Saturdays on the porch is here and we are talking about easy summer entertaining ideas. The weather is hot so the gatherings need to be simple, let’s chat!

Hello and welcome to Saturdays on the porch! I am so happy you are here. It is so very hot here – almost too hot to be outside until the later evening. So how do you create easy summer entertaining ideas?

I have found some wonderful ideas while perusing the web and I will share some of my own little tricks and entertaining ideas to make triple digit days a little more fun.

Try a Luau theme

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Several years ago we took our first trip to Maui and went to our first luau, I fell in love. I found a wonderful cookbook while on the island and have tried several recipes from it. Knowing that we couldn’t do full on Luau, I made a few favorites and kept the decor tropical but limited.

My family’s favorites are Huli Huli chicken, Kalua pork, and Haupia (coconut pudding). To keep it easy, I bought the friend rice from Costco, made a basic salad and grilled up a few veggies. It’s a time of celebrating and coming together of family and friends so as always keep the main thing the main thing a focus on family, friends, and the happiness that comes from being together.

easy summer entertaining ideas picture of huli huli chicken

OR… What about an old-fashioned ice cream party

One of my favorite things growing up is when the family got together to make homemade ice cream. Back in the day, it was all about the crank and taking turns as kids sitting on the maker while my dad or uncle continued to the chore of cranking until we had a solid cream. Fast forward a few years and we can just plug the maker in and let it do its thing.

Why not do a sundae bar made of all the amazing topping that make ice cream a decadent dessert. I use this simple recipe when I need to make a lot of ice cream. When we have a crowd, we will churn in batches and pop in the freezer. This is perfect option using this recipe because the ice cream tends to freeze a little loose and can melt quickly. Freezing gives the perfect consistency.

easy summer entertaining ideas making homemade vanilla ice cream

Easy Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe

8 cups half n half
2 cans of sweetened condensed milk
3 tables spoons of vanilla

Mix ingredients in the ice cream canister. Place container in the ice cream maker. Layer ice and rock salt around the canister. Churn until the machine stops.