I'm having a graduation pool party for my daughter, i'm making the invitations and need ideas on the wording. I want them to know its a pool party and to bring a swimsuit and towel. the decorations are not pool party related, she wants hot pink and zebra any help would be appreciated

Buy a boneless ham and have it shaved. Buy a rolled rump roast and make Italian beef for sandwiches...re warm just before the party. Buy lots of sandwich buns. Make a couple of heads of cabbage into slaw, make or buy potato salad. have a vat of veggies and dip...most kids love ranch. Have a boat load of chips, a tub of ice with sodas and pop and fill your freezer with various cookies. All very doable for one person....rent or borrow a 10 foot table....set the food out....and there you are! I normally hate the thoughts of paper plates....but I give you permission to use them for this! And enjoy! Linda C Here is a link that might be useful: Italian beef

I use two solar ovens all the time - almost year-round. They are convenient, easy-to-use, most food cooks/bakes in a NORMAL time frame - although you CAN use them like a Crock-pot for slow cooking. I can easily reach temperatures between 350° and 400°F. I even bake yeast breads in them. The open parabolic reflectors are more difficult to control the temperature. I keep my solar ovens on a cart on wheels so it's easy to turn to follow the sun and they are waist high for stirring or turning items being cooked. I also have the ovens tied down to the carts so the wind doesn't turn them over. So-called "special" cookware is readily available and most of it is inexpensive, it needs to be dark and thin. I also use quart canning jars painted on the outside with black heat-resistant paint. The jars work well for heating water and cooking food. The Tulsi Hybrid Solar Oven came with an assortment of pans and I can make 4 things at once in this oven. The Sun Oven didn't come with any cookware and the cooking space is more limited. The Tulsi is about the size of a small suitcase and is easy to pack with everything you need and is ready-to-go for you campers out there. It will also run on electricity, so you can cook/bake in it ANYTIME - day or night - using electricity, or use solar only when the sun is shinning. Once you've invested in special pans (many I already had), they quickly pay for themselves by the energy you save using solar. I suggest wearing dark glasses when working with ANY kind of solar cooker/oven, but especially homemade versions. You CAN burn your eyes if you aren't careful. A hat with a brim will also help shade your eyes when moving food in and out of a solar cooker. In the homemade version shown in the picture above, you will find it handy to raise pans up off the ground by using a trivet or rings from canning jars. Most food will also cook better and quicker in this type of cooker if you place the pan in an Oven Bag (the kind you cook a turkey in) to help keep the temperature even and the steam from escaping. You can place an oven thermometer inside the oven bag to help make sure you are cooking at a food-safe temperature. Quick tip... I bake SMALL whole potatoes in black socks (purchased new and used for potatoes only). Large potatoes don't work as well as small ones, and foil-wrapped potatoes don't bake well because the foil is reflective. If you use an open parabolic reflector, place the potato-filled socks in an oven bag. -Grainlady

Bebet, I have gone through 2 high school graduations and my first recommendation is to find a friend that can come over about 15 minutes before your guests arrive (assuming your party is after the ceremony) and to put out your cold foods, stir the hots,etc. I did bbq beef or pork sandwiches in crock pots and they were a hit. Relish tray, fresh fruit, bakery cake, bowls of peanuts mixed with m & m's and an assortment of bars. In our instance, many people were going to several graduations, and just wanted to nibble on one thing. I also did punch and pitchers of ice water and iced tea. I also had my graduate select the foods they liked and also that our family liked so that if we were eating leftovers it was something that was going to keep. I avoided all mayo type salads for that reason. Also we made the sandwiches on the junior size buns. I set up my display with pictures, awards, etc. in one room and the food in the kitchen. I set up the garage with tables. If you are going to do a bakery cake; take your pictures with it and cut it right away otherwise it won't get eaten. Have fun and enjoy the day without stress. Keep us posted. Deanna