Saluting the Marine BBQ

(this table would be great for something more formal, very chic)

A fellow Smarty had posted on the Smarty Facebook wall that her husband is a Marine and is being promoted to Lt. Col. next month. She is throwing a casual back yard BBQ party for him. She wants to go with a RED, WHITE, and BLUE patriotic theme and she wanted to know what table centerpieces would be appropriate for an outdoor manly party?

This is a nice way to setup a buffet. Find some patriotic linen or fabric to hang up as a background and hang some lights up across it.

Food

Here are some great easy buffet finger foods: Corn on cob on a stick, baked beans (serve in empty jars with a spoon), Freedom Fries (served in patterned paper rolled into ), Burgeconesrs (or try mini burgers!), mini club sandwiches (Stick little american flags on each of the sandwiches) , baked mini corn dogs.

Patriotic Desserts & Cocktails:

Decorate cupcakes or a cake (Flag Cake)with red, white, & blue berries, fill cups with berries and whipped cream (trifle style), fresh fruit in cones, mini cherry pies, fill large glass containers with nuts, pretzel sparklers,

Red, white, blue cocktail, blue & red slushy drinks from a cooler dispenser, Jones Soda Bottles in patriotic flavors.

Favors

DIY personalized matchbooks, DIY candy gift boxes, DIY Altoid Tin mini toolboxes, fill up empty glass beer/soda bottles with red, white, & blue candies - create personalized stick on labels for the bottles on the computer, little popcorn bags (or these popcorn bags) filled with popcorn.

Centerpieces

Fill glass cups with water at different levels and place red apples in them.