bird & cleaver

Friday again!  This week has been quiet and unproductive.  We have been focusing on family time since G got home.  Lots of movies on the couch, Legos, drawing, and water play.  It does feel as though its time to get back into the groove.  And we will. Right after we get home fro the beach!

 We will be back tomorrow.

  Yesterday I was having a hard time deciding what type of popsicle to make.  I knew I wanted to make a coffee flavored pop, but a bit more rich than the typical coffee ice.  And I wanted chocolate. Just because.  I started with a Vietnamese coffee type base and added cocoa, and vanilla.  The result is a popsicle that is both refreshing and rich enough to have for dessert. Or breakfast, in my case. 

 Enjoy!

Choffee-sicles

1 1/2 cups brewed coffee (good stuff. don't skimp) // 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk // 1 tablespoon good quality cocoa  powder // 1 teaspoon vanilla // pinch of salt 

 Combine ingredients together in a small sauce pan.  Whisk together over low heat.  Bring to a simmer and continue whisking until cocoa powder is dissolved and the mixture is well combined.  Take off heat and cool.

 Pour into popsicle mold.  Freeze for 3-5 hours.  To unmold, let come up to room temp for 5 minutes or run mold under hot water for a few seconds.

Yes, cucumber. Why? Because it is tasty and refreshing. This combination works so well in other ways so we thought,  "why not a popsicle?". However, you should be careful going all willy nilly and just making any old flavor combo into popsicles. In case you were wondering, chili dog definitely does not make the cut.

This recipe is quite tart, which we love. Be sure to taste the mixture prior to freezing and adjust the amounts of simple syrup to your taste preference.

Lemon / Basil / Cucumber Popsicle 

1/2 Fresh lemon juice // 3/4 cup simple syrup (recipe follows) // 1/2 medium cucumber // 3-4 large basil leaves torn into small pieces

To make simple syrup combine equal parts white sugar and water in a sealed container. Shake until sugar is dissolved. This syrup is also perfect for cocktails, so it's a good thing to have on hand.

Cut cucumber into 1/4" slices. In large bowl combine all ingredients together and leave set at room temp for 1 hour to let flavors come together. Strain out cucumber (and seeds) and add more basil if desireed.  Fill Popsicle mold.

 Freeze.

Enjoy.

We are big fans of yogurt.  Finn and I often eat our favorite honey yogurt with berries for breakfast, lunch or as an after dinner treat. This recipe came about as a result of that. There is no added sugar in the yogurt, so you need to make sure to use the full fat variety.  The good stuff.  This recipe is infinitely adaptable.  Enjoy!

Blueberry + Peach + Honey Yogurt Pops

1/2 cup Greek Gods Honey Yogurt ( or your preference) // 2 white peaches, peeled and sliced // 1/2 cup blueberries // 1 tablespoon confectioners sugar //

 Combine blueberries and sugar in a saucepan.  Over low heat, cook the berries until they start to break down, smooshing them with the back of your spoon.  Strain through a fine mesh sieve and let cool.  Discard the solids, or bake up something tasty.

Combine yogurt and peaches in blender.  Blend until smooth.  Pour half of this mixture into the popsicle mold.  Add the blueberry mixture and swirl with a toothpick or knife.  Repeat with remaining peach / blueberry mixture.  Freeze until set 3-5 hours. Let come to room temp for 5 minutes before removing from mold.

 We whipped these popsicles up last week. I was amazed at how refreshing they are!  This is the perfect pop for a really hot summer day. Or any other time!

watermelon // mint pops

1/4 small, sweet watermelon //  handful of fresh mint // 1/2 cup sugar // 1/2 cup water // pinch of salt// juice of 1/2 lemon //

Bring water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan.  You are just looking for the sugar to dissolve here.  At that point, take off heat and add the mint.  Let the leaves steep while the syrup cools. After syrup is cooled, discard mint leaves.

Meanwhile, cube the watermelon and remove any seeds.  Put watermelon, lemon juice, salt and a few tablespoons of the simple syrup into the blender and puree.  Taste, and add more simple syrup if desired.  

Pour into popsicle molds and freeze at least 5-6 hours or overnight.  Bring to room temp for about five minutes before taking them out of the mold.  

Enjoy!

 Summer around here is definitely a whirlwind. It consists of only pockets of free hours. Where if you don't make the split second decision to go for it, you crash in a heap on the couch. Our time is precious, so we always try to make it count.

Since Friday afternoon is going to be free, at least in the foreseeable future, we decided to make going to one of our favorite beaches a weekly event. It is amazing what a little sand and swimming can do for morale. So, if you are a local, on Friday afternoon, Pokagon. The more the merrier.

Besides playing in the sand, the rest of the weekend kind of fell in line, visiting family we don't see nearly enough,  tons of food, gardening, and counting the hours until G comes home from his epic Texas vacay. There was some work somewhere in there too, but we won't talk about that.

All in all, we had a pretty damn good weekend! How about you? 

* Check back later today for the beginning of popsicle week!

 Here is another little peek into our world.  We have been adjusting to J's new schedule, as well as the lack of schedule for Finn and I on these hot, hot summer days.  We are working on getting some new ideas pushed forward to make for a more consistent, interesting blog.  Stay tuned.  Did I mention the heat?  Next week we will have a different popsicle recipe each day to stay cool.  Don't miss it!

1 // belated father's day dinner of fried chicken

2 // frozen treats for hot summer days

3 // making popsicles

4 // afternoon coffee

5 // swimming with friends

 We are back!  Taking a week off to enjoy our friends and family was wonderful.  As is typical with most vacations, I feel like we need another week to recuperate from all the fun that was had!  But alas, no rest for the weary.  

We tried to get as much family time in as possible before G left for Texas.  We went to the zoo, out for ice cream, cooked out, ate favorite foods and stayed up late watching movies.  It was bittersweet to have him leave.  I know he is having a blast, but we all miss him terribly.  Finn is counting down the days and hours until his "best friend" comes home.

My girlfriend from high school made it here safely.  It was so much fun to see her and have her meet my little family.  We picked up where we left off, and had a great time in spite it being the dullest, strangest night in the town's history.  Isn't that how it always happens?  You plan for something special and everything goes wrong.  Ugh.  Maybe in another twelve years she will revisit, and I can show her a good time.

This weekend also marked my dear friend Jean's 30th birthday.  Unfortunately, her birthday fell on the worst/strangest day and she had a less than stellar time.  It was incredibly fortunate that her sister Rachel planned a surprise party for the following evening. She was indeed surprised, and we all had a good time celebrating her awesomeness.

Father's Day meant a day trip to Michigan to visit friends and attend another birthday party.  We ate too much and spent the entire afternoon outside watching the kids play.  It was a very relaxed day, which was pretty fantastic after the pace of the previous week.  

*A few things of note:  I am present in two whole pictures in this post.  For those who know me, this is a rarity since I absolutely hate having my picture taken.

I am actually not scared in the picture with my friend Liz.  My eyes are almost always closed in pictures and I was trying really hard to document this moment with my friend. 

Yes, John scaled this tree yesterday.  After mentioning he had not exactly worked out how he would get down, F told him he was foolish.  Ouch.  Happy Father's Day.