Pulling together a last-minute backyard gathering to savor the last few weeks of summer? Here are a few tips to make the party fun for all your guests. 

1. Use up your summer garden favorites like tomatoes, sweet peppers, jalapeños, onions, and zucchini and squash. You can roughly chop them and toss them together for a refreshing and easy salad, or dice them neatly for a great garnish for grilled favorites like hot dogs and burgers. 

2. Keep your guests cool with ice everything. Ice cold water, ice cold watermelon, ice cold beer, ice cream--nothing is better on a hot summer afternoon than cold everything. 

3. Fun with water. Running through a sprinkler is great fun for the kids and dogs, but add in some water balloons and squirt toys, and you've got a great time for all ages. Tell the neighbors to bring towels and extra shirts and earn bragging rights with winning squirt gun shots and spot-on water balloon lobs. 

4. Fire pits are a must. Ordinarily the last thing you might think of during summer is a fire, but think again. Nice summer evenings end around a fire making s'mores and telling stories. Plus, the fire will keep away annoying bugs and mosquitoes. 

Keep your Bellisari's sauces and spreads on hand to make your last-minute gatherings seeming like well-planned dinner parties. During the month of August, we're offering 20% off our spreads with the code GARDENBOUNTY; stock up today!