5 Things: A Summer Summary

My first grader is quite excited to have homework of her own, now that she is a "grader." (I'm tempted to get some video footage of her homework enthusiasm so I can show it to her in 10 years). One of her assignments this week is to gather 5 things that represent what she did over summer vacation. As we gathered seashells, arcade tickets, carabiners, and more, I thought about what 5 things I would choose to represent my summer.
After giving it some thought, I decided that finding actual objects would be too ambiguous for me, so I chose 5 images, with words to accompany them, instead.

carousels (lots of them)

ice cream (lots of it)

initials (lots of them)

sand (dunes of it)

                                                    sisters (just two)

Italian Ice For All

I think we can officially can this summer the Summer of Italian Ice. We're obsessed, but the frequent trips to the store to get our hands on some Richie's Italian Ice is getting pricey and junky. So we figured out how to make our own, and haven't stopped making it yet.

Watermelon: cut up half of a watermelon and put into blender with 2 tbsp of sugar. Blend until fruit is liquid and sugar is dissolved. Add one tray of ice cubes and blend.

Blueberry: Combine 3 cups of berries and 2 tbsp of sugar. Blend until fruit is liquid and sugar is dissolved. Add one tray of ice cubes and blend.

Peach: Combine the meat of 6-8 peaches and 2 tbsp of honey (the honey compliments the peaches nicely). Blend until fruit is liquid. Add one tray of ice cubes and blend.

Coffee: Make coffee to your liking. Be sure to sweeten while the coffee is still warm. The finished product would be delish with a bit of whipped cream.

For all Italian Ice flavors, pour mixture into shallow tray and put in freezer. Every half hour or so scrape the surface with a fork. Do this until the entire mixture is frozen and snowy.

I forgot about the coffee in the freezer, so it got no fork scrapings. You can see it is much more crystallized than the others.

We have raspberry and lemon on the list for this week. What flavors can you think of? We'd love some new flavor suggestions!

20 Must-Eat Summer Recipes

Aimee, of Artsyville, recently wrote about the weekly creative prompt called weekword. This week's word is FLAVOR, so I thought now is the perfect time for me to jump in.

The flavors of summer can't be beat and, luckily, many of them can be prepared with little or no stove usage.

Celebrate the Season:
Pesto (FuoriBorgo)
A Campfire Breakfast (Simple Bites)
Strawberry Jam (Mandy Gerth)
No Need For a Stove salads ( Indie Fixx)

Veggies:
The Perfect Summer Salad (The Baker's Daughter)
Chinese Cabbage, Fennel, and Daylily Salad (So Wabi Sabi)
Green Bean and Cherry Tomato Salad (Smitten Kitchen)

On The Grill:
Spicy Mango-Pineapple Hot Dogs (Coconut & Lime)
Grilled Pizza There's nothing like it! (Serious Eats)
Strawberry Salsa & Burgers (Everybody Likes Sandwiches)

Refreshing Sips:
Raspberry Rosemary Cooler (Maya Made)
Strawberry Lemon Mint Daiquiris (A Foothill Home Companion)
Green Smoothie Cocktails (Shivaya Naturals)
The Porch Swing (Smitten Kitchen)

Sweets and Treats:
Variety of Tarts (Angry Chicken)
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls (Joy the Baker)
50 Homemade Popsicle Recipes Includes great popsicle-making tips (Growing a Green Family)
Ice Cream Sandwich Pops (Living Locurto)

Misc Summer Eats:
Giant Black Bean Salad (101 Cookbooks via Soulemama)
Lots of Noodles Each of these recipes can be eaten cold—perfect! (Which Name?)


Oh! And I can't write a food post without mentioning my new fav cook e-book:
Healthy Snacks To Go. Highly recommended!

If Your Children Play with Legos...

I think we can officially name this school vacation the "Summer of Legos" at our home. The girls start off each day by dumping the Lego bin onto the floor and building the day away. A parent couldn't be happier about that, right? Right. But the challenge lies in the fact that they leave and come back to them throughout the day (the reason I don't make them clean up right away). This means way too many opportunities to step on them (ouch!), or kick them under the bookshelf, or send them sliding into the next room. We have been finding those minuscule pieces everywhere, and it is a major project getting them all cleaned up at the end of the day.


Enter "A", who recalled his little-boy Lego storage—a "parachute" bag, he called it. He described it in detail, and it sounded like the perfect solution. I got to work, with my adviser close at hand for some grommet work.


The idea is simple—a circle of nylon (though any fabric would do), grommets around the edge, and a cord. It lies completely flat, so the girls can work from the pile of pieces in the center, eliminating the likelihood of having them scattered about the house. When it's clean-up time, they simply pull the strings and they're done!

The girls are thrilled to have their new bag, "A" is happy to have re-created this bit of his childhood, and the soles of my feet are thanking me.

Berries and Beating the Heat

Blueberry Recipe of the Day:
Blueberry Scones
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 6-oz vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup melted butter
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp lemon zest
1 cup blueberries

Instructions:
Combine dry ingredients in large bowl. In a smaller bowl, combine wet ingredients. Stir wet ingredients into dry until just moistened. Fold in berries. Drop onto greased baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes. This recipe yields from 8-30 scones, depending on preferred size. We made 24 smaller ones.

In this near-record heat, we will not be turning the oven on to 400 degrees again today. Look for another no-cook blueberry recipe soon. Until then, we'll be here:

Happy summer days of berries and beating the heat!

The Wet Ocean Air

Enjoy these snapshots from our past few days. It was such a good getaway—and a nice distraction for the girls, as we all get used to the idea of life without our beloved family pet.

Taking in the wet ocean air...
Sandkindgoms, not sandcastles...

historic landmarks...

...and this view—a bluff overlooking the Atlantic.

I only wish you could all take a deep breath and be in this moment. The sea, the brush, the breeze, the sound. Life's chatter dissolves into the thick, damp air, leaving behind only what matters.

Making Plans

My family goes with the flow—we just like to let the day unfold and see where it takes us. But lately, especially this summer vacation, we have had to be a little more disciplined with our time. Seems there is so much we have and want to do, and the days are ticking by so fast.

Here's a sneak peek of some things that will be helping to fill our time over the next few months:

A new piece of furniture designed by The Husband...

A gorgeous stack of fabric....

Our Family Summer Center that organizes all our goals and accomplishments for the vacation...

...And some yummy Peruvian wool.

What will be made of the wool and fabric? What will our new custom piece of furniture feel like? What will be added to our list of goals and things the kids wish to do? Time will tell...

Freedom and Time

Clematis blooming in clusters on the trellis...

The girls passing time finger knitting (learn how here)...

Blankets for Craft Hope project #3 getting boxed up and ready to go...

And toy birds in a tree...

I came upon these birds in our dogwood tree yesterday quite by surprise. Funny, what the kids will come up with when given freedom and time a-plenty. They learned how to finger knit—and have made scarves for many, many stuffed friends. We have had time to craft for the sake of those who do not have. We have been living in our yard, in its summer-blooming glory.

*Sigh*, Summer!

Kitchen Therapy

All this gloomy June weather combined with the start of summer vacation has lent itself nicely to staying inside and cooking. We have happily whipped up some treats the kids have been wanting to make, some more involved recipes, and some of the usual staples. So in the three days of vacation thus far we have made: chocolate chip cookies, glazed nuts, a handful of fresh juices (peach-blueberry the fav so far), chocolate-covered strawberries, creamsicles, cheesy popcorn, 4 different kinds of bread, strawberry-orange popsicles, and watermelon agua fresca—whew!

With bellies full, we watched the sun peek out this evening for the first time in eight days. That's my cue to close up the kitchen-as-entertainment for a bit so we can rediscover the backyard. Find out what got pummeled by the downpours, what has bloomed, and what has been utterly unproductive in the absence of sunlight. And so life outdoors returns, if not a bit late.

For now, I'll relax with my husband (more on him soon!) and enjoy a watermelon agua fresca, with a little rum added, and drink a toast to the King of Pop.