Archive for August, 2010

Savoring the Last Days of Summer

Friday, August 20th, 2010

By Lillyan Baker

As fireflies start to fade away and back to school shopping begins to feel like Black Friday, take a moment and enjoy the last days of summer with your family. Go outside and create some new family memories and save those movies and video games for those cold winter nights. From delicious Real Simple summertime desserts to evening outdoor activities, you will make your child’s last weekend of summer, their favorite weekend of summer.

smores

Raspberry S

Leave Them Wanting S’more of Raspberry S’mores

Serves: 4

8 graham crackers
32 large marshmallows, cut in half
2 1.5-ounce chocolate bars
1 cup fresh raspberries

1. Adjust rack to middle position and heat broiler or toaster oven.

2. Break the crackers in half to form squares and place on a baking sheet. Arrange 4 marshmallow halves on top of each square.

3. Broil for 30 to 60 seconds or until the marshmallows are golden brown.

4. Break each chocolate bar into 12 pieces.

5. Arrange the chocolate and raspberries on top of half the crackers.

6. Alternate the marshmallow-topped crackers and raspberry-and-chocolate–topped crackers and press gently to make sandwiches.

Fun Ideas:

  • Host a competition to see who can stack the highest s’more sandwich.
  • Get creative with different ingredients by everyone picking their favorite berry, such as sliced strawberries, blueberries or blackberries. Once everyone finishes building their unique s’more sandwich, divide it up and decide which one is the family favorite.

Night Activity:

Create your own entertainment by sitting outdoors with a tray full of Raspberry S’mores and let the story telling begin. Make it a family effort by having everyone tell a part of the story with one person starting  a section and then passing it on. Encourage creative twists and endings to provide a guaranteed laugh and story that will go down in family history.

raspberry pops

Raspberry Cup Popsicles

Freeze Summertime Memories with Raspberry Cup Popsicles

Serves: 6

2 1/2 cups fresh raspberries
1 cup raspberry juice drink
2 tablespoons corn syrup
6 3oz. paper cups

1. In a blender, puree the raspberries, raspberry juice drink and corn syrup until smooth.

2. Fold in the remaining cup of raspberries and divide among the paper cups.

3. Cover and freeze until firm, 3 hours.

Fun Ideas:

  • Have each family member decorate their own white paper cup with markers, construction paper and glitter. When the popsicles are ready to eat, everyone will enjoy this frozen treat and show off their unique style.
  • Pour puree into fun shaped baking molds to give your popsicles a shape that will make them come alive.

Night Activity:

Throw out a blanket, lay back and take in all of the stars with your delicious Raspberry Cup Popsicles. Print out a kid friendly constellation map and enjoy a night of star gazing with your family. Twist it up by having everyone create their own constellation by connecting the dots in the sky. It is sure to be an end of summer tradition that your family will never forget!

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Wash Summer Out of Your Clothes

Friday, August 13th, 2010
summer laundry photo

Summer Days Washed Away

By Lillyan Baker

Summer is filled with the best memories, including eating ice cream, playing outside, snacking on chips and salsa by the pool and eating hot dogs right off the grill. Of course you want to keep those summertime memories, but not on your clothes! What do you do when your favorite seasonal treats and activities, like ice cream, salsa, ketchup, mustard and mud, stain your favorite summer outfit? Try these stain removal tips to wash summer out of your clothes:

Quick, It’s Melting! Lickin’ Up Ice Cream Stains

  1. Timing is crucial. Since ice cream is a protein based stain, it is more difficult to eliminate, making it more fun to eat then remove. For dried stains, use a dull knife or credit card to remove as much of the stain as possible.
  2. Soak your cares away. Soak your stained clothing in cold water for 5-10 minutes.
  3. Rinse and repeat. Every 3-5 minutes, rub the stained area with detergent in room temperature water for 30 minutes.

Rainy Day, Summer Play, Now Let’s Wash the Mud Away!

  1. Give it some time. Avoid smearing the mud into your favorite summer shirt by letting it dry. It’s tempting to wipe the mud away, but you will thank yourself later for letting it dry completely.
  2. Shake, vacuum and roll the mud-stained area. Use your household tools to remove the dried mud crumbs from the fabric, including a dull knife, a hand-held vacuum or give it a good, old-fashioned shake.
  3. Give it a mud bath. Soak the stained area for 15 minutes and continue to loosen the stain by rubbing detergent into the fabric every 3-5 minutes.

Ketchup, Mustard and Salsa Stains, Oh My!

  1. Scoop it away. Remove all sauce from the fabric with a spoon or butter knife.
  2. Toss and turn it. Turn the piece of clothing inside out and run cold water through the back of the stain. By running water over the front of the stain, you could push the stain more deeply into the fabric.
  3. Get your salsa on! In a circular motion, gently rub the stained area with detergent working from the outside in.
  4. Take a break. Give your arm a rest and allow the fabric to soak in cold water for 30 minutes.

After you have applied all of your stain fighting tricks, use either a stain remover spray, stick or gel and throw it into your washing machine. Your clothes will come out clean and fresh, so you don’t have to worry about remembering summer 2010 on your favorite shirt for next year!

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Churning Up Memories with Homemade Peach Ice Cream

Friday, August 6th, 2010
ice cream from freezer

Sally

By Lillyan Baker

Do you remember the good old days of churning ice cream? Give your family those same memories by making homemade peach ice cream and discover how your ice cream maker can be more than an appliance.

An ice cream maker contains several parts, including the canister, which fits inside a container that holds the freezing agent. The type of freezing agent is based on the appliance and can be an electric refrigerating unit, a chemical coolant or rock salt and ice. A dasher churns the ice cream mixture inside the canister as it freezes to keep it aerated and to give you smooth ice cream with that homemade taste.

The Taste That Brings You Back. Return to simpler times and create family memories by using a manual ice cream maker that gives everyone a chance to crank the dasher. For machines that use rock salt and ice, allow for 30 to 40 minutes of churning. For more modern manual machines with freezer bowls, it only needs to be cranked once every two to three minutes for 15 to 30 minutes.

Sit Back and Relax. For less work and same delicious flavor, use an electric ice cream maker. Several electric ice cream makers only require the canister to be lined with ice and table salt, then the electric monitor takes care of the rest. Just pour and walk away to come back to a refreshing treat on a hot summer day.

Add On for $avings. Instead of buying a new appliance, you can add an attachment to an appliance you may already own. KitchenAid provides an ice cream maker attachment for their stand mixer that includes a rotating dasher and an insulated freezer bowl, so you don’t have to worry with ice, rock salt or churning it yourself. Let your stand mixer do all of the work, and in 20 to 30 minutes you will have 2 quarts of homemade ice cream for your family to enjoy on a summer night under the stars.

Now that you know which ice cream maker is best for you and your family, put your skills to work and try out this delicious homemade recipe. It is sure to make summer time, your favorite time of the year!

Sally’s Homemade Peach Ice Cream
Yields: 1 gallon

6 cups fresh, mashed peaches
4 eggs
4 cups whole milk
3 cups whipping cream
2 cups sugar, divided
¼ tsp. salt

1. Over low heat cook together eggs, milk, 1 cup of sugar, salt and cream until it makes a custard.

2. Cool in your freezer for 30 minutes.

3. Add mashed peaches that have been sweetened with the other cup of sugar and combine peaches with the custard mixture.

4. Pour in your freezer container according to your machines directions.

5. Enjoy on a hot summer day with your family and friends!

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