Special Birthday Dinner Ideas

Outdoor Birthday Dinner

Why have your birthday dinner indoors on a warm summer night when you can take the party outdoors? Invite your friends and family over for a backyard barbecue. Fire up the grill to prepare a variety of grilled favorites, such as chicken, ribs, burgers and shrimp kabobs. Grill vegetables and potatoes to go with the meats or serve with tossed salad and rice. Ice-cold lemonade and sweet tea are complementary beverages for the dinner.

Celebrate your husband's birthday with a romantic picnic dinner for two. Choose a location such as the living room, backyard or beach, depending on the weather and season. Spread out a blanket and several scented candles to add to the atmosphere. For dinner, serve your husband's favorite meal that you have prepared in advance. Wine, champagne or sparkling cider are great choices to complement the dinner. For dessert, enjoy chocolate cake or strawberries dipped in chocolate.

Because children are often picky eaters, planning a dinner party for your child's birthday can be a difficult task. To make things go smoothly, serve a variety of child-friendly foods. Pizza is a favorite among many children and it can be customized to fit their tastes. Order pizza from a pizzeria or allow each child to customize a store-bought pizza. Children may also enjoy a dinner of buffalo wings or chicken nuggets served with French fries. Pasta dishes like spaghetti, macaroni and cheese and baked ziti are also options. Juice, soda and milk are complementary child-friendly beverages you can serve with dinner.

For your birthday, forget about spending the day preparing dinner and invite your family and friends to a restaurant instead. If you do not have a favorite restaurant, choose a restaurant that specializes in your favorite meal. If you are not sure where to host your birthday dinner, ask a friend for recommendations or choose a restaurant that you are at least familiar with. The last thing you want to do is spend your birthday in a place you hate, eating food you do not like. Make sure to call the restaurant in advance to inquire about any reservation policies for parties and large groups.

If a simple birthday dinner is not your style, a theme dinner is an option. Plan a nautical-theme dinner party with blue and white decor. Serve seafood and shell-shaped pasta for dinner with bottled water, soda and wine coolers.

Throw a Mardi Gras-theme soiree with purple, gold and green decor inspired by the French Quarter. Serve Creole and Cajun foods for dinner, such as gumbo, red beans and rice, jambalaya, crawfish and Andouille sausage. Complementary beverages include iced tea, rum and punch cocktails, beer and champagne.

Have a Mexican-theme fiesta with bold and bright decor. Serve dinner foods such as chicken enchiladas, beef fajitas, fish tacos, roasted pork and black beans and rice. Complementary beverages include pina colada, agua fresca, sangria and margaritas.