Party tip – Serve ice in a colander & clean your rabbit hutch
Source – The Kitchn/Real Simple
I wish I would’ve seen this tip ages ago. You know how at summer barbecues, every drink is better with ice (whether it’s in the drink or the drink has been chilling in it)?
Well to keep it from eventually turning into a bowl of water with some floating frozen pieces, place the ice in a colander over a bowl instead. A commenter suggested going with a plastic one instead, because metal might attract and conduct heat.
For a cooler, it could be worth grabbing a piece of chicken wire…..no….rabbit hutch….stuff. Hold that thought.
*googles*
*asks a friend*
*calls mother* Why didn’t I start there? Duh.
Let’s try this again. It could be worth grabbing a piece of “14-gauge galvanized wire mesh (1″ x 1″ openings)” :P You have that just laying around, right? We always did….
Hi bunny!! That’s 14-gauge galvanized wire mesh, by the way. Oh yeah…
Anywho, if you have any “screen, mesh, wiring, fencing” that could create a makeshift shelf in the bottom of a cooler, it could work well for the same idea. If you go with something flimsier like chicken wire, double it over and make two smaller shelves in the bottom so it doesn’t cave in the middle. A couple inches tall should suffice.
But yeah, colanders…. Nice tip….
Cooling ice cube necklaces
Genius. Take those little reusable ice cubes you can get at the dollar store (or better yet, at yard sales as everyone realizes they never use them anyway), tie them up in some old pantyhose, freeze, and then enjoy on a hot day.
The big square cubes are a bit much for me, but we used to have little round ones that would’ve been perfect for me instead. I do think it’s fun to have the different colors, though, and I bet kids would absolutely love them.
Here’s the video for how to make the base necklace using bouncy balls:
Well, once you get past Martha Stewart derailing the video to being about her gold-plated tools anyway.
For boys who think the colorful ones are too girly, try some black nylons instead. Or maybe make some bracelets or anklets with smaller balls even. Better yet, have them pick out their own ice cube variations and make it themselves.
What does summer mean to you? – Neighbors, friends, family, strangers offloading garden abundance
Oh yeah! I haven’t had a garden since I was little, but it never fails that at some point in the season, there’s somebody who is desperate to get rid of dozens of tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, or whatever else they planted far too much of.
In this case, a friend of the family steadily supplied us with tomatoes all season long last year. Whatever we could pick, we could have, as they were already over run with picking their own and for family. And there was always tons left even after we walked away with bags’ full.
Aren’t they gorgeous? Yum.
And that giant above? His skin was a bit tough, but he peeled and sliced nicely into large steaks of tomato.
And in case you’re wondering how to use up a large amount of tomatoes in a short amount of time, turn ‘em into pasta sauce. I made my life easier by mass blanching, peeling, and slicing all in one go.
Tip: Stand at a low-sitting table or countertop (this works especially well if you’re short like I am, so you don’t strain your back leaning over). Place the cutting board on the edge and scoop the tomatoes and sauce directly off into a bowl or crockpot on the floor. Don’t worry, you can transfer it all to another dish after, if you’re squeamish about your floors being dirty.
Although if you’re squeamish, I wouldn’t recommend this anyway, because uh, you may get tomato juice between your toes. But it makes it so fast! Hehe.
See? It’s a mess, but from left to right, I had an entire baking sheet of blanched/peeled tomatoes, the cutting board I was using, the diced tomatoes were scooped forward toward myself and the tops pushed to the side. You can also see a crockpot I’d already filled, my laptop, various drinking options, a basket of produce, and the slotted spoon I used to dip out the tomatoes in the background.
I kept blanching continuously until I made it through them all, chopping and dicing during the minute they were in the water. I was through them in no time, but boy did it look a mess for a bit, ha.
Recent Comments