The most indispensable ingredient of all good home cooking; love for those you are cooking for.
Sofia Loren
It’s true- I get great pleasure from watching my family and friends enjoy something from my kitchen. It’s definitely how I show people I care, by spending my time and using great quality ingredients. Food from scratch just hits different, and I want everyone around me to experience it!
That goes for sweet summer treats as well. Of course, Ada loves a good cool summer treat, but who are we kidding… so do I! If you are new here, on top of being a mama, aspiring homesteader, and down home country girl, I am a Pampered Chef consultant. I love the products, and love sharing them with others. You can shop my website anytime, and of course reach out to me with questions. Some of our favorite treats are products of Pampered Chef tools, and I will link those directly below.
Ice Cream
Did you know that ice cream really is pretty simple to make at home? I always thought it was a long drawn out process, and you can certainly make it one, but why? We recently went to a local berry farm and u-picked strawberries. Way too many strawberries! I chopped some up and used our Pampered Chef Ice Cream Maker with just a few other simple ingredients to make Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Ice Cream. 30 minutes for fresh ice cream with a tiny ingredient list? Sign me up!
The best thing about our ice cream maker is that you can take the cream base in the recipe and add whatever you’d like to it. You can also puree some watermelon or other soft fruit, add a touch of lime juice, and make a yummy sorbet.
Frozen Yogurt Bars
We love yogurt in the Huskisson House! It is one of Ada’s favorite snacks, and I eat it for breakfast quite often, especially in the summer. What’s better than yogurt on a warm summer day? Frozen yogurt! One of the greatest investments I made when starting my “from scratch” journey was the Snack Bar Maker from Pampered Chef. I use mine most often for homemade granola bars, helping us skip all of the unnecessary ingredients in the store bought bars, but this summer we will for sure be trying these strawberry frozen yogurt bars.
Popsicles
Do you ever really grow out of the love of an icy popsicle? I certainly haven’t! I really struggle with the ingredients in store bought popsicles. That doesn’t mean I never buy them… let’s be real. Life is busy, and sometimes convenience just has to happen. I do try to use my Pampered Chef Quicksicle Maker as much as possible for 2 reasons- I am in control of ingredients and it’s cheaper. Plus, the Quicksicle maker will turn your juice/yogurt/pudding into a popsicle in as little as 8 minutes!
You don’t have to have a fancy popsicle maker to make these icy treats at home. Some paper cups and popsicle sticks will work just fine.
Last, but Definitely Not Least…
If there was one word that would sum up everything that needs to be said about summer treats, it would be s’mores! Level up your s’mores game this summer with different flavored chocolate bars, hazelnut spread, adding fruit, or even different flavored graham crackers.
Be sure to have a good way to wash hands nearby for the delicious ooey-gooey mess that s’mores bring with them. They are worth every bit of the sticky fingers that follow.
~Tara