Mike's NBC-TV stories

Drink, food and grilling recipe apps

As we head into the Fourth of July holiday, many people are making plans to host or attend a party, which means lots of good food and drink.

As PC Mike Wendland shows in his report this week, a few apps are available to help turn those parties into epic events.

Here’s the video:

When it comes to a cool, refreshing drink, the app called 8,500-plus Drink Recipes has it covered -from beer and cocktails to non-alcoholic milkshakes, floats, and party punches. Recipes are easy to browse and use – search the index of recipes for ideas, or search by category. The highly rated app is free for iOS and Android.

When it comes to serving food, check out the app called Yummly. Whether you’re looking for the perfect desert, summer salad, appetizer, or just about anything else, Yummly features more than 2 million recipes from its own kitchen as well as others. There’s step-by-step recipe guides, including video tutorials, timers, and other handy tools to make food prep a breeze. The app is free for iOS and Android.

Of course, no summer gathering is complete without some grilling. The Grill-It! App offers recipes for beef and lamb, poultry, burgers, seafood, and veggies. Search by type of meat and get easy-to-follow directions to create masterpieces on your grill. When you find a recipe you want to try again, simply add it to your favorites. The app is 99 cents for iOS and Android.

Mike is a veteran journalist whose video "PC Mike" reports have been distributed weekly to all 215 NBC-TV stations since 1994, making him one of the most experienced tech reporters in the country. His tech stories and videos have appeared on MSNBC, CNBC, the Today Show, The New York Times, USA Today and in numerous national newspapers and magazines. In addition to the PC Mike tech blog, he also publishes the Roadtreking.com RV Travel Blog in which he travels North America in an RV reporting about interesting people and places.