They Mixed It. We Kicked It.

Last weekend we invited close friends over for a Labor Day BBQ.  The weather was beautiful and, in uncharacteristic fashion, I took an extremely laid-back approach to the gathering. We kept the menu simple and decided to focus on hanging out with our friends to mark the end of a satisfying summer. Perfect for my “Less Work, More Play” theme was the addition of the new TGIFridays Cocktails, which they gave me the opportunity to sample for free.  The great thing about these cocktails is that they are Ready-to-Drink because the liquor is already in it!  All we had to do was pour and enjoy…

Cheers!

On the menu were: Sundried Tomato Marinated Grilled Chicken Breasts; Spicy Sausages; Hot Dogs; Baked Mac and Cheese; Grilled Bell Peppers; Red Potato Salad; and Greek Salad.

We also had Strawberry Shortcake; Carrot Cake and Cupcakes with Ice Cream for dessert.

We poured The TGIFriday’s Mudslides over ice and blended our Strawberry Daiquiris – easy!

Reminiscing about our partying days before we became old ladies with lots of kids.

The breadsticks and hummus BEFORE L’il Buddy shoved ALL of the breadsticks into the hummus and then onto the carpet.

E. was “secure in his manhood” and didn’t mind me taking a photo of him with a “girly glass.”

Hubby, as suspected, needed a “man glass” for his.

As did his cousin, who was up visiting from Miami.

Miss D. looking fabulous even with infant twins and a 5 year-old in tow.

Mom and her big Kindergartener!

Aren’t they precious?

These two characters need no introduction

Congrats to Shorter Mama and her beautiful family on the addition of their new baby girl!

We had a great time. It actually made me vow to spend less time “hostessing” in the future, and more time sitting down with my guests.  We ate well, drank well, the kids played and many jokes were cracked! There was an unfortunate wasp sting incident (sorry J!) and the fact that I could not find my paper plates and ended up with an avalanche of dishes to wash, but all in all, it was a good time.

For your next party, I encourage you to check out the TGIFriday’s Cocktails. They have a variety of flavors:

• Pina Colada
• Margarita
• Mud Slide
• Long Island Ice Tea
• Strawberry Daqauri
• Mai Tai
• Passion Mojito
• Censored on the Beach
• Hawaiian Volcano
• Peach Tea
• Orange Dream

and the ones I tried really do taste so good! That Mudslide is no joke.  And they’re just under $6 for a generously sized bottle.  For tips on how to throw your next party check out the Essence.com TGIFriday Cocktails page for theme ideas, recipes and more.

I can’t wait for the holiday season…