Ten-Pin Tuesday - Summer Cook-Out Edition

Welcome to Ten-Pin Tuesday: Summer Cook-Out Edition.  This week's pins focus on some tips and tricks I've come across to help with hosting a summer cook-out.  (Hint: You could use some next week for your Independence Day festivities!)

(Please follow the picture linked to my pin before pinning these - 

they aren't my projects or ideas, and I shouldn't get credit.  Thanks!)

1.  Flash-freeze drinks.  This handy tip for quickly cooling drinks involves ice and salt.  When I read this, I had an "of course!" moment thinking that's just an expansion of the trick for making baggie ice cream.

 

2. and 3. Drink Markers.  Two clever ideas for keeping track of whose is whose.  Seasonal gel clings or wide rubber bands.  I actually use the rubber band trick a lot, even just for game night with the family.  Even if there's no name on it, if there's only one cup with a rubber band (or hairband, let's be realistic) on it, we all know it's mine.

4.  Drink shields.  Keep the bugs out of your drink! Just put a cupcake liner over your glass and poke a hole for your straw.  You could also use that shield to mark drinks - write a name, use different colors, put a sticker on it, etc.

5.  Choosing and Cutting Watermelon.  I shared another pin of watermelon tips a few weeks ago, so here's the link for that pin as well.  These have completely changed how I approach watermelon!

6.  Cooler Corn-on-the-Cob.  I had no idea you could cook corn like this!  Handy if you're cooking for a large come-and-go crowd.

7.  Tip to pre-butter that corn.

 

8.  Bug guards. Here's a quick and cheep trick to keep bugs off the food at the buffet spread.

 

9.  Say NO! to scooping ice cream.  If you're serving a crowd, go ahead and slice up that ice cream for serving rather than trying to scoop it.  Quicker and less messy.

 

10.  Tabletop s'mores.  Great idea if you don't have a firepit!  (Go ahead and use a peanut-butter cup, too.  And then comment and tell me it was everything I've dreamed it must be.)

 

BONUS.  How clever is this trick for a sparkler shield? 

(original source)