Platinum Celebrations
Country Western Dinner Party
By Mindy Kobrin
Howdy Pardner! Looking to get everyone together for some good ole fashioned down-home fun? Try serving up a Country Western dinner party. Get your crew line dancing and two stepping between courses of ribs, cornbread and toasted marshmallows. These tips will make your party a foot-stompin’, hee-hawin,’ Bonanza-humming success.
Atmosphere
Gingham Table
A barn or ranch is a great setting for all your favorite buckaroos to gather or you can create the same feeling in your own home. Even if a barn isn't in the cards, ask your guests to come dressed for the occasion in cowboy boots, hats and bandanas.
Personalize your party by taking Polaroid photos of your guests and turning them into Western-style “Wanted” posters. What a fun keepsake for them to remember your party by.
Set the mood as guests arrive by placing potted cacti and stones along your front walkway or entrance hall. A bale of hay is always a classic, too. Old pieces of wood are great for painted signs that say "Saloon"- "Giddy up!" or "Rawhide." Lanterns can be used inside and out to create your very own “home on the range.” If you have a fireplace, make sure your fire is burning bright or fill the space with pillar candles in different heights.
Go with red, yellow or blue gingham tableware and accessories. And, add some glitz with sparkly accessories for a denim and diamonds affair.
Attire
Encourage your guests to saddle up in true Western style with items like:
- cowboy boots
- large silver belt buckles
- cowboy hats
- bandannas
- jeans and denim jackets
- Western shirts with checkered patterns
- sheriff's badges
- denim adorned with rhinestones and grommets
In case a few guests don’t come dressed as cowboys and cowgirls have a few bandanas, hats, etc. on hand.
Tunes
These classics are sure to get your guests to boot scoot and boogie.
- “The Magnificent Seven” theme - Elmer Bernstein
- Jackson - Johnny Cash & June Carter Cash
- "Bonanza” theme - Lorne Greene
- Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow up to Be Cowboys - Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson
- Cotton Eye Joe - Rednex
- “Rawhide” theme - Frankie Laine
- Home on the Range - Gene Autry
- William Tell Overture (Finale) - Cincinnati Pops Orchestra
- Where Have All the Cowboys Gone? - Paula Cole
- Farmer and the Cowman from “Oklahoma” the musical
Activities
Dance to the beat of the Country Western drum
Go all out! Invite a line dancing or two-stepping friend who can teach your guests the moves. These dances are fun for all ages and are a great way to get your guests involved. It’s sure to create memories that won’t soon be forgotten.
Close only counts in Horseshoes!
Play an old-fashioned game of horseshoes
Playing horseshoes is another great way to get everybody to participate in your party. You'll need a lawn, two stakes and of course, some horseshoes. Place the stakes in the ground 40 feet apart on a relatively flat surface. For kids, you may want to buy rubber horseshoes and shorten the distance.
Here's one easy way to score: A horseshoe that encircles a stake earns you three points, a horseshoe that leans on the stake is two points, and (if no horseshoes reach the stakes) the nearest horseshoe to the stake is awarded one point. To prevent injury, be sure to keep people from entering the game area while you're playing.
Food-n-Drink
Fire up your grill and oven for a Country Western BBQ complete with Yee-Haw Cornbread Muffins! To kick it up a notch, my favorite Chili Rubbed Barbecue Baby Back Ribs recipe will keep your cowboys and cowgirls smiling at the ranch! Add corn on the cob with the warm cornbread muffins and a simple salad dressed with a firey citrus vinaigrette to complete the BBQ. Keep crowds happy while the meal is cooking by greeting them with a Roy Rogers drink, chips and salsa and bowls of sweet-and-salty “Happy trails to you” trail mix! Toast marshmallows over a flame or a serve my Kick-In S'Mores Coffee Ice Cream Cake for a great dessert!
And, after everyone’s back home on the range, don’t forget to round up your photos, dust off your boots and share the fun back at the Celebrations Ranch. For more great party ideas, kick back and take a look through Celebrations. Y’all come back now, ya hear!
Roy Rogers Drink
Serves 1
Salute America’s classic cowboy, Roy Rogers, with this non-alcoholic favorite. Serve in jelly jars to give them a country flair.
Ingredients
4 ounces ginger ale
2 ounces lemon-lime soda
1 teaspoon grenadine
Orange wedge, for garnish
Preparation
Fill a tall glass with ice cubes, and then pour ingredients over. Stir well and garnish with an orange wedge.
Yee-Haw Cornbread Muffins with Maple Butter
Servings: Makes 12 muffins
Ingredients
Maple butter
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 1/2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
Muffins
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, cooled slightly
Preparation for maple butter
Using electric mixer, beat butter in medium bowl until creamy. Gradually beat in maple syrup until well blended and smooth. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and refrigerate.
Preparation for muffins
Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 12 regular (1/3-cup) muffin cups. Sift cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl. Whisk buttermilk and egg in another medium bowl; whisk in melted butter. Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients; stir just until incorporated (do not over mix). Divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups.
Bake muffins until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 15 minutes (muffins will be pale). Cool on rack 10 minutes. Serve with maple butter.
Chili-Rubbed Baby Back Ribs with Espresso Barbecue Sauce
Servings: Makes 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
2 tablespoons hot Mexican-style chili powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 pounds baby back pork ribs
1 12-ounce bottle dark beer
1 18-ounce bottle good-quality barbecue sauce
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°F. Whisk chili powder, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper in small bowl to blend. Rub spice mixture all over ribs. Place ribs in heavy large roasting pan.
Boil beer in medium saucepan until reduced to 1 cup, about 5 minutes. Pour beer around ribs. Cover pan tightly with foil. Bake ribs until fork-tender, about 1 hour 30 minutes.
Combine barbecue sauce, 1/2 cup water, brown sugar, and espresso powder in heavy medium saucepan. Simmer until flavors blend and sauce thickens slightly, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. (Ribs and barbecue sauce can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool slightly, then cover separately and refrigerate.)
Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Brush ribs with some barbecue sauce. Grill ribs just until heated through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer ribs to platter. Bring remaining sauce to simmer. Brush ribs with more barbecue sauce. Serve ribs, passing remaining barbecue sauce separately.
Kick-In S'mores Coffee and Fudge Ice Cream Cake
Begin preparing this a day ahead. Servings: Makes 10 to 12 servings
Ingredients
16 whole graham crackers (about 8 ounces)
1 cup whole almonds, toasted
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 quarts coffee ice cream, softened until spreadable
2 jars of Dark Chocolate Fudge Sauce
1 7-oz jar marshmallow creme
2 cups miniature marshmallows
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°F. Finely grind graham crackers, toasted almonds and 3 tablespoons sugar in processor. Add 1/2 cup melted butter; process mixture until moist crumbs form.
Press graham cracker mixture onto bottom and up sides of 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides. Bake crust until edges are golden, about 12 minutes.
Cool graham cracker crust completely. Spread 2 cups softened ice cream in crust. Spoon 3/4 cup cooled Fudge Sauce over. Freeze until sauce is just set, about 10 minutes.
Refrigerate or freeze remaining ice cream as necessary to prevent ice cream from melting. Repeat layering with 2 cups ice cream, then 3/4 cup sauce. Freeze until sauce is just set. Spread remaining 2 cups ice cream over. Cover and freeze cake overnight. Refrigerate remaining Fudge Sauce.
Preheat broiler. Warm remaining Fudge Sauce in small saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat. Place cake in pan on baking sheet. Spread marshmallow creme over top of cake. Sprinkle miniature marshmallows over in single layer. Broil just until marshmallows are deep brown, watching closely to avoid burning, about 1 minute.
Run knife between pan sides and cake to loosen. Remove pan sides. Cut cake into wedges. Serve cake immediately with warm Fudge Sauce.
