partythegreat Summer

guide

We know, like every New Zealander you feel you are equipped from birth with the natural ability to enjoy the lazy, hazy, crazy days, of a hummer of a summer down under.

It can be a hectic time. It’s not just summer. It’s Christmas. It’s New Year. It’s the school holidays. It’s the family vacation. It’s the road trip. It’s beaches and barbies. It’s long weekends and daylight saving. And it’s all arriving at once. So here are a few helpful hints about how to get you and your family through the best and the worst of it, by being the host with the most this summer.

Have a great summer.

What you hold in your hands is

a basic users’ guide to

summer

We know, like every New Zealander you feel you are equipped from birth with the natural ability to enjoy the lazy, hazy, crazy days, of a hummer of a summer down under.

It can be a hectic time. It’s not just summer. It’s Christmas. It’s New Year. It’s the school holidays. It’s the family vacation. It’s the road trip. It’s beaches and barbies. It’s long weekends and daylight saving. And it’s all arriving at once. So here are a few helpful hints about how to get you and your family through the best and the worst of it, by being the host with the most this summer.

Have a great summer.

GLORIOUSfood

food

But the days of Dad taking a handful of bangers and turning them into fossil fuel are gone.

There is just no excuse for a burnt banger in a bun. Having said that, sometimes only a sausage sammie and sauce will do the trick.

Another trick to remember when you are hosting a BBQ or beach party this summer is making sure there is plenty of food available when people are having a drink. Chippies are not a magic sponge and we all know what can happen when people drink on an empty stomach.

Some other helpful ways of avoiding cousin Kevin turning into an embarrassing wreck is to not keep serving drinks or topping up the glasses.

Having some interesting non-alcoholic drinks can help people to pace themselves.

Check out the yummy recipes on the next few pages to get your taste buds in the right mood for summer...

It used to be that food in summer fell in to two distinct categories:- Food that can be cooked on a BBQ and�- Food to be eaten with food that can be cooked on a BBQ.

Marinated steakbbqMarinated steakMarinated steakMarinated

Measure the marinade ingredients into a screw-top jar and shake to combine. Place the beef in an un-punctured plastic bag and add the marinade mixture. Massage the bag so the beef is covered with the marinade, then set aside for 30 minutes or longer (refrigerate overnight if desired).

Preheat the barbecue and oil the grill or hot plate lightly. Lift the steaks from the marinade and place them on the barbecue. Cook the steaks for about 3 minutes per side (you may need to vary the cooking time depending on the thickness of the steak and how rare you want it). Remove the steaks from the barbecue and allow to rest for about 5 minutes, before serving.

Variation: For something a little different, try using this marinade on skirt steak (which comes in larger pieces, each about 500g). Score the outside of the steak lightly, then marinate as above. Cook the steak as above but increase the cooking time to 5-6 minutes per side. Rest the cooked steak for 5 minutes, then slice it thinly with a knife held at 45 degrees to the board. Pile the thinly sliced steak into split French bread or rolls.

For about 1kg steak: 2 Tbsp sweet chilli sauce 2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp wine vinegar 1 Tbsp sesame oil (optional)

Smoked Tuna+ Cream Cheese Dip

For about 1 1/2 cups: 250g lite cream cheese 1 lemon 185g can smoked flavored tuna in spring water

1-2 Tbsp chopped herbs (eg parsley and/or dill) 1-2 tsp hot pepper sauce (optional)

Place the cream cheese in a bowl. Finely grate the zest of half the lemon and squeeze the juice. Add the zest and juice to the cream cheese, then stir to mix.

Open and drain the tuna. Tip the drained tuna into the cream cheese mixture and add the herbs and pepper sauce, if using. Stir until evenly mixed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To serve: Sticks of carrot, cucumber, celery, radish, red or yellow peppers, pita bread wedges or crisps, sliced French bread, crackers etc.

Pita bread wedges: Warmed pita bread wedges are a great way to make a dip or spread more substantial. Arrange pita breads on an oven tray, then brush (or spray) one side lightly with oil. Place the tray in an oven preheated to about 180°C for about 5 minutes or until they are lightly browned. Remove from the oven and cut into wedges as soon as they are cool enough to handle.

For pita bread crisps, lay the pita breads fl at on a board. Holding a knife parallel to the board, carefully cut the pita breads into two thinner layers (this is easier with some different brands of pita breads). Cut the halved bread into wedges and arrange on oven trays. Spray lightly with oil, then bake in an oven preheated to 180°C for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Cool and use immediately or store in an airtight container until required.

FruitSalad

tropical

Fruit

Peel the mangoes and remove the fl esh from the stones. Cut into pieces (similar in size to canned peaches). Using a sharp knife remove the skin from the pineapple. Remove the core and chop the fl esh into small pieces. Peel the bananas and kiwi fruit and chop into bite-sized pieces. Rinse the strawberries and cut in half.

Combine all the fruit in a large bowl. Add the fruit juice and coconut cream. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with mint. Cover with Gladwrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hourbefore serving.

5 mangoes 1 small-to-medium pineapple 3 large bananas

3 kiwi fruit 10-12 strawberries 3/4 cup orange-and-mango fruit juice

1/4 cup coconut cream (optional) 1 tsp fresh mint, finely chopped

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Summer holidays are all about having fun together – and kids will always have more fun if you play too. Some of the best laughs are watching Dad fall over at Twister, or Mum jumping with fright at Snap! And a great summery party is about having fun with your family and friends.

KEEP THE KIDS (AND YOURSELF]

ENTERTAINEDHOW TO

AND YOURSELF]

ENTERTAINED

Mix in plenty of things you can all do together during the party, instead of just eating and drinking.

Here are a few ideas. But get creative and come up with your own as well.

SLIDESIf you have a sloping bank and a cardboard box, you have the perfect kids’ distraction this summer. Bust open a couple of large cardboard boxes for sleds, get the kids to sit on the cardboard holding up the front and shove them off down the slope. They’ll spend hours skidding and sliding. But be warned. It will look like so much fun, you’ll want to have a go too.

Or you could try a long strip of plastic and a garden hose waterslide.

Make sure you find a space that’s far away from roads and driveways so they won’t run into any trouble. Before the kids get started, check the area for any sticks, stones or broken glass and get them to go one at a time to avoid bumping heads.

TREASURE HUNTBury a prize in the sand give them a few clues and they’ll be going for hours. You never know they might find a few rings and watches while they’re at it. You can play this inside on rainy days too.

KITESNo better way to make use of a windy day. And there are bound to be a few this summer. You could even try making your own.

GO LO TECHGet some of the old board games out. Odds are that your kids have forgotten how much fun Twister, Monopoly, Cluedo and or Drafts can be. It’s the same with cards. A game of Snap! can have everyone on the edge of their seats.

classicsGet out all the old sports gear for a game of backyard cricket, touch, softball or frisbee.

RETROYou can’t beat the trusted games that kept you entertained as a kid. Remember sack, three-legged and egg and spoon races, and elastics using an old pair of stockings? Then there’s hide and seek, musical chairs and pass the parcel. Knuckle bones and pickup sticks are always good fun too – and you can make your own with stones, straws or kebab sticks.

For big groups ‘Simon says’ and charades never fail to get a laugh.

HOW TO KEEP THE KIDS AND YOURSELF ENTERTAINED continued...

HAVE A THEMEIt’s always tricky to come up with the perfect party theme, so why not road test a few of these this summer:

Circus / Cheap / Creepy / Coro St / Chess / Croquet / Cricket / Geeks / Girly

Garden / Gaudy / Grunge / Gnomes / House / Horror / Heroes / Hotel

Hair (the musical) / Heartthrobs / Isosceles triangles / Interesting / Icy

Infomercial / The letter I / Kiwianna / Killer whales / Karaoke / Karate / Kinky

Kings & Queens / Lycra / (famous) Lovers / Ladies’ night / Leprechaun

Leisure / Leopard print / Queen / Quiet / Quirky / Quick / Quarantine

Undercover / Umbrella / Upside-down / Under-the-sea / Uni-student

Vet / Vegetable / Vegas / Vanity / Victorian / Wet / Weta workshop / Weird

Witches & Wizards / World / WWW dot / WWF / Williams / X-treme sports

Xray / X-fi les / X-tremists / Zoo / Zorro / Zigzag / Zoolander / Zips & buckles.

chickenpiecesSoy

Remove the skin from the chicken and cut the chicken into 8 pieces as follows:

Place the chicken on a strong chopping board. Pull out each leg and cut through the natural line which separates the leg from the breast. Divide the legs into thighs and drumsticks. Separate the breasts from the carcass by fi lleting as cleanly as possible from the rib cage. Bend the wings back and cut through the joints between the bones. Save the wings and carcass for making soup. Cut the breasts in two lengthways.

Arrange the chicken pieces in a roasting or casserole dish. Combine the soy sauce, tomato sauce, garlic and ginger and pour over the chicken.

Cover and cook at 160°C for 40 minutes. Turn over the chicken pieces and cook at 135°C for a further 30 minutes or until tender.

To make the sauce, drain the cooking juices into a small saucepan. Scoop the fat from the top of the cooking juices. Add the lemon juice. Bring to the boil. Mix the cornfl our and water to a smooth paste, add gradually to the saucepan and stir until thickened.

Pour the sauce over the chicken pieces and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes.

1 chicken, size 8 2 Tbsp soy sauce (low salt) 1 Tbsp tomato sauce

4-5 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed 2-3 tsp root ginger, finely chopped 1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp cornflour 1/2 cup water

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cornfrittersfritters

Measure the fl our into a medium sized bowl. Add the eggs, beer (or other liquid), chilli sauce, spices and salt, then stir together to make a smooth batter.

Open the can of corn and drain the corn well, then stir the kernels into the batter along with the remaining three ingredients.

Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan – for ‘traditional’ fritters you will need oil 5-10mm deep, or for corn cakes, rather than fritters use 1-2 tablespoons.

Cook batches of fritters for 3-5 minutes per side until golden brown, or cakes until they are lightly browned on both sides and fi rm when pressed in the centre.

Drain cooked fritters on several layers of paper towels. Keep cooked fritters or cakes warm in the oven until all the mixture is cooked, then serve immediately topped with the salsa above, or bowls of sweet chilli sauce.

Serve with sweet chilli sauce and sour cream for dipping.

For 3-4 servings: 1 cup self-raising flour 2 large eggs 1/2 cup soda water or low fat milk

2 Tbsp Thai sweet chilli sauce 1 tsp each cumin and paprika 425g can whole kernel corn, drained

2 spring onions, thinly sliced

2-3 Tbsp chopped coriander 1 medium red (or green) pepper, diced

Small amount of oil to fry (see below)

Serve with sweet chilli sauce and sour cream for

Oka i’a raw fishraw fish

Rinse the fi sh and cut into cubes. Place in a shallow dish and cover with the lemon juice. Leave to marinate for at least 2 hours, or overnight in the fridge.

Drain off the lemon juice. Add the spring onions, cucumber, tomatoes, pepper, coconut cream and water. Sprinkle with pepper and mix well. Transfer to a serving bowl. Cover with Gladwrap and chill before serving.

1kg fresh fish fillets (mullet or gurnard is best)

Juice of 5 lemons 3 spring onions, chopped

2 tomatoes 1 small cucumber, seeds removed, chopped into bite-sized pieces

1/2 green or yellow pepper 1 1/2 cups coconut cream 1 cup water

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THIRSTQUENCHERSTHIRSTQUENCHERS

You wouldn’t want to spend an entire evening drinking orange juice. And yet it can often be the only alternative to alcohol at a party.

In summer people can get very thirsty. A good innings of beach cricket over the burning sand can reduce anyone to a panting, sweating, gasping, beached whale.

So don’t let the only remedy available be alcohol.

There are some really good low alcohol drinks available now. And there is always a cool alternative to alcohol. As host you have a real opportunity to make something memorable with your own concoctions for non-alcoholic drinks.

Try out a few of these non-alcoholic cocktails on your friends, they’re sure to please...

A glass of orange juice is lovely. Sharp, tangy, cool and sweet. Yes, one glass is fine. Three glasses? Well, your teeth start to feel a little furry and your tongue curls a bit at the edge.

Light Fizz20mls elderflower cordial3 wedges lime2 mint sprigs150mls lemonadeIce

Fill your tall glass with ice. Squeeze and drop the lime wedges on top. Pour all the other ingredients over the lime wedges. Place in the mint sprigs and stir well.

Cube Twist4 wedges lime1 pinch cinnamon150mls colaIce

Fill your short glass with ice. Squeeze and drop in the lime wedges. Top with cola and sprinkle cinnamon on top.

Fill your tall glass with ice. Squeeze and drop the lime wedges on top. Pour all the other ingredients over

in the lime wedges. Top with cola and sprinkle

Fill your tall glass with ice. Squeeze

Pineapple Punch3 cans mashed pineapple1 litre milk200gm coconut shredsIce cubes

Pour pineapple into a large bowl, add milk and coconut shreds, add ice to chill, stir and serve.

Tropical Taste50mls pineapple juice50mls cranberry juice10mls passionfruit pulp2 wedges orangeIce

Fill your tall glass with ice. Add the ingredients in the above order. Stir well.Fill your tall glass with ice. Add the ingredients in the above order. Stir well.

Herbal Zest30mls lemon & ginger cordial150mls Chi1 long slice of cucumberIce

Place your slice of cucumber into your tall glass and then fi ll with ice. Pour lemon & ginger cordial and top with chi. Give a quick stir and serve.

Herbal ZestHerbal Zest

And don’t forget the good old

faithfuls like Lime and Soda and

Lemon, Lime and Bitters

FOODMake sure when you’re serving alcohol that there is enough food available. Include plenty of variety and make it substantial, not just chippies and rice crackers. Remember it’s the holidays so whatever you don’t use today will probably get eaten tomorrow (but make sure you clean, cook, cover and chill – check out www.foodsafe.org.nz for more tips).

PLASTERS & SUNSCREENSure as eggs someone is going to stub their toe at hopscotch, cut their fi nger slicing tomatoes, or burn their thumb trying to whip something off the BBQ. And don’t forget to provide sunscreen and some spare sun hats so that people don’t end up burnt.

PARTY SHOPPING

CHECK LIST

FOODMake sure when you’re serving alcohol that there is enough food available. Include plenty of variety and make it substantial, not just chippies and rice crackers. Remember it’s the holidays so whatever you don’t use today will probably get eaten tomorrow (but make sure you clean, cook, cover and chill – check out www.foodsafe.org.nz for more tips).

DRINKSMake sure you have lots of variety and not just alcohol. People need plenty of fl uid on hot days.

RUBBISH BAGSHave lots available and plenty of bins or bags dotted around the place. Keep the recycling bin handy too.

MUSIC Check out your stereo and make sure it works before everyone turns up. Have a guitar around. There is bound to be someone who can belt out a tune. Supply some lyric sheets and bring out the spoons and shakers so everyone can join in. You’d be surprised how many choruses you know and how few verses. Spare a thought for your neighbours when it comes to volume though!

A TORCHSomeone is bound to lose his or her wallet or sunglasses or partner in the night.

ANTACIDIt is still the best thing to settle your stomach after trying Bob the neighbour’s special chilli sauce.

A GOOD SENSE OF HUMOURFace it everything is not going to go to plan. Roll with it.

Host a party your friends and family will want to remember. That means looking after your guests and making sure they not only have a good time, but that they get home in one piece. Hosting a party is a big responsibility so here are some ways to make sure your party goes off without a hitch. Because we’ve all seen the ads and know what can go wrong when people drink too much.

BE A

RESPONSIBLEHOSTRESPONSIBLE

Plan to do things other than eat and drinkThe best bit about this time of year is catching up with people and having fun. Plan fun games or activities to get people up out of their chairs and talking and laughing. And try to include people in your party that may not have plans these holidays.

Don’t keep serving your friends until they are drunkIf you see someone getting too tiddly, get them to ease off the alcohol and offer them some coffee or a yummy non-alcoholic cocktail instead.

Provide substantial food - not just chippiesChippies and rice crackers are not a magic sponge and we all know what can happen when people drink on an empty stomach. Whenever you’re providing alcohol, provide food that stays in the body longer and takes time to digest like bread, pasta, spuds, meat and cheese. Make sure there is always plenty available and keep passing it around. And remember to have some vege options too!

Look after young people around alcoholKeep an eye on everyone, especially young people around drinks. They’re not as bulletproof as they think.

Provide appealing low or non-alcoholic drinksPut as much thought into the non-alcoholic drinks as the alcoholic ones.... coffee and water are good but also try some interesting non-alcoholic cocktails or low alcohol drinks.

Serve alcohol responsibly or not at allDon’t keep topping up half-full glasses and don’t push it if someone refuses a drink.

Arrange safe transport for your guests or somewhere for them to stayDon’t let people drive home after they’ve been drinking. Call them a taxi or give them a pillow and a sleeping bag and point them towards the couch.

Turn the music off or put “I will always love you” on repeat.

Announce a sing-along. Grab someone’s hand and start in a boisterous version of “kumbaya”.

Start serving coffee.

Turn all the lights on.

Ask people to help you with the dishes.

Start vacuuming.

Call taxis/organise transport for people.

Tell them the party is over and to go home (some people just don’t take hints).

THE BEST WAYS to tell them THE PARTY

IS OVER

That’s it.

Hopefully you’ll find a little titbit of information in here that will make your summer one to remember. And for more tips visit www.hadenough.org.nz

And more importantly we hope your family and friends realise that you really are the host with the most this summer.

Relax. Enjoy and re-charge those batteries.

THE SUMMERY

SUMMARY

AL555 ISBN: 978-1-877373-47-3