Ice Decanters Make Parties Magical
02/02/2021
Planning an outdoor winter party? On a budget? Fill an easy-to-freeze ice decanter with a fruit bevearage for your next neighborhood party and get ready for the ooh’s and ah’s when friends see the icy wonder. It’s a frozen party asset that won’t break the bank. Easy, fun, magical and guaranteed to be cold!
Here’s how to create an ice decanter:
You’ll need:
- 1 clean, empty half-gallon standard cardboard milk, orange juice or lemonade carton with top opened wide.
- 1 empty and clean liter-size glass sparkling water or wine bottle with top labels removed
- Fresh fruits such as a lemon, orange, lime and strawberries.
- Fresh dill or mint
- Masking tape
- Funnel
Here’s the fun:
Cut off the top portion of the juice carton or keep it in place with the top portion left opened wide. Set the bottle in the center of the carton, and fill the carton a quarter full with water.
Let kids tuck sprigs of dill or mint and several thick lemon, orange or lime slices in the water around the bottle. Set tape over the top of the bottle and attach to outer sides of the carton to keep bottle in place in the center of carton. Freeze.
Remove the carton from the freezer, fill with more water, fruit slices and herbs until the water reaches close to the top of the carton. Re-freeze.
To use, tear off the carton with your kids to reveal the surprise creation. You may need to run warm water around the carton, or an adult may cut the length of the carton with a knife to release it easily.
Set a funnel on the mouth of the bottle and fill it with lemonade or your preferred beverage. Place the filled ice decanter on a rimmed plate lined with a thin towel. Wrap and tie a cloth napkin around the lower portion of the ice block for easy handling.
Extra idea: Make a floral ice sculpture. Fill the carton with water and add short-stemmed flowers such as roses and freeze. The flowers will be suspended in the ice encasing the bottle.
Share with friends!
You might also like:
Stuffed French Toast For Family Gatherings
Make a weekend breakfast extra special with this stuffed French toast recipe featuring oranges and fresh pecans, which are abundant this time of year. The whole family can participate in the preparation the night before, from beating eggs to spooning the cream cheese mixture into pockets in the French bread. When you wake up…
Swedish Cinnamon Rolls
Throughout Sweden, there are a variety of ways to make, shape and bake these delicious cinnamon rolls. There is even a national Cinnamon Roll Day every October! I learned how to make them in friend Inger’s kitchen when I was teaching at a college in Jönköping. Inger always found a little job for my two…
Make An Apron For Kids With A Kitchen Towel
“Look, Mom, muddy hands!” This might be a familiar chorus you’ll be hearing as your kids dig into the joys of outdoor activities. Face it, kids and messes go hand in hand when it comes to being creative and having fun. Let’s start with the kitchen, often referred to as “Mess Central” in…
One-Step Lemon Bundt Cake
Dog-eared recipes deserve some review now and then, and I’m glad I rediscovered this classic from my mom’s recipe box. It’s a never-fail, fabulous one-step pound cake that is a perfect “first” cake baking experience for kids. Read the recipe together, and let them search for the dry ingredients in the pantry, measuring cups from…
Sprout Seeds Indoors In Eggshells
Kids and dirt seem to have a natural attraction for one another. Why not promote a love for a favorite activity this season by giving children a chance for some responsibility and fun by messing with dirt, sprouting seeds and tending their own little plants indoors? They’ll give your family vegetable garden a head start…
Make Seed-Starting Pots With Newspaper
It’s growing season, an ideal time for your family to poke around and play in dirt. Begin indoors! Popular plants are easily started inside during spring months to give a jump-start to your summer garden. While many serious gardeners purchase seed-starting kits, you’ll discover with this kid-friendly activity that you can save money by making…
Stunning Tissue Paper Flower Bouquet
You and your kids will be inspired to create a blooming bouquet of colorful paper flowers to celebrate the arrival of spring. In fact, these flowers can be enjoyed just about anytime and anywhere. You’ll only need basic items such as an empty cardboard egg carton, tissue paper from gift bags, some long, thick pipe…
Force Branches Into Bloom
Bring spring indoors, even if it’s just a handful of sticks, and look for new beginnings as you share your time and talents with those you love. Take a nature walk in your yard and look for young budding branches. With garden shears, clip off branches that are about 20 inches long. Good choices are…
Bake Rustic Fruit Tart
Opportunities for families to experience life’s simplest pleasures abound during summer’s final days. They take minimal planning and yield happy rewards. We enjoy impromptu evening bike rides, or a jaunt in the country to pick berries. On the return home, I choose juicy nectarines, peaches and plums at a roadside stand – a perfect combination…
Watermelon’s Last Hurrah
As summer wanes, I’m all for bringing on one last hurrah for watermelon. It’s such a convenient, “good for you” cool-down snack that quenches thirst and satisfies the sweet tooth, all in one. Refreshing with a squeeze of lime, or kicked up with a dusting of ground chili pepper and salt, it’s versatile and fun…
DONNA ERICKSON
