Make the Most of your Summer Shindigs

The sun is shining, the pool is refreshing, and barbecue sounds delicious. Before you fire up the grill and invite your neighbors, check out these seven party tricks to ensure a hassle-free outdoor meal. 

1. An eggs-cellent fire starter.

Planning to make s’mores or roast hot dogs over an open fire? Take an empty cardboard egg carton, fill each slot with a charcoal briquette, close it up, light it with a match, and put it in the center of your fire pit or charcoal grill. Ta-da! You’ve got a nice fire going. This is a great portable solution, too!

2. Ice, ice, baby.

Beverages will stay chilled when surrounded by frozen water balloons instead of melt-prone ice cubes. Your cooler will look party-ready, and — bonus! — after the ice has turned to liquid, you’re ready for a water balloon fight.

3. Cooler corn is the cooler way.

Corn on the cob is a summertime favorite, but if you don’t have a big enough pot, it can be pretty time-consuming to make lots of it for a party. Enter the camping cooler. Just fill it with shucked ears of corn, pour boiling water on the top, close the lid, and come back in half an hour for your perfectly cooked corn.

4. Cupcake liners to the rescue.

When you need to keep bees and other bugs from taking a deep dive into your iced tea, put a cupcake liner upside-down over the top of the glass, then stick a straw through the center for easy sipping. (If you want to make it even more air-tight, you can make a lid out of foil.) Cupcake liners also work great as drip catchers for popsicles; just push them up the stick and they’ll prevent a sticky-mess situation.

5. The circle of hot dog life.

Grilling hot dogs seems pretty straightforward, but there is a better way: the spiral dog. Start by placing a wooden skewer through the center of the hot dog lengthwise. Then take a knife and carefully cut the hot dog while rolling the skewer away from you. Pull the skewer out, and you’re left with a perfectly spiral-cut dog. This will help it cook evenly, fit more easily into a bun, and hang onto condiments. (Plus, it looks fun!)

6. Do you know the muffin man?

Word is he lives on Drury Lane, and whether you’ve met him or not, you can use his very handy muffin tin for more than baking pastries. The tins also conveniently hold condiments so that you can keep all the fixin’s — pickles, mustard, relish, diced onions, etc. — in their own separate slots, making for a pretty presentation and simple cleanup.

7. When life hands you lemons.

Use them to place under fish on the grill. Adding a layer of lemon slices to buffer your fish from the hot grates will not only keep the fish from sticking, it’ll add a crisp citrus flavor to your salmon, cod, or other seafood of choice. You can also put any unused lemons on the grill to use as the base of a smoky refreshing lemonade. Combine the fresh-squeezed juice with sugar, honey, and a sprig of rosemary, and you’ll have a refreshing twist on an old classic.

With these time-saving tips, you can spend less time on the food and more time with the family. Enjoy!

Find even more life hacks for entertaining, cleaning, crafting, and lots more on blog.txfb-ins.com.