What you are doing sounds wonderful! Have you considered adding in a steak salad for variety? I don't have a recipe (sorry) but I've eaten them in restaurants and they are delicious-

I hope you have a fun time!
I would seriously consider adding something hot.

It might be chili to go along with the salads, quick cooked crab cakes, warm garlic naan bread, shrimp scampi under the broiler, just something hot.
Desserts- fresh fruit and perhaps cup cakes and individual key lime pies, that sort of thing.
If you don't want to do so much work, serve layers of ice cream and fruit in stemmed glasses. Top with a butter cookie, whipped cream, etc. Most guests will love it.

Nancybee, I love steak salad, too. Would it seem too repetitious to you if you'd been served a (chilled) grilled beef tenderloin w/ horseradish sauce at a previous dinner?

Does anyone have a favorite cut of beef for steak salad? Usually, when it's just us, dh grills London Broil and slices it very thin - that's sort of a budget option and maybe not suitable for guests?

Oh, Bumblebeez, would you not feel properly fed if I skipped a hot dish? I don't mean to whine, but I reeaaalllly don't want to heat up the kitchen that evening. What if I baked quiche that could be served at room temp? No good?

Your dessert ideas sound great. Desserts must be homemade (my rule - dh would take ice cream.) Little key lime tarts would be refreshing, and I love lemon cake so cupcakes would be good, too. Thanks!

The steak salad wouldn't seem too repetitious to me- also, I don't think the flank steak would be too "budget"-, especially since it's a more casual party.

Bumblebeez' ice cream/fruit dessert sounds very nice. And your banana cream pie would be a hit, I'm sure!

Do you have air conditioning? If not, I'd be tempted to cancel till the temps returned to normal.

Why no grilling? Burgers/sliders would be great with a salad selection or even pulled pork ... you could make that the day before (in the oven) and just reheat prior to serving.

How about chilled boiled shrimp with cocktail and remoulade sauces?

I've been meaning to try these for years. Maybe finally this summer.

Here is a link that might be useful: frozen lemon sandwiches

Basically I would want something hot. All cold would be ok...but not great. I'm sure I'm in the minority on this!

But there are lots of things that would not heat up the kitchen, especially if you used, uhmm, a crock pot.
Yes, I know they are ugly but you could also make something that is made the day or days before then quickly warmed in the oven.
Even warm bruschetta- minutes in the oven, doesn't heat things up that much.
Now, if you don't have air conditioning....another story altogether.

Pulled, smoked pork made days before and served from a crock pot....

Hear me out before I finish. lol

I'm not a Chili person unless it's Frito Chili Pie. DH loves Chili by itself.

What you could do is make a simple pot of Chili the day before (early in the morning) and when it's time to eat, heat it up on the stove on medium so it doesn't warm up your kitchen.

In bowls have finely chopped onion, shredded cheddar cheese, and a large bowl of Frito's.

If not chili, then I'd at least do one hot dish (A popular casserole?) either on the grill or stove top. You can't go wrong with burgers and dogs, no matter what their station in life.

Another thought, only because this is Summer and it's going to be casual which most guests love, is to serve an iced tub of some of the "Crush" pops along with other drinks. I keep diet Orange Crush on hand at all times.

Grills. Did you know you can buy a portable-throw away charcoal grill from Walmart? It's made of heavy duty foil, and it's meant to set on a table outdoors while you cook. You could buy a couple of those if you don't have a grill and let DH be in charge.

I think going for casual is your best bet. It automatically makes people feel welcome.

In my part of the woods, chili is a meal for cold weather. It is a hot rib sticking comfort food for when the cold winds blow. I wouldn't be at all interested in chili when temps are in the 90s.

For weather that hot, a cold pitcher of sangria, reislings, really good rum with tonic and limes, cold gazpacho made with fresh veggies, some interesting small sandwiches (cucumbers come to mind, but I recently had a wrap rolled up around roast beef and horseradish and sliced so it looked like pinwheels,really good!) a good cheese selection, an interesting salad with beans or quinoa for protein, fresh fruit (get it at a farmer's market so it actually tastes good) and yes, something lemony for dessert. Fresh flowers everywhere.

In temps like you are in, I wouldn't turn on the oven for all the tea in China.

When it's really hot, many people don't like a heavy meal and I think serving all cold food would be fine. I would definitely not serve chili.

If it were my soiree LOL, I might order a small spiral ham to serve cold with the salads. I'd do potato salad, a chilled jello salad with fruit, a vegetable concoction and maybe a pasta salad. Only the potato salad would have a mayonnaise base. Bread or rolls, maybe a small tray of good cheese in case someone wanted to make a sandwich.

If I wanted to step it up a notch and I knew the people liked fish, I'd have cold poached salmon with a cucumber dill sauce ( both are easy to make ), a wild rice salad with dried fruit and nuts and gussied up haricot verts. A salad, rolls and butter.

I think all cold would be great in these temps. Many people just do not want much, anything heavy, or hot right now. Here is a luncheon I did recently - you might be interested:

We had a cold meat and cheese tray
various breads/rolls to be eaten alone or guests could do a sandwich
tuna salad (or you could do chicken)
Fresh fruit salad
cold grilled veggies. I wasn't sure about this - but they were delish. Just barely grilled so still crisp - not sure what the marinade was (this is a luncheon I had catered for a work event)
A delish red skin potato salad
There was also a dip for the fruit. It seems like I'm leaving something out, but I can't remember what. For dessert we did a gourmet cookie selection along with brownies

Sounds like fun! I love entertaining and getting together - even when it is hot outside. Our temps are not as bad as yours - 95 in the day but we are still cooling down very comfortable by 7:00ish. I would do my meal a bit later if possible. Enjoy!!

tina

Forgot to add, chili is definitely a cold weather item for us too.

tina

We really don't eat chili in the summer either, but I do cook stew throughout the summer. Just because I cook a killer stew and I really like it.

What about finger sandwiches to serve with the salads?

Chili is a fall/winter thing for me too. I liked the idea of a spiral ham.

For a summer dessert, we always like the strawberry jello layer dessert (strawberries in jello, on top of a cream cheese, cool whip and sugar mix, on top of a pretzel crust). You would have to make it the day before so the jello would set. Does that count as a "fruit dessert" that you DH wouldn't like?

Our house isn't big enough to hold large groups so I do a lot of entertaining outside in the summer. I do not like BBQ so it's always a little more formal a menu than the usual backyard party. A couple of things I've done that are cool recently:
-gazpacho is a great cold Spanish soup and really simple but impressive. I have done a traditional tomato/pepper/cucumber/cilantro type gazpacho along with a white gazpacho that has a fruitier base. I serve these in tiny bowls w/dessert spoons or in little glass tea cups in a "flight" formation. Very nice, everyone always enjoys and it's a little unusual at least around here.

-I also like to make an orzo dish with roasted veggies. Again, super easy: I roast peppers, zucchini, onions, etc. and mix with orzo and season. Super good.

-We like Asian food and there are a couple meat dishes that can be made in advance, I serve satay (grilled chicken on a skewer) with a peanut sauce and sesame noodles (I use the Cook Yourself Thin recipe version, you can find it online.

-Last, I do a room temperature shrimp dish where I mix the shrimp with large Israeli style couscous and season with a Trader Joe's Chutney and curry.

The reason I really like room temperature and cool foods is that I don't have to get out the chafing dishes. But just because it's served nonheated, be aware still of food safety. I usually end of throwing away what ever is left over after serving time out of concern that it's just sat out too long. Better safe than sorry. Oh, I like the quiche idea, btw and do use quiches often...

Wow! Y'all are great - what fantastic ideas! First, I will have to try those frozen lemon sandwiches, if not this week, then very soon. I love anything lemon, so thank you Natal!

To answer a few questions: Yes, we have central A/C (six systems, actually) plus the ceiling fans in several rooms. I could not survive without A/C these days, although I'm old enough to remember living in the deep south without it.

Grilling is out for several reasons - first and foremost is the high heat/humidity. It's too miserable to stand in front of hot flames. Also, dh will get home from work about 10 minutes before guests arrive, so no help from him. Finally, I have lymphedema and my ankles would look like grapefruit if I stood for very long. Inside, I can do a lot of prep sitting down with my feet propped up.

Chickadee2, I served your cold poached salmon with a wild rice salad for a dinner recently and thought that two of this week's guests came that night, but dh just corrected me. Yay! Barb5, I did those roast beef pinwheels last Sept. for a lunch (for about three dozen from dh's office) and they were a hit. Thanks for the reminder. We're having another larger group later in the month and I'll make a note to do those again.

Okay, panic attack over - I always have one before these dinners, but then we have a great time and can't wait to host another. Thanks again.

I'm sure whatever you do will be great!
I remember your gorgeous house now...what a beautiful place to entertain.

About the chili, I think of it as Mexican, which puts it in the category of food to eat when it's hot.
The train of thought goes like this: Mexican, margaritas, Jimmy Buffet, the Keyes, hot weather, gazpacho (cold meatless chili), baskets of chips....

Looks like you might have already decided but maybe for next time... If you really feel that you need a hot item, how about make-your-own tacos. You can premake a bunch of taco seasoned ground beef and keep it warm in the crock pot. Then have the tortillas (soft or hard) and all the other fixings in a serving area where everyone can make their own. Goes great with sangria, guacamole, chips & salsa, even chili con queso if you have another crock pot available. For dessert you could do a chocolate cinnamon cake or flan.

Just for another opinion, when the weather is in the 90s, I don't mind a bit if we have nothing hot at dinner time. I think you'll be ok with cold only.

i'm having some people over this weekend and am making a strawberry trifle...they're light, pretty and i think appeal to most people since they have fresh strawberries in them!
made lemon-lime (the lime adds nicely!) bars for this past weekend, and they're also nice and summery---scatter a plateful with fresh berries!

i would be perfectly happy with lots of types of salads and i think alot of people would be---beginning of summer-people are thinking light!!! and would absolutely add a great homemade guacamole to start things!

i wouldn't serve chili or a hot dish. the only hot food i would serve would come off of the grill- ie: shrimp, kebobs, etc.

Thanks, Bumblebeez. This is part of my attitude adjustment plan. I'm trying to chip away at the wall I've built and enjoy being with people again without worrying about being judged and found deficient. So far, we've hosted four dinners this year and enjoyed them all. I need to get over obsessing about the house looking immaculate, plus having enough food for an army. Fortunately, no one seems to suspect that my calm exterior is hiding an orange-alert pre-panic attack frenzy, and dh is amused by the comments on how relaxed I am about everything. ; )

Margaritas and Jimmy Buffett sound great for the next large group get-together combined with Lowspark's make-your-own tacos and Busybee's lemon-lime bars (I've never tried lime - yum!) I needed ideas for this year's lunch for dh's staff and they all are excellent.

Rock, now I understand why no hot dish. The only thing I'd do is serve hot rolls/bread with butter to even out the meal and give your guests something "hot" to eat.

As far as not eating hot foods in the summer, I can't imagine me not doing it. Of course I eat a bit lighter in the summer, but as long as I have a great AC so I'm not going to deny myself good food.

DH is getting ready to make another batch of his homemade chicken/carrot and noodle soup. It doesn't make me hot eating it in the summer. But eating cold Watermelon on a cold winter's day is another story.

Oakley, you are too funny. I don't think anyone said they don't eat hot foods at all in the summer, but outside and in the temps Rock is experiencing right now. Food doesn't have to be hot to be good.

We eat lighter because of our climate and honestly if you are out and about, most people don't have the same appetite this time of year. We eat lighter. At our house, and I'm sure others, we're taking advantage of all the fresh veggies and fruits, etc. Hubby and I love veggies and fruit all year long and do eat meat, but in the summer, we tend to eat less meat.

Soups, chili, stew, etc., heavier casseroles, even spaghetti and lasagna are things we rarely eat in warm weather around here.

Just wanted to thank you again. The evening went very well and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. I took the advice about hot bread and bought some flakey mini croissants that were heated in the warming drawer while we had drinks before supper. A couple of people had the fruit dessert but everyone wanted to try the cake. Dh was sad that only three small pieces were leftover (& they're already gone.)

I'm finding that entertaining gets easier with repetition. That's a good thing, because of couple of the guys strongly suggested that we host several more dinners/parties at our house.

I'm glad it went well, rockmanor! I get very nervous about entertaining, too. And then when I do it, I think, why don't I do this more often, it's fun! Also, I don't like all the cleaning beforehand.

I remember your house from that other thread- it would be a great house for entertaining!

Glad to hear the party was a success. I hope it was fun for you. I also struggle with perfectionism and entertaining. I always say I will keep cool, be relaxed, not care if the house isn't perfect. Then I can sometimes panic at the last minute. I am getting better simply by being more conscious.

Since it sounds like you may be doing this again, I'll share my favorite hot weather dinner party dish -- Salade Nicoise. I arrange leaf lettuce on a large platter, plop a giant slab (or two) of grilled tuna in the middle and surround that with roasted small potatoes, green beans in a garlic vinaigrette, halved hard-boiled eggs, assorted olives, wedges of tomato, half moons of red onion. I makes for a big wow when it hits the table and everything can be done ahead of time. I usually throw the tuna on the grill about 30 minutes before we eat so it is at a warmish room temp, but you could certainly poach or grill it in the morning.

Another of my super popular summer desserts is mini key lime tarts. I hate to admit to anyone that they are not from scratch, but they disappear in a heartbeat. I use canned condensed milk and Nellie & Joe's Key Lime Juice, whisked together until the "custard" is thick and as tart as you can stand. Refrigerate. Spoon that into mini phyllo shells and top with a shot of whipped cream (yes...I use a can). These can be kept for a while in the fridge but the shells start to get soft after a few hours. Still delish, just not quite as crunchy.

I also love cold dinners in the summer heat. This salad is very easy to make.Maybe for your next time

Couscous, Chickpea and Cranberry Salad

This is a beautiful salad to serve as part of a buffet meal. The sweet orange dressing goes so well with the dried cranberries, chickpeas and basil. Always have a container of orange juice concentrate on hand in the freezer for cooking and baking purposes; you can remove the amount needed while still frozen.

1 cup chicken stock
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup couscous
2 Tbsp orange juice concentrate
3/4 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed/drained
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp grated orange rind
1/3 cup dried cranberries
3 Tbsp liquid honey
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1 tsp minced fresh garlic
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper

Bring the stock to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat. Stir in the couscous, cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl, fluff with a fork and cool.
Stir the chickpeas, cranberries, green onions, red peppers and basil or parsley into the cooled couscous.
To make the dressing, whisk the olive oil, orange juice concentrate, lemon juice, orange rind, honey and garlic in a small bowl. Pour over the couscous mixture and toss to coat.