Bonjour, girlfriends! Food and Wine this month has a great party idea to celebrate the upcoming movie Julie and Julia...it’s a We Heart Julia party, complete with Julia Child – themed t-shirts and quintessentially Julia recipes. Click here for the details. This fabulous idea got us thinking about other ways to combine girlfriends and food in the summer. (Photo via flickr)

Master the Flames

How about a Learn to Grill party? The grill tends to be the domain of men, but it’s such a versatile cooking tool that we girlfriends should learn to master it, too. The Weber Grill company offers free video podcasts you can use as tutorials. All you have to do is register for Weber Nation, their online community. Or, recruit your favorite grillmaster to teach the girlfriends the grilling basics. He’ll be flattered, and you can thank him with a six-pack. Single gals, use this opportunity to grill batches of chicken breasts, pork tenderloins, etc. to freeze and eat later. Once again, you’re getting your chores done while having fun with your girlfriends!

Melt Some Treats

And speaking of open flames…how about some s’mores? There is hardly a more summery treat than this concoction of roasted marshmallow and chocolate sandwiched between graham crackers. For a more grown-up twist, our girlfriends at celebrations.com have five delicious variations on the classic s’more that will help you set up a Make Your Own S’mores Bar for your girlfriends. Set up the fire pit, and let them choose the ingredients for their own yummy little campfire treats.

Cultivate Taste

And by the way, what wine pairs well with s’mores—anyone know? Having a Wine Among Friends party is another way to explore taste with your girlfriends in the summer. We still have fond memories of Tina’s last wine-tasting party on the patio. Get the detailed how-to for throwing your own right here.

Share the Bounty

And finally, how does your garden grow? If you are lucky enough to have too many tomatoes, zucchni, or fresh basil, have a Produce Swap Party, and invite each of your gardening girlfriends to bring her bounty. With luck, you’ll all leave with a varied market basket of summer goodness. If you plan ahead, you can cook up some simple, garden-fresh recipes together. Once again, Food and Wine comes to the rescue with their Summer Produce Guide, filled with recipes for using your summer bounty. And, remember to donate any excess produce to your local food pantry.

Have any delicious girlfriend party ideas you’d like to share? Leave them in the comments!