I can’t believe it’s that time already, but the weather is begging for us to plan those outdoor parties. If you’re planning a backyard barbecue party or any party for the season, I have a fun little dessert table for your summer party ideas, just for you.
Your backyard bash will probably include the standard BBQ fare like burgers, hot dogs, chips, and cold salads. Another summer staple is ice cream, which is the perfect dessert for the party, but what can you do to make it more festive?
Often the most basic and traditional ideas are the best. With that in mind I decided on two of the most classic ways to serve ice cream and set up a table where guests can make their own sandwiches and floats. The concept will appeal to all ages and also bring a bit of nostalgia.
The actual set up of the table took about 10 minutes with a few tasks being taken care of ahead of time. Here are the key steps:
- Pre-scoop vanilla ice cream and place the scoops into an insulated container for serving. Put it in the freezer until ready to serve.
- Provide 2 or 3 flavors of soda for the floats. Here I used pomegranate soda, blueberry soda, and root beer.
- Provide 3 to 5 cookie choices for making ice cream sandwiches. Variety is the key. I used fudge stripes, peanut butter cup, and chocolate chip. Packaged cookies are perfectly fine to use for this, but you can buy from a bakery or make your own if you like.
- Keep a bottle opener handy for opening soda bottles.
- Have a spoon handy for grabbing the pre-scooped ice cream balls.
- Use chalkboard signs to label everything.
The rest of the table is casual chic with a burlap table cover and colorful party bunting. Guests will have a ball making their own ice cream sandwiches with different cookie combos, and washing it down with a traditional root beer float. Fun and memorable entertaining doesn’t have to be complicated. Just think of new ways to add style to old ideas.
