Memories of the Ice Cream Truck

I grew up in a neighborhood where a lot of children lived. For the most part we were friends and got along. One of the most important times in summer was when the ice cream truck visited. You would hear the truck as it was approaching, perhaps it was down the street or even a couple of blocks away. The ice cream truck had its own personal sound, it was not just a revving motor, a car that had a rumble or even a horn honking. The sound of the ice cream truck was loud music, it was often a redention of an old folk song. When the truck parked you would hear a voice over a loud speaker announcing that the ice cream truck was approaching. Those were the good old days.

Now days, if you want ice cream you had to the local ice cream selling business or visit the grocery store. In most stores, the grocery store has either a shopping aisle or 1/2 an aisle dedicated to ice cream and ice cream treats. Here you will find boxes and gallons of ice cream, fudge bars, popsicles, push-ups, drumsticks and so many more delicious treats. It is easy for any family that wants to purchase many yummy goodies and have a freezer full of ice cream in their own home. Perhaps, that is why the ice cream trucks are not present like they were many years ago.

The excitement of ordereing your own ice cream treat and enjoying it along side your friends was like no other. Mom may have popsicles or other treat in the freezer but it was not what the ice cream man had and how could it ever be as exciting. No, those days of the ice cream man and his personal truck was like nothing else and the memories of those days are priceless.

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the country cook

Corn Fritters

3 cobs fresh corn, silk and husk removed
2 eggs, whisked
1/3 cup milk
¾ cup (115g) self-raising flour
 ¼ cup shallots (green onions) finely sliced
 ¼ cup coriander leaves, chopped
 salt and ground white pepper to taste
 olive oil for frying

1. Cook the corn cobs either by boiling or microwaving until the kernels are tender but still al dente. Boiling will take 5 minutes, microwave time will depend on your machine but give it 1 ½ minutes per cob and then longer if required.
2. When the corn has cooled enough to handle, run a sharp knife the length of the cobs to remove the kernels. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Meanwhile mix eggs and milk together. Place flour in a bowl and add milk mixture gradually, ensuring there are no lumps.
4. Stir in corn kernels, shallots and coriander. Set aside for 15 minutes to rest.
5. Meanwhile, cook some bacon rashers until done to your liking. These can be pan fried, and the fat added to the cooking oil for the fritter, or for crispier bacon cook it under a hot grill.
6. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a chef’s pan over medium heat. Drop 2 tablespoons full of the fritter mix in the pan. Give the fritters space to spread and yourself space to flip them. After about 2 minutes they should have bubbles appearing and setting on the upper surface, and be golden brown underneath. Flip and cook for another minute.
7. Serve the fritters with the bacon and a generous dollop of tomato relish.

recipe resource : julie goodwin

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Shrimp Tomato and Pasta Skillet

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• 1 pound fresh shrimp, uncooked, shelled and deveined
• 5 medium tomatoes, fresh, chopped into large cubes
• 1 cup cooked spinach
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 or 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 small lemon
• salt
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (or more)
• paprika
• 10 oz fettuccine pasta
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated, for serving

Heat a large skillet on medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil until melted. Add fresh shrimp and half the minced garlic. Make sure shrimp is not crowded. Cook for 1 minute on one side until pink on that side. While it's cooking, generously sprinkle paprika and salt over uncooked side of the shrimp. Flip the shrimp over and cook for another 1 or 2 minutes until pink on the other side.
To the skillet with shrimp, add chopped fresh tomatoes, cooked spinach, and remaining amount of minced garlic. Add 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (or more). Mix everything well, remove from heat while you cook pasta.
In the mean time cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water to prevent pasta from cooking and getting mushy.
Add pasta to the skillet with shrimp and vegetables with 1 or 2 tablespoons of butter. Add freshly squeezed lemon juice (depending on the juiciness of your lemon, it could be 1/4 of small lemon or 1/2 lemon). Don't add too much lemon juice. Season with salt and more crushed red pepper. Warm it up on medium heat until shrimp is cooked through, and all ingredients are heated through.
To serve, top with grated Parmesan cheese.

recipe resource here 

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sunday features 

Fresh Spinach Salad

Fresh spinach will often have sand trapped in the crinkly leaves and stems. It needs to be washed carefully. Any roots should be trimmed off. The leaves should be allowed to drop into a large bowl of lukewarm water. Wash the leaves gently with your hands. The sand and grit should settle on the bottom as you gently lift leaves out. The process of soaking should be repeated to ensure leaves are clean. ### Did you know that it is best to washed bagged lettuce even if it is labeled "prewashed". 

Crisp the spinach for salad by washing leaves, drying them in salad spinner or shaking them dry in a colander. Wrap the spinach in paper towels, place in plastic bag and chill in fridge for no more than a few hours before using. 

3-4 cups baby spinach or other dark leafy greens
2 tomatoes
1 red capsicum
1 zucchini
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup craisins (dried cranberries)
1/4 cup shredded coconut

Method

Wash and dry greens.
Grate the zucchini.
Slice the capsicum thinly.
Chop tomatoes into quarters.
Gently combine greens, zucchini and capsicum in a large salad bowl.
Arrange tomato quarters on top.
Sprinkle with coconut, pine nuts and craisins.

Tips

Serve with a light and simple salad dressing such as olive oil and white wine vinegar (2 parts to one).
You can substitute dried apricots or goji berries for the dried cranberries.
This salad matches well with a BBQ in Summer.

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Pet Fire Safety

Did you know that nearly 500,000 pets are involved in house fires each year?? Believe it or not, about 1000 of them are started by the pet. July 15th is National Pet Fire Safety and was created to spread awareness about how to keep your pet safe during house fire and how to safe guard your home so they don't accidently help start one. 

You can help protect your families pet by taking a few precautions. First let someone know there are pets inside the home:

Know where you pet loves to sleep, play and hide. If a fire was to start it would be easier for you to find them if you know where they may be. When your pet is not using them keep leashes and pet carriers near the door so they are ready to use incase of emergency.

UV Safety Month

Ultraviolet Light is a form of radiation that refers to the invisible high energy rays that come from the sun. They are invisible rays that our eyes can not see.

Some ultraviolet light is good for us. UV helps stimulate the production of vitamin D. It only takes between 5 to 15 minutes of sun exposure to achieve this so we must be careful. UV light will affect the skin eyes, our entire body. Prolonged exposure can cause blindness and loss of vision. It can also cause skin and eye cancers

We should start by preventing the dnagers by limiting exposure to the sun. Always wear sun protection, wear sunglasses that block 100% of UVA and UVB rays. A hat will help prevent rays on your skin as well. Since skin cancer is most common type of cancer in the U.S. we must remember to cover up when we go out. UV damage can be blamed for wrinkles and blotches or spots on your skin. 

Some good tips for UV protection include:

• staying out of sun between 10 am and 4 pm
• use sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher
• cover up with long sleeves and a hat
• check your skin regularly for changes

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sizzle into summer 

Dirt and Worm Dessert Cups

This easy to make dessert is perfect for summer time. My kids loved it when they were younger and now my grandkids love it as well. The ingredients are simple

1 15-ounce package chocolate sandwich cookies (like Oreos)
1 3.9-ounce package chocolate instant pudding
2 cups cold milk
8 ounces whipped topping (like Cool Whip)
24 gummy worms

The first step is to use the chocolate sandwich cookies to make dirt. Place cookies in large zip top plastic bag. Use a rolling pin to crush them into small pieces. There is no need to remove cream center The cookies should result in small crumbs.

Make pudding mixing both pudding mix and milk. Mix til mixture is smooth Let mix sit and thicken for 5 minutes

Mix 1/2 crumbs and whip topping into pudding mix. 

Mix until the mixture resembles

Dip about 1/2 cup of pudding mix into cups and top with a gummy worm  and cookie crumbs

1 15-ounce package chocolate sandwich cookies (like Oreos)
1 3.9-ounce package chocolate instant pudding
2 cups cold milk
8 ounces whipped topping (like Cool Whip)
24 gummy worms

The first order of business when making “worms in dirt” is, of course, to make the dirt.
Place the chocolate sandwich cookies in a large zip-top plastic bag, and use a rolling pin to crush them into small pieces. Don’t worry about removing the cream filling before putting the cookies in the bag–at first they will clump together, but as you continue to crush them, the cream will blend with the cookies and you won’t even notice it.
Continue to crush the cookies in the bag until they are in fine crumbs. A few larger pieces are okay, too–after all, dirt comes in different sizes!
Next, make the pudding. Pour the dry pudding mix into a large bowl, then add the cold milk. Whisk everything together until all of the dry pudding dissolves and it’s smooth and free of lumps.
Let the pudding sit for about 5 minutes, until it thickens and is no longer liquid. If it has the delightfully gloppy texture of pudding, you’re ready to go on.
Add the whipped topping and approximately half of the cookie crumbs. You don’t have to measure, just eyeball half the bag and pour it in.
Gently stir everything together until the streaks of whipped topping disappear, and the cookies are well-mixed into the pudding.
Divide the pudding mixture evenly between eight cups–each should hold a little over ½-cup of pudding. You can fill them however you’d like–I prefer to use a large ice cream scoop because I think it’s a little neater and faster that way.
Tap the cups on the countertop a few times to level the pudding, then insert 3 gummy worms into the pudding and press them down a little so that they’re embedded.
Pour the cookie crumbs over the pudding and gummy worms so that the entire top is covered with “dirt.” Smooth it into an even layer with your hands.

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sugar and spice party

Baked Tapioca

Baked Tapioca Pudding Recipe
Serves 3

1 teaspoon sago
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg yolks
1/2 cup coconut milk
2 tablespoons milk
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon custard powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook sago until transparent, combine with sugar, butter, and mix well. remove from fire. Combine cornstarch, custard powder, and coconut milk in mixing bowl, add in milk and mix well. add sago, cook over slow fire till well mixed. Add egg yolk to the mixture and mix well. Put mixture in glass bowl and bake for 15-20 minutes.

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wined down wednesday

Happy Cow Appreciation Day

Many of you may think that we just celebrated Cow Appreciation day a few days ago how could this be that we have 2 in the same week. The truth is that today, July 15 is Cow Appreciation Day sponsored by American Library Association, the other is a complete advertising piece for Chi fil A. I myself say celebrate both if you want. The cow will not mind as he will get 2 days with lots of attention.

The word "cow" refers to an adult female bovine that has a calf. However, the word cow is often used as the single form of cattle.

Cows are part of a religious practice for Hindus. They are characters in many religious stories and are respected in same manner as a mother. It is illegal to slaughter a cow in Indian states because of religion.

cows have 4 stomaches





Some great books for kids about Cows

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fluster buster 

Juvenile Arthritis Awareness

July is National Juvenile Arthritis Awareness month. A catch it all term that is used to describe the many autoimmune and inflammatory conditions all are placed in the Juvenile arthritis category of health.Rheumatic diseases that develop in children and teens are also placed in this category. 

Arthritis in children has been documented for more than a century. The pain and inflamation issues date back to the mid 1800s. Other rheumatic diseases such as lupus and sleroderma have been described in detail as well with less attention. While, the issues were documented many years before children with chronic arthritis did not receive significant medical attention until years after the discovery of penicillin. However, it was not until the 1970s when the field of pediatric rheumatology gained great attention and proffesionals and organizations of rheumatologists took note in the u.S.

Juvenille arthritis differs greatly from rheumatoid arthritis of adults. Their are many sub-categories under Juvenille arthritis and the disease can affect every stystem in the body. While there are many types of JA they all share common symptoms of pain, joint swelling, redness and warmth. There are no known causes, neither is there proof that toxins, foods or allergies cause children to develop JA. There is proof that genes play a factor in developing arthritis and that means that one parent could have genes for onset of JA.

While there is no cure for Juvenile arthritis the goal is to be able to diagnose early with aggressive treatment to ensure remission. Treatment often includes medication, physical activity, eye care and healthy eating as well as a combination of these. Goal of treatment is to relieve inflammation, control pain and improve child's quality of life.


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moonlight and mason jars

Are You A Couch Potato You will love this Recipe

Definition of a couch potato:
a person who spends little or no time exercising and a great deal of time watching television.

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wow me wednesday

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

2½ cups uncooked macaroni
2½ Tablespoons flour
1¼ teaspoons salt
Pepper to taste (I use about a teaspoon)
4 Tablespoons margarine
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup milk

Cook pasta until tender, drain.
Mix all dry ingredients together, set aside.
Spray oven safe bowl or dish with cooking spray. Place half of macaroni inside. Sprinkle half of the flour mixture over top and top with half of the margarine, sliced into small slices. Sprinkle 1½ cups cheese over. Repeat. Pour milk over all.
Cover with foil and bake at 350 for thirty five minutes. Remove foil, bake an additional ten minutes. Serve hot.

Cowboy Goulash

Cowboy Goulash find more great wild west recipes here

2 pounds ground beef
1 tablespoon oil
1 large onion, chopped
1/4 cup parsley, chopped fine
2 celery stalks, chopped
4 large tomatoes, chopped
3 jalapeno peppers, chopped
2 cans red beans, drained

1 (10 ounce) package spaghetti, cooked
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 cups Parmesan cheese

Brown the ground beef lightly in oil.   Add onion and celery and cook until the veggies are softened.

Add beans, tomatoes, parsley, jalapenos, spaghetti, seasoning plus 1 and 1/2 cups of parmesan cheese.  Place everything in a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees F until hot and bubbly (about 20 minutes).

During last 5 minutes, top with remaining parmesan cheese and remove from oven just before the cheese browns. 

GBS what is it

An average of 1 in every 4 pregnant women carries GBS. GBS is the leading cause of sepsis and meningitis in newborns according to the U.S. CDC Babies can be infected during pregnancy and during the first few months of life. While, not all babies will become infected, the result for those that do can be devastating.

Expecting mothers with GBS can miscarry, have still born babies, or have their baby born prematurely. Babies with GBS are born very sick, may have lifelong handicaps or the worst they may die. Babies born to moms who test negative for GBS can be infected by group B Strep.

There are ways to protect babies from group B strep. But first we must understand what Group B Strep is. It is a type of bacteria that is naturally found in the digestive and lower reproductive tracts of both men and women. One in Four moms will carry GBS but this does not mean that they are unclean as anyone can carry GBS. It is not sexually transmitted diseease or transmitted through infecdtion and can occur on its own.

Babies can be infected by GBS before birth and up to 6 months of age. IF contacted before birth it is known as pre-natal onset. The second group occurs between birth and the first week of life this is called early onset GBS. The third group known as Late onset can occur up through babies first months. Group B strep is leading cause of meningitis and sepsis in newborns and causes over 1200 babies to become infected. There are things that you can do to protect your baby from GBS if you have questions you should ask your physician.

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Celebrate Bastille Day with Crepes

Earlier this month you may have celebrated the Red, White and Blue. Today, July 14th is the day that the French celebrate their independence. Known as Bastille Day, July 14th, 1789 the citizens of Paris started a coup that would over throw the government. French commoners stormed the Bastille in rebellioin agains imperial rule. The Bastille was a prison of sorts.

The day is celebrated with a large parade, art festival and lots of parties. While I am not from French heritage I want to celebrate their independence as well so lets make up som party food Crepes is a great Bastille Day party food. Crepes can be made with fruits, vegetables, meat , puddings, or mousse. 

2 eggs

2/3 cup of all-purpose flour

1 cup of milk

1 1/2 teaspoons of vegetable oil

A pinch of salt

1. Blend milk, eggs and all-purpose flour. Add salt and oil to it. 

2. Process the mixture till it turns smooth. 

3. Cover the mixture (or crepe batter) and keep it in the fridge for an hour. 

4. Brush a skillet with oil after heating it over medium heat. 

5. Add 1/4 cup of crepe batter into the pan such that it coats the surface of the pan. 

6. Cook for 5 minutes till the crepe batter turns golden.

Town Crier News

a person employed to make public announcements in the streets or marketplace of a town

The town crier would have been like the man to bring the top news. He would travel through town and share the news of the hour. On our blog he may share the stories of:

Being careful with both prescription and herbal medications

Yummy recipe of white chocolate and berry recipes

why hotdogs are considered the ultimate summer time treat 

or the news that you can make your own room air freshners 


What would the town crier talk about if they were to visit your blog?? What have you shared as of late?? I would love for you to leave it in comments so I can come visit

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Shark Glacier Punch

Looking for a great idea for a birthday, pool party or any fun time you need some shark food?? Check this recipe out where the sharks are part of the punch itself

ARCTIC SHARK GLACIERS

Small resealable containers
Water or blue drink of choice
Gummy Sharks
Access to a freezer

. For the small Mini Rounds, place one gummy shark in each container, then fill them nearly to the top with water or your favorite blue drink. Let little pieces of the shark peek over the edge.  For the larger container(s) use several gummy sharks. Place containers in freezer.

. Once frozen solid, pop the glaciers out of the containers and float them in a big bowls of sparkling blue punch. You can run a little warm water over the outside of the container if necessary to help loosen the “glacier”.

Blue Raspberry Punch

• 1 package blue, berry flavored unsweetened drink mix, like Kool-aid (0.13 ounce)
• 1 bottle lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage (2 liter)
• 1 bottle white cranberry juice (64 fluid ounce)
• 1 cup white sugar or to taste

In a large punch bowl, stir together the drink mix, lemon-lime soda and white cranberry juice. Taste, and stir in sugar to your liking. Add Artic Shark Glaciers to keep the punch cold!

recipe resource here