Issue #143: Tips and Recipes for Hosting Any Outdoor Party

From an intimate gathering to an evening cookout.

📺 “Dark Matter” on Apple TV+: I haven’t stopped thinking about Blake Crouch’s novel on parallel universes since I read it back in 2016. Like ‘Sliding Doors’ on steroids, it uses quantum physics—a man has invented a box that allows him to hop between parallel realities, and visit other wildly different versions of himself—to explore existential questions around where we find meaning and the life choices we make. The adaptation starring Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Connelly is an emotional roller coaster that captures the big questions posed by the book.

🍝 Chimichurri Meatballs from New York Times (gifted recipe link): If you read this week’s Sunday Edition, you saw that I made these chimichurri meatballs this week (by my former Food52 colleague,

Ali Slagle

!). The original recipe is simple—you make a basic chimichurri sauce, then mix about a quarter of it into meatballs that you then pan-sear or broil. They’re delicious (I served mine alongside ricotta, and blanched asparagus and fava beans), but the best part is: The sauce yields so much that you can use it for dinner the next night, as I did, combining it with ground chicken to make chicken burgers.

🎧 ‘She Has a Name’ Podcast: In this new-ish podcast, NPR reporter Tonya Mosley investigates the mysterious disappearance of her sister Anita in 1987. Only recently, a DNA match revealed that her body had been buried in an unnamed grave named, “Unknown Woman 1987,” and that she had been murdered. In this deeply personal and tragic story. Tonya interviews Anita’s son, Antonio, and connects the dots.

On the one hand, hosting two parties back-to-back on the same day is surely a mark of insanity. On the other, I felt like I’d been training for this moment my entire life, learning how to host from cramped parties that would spill out onto my fire escape in New York, and the annual “Oyster and Rosé” party I threw with my best friend in L.A. The moment the weather turned in Portland, I wasted no time planning a Saturday full of gatherings—beginning with an intimate bagel brunch in the morning for extended family and ending with an elevated cookout.

Left: Bagel Brunch, Right: Cookout Spread

While I was nervous leading up to the day (and had tons of prep to do, including building patio furniture the entire week leading up to it!), it went off without a hitch, thanks to careful strategies, make-ahead meals, and a few key products. Read on for my guide to hosting any kind of backyard party—without the stress—including my favorite recipes and the importance of a well-selected playlist.

P.S. This is a long one—it really is a comprehensive guide—so you may need to read it in your browser or hit “expand” if reading in your inbox!