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Week of June 2, 2008:

GRILLED CORN DISKS

Enjoy sweet summer corn in a new way—as an hors d’oeuvre for a casual party.

Cut ears of corn into rounds about 1 inch thick, brush with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Cook on a medium-hot grill, cut sides down, about 2 minutes per side.

HANDKERCHIEF PICNIC COVERS

Summer is the perfect time to enjoy iced tea or lemonade, but when outdoors, these drinks can attract insects as well as people. One way to keep bugs (and falling leaves) out of your beverages is by making weighted covers out of fabric handkerchiefs—an old English custom. They’re easy to make: Simply sew a button to each corner of a handkerchief (Martha uses mother-of-pearl buttons). Large hankies are suitable for pitchers, while smaller ladies’ handkerchiefs are ideal for covering individual glasses.

GARDEN GLOW

No need to bring the party indoors after the sun goes down, even if your yard isn’t lit. String up lights to illuminate the festivities. Don’t have a place to hang them? Wooden poles anchored in flower buckets filled with garden gravel can be set up anywhere there’s level ground, and they help define an outdoor gathering place. Arrange poles in a square, circle or row, and string the lights from one to another.

You’ll find 6- to 8-foot wooden poles, screw eyes, plastic fastener strips, and strings of mini-lantern lights at home-supply stores (use lights and extension cords safety-tested for outdoors and no more than three 35-light sets per outlet). Purchase buckets and gravel at a garden center. Position buckets in yard. Insert a screw eye into the top of each pole. Place pole in center of bucket; fill with gravel. Run light strand from pole to pole, attaching to each screw eye with fastener.

SUNBURN SOLUTION

Sunburn can strike even the most diligently lotioned child. An infusion of black tea and fresh mint makes a fragrant sunburn soother. The tannic acid in black tea draws heat from the burn and restores the skin's acid balance, and the mint cools the skin. To make, pour 4 cups boiling water over 2 cups of fresh mint leaves and 3 to 4 tea bags. Cover, let stand 10 minutes, then strain. Let cool, and transfer to a glass jar. Apply to sunburned skin with a washcloth or cotton balls. The infusion keeps for a few weeks in the refrigerator.

KEEPING BEES AT BAY: FOOD GUARDS

Turn away picnic-table pests with inexpensive sewing supplies: embroidery hoops and muslin. Buy hoops that are slightly larger than the rims of your pitchers and serving bowls. With pinking shears, cut cloth squares two to three inches wider than each hoop. Position a piece of fabric in each hoop to create handy covers.

Photo ©2007 Martha Stewart Living Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved.