Search Results for: blog a spring ice cream tradition

Nontraditional Easter Dishes

Traditionally, Easter is celebrated with ham or lamb and hot cross buns. Of course, these days, people tend to put their own spin on Easter buffets and now you can find everything from Chinese noodle dishes to Cuban pork on the holiday menu. My neighbor never prepares ham or lamb on Easter; rather the family sits down to a hearty beef stew after hunting for eggs. (She puts the stew on before the hunt, it cooks while they are hunting, and lunch is served shortly thereafter.) It helps that we live in the Upper Midwest where spring temps don’t usually … Continue reading →

Ice Cream Fun – Options for National Ice Cream Day

Did you know that June is National Ice Cream Month and that the third Sunday of the month, today, is National Ice Cream day? What a great excuse to eat some ice cream! My family loves ice cream and we can think of all sorts of ways to celebrate. Today we have plans to visit our neighborhood ice cream store after lunch. But we could also make homemade ice cream in our new freezer, or ice cream sodas. A few years ago some friends of ours had an ice cream party that I’ve always meant to copy. They asked everyone … Continue reading →

A Spring Ice Cream Tradition

We are lucky to have a tiny independent ice cream stand in our town. It’s one of those you name it they have places – everything from burgers, hot dogs, onion rings and fries, to every kind of ice cream and slushes. We all have our favorites. My husband is partial to the sickeningly sweet suicide slush (all flavors in one cup so you get a lot of syrup). Until last year, they’ve always closed “for the season” in the winter months. Every year we kept an eye out for when they re-opened. We joked that along with Girl Scout … Continue reading →

Unpleasant Wedding Humor

I love injecting humor into weddings. The occasion can sometimes be taken too seriously, either made especially solemn or fraught with the nerves of invested parties that want everything to be perfect. So I’m all about taking things a little more lightly; my imagined and actual wedding invitations are proof of that. What I can’t get behind, however, is a certain brand of humor I often see or hear about at weddings or in the course of wedding planning. I hesitate to call it chauvinist or sexist but that’s ultimately what it is, or at least it springs from the … Continue reading →

Easter Sunday Sides

Easter is traditionally a time when families (immediate and extended) come together to celebrate the season and share a large meal. After all, you can’t have a family gathering without food, right? If you are planning to attend an Easter potluck or you are simply helping your Easter party hostess by preparing a couple of side dishes to supplement the holiday ham or lamb, then consider these easy crowd-pleasing casseroles that are a cinch to make and are loaded with flavor. BAKED POTATO CASSEROLE Ingredients: 1 (2-pound) bag frozen country style hash browns potatoes, thawed slightly 1 (16-ounce) container of … Continue reading →

Tips for a Rockin’ Summer Beach Party

Sadly, summer is coming to an end, so why not say goodbye to the season with a big beach blowout. Invite your favorite friends and family members, and have fun in the sun with the following kid-friendly games and crowd-pleasing dishes: BEACH TIC-TAC-TOE Materials: Sand Stick Small plastic toys (e.g. cars, dinosaurs, animals, balls, etc.) OR, IF IT IS TOO WINDY OR RAINY Paper Pencil Cheerios or Lifesaver candy Goldfish crackers Directions: Draw a traditional Tic-Tac-Toe board (2 vertical lines and 2 horizontal lines) in the sand or on the paper. Sand Version: One person uses one set of toys … Continue reading →

Dinner in the Tropics

You don’t have to jet off to Hawaii to get a taste of the tropics this summer. Rather, consider hosting a simple summer luau in your own backyard. You might not be able to serve up the traditional kalua pig, poi and haupia, but you can whip up these terrific tropical-inspired treats: TROPICAL MEATBALLS Ingredients for Meatballs: 1 pound lean ground beef 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion 1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs 1 tablespoon chopped parsley 1 teaspoon garlic salt 1/8 teaspoon pepper 1 egg 2/3 cup milk 1 (13 oz.) can pineapple tidbits 1 tablespoon butter 2 tablespoons … Continue reading →

Hannah Montana Movie Coming To DVD and Blu-ray

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The Hannah Montana movie now has a release date for DVD. Hannah Montana: the Movie is expected to come to Blu-ray and DVD on August 18, 2009. The first-ever feature film starring the Disney Channel character will come in a special 3-disc Blu-ray edition (which include the traditional DVD version) as well as a two-disc and single-disc traditional DVD version. Apparently the Blu-ray version is going to come with a feature that allow you to cerate a wish list of items you might want (or items your kids might want) while watching the film. Once you’re done watching the film … Continue reading →

Fresh Fruit Desserts for Your Easter Buffet

Spring is in the air, so why not add some color to your Easter buffet with fresh seasonal fruit? The following desserts are excellent alternatives to the traditional all-chocolate creations typically featured at Easter feasts. Not only are they simple to make, they’re also relatively healthy as well. BLUEBERRY COBBLER BARS Ingredients for Crust: 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cup sugar 1 1/2 cup sliced or slivered almonds 1 cup (2 sticks) cold butter, cut into cubes Ingredients for Pastry Cream: 4 large eggs 1/4 cup heavy cream 1 1/2 teaspoon almond extract 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 … Continue reading →

Easy Easter Recipes

Easter is less than a week away. Do you know what you’ll be making to celebrate? If you prefer sticking with traditional Easter dishes, then the following simple yet delicious recipes should come in very handy. To save time in the kitchen look for short cuts. For example, with the ham recipe, consider purchasing a fully cooked ham and dressing it up with the glaze listed below. In addition, for the Easter Petit Fours you can cut down on prep time by using store-bought pound cake. EASTER HAM Ingredients: Whole ham 1/2 cup peach or apricot preserves 1/2 cup honey … Continue reading →