Hint and Tips for Successful Summer Picnics

Spray down your deck -- Use a mild solution to wash off any mildew or stains.

Clean your patio furniture-- Power wash off your table and chairs.  Chipped paint can be touched-up with spray paint.

Prepare your Ice– Save money by making and storing ice in a zip lock baggie. 

Marinade Meat in advance– Don't cheat and purchase pre-marinated food at the grocery store.  You will be paying at least twice the price.

Have mosquito repellent available– Nothing can ruin a nice evening more than pesky insects.  

If you are looking for some new tools to make your picnic smoother… keeping reading

Spice up the burger!

Get summer cookout tips & recipe ideas! Instead of creating regular size patties, consider using a grilling basket for your meat.

• Press your burgers into mini size patties, and buy mini-burger buns as well. Smaller burgers are perfectly sized for petite appetites.
• Set up condiment stations with fancy mustards (such as Dijon, honey, etc)
  to add extra flair to your burger.
  Stay way from processed cheese squares.
  
• Purchasing fresh cheese from your
  local farmers market
  can be a great addition as regular
  plain cheddar & American slices.

Keep appetizers fresh and away from bugs. There is nothing more frustrating than enjoying your meal and fighting way the ants and flies from your picnic food. Consider using revolving dispensers which can keep the food insulated from the sun as well. Instead of brining out entire containers of condiments (such as the mayonnaise), consider using portable containers. This will keep wastes down from reducing the amount of wasted ingredients.

By choosing to use a large drink dispenser, guests can help themselves. Eliminate the problem of trying to act as host, and be able to enjoy your own event. Consider setting up a few separate large containers.

If you wish to add variety to drinks you can also use individual syrup pumps with flavors such as vanilla and cherry for your carbonated beverages. Not only can guests help themselves by PYOB (Pouring Your Own Beverage), they can have fun as well by adding their own flavors.

Other options instead of soda can also including fill large drink dispensers with iced tea, lemonade or even regular water (set up a garnish station as well, with slices of oranges, lemons, and lime)

Buying a cherry pitter can make the experience much more refreshing and is an elegant way to eat cherries. It can process pits up to four cherries at a time, and is reversible to accommodate small and larger cherries.

The spring-loaded mechanism provides ease of use in a single motion, and the pits will fall into the attached chamber for mess-free pitting and easy disposal of the cherry pits.

Go ahead- try one!

Mitts can be used to protect your hands from the heat when you are grilling.  Use caution when grilling to reduce risk of burns from heat flareups.  Flares can occur from grease which drips through the grill grate.

Torch lights at night can help keep bugs such as mosquitoes from ruining your party.

This can also add a Survivor like theme to your cookout.

You can buy inexpensive torch lamps from places such as Walmart which use refillable oil.

If your area has a specifically tough problem with flying insects, you should also consider

using an electronic bug zapper.  Leaving this on during nights (including when you are not enjoying the outside) can help keep the insect population in check.

These tips can make your picnics smoother for your next Memorial Weekend or any other excuse to invite friends and family over for a cookout!