Themed dinners are such an easy way to create a special event. Just think of all the possibilities (besides birthdays and holidays, I mean). Here’s a list of a few dinner themes, just to get the creative juices flowing:

The Movies

50’s Diner

Under the Sea

Luau

Fondue Night

Bon Voyage!

Welcome Wagon (for new neighbors)

Family Heritage (focusing on the country your ancestors come from)

Western Cowboy

Now since it’s rodeo time in our state, I’m thinking it would be fun to hold a cowboy-themed dinner party prior to heading out to one of our favorite rodeos, the Lehi Round-Up. I think I’ll fill a plastic-lined cowboy hat with chips for dipping and use inexpensive bandanas as place-setting napkins. A simple menu of baked beans and barbecued ribs suits the event, don’t you think? And I found some cowboy-themed paper plates and cups at the dollar store — yahoo!

Summer’s a nice time to have a themed dinner because of the ability to hold it outside if space is limited. So let’s pick a theme and a date, and have some fun! And in closing, here’s the baked bean recipe I will use (easy but always yummy):

Cowboy Favorite Baked Beans

1 can beans = 2 cups cooked beans. Substitute any type of beans you'd like
4 slices bacon
1/2 cup onions chopped or 1 small onion
2 cans pinto beans or pork and beans, drained
1 can kidney beans
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons yellow mustard

Mix beans together in a casserole dish. Set aside. Cook bacon and allow to cool. Crumble and cook onions in pan with some of the bacon grease. Take onions out when transparent and stir into beans. Add bacon to bean mixture. In a large measuring cup add brown sugar, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and mustard. Stir into bean mixture and bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour.

        

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