Labor Day is fast approaching, which sadly means summer is almost over.  There goes half-day Fridays, white pants and local peaches.  But there's still time for one last, big BBQ before the summer fun ends.  We want to go out big, so we're making ribs, but as we learned a few weeks ago, one rack can take up the entire grill.  There was no room for corn or zucchini on the grill, not to mention that you have to grill each rib rack one at a time, which took forever.  It got ugly.

We dug around a little and found this stainless steel rib rack (pictured right), which allows you to grill six rib racks at a time.  Each rack of ribs fits into a compartment on the stainless steel rack and cooks vertically, creating more room under the grill lid.  It works for baby backs, beef ribs, and spare ribs alike.  Even better, the vertical cooking helps drain excess fat.  Now you'll have enough ribs to feed the crowd at your Labor Day BBQ!


Rib Rack... $19.95  at William Sonoma

Last week's sleek popsicle molds inspired a search for other inventive gadgets for making frozen treats. There's only one frozen dessert we love as much as popsicles and that's ice cream sandwiches.  And apparently, we're not the only ones who feel this way.  The mix-and-match ice cream sandwiches at The Meatball Shop, located in the East Village, are just as popular as their meatballs, 

With this ice cream sandwich maker (pictured right), you can make your own ice cream sandwiches whenever the craving strikes.  The possibilities are limitless.  You can make a peanut butter and strawberry ice cream sandwich,   a chocolate chip mint, or snickerdoodles with moosetracks.   Just bake a freshly baked batch of cookies and use the cookie cutter to create equally sized triangles for the two cookie layers.  Use the mold to combine the cookies and ice cream together, remove the plunger, turn the sandwich maker upside down and let it rest until the sandwich slides out of the mold.   Voila - perfect ice cream sandwiches ready to eat or put in the freezer for entertaining!   if you want a healthy option, try sorbet or frozen yogurt, which work just as well in the mold.

Cuisipro-Ice-Cream-Sandwich-Maker $19.95

You never really grow out of popsicles.  I love them just as much today as I did when I held my first popsicle, though I do eat them more gracefully these days.  And this sleek, stainless steel mold (pictured right) is practically made for grown ups.  It's also BPA free, dishwasher safe and comes with stainless steel lids and silicone rings, which makes for easy clean up and worry-free licking.  

The best part is that whatever you can dream up, you can create.  You can layer different fillings and flavors to make a colorful, multi-flavored creation or blend a few of your favorite ingredients together and pour it into the molds.  You can freeze your own creamsiclea with vanilla cream and orange juice or a healthy afternoon snack of Greek yogurt whipped up with greenmarket berries.  And you don't have to commit to one flavor because there's six molds.  Whatever flavors you can dream up, you can freeze up.

It's the height of BBQ season and we've been taking full advantage of cooking on the grill.  Really, there isn't much that doesn't taste better grilled - our recent favorites are peaches and octopus.   The only complain we have is that smaller ingredients, like local stone fruits or shellfish, fall through the grates of the grill and are lost forever.

So we did a little digging and found the Dual Grill Pan, (pictured right) that prevents anything from falling into the flames.   The pan lays flat across the top of any grill, so there's no chance of losing food.   The perforated side of the pan is perfect for cooking vegetables and shellfish, while the ridged side is made for big cuts of meat, like steak or chicken.  It's also nonstick, which makes for easy clean up.  That something you don't hear often when you're grilling.

$19.95, Cooking.com

When summer arrives, we've got to milk it for all its worth.  Really, it doesn't get better than dining in the great outdoors, whether that be al fresco sidewalk seating in the city, a picnic in the park or a day at the beach.  The only problem is that by the time we make it to our destination, our bottle of rose has gotten warm. 

That's why we fell in love with this wine tote (pictured right.)  This isn't your average insulated bag.  It includes 2 wine glasses, checkered picnic napkins, a corkscrew, and an insulated compartment to keep wine at its optimal temperature.  All you have to do is add your favorite bottle of champagne or wine, throw the tote over your shoulder and seize summer before fall sets in.

$30, UncommonGoods.com