Popsicle preferences

I'm an ice cream girl, through and through.  (To be fair, I'm also a cake, cupcake, cookie, candy, pie, and any-other-dessert-that-comes-my-way girl.)  But, I really really love ice cream.  And I enjoy it all year round.  I can't tell you how many times I've walked, clad in my warmest winter gear, to get a cone of birthday cake ice cream or a cup of fro-yo.  Though I may shiver to and fro, my treat certainly doesn't melt :)

Thankfully, it's summer and everyone else has joined the frozen treats party.  I'm still debating on whether or not I want to invest in an ice cream machine/attachment.  Despite practically everyone telling me that I must get one!, it just seems like an awful lot of work for something I can either easily make without a machine or buy almost anywhere.  Right?

While the jury is still out on ice cream makers at home, I think I've found a new dessert chapter to begin writing... and hey, husband, it doesn't involve the oven!  Let's call this chapter All About Homemade Popsicles, okay?  We'll save the creativity for the pops.

Friday five: Dad's favorite recipes

Hello, Friday!  And farewell, Pittsburgh!  The car is gassed up, the oil changed, and our bags packed.  This afternoon, Matt and I are making the trip across the state to Reading to visit his family and celebrate his cousin's wedding on Saturday.  (The bride is incredibly crafty, and I hear she's been super busy with wedding-related projects.  I can't wait to see what surprises she has in store for guests!)  Plus, we'll get to spend Father's Day with Matt's dad.  While women love flowers and chocolates, the former doesn't really do it for guys.  Thankfully, my father-in-law is a serious chocolate fanatic, so it was an easy decision to make a batch of double chocolate cookies for him.

I'll be missing my own dad on Sunday, but thankfully we had a great visit with my parents last weekend.  In honor of my papa, I thought it'd be fun to highlight his  favorite recipes from my blog.  When I called and first explained what I was doing, his response was funny and sweet: "Katy, do you honestly expect me to remember everything you've ever made?  I love almost everything you cook, and I have a terrible memory."  Sweet and true, I should say.  We spent a good 20 minutes on the phone rehashing recipes and brutally cutting the number down to size.  In no particular order, here is this week's edition of Friday Five: my dad's favorite recipes!

1. Herbed chicken in puff pastry - This is a recipe my dad originally got from a coworker over a decade ago.  We've made it together many times at home before I began making it on my own with a few tweaks.  I made this for Matt the first time I cooked him dinner.  Decadent but easy-to-find ingredients like herb cheese and puff pastry will wow even the pickiest critic!

Greek tilapia with feta tomato orzo

I was all set to write about the abundant sunshine we've been enjoying and this bright and fresh recipe.  But, it seems like Mother Nature is trying to foil my plan by soaking much of the East Coast with rain.  Luckily, this dish will brighten up your next mealtime, rain or shine.

With the official comfort food months of fall and winter are long behind us, we've been enjoying less oven-bound casseroles and heavy pasta dishes in favor of grilled meats, market fresh vegetables and salads of spring and summer. 

But, as the mercury rises, so increases my will to enjoy the outdoors as much as possible.  I usually reserve Saturday mornings for running, but I've been getting the itch to pound the pavement more often and also earlier in the week.  Matt has always raved about post-sunset summer runs as being the best, so I decided to give it a go last week.  Gone are the scorching sun, humidity, and crowded city of the daytime.  When I head out around 8:45, I'm welcomed by warm summer air, a light cool breeze, and empty sidewalks.  Perfection!

Guest post: Homemade wedding card box "cake"

Today's post comes from a recent MOB.  The mother of this lovely bride, to be exact!  While I'll always think of Susan as my go-to person for all things paper and fonts (the woman knows fonts like I know food), she is quite the crafty lady.

For Julie and Bryan's recent wedding -- OMG, has it been 5 weeks already?! -- Susan made the card box to be placed at the wedding reception.  But, this was no ordinary card box.  Instead, it was a card box that looked sweet enough to eat, as it was a wedding cake!

My friends and I gushed about it at first sight, and Matt, being married to a crafty lady himself, even took a picture of it for me.  What a doll that guy is, huh?  I asked Susan to share her creative process just in time for the busy summer wedding season.  This would be great for birthdays, anniversaries, and graduation parties, too!

Homemade Wedding Cake Card Box

Materials:

• Three hat boxes from a craft store or website (I used 10”, 12”, 14” boxes)
• Two small or one large bottle of acrylic craft paint
•  Sponge brush
•  One and one half yards of lace. (I purchased Chantilly Lace from Joann’s Fabric. Look online for coupons! There is less expensive lace, but the Chantilly is beautiful, soft, and easy to work with.)
• Trim: I used strung pearls, but be creative! You can use satin ribbon, handmade bows, silk flowers, etc.
• Spray adhesive
• Glue gun
• Box cutter or Xacto knife
• Wax paper 

(Note: I found it easier to cut and then paint, so do the cutting first.)

Broccoli slaw

 
I've got a fever!  ...and the only prescription is more cowbell cookouts.

It seems like everyone in the area has caught the barbecue bug, including yours truly.  For the past three weekends, I've been lucky enough to enjoy some kind of outdoor gathering with friends or family.  Hot grills, icy beverages, delicious food, and shenanigans like volleyball games on a hill and frisbee in the woods with dogs.  (Yes, the latter two are absolutely terrible ideas, but that's what made them so much fun.)

Yesterday, Matt and I headed to our country home a.k.a. my parents' house in the woods for the day.  We'll be traveling next weekend, so we wanted to visit with my folks and celebrate Father's Day a little early.

There was nothing firm on the agenda, and we took full advantage of it by spending the majority of the afternoon lounging on the back porch reading, chatting, and enjoying some homemade iced tea.  I did manage to peel myself out of my chair long enough to play with the dogs and chase them around for 20 minutes or so.  Eventually, I they grew tired and simply laid down in the middle of the yard and stared at me.  Do you think they realized the smell of charcoal was not for their dinner? :)