DIY Life

Here in the United States, July Fourth means cookouts, BBQs, celebrations, and parties. With most parties come food and drink, and if you're hosting, you're bound to need to know how to mix up some festive beverages.

Most of us know our way around a margarita and a mojito, but I, for one, don't know how to make any patriotic drinks. Thanks to DIY Maven over at Curbly, we'll all know how to serve up some Independence Day libations.

The fun part of her drink recipes is that the non-alcoholic versions are given, so designated drivers, boaters, and swimmers, along with the kiddies, can drink responsibly and still partake in the festivities.

From a layered red, white, and blue drink, to a pumped-up lemonade with a cherry on top, these drink recipes should please the masses at your shindig.

You've got a few friends over on a Friday night. There's good stuff grilling on the barbeque, there's a table full of salads and desserts, there's cold beer in the ... Oh, no!

You forgot to put the beer in the fridge. It's sitting on the porch where you set it down to unlock the door. And it's about 87 degrees out there. You can stick them straight in the freezer, but it'll still be half an hour at least before anyone has a cold brew in their hot little hand. Don't you just wish there was a cooling-down version of the speedy heating-up efficiency of a microwave?

There is! The not-so-dumb folks over at Dumb Little Man have the answer. If you have a container large enough to hold a few bottles, enough ice to cover them, some table salt, and enough room in your fridge for it all, you can have icy-cold beer in about three minutes! Follow the Dumb Little Man link for full details.

For those who need to know, the reason is this: salt speeds up the melting. When a substance goes from solid to liquid, it absorbs extra heat, keeping the water extra cold. So there. Your grade ten physics teacher was right: the subject is relevant to your day-to-day life!

[via Matthew Yglesias]

Dandelions can be eaten in many ways, from leafy greens to fried flowers to drinking wine; I almost imagine them as lettuce gone wild. Making coffee from dandelions isn't new, but trying this unusual drink is an interesting way to spend a few hours -- and, if you haven't sprayed them with herbicide in the past, an organic way to get rid of those dandelions in the yard.

Tools and supplies include: a weed popper, knife, cookie sheet, oven, coffee grinder, and of course a coffee machine. Follow along in the gallery to get a better idea. Instructions are after the break!

The state I live in manufactures one of the tastiest ginger ales ever. I've traveled around the US a lot and I have yet to find it anywhere else. It may have poor distribution elsewhere, but in my state it's a staple. Good thing, too. Every time I have a stomachache, I crave ginger ale over anything else.

It turns out that dispensing ginger ale as a treatment for stomachaches isn't an old wives' tale. Martha Edwards at That's Fit just posted about the many health benefits of ginger. Her post included a link to a recipe for ginger ale -- it's a great way to get that yummy taste without all the unpronounceable ingredients that most sodas have.

All you need is a cup of peeled and finely chopped ginger, water, sugar, club soda, lime juice, and lime wedges. Head on over to Simply Recipes for the details.

There are many hot beverages that are great during cold weather in general, and the cozy, convivial Christmas-to-New-Year's-Day period in particular, but my favorite is spiced cider.

It's more warming and flavorful than hot cocoa, and not as cloying (don't get me wrong -- if you offer me cocoa, I'm not turning it down). The flavor is fresher and often more complex than that of mulled wine; it's also more family-friendly in its unfermented form. It's even a healthy drink for people who are under the weather.

You can get really fancy with the recipes, creating a concoction that's almost more of a punch than a cider and takes as much time to make as a small meal.

However, I know of two ways to make a few servings of tasty hot apple goodness in well under five minutes, with special ingredients that make it easy. You'll find more about them after the break!

Our sister site, Engadget, has a post about a coaster project from Evil Mad Scientist Labs.

These coasters are made from the photomasks used in semiconductor manufacturing; the patterns on the photomasks are etched into the components in the factory. The masks are solid glass with a thin metal design applied to them. You can get them from retailers who deal in electronics surplus.

Be sure to check out the comments on the Engadget post, where readers discuss safety issues and sources for the materials. It's useful to know, for example, that shattered quartz glass is unusually sharp -- and difficult to remove from a cut. The reader suggests backing the coasters with clear plastic; I suggest keeping them away from small children.

Iced beverages are summer standards, but in my household, not everyone likes their drinks at the same level of sweetness. We don't sweeten iced tea or coffee while it's freshly brewed: everyone sweetens their own glass. Then the sugar doesn't dissolve into the cold beverage, and the last few sips are gritty and twice as sweet as the rest of the drink.

How to solve this problem? Do what the coffee shops do: make simple syrup!

There's something about eating outside that just makes food taste better. And when the food is great to begin with and the setting is a natural wonder, well, then you've got yourself a little slice of heaven.

That being said, eating outside takes a little work. Most of the time you can't find the candles, the picnic blanket, the plates or the plastic wine glasses. So what is suppose to be fun usually turns into a stressful-pull-your-hair-out Saturday afternoon.

This summer, organize like a pro and tuck everything into a portable container (preferably the picnic basket ) and park it near the door or in your pantry. You'll never have to waste time hunting for anything again.

The dilemma:
It's Friday night. You're off to a dinner party. So you stop to pick up an obligatory last-minute bottle of wine, and show up on their doorstep with a totally warm bottle of chardonnay. Some guest you are -- what exactly were you thinking?

The solution:
Ask to borrow some salt (and a measuring cup.) Then add a third of a cup of salt to a mixture of ice and water (you'll also have to ask for an ice bucket.) Place your bottle of wine in it and in less than six minutes you'll have saved yourself -- who knows -- this nifty little trick may even make you the life of the party.

Why it works:
Salt has many random uses that most of us don't need to know. In this case, however, it might be useful to know that salt causes ice to melt at a lower temperature compared to ice that is just in fresh water. This results in water that becomes colder much faster. In fact, using salt water versus regular water cuts the chilling time by one third.

Who you'll impress:
Everyone at the party, unless -- of course -- you use all the salt that was needed for dinner.