Ahhh—it’s perfect barbeque weather. But the clock says 10 am, so you have only eight hours and counting to pull it all together.

With a house to clean and shopping to complete, you’ll want a simple-to-fix but extraordinary menu.

• Easy Strawberry Lemonade
• BBQ Steak
• Grilled Corn on the Cob
• Tin Roof Sundae Pie

8 hours before the party:

1. Invite guests to the ’cue and ask them to bring a beverage or favorite side. Be sure at least one person is bringing each of the basics: soda, beer, and wine.
2. Make a shopping list. Your menu needs just 12 ingredients: Flank steak (estimate 4 to 6 ounces per person), unshucked fresh corn, cornflakes, corn syrup, chocolate syrup, roasted peanuts, peanut butter, frozen lemonade, frozen sweetened strawberries, vanilla ice cream, vodka and crushed ice. 
3. Check pantry for steak marinade ingredients. Add anything that’s missing to your shopping list and go shopping.
4. Pick up bright colored bandanas, bubble wands, colored chalk, and balloons at a party or discount store.
5. Give the house a quick clean-up. 
6. Assemble Tin Roof Sundae ice cream pie. Cover and freeze. 

4 hours before the party:

1. Make marinade. Add steak and place in refrigerator
2. Pull out and dust off the patio furniture. Clean the grill.
3. Gather plates and beverage glasses. Wrap flatware in bandanas; bandanas can double as napkins and be used in relay races for kids. 
4. Put the 2 ingredients for Easy Strawberry Lemonade—frozen lemonade and frozen sweetened strawberries—in the refrigerator to thaw. Chill vodka. 
5. Set up a crafts table for kids with crayons, watercolor paints, paper, scissors, magazines and labels for name tags.

As guests arrive:

1. Greet guests with homemade Strawberry Lemonade. Let adults spike lemonade with vodka. Offer crushed ice to kids for a slushier drink.
2. Bring kids to the craft table and let them decorate nametags for themselves. Offer each child a bubble wand, large or small, to keep them busy.
3. Ask older kids to organize games of hopscotch, a balloon toss, or rely races. Let younger kids draw, paint or make collages using pictures cut out from magazines.
4. Put corn on the grill to cook; it will take 30 minutes. 
5. When corn is done, keep it on indirect heat on the grill and cook steak.
6. Slice steak and place on serving platter. Let guests help themselves to steak, corn, and sides. 
7. Pull ice cream pie out of the freezer 30 minutes before serving. Pass extra chocolate syrup and roasted peanuts for garnishing.

• Watermelon Summer Salad
• Summer Potato Salad
• Restaurant-Style Coleslaw I