Spirited Table Virtual Supper Club-July 2020

by Cindi Sutter, Founder & Editor Spirited Table®

Welcome to July’s Virtual Supper Club as we celebrate National Picnic Month - National Hot Dog Month - National Blueberry Month - National Ice Cream Month: and most importantly, the Dog Days of Summer include July 3 - August 11th.

This Supper Club timing is perfect for your backyard tips, recipes, and party fare and will keep you well-fed with lots of summer food and liquid discoveries. If you've never made your very own ice cream, we provide you with the top ice-cream makers and some recipes to go with it. Let's turn those dog days of summer into our last hoorah before school begins.

The backyard picnic/BBQ is a time-honored American custom, but a few special touches are all it takes to turn it into a stylish and memorable occasion. Set your picnic table with real dishes, plastic or paperware, and brightly colored bandannas. Here are a few photo ideas.

If you need some party favors, small, attractive canning jars filled with homemade preserves, pickles, or barbecue sauce are edible party souvenirs for your guests to take home. Decorative labels personalize each jar and also serve as place cards.

Assemble the supplies you will need. Small filled canning jars, bright-colored bandannas, rubber bands, ribbon, scissors, decorative labels, and a pen.

Tie a length of ribbon around the neck of each jar, hiding the rubber band. Trim the ends of the ribbon for a finished look. 

Trim the bandannas into squares 3 to 4 inches larger than the diameter of the jar lids. Plae a square over each lid and secure it with a rubber band.

Label each jar, indicating its contents and the name of the recipient. Put a jar at each place setting. 

Tips for Barbecues and Picnics

Fill a large galvanized bucket with ice and pack it with beer, bottled water, and sodas.

Freeze strips of citrus peel in ice cubes to flavor cold drinks.

Use small galvanized metal containers, first lined with plastic, to hold chips or fresh berries for snacking. 

Now for the drink options! You can kick-off the drinks with this Fruit Smoothie, for the kids and mocktails. Next up a Sea Mist that can be made ahead of time, then just add the champagne when you’re ready to serve it. How about a Frozen Whiskey Sour, Pimm's Cup, to keep you cool and hydrated. Or how about a variety of spritzers; Cranberry Spritzer - Pineapple Spritzer - Raspberry Spritzer + Cucumber Mint Water + Raspberry and Coconut Sparkle +Watermelon Strawberry Cooler! All of these can be served in a mason jar. I know, you’re hungry, so here we go.

You cannot have a BBQ or picnic without Burgers! Burger Meister Picnic Tips & Humor is a must-read. Here are some of our favorite burger recipes: Bacon Turkey Burgers + Smoky Burger Spread - Meatloaf Burgers - Burger/Brat-Salad-Sundae Bar - The Real Burger - Mar-a-Lago Burgers Recipe - Last-Minute Salmon Burgers with Red Pepper Mayo - Buffalo vs. Sasquatch Burger - Why You Should Eat Cheeseburgers Made from Dairy Cattle - Chipotle Salmon Burger.

For the no-meat eaters - Japanese Salmon Burgers - Black Bean Burgers - Asian Turkey Burgers!

Now we segue to National Hot Dog Month! Chicago-Style Hot Dogs Recipe - Hot Dogs on a Stick Recipe - A Brief Ranking of NYC's Least Fancy Hot Dogs - Soft Pretzel Dog - How to Throw a Nostalgic Fourth of July Party (yes we know it’s over) but this quick read will explain why/how nostalgic hot dogs are a real thing; and yes, there are several recipes included.

National Ice Cream Month

National Ice Cream Month

NATIONAL ICE CREAM MONTH ACTIVITIES - July 2020

  1. Host an ice cream party

    Next time you're having a barbecue this summer, add an ice cream bar! You can do it potluck style—supply several different flavors of ice cream and ask your friends to bring their favorite toppings. You might not be the life of the party, but your dessert will—and that's what counts.

  2. Try as many ice cream flavors as you can

    How many ice cream flavors can you eat this month? We challenge you to try at least 10, but you can set your own goal and see how well you do. We know we'll be aiming for the moon—try and keep up!

  3. Invent your own flavor

    To celebrate everyone's favorite month, find a recipe you can use as a starting point to invent your own ice cream flavor. You can use a vanilla ice cream recipe and add your favorite toppings, or just pour ingredients into a pan and wing it. If you have an ice cream maker, this is your time to shine. If you don't, there are plenty of recipes that you can make without any equipment!

WHY WE LOVE NATIONAL ICE CREAM MONTH

  1. It's the perfect excuse to eat ice cream

    We're always looking for reasons to eat sweets—and with summer here, what better treat than a frozen one? This holiday gives us the perfect opportunity to eat as much ice cream as our heart desires. And believe us, our heart desires a lot.

  2. It pushes us out of our comfort zone

    When we treat ice cream as a rare delicacy, we always order the same flavor. We go with what we know because we're not sure when we're going to have ice cream again. However, when we have the opportunity to eat it every day, we don't have to play it safe. Cookies and cream begone—we want to try flavors like Thai tea and taro.

  3. It's a gateway to other desserts

    The most beautiful thing about ice cream is how many delicious desserts it can go on top of. Brownie with chocolate ice cream? Yes, please! Pie with a side of vanilla? Pile it on us. This month is a great excuse to eat lots of desserts—as long as they involve ice cream, they're fair game.

Here are some of our favorite homemade ice cream recipes:

Our team at Spirited Table® asks that you celebrate with enthusiasm while being responsible, cautious, and safe. We live in a country going through an unprecedented time. So let’s all be kinder and more respectful of each race, creed, and religion. We wish you all a summer of celebrations inside and out! God Bless America and you!

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