully tropical companion to graham crackers, or you can spread it onto delicious mini fruit pizzas. You get the idea!
Heading to a cookout and need a great gift for the host, or something tangy for your party food plate? Check out the Griller’s Gift Box. Your favorite grill master will enjoy spicing up his steak with the Ultimate Steak Seasoning and basting grilled chicken, ribs, or pork chops with the bright and tangy Sweet & Sour Pineapple Sauce, or rich Smokey Bacon BBQ Sauce. No matter the sauce or seasoning, when you use Tastefully Simple, it’s sure to be amazingly flavorful!
Last but certainly not least, there’s the brand-new Happy Camper Sampler gift set. It includes Mini Garlic Garlic Seasoning, Mini Seasoned Pepper, Mini Seasoned Salt, and Mini Ultimate Steak Seasoning. It’s not only adorable, but is perfect for taking to the campsite, vacation rental or beach condo when you’ll be doing some light vacation cooking. With Tastefully Simple, your summer entertaining options are practically limitless – not to mention, delicious!
Melinda’s Hot Sauces
Do you like your party food spicy? Then be sure to try Melinda’s hot sauces and wing sauces this summer! The all-natural vegetable and fruit-based pepper sauce brand known to help level up your meals, has passionately crafted pepper-based condiments with habanero peppers as the star ingredient that will instantly enhance all your summer foods with sizzling spice without overpowering the intended flavor.
Made with real peppers and all-natural vegetable and fruit bases sourced from Colombia, Melinda’s products are non-GMO, gluten-free, Kosher Certified, and Keto-friendly.
Not only does Melinda’s offer a variety of pepper sauces, wing sauces, and condiments, the brand also has a handful of gift boxes with prepicked sauces you’ll love testing out on the grill this summer. Get ready to impress and enjoy your summer party food extravaganzas!
Salt Works
If are looking to spice up your cooking, the Limited Edition Sampler is crafted from all-natural sea salt combined with authentic wood smoke flavors. Crafted in small batches from hand-selected wood, this collection offers the deepest, smokiest, most complex aromas and flavors. Whether you are making pasta or a gourmet steak meal, elevate the flavor with these assorted salts. These small yet stunning jars contain Applewood Smoked Sea Salt, Fumee de Sel Chardonnay Oak Smoked Sea Salt, Salish Alderwood Smoked Sea Salt, Fine Grain Durango Hickory Smoked Sea salt, and El Dorado Mesquite Smoked Sea Salt. Your cooking game is only limited by a single pinch of flavor on your favorite party food from this Limited Edition Sampler.
Lasto Foods
All natural, nothing but almonds, Almond Butter in a convenient squeeze bottle will not only make your life easier, it will also inspire you to add nut butter to more dishes than ever before. Whether you are making a sandwich, want a little squeeze on your morning oatmeal, or even add it to your smoothie. This almond butter has only one ingredient, no added sugars, oils, salt, or anything, so even if your kids go crazy with the bottle, you know they are not getting any additives!
If you prefer traditional peanut butter, but don’t want the added sugars, salt, or oils you often find, this minimally processed Peanut Butter is the perfect addition to your pantry. In an easy-to-use squeeze bottle, that does not have to be refrigerated, which makes it convenient for kids to help themselves to a snack without making a huge mess. Making ants on a log, just got that much easier!
If you are looking for a little extra something in your nut butter this Cinnamon Almond Butter. Made from minimally processed almonds, with just a hint of cinnamon and brown sugar, this is the perfect little treat to add to your morning toast, yogurt, or even just a spoonful to get you through the afternoon slump. No matter, how you eat it, you and your taste buds will be doing the happy dance with this party food treat!
Home Chef
As summer rolls in you want to be spending more time outside enjoying the weather, longer days, and less time in the kitchen. Home Chef has the solution to your busy summer days, no more list-making, meal planning, and minimal prepping, not to mention more variety so less feedback from your picky eaters.
Start with a short quiz and selecting exactly what you do and don’t want whether you prefer fewer carbs or are on a low-calorie diet Home Chef can customize your meal selections which is helpful when planning your party food menu. With fresh, pre-portioned ingredients that make cooking a breeze and easy-to-follow instructions that anyone can follow, this summer will be full of party food the whole family will enjoy!
Double Rainbow
Ice cream is the perfect party food for summer gatherings. Straight from the heart of San Francisco, Double Rainbow creates premium ice cream that can be delivered right to your home. Every flavor is absolutely amazing and in addition to their traditional recipes, there are also plant based, non-dairy, organic, and custard options available. The 8 Pint Bundle is a build your own order that allows you to customize all of your ice cream desires by selecting 8 of your favorite flavors to enjoy.
Ancient Harvest
Most likely you have heard of polenta, probably had it at a restaurant, and enjoyed it, but making it from scratch takes way more work than you are willing to put in. Enter Ancient Harvest’s heat and eat polenta, which is an organic, non-GMO, ready-made traditional polenta available in 3 different flavors (Traditional Italian, Basil and Garlic, and Sundried Tomato Garlic). You can easily sauté, bake, fry, broil, or even grill it, the possibilities are endless for your party food with this delicious side or main dish. No matter how you prepare this polenta it is sure to be a hit with the whole family and something new and fun for all to enjoy!
No matter how you shake it up, party food is an absolute necessity for summer gatherings. The smells of fresh air and blossoms encircled by the wafting scents of food created by the ones you love coupled with the smiles, laughter, and warm sun on your shoulders is the perfect recipe for delectable memories that will last for years to come.
WANT TO READ MORE?
Check out this article on 6 Reasons to Make Homemade Ice Cream & Popsicles this Summer Season.
