There’s not much of a story on this one. I saw a recipe, tried it, liked it, and make it all the time now. So I’m keeping it simple today.
Five reasons you want to try this iced tea:
1) It’s sweetened with APPLE JUICE! What a great idea!
2) It’s CAFFEINE-FREE.
If you’re trying to kick the caffeine habit like me, this is a major plus!
I am very pleased to present the game of Tic-Tac-Toe Products:
This is a really fun game which also happens to review multiplication facts! It’s one of my favorite math games to teach and play with my students. It’s super simple, and kids can play several rounds of this without noticing the time passing! Like most of the games I will share, it’s also very portable. If your child has learned their multiplication facts, you should really give it a go! Fun for the whole family.
It’s summertime! Time for the kids to read books, swim, play outside, and learn how to deal with boredom. I think a healthy dose of boredom is good for kids. It can be a stepping stone to creativity and imagination. Some of my best memories from childhood stemmed from boredom, and I wouldn’t trade those memories for anything!
Still, summer can get pretty… boring.
(Sound familiar?)
I filled my elementary summer days with hundreds of books, lots of sunshine, and probably a little too much TV. One thing I wish I had were the math games I’m about to share with you! They are simple, fun, and great ways to practice math facts and concepts. In my classroom, my students would cheer every time I announced that we were learning a new math game. They loved these games so much that they even chose to play them during their free time!
When I first got married, I had no idea how to cook.
“Oh, but you bake!” friends would say.
Baking ? cooking, my friends.
The whole thing was so overwhelming to me, from menu planning to grocery shopping to actually making edible things. If my husband hadn’t been so incredibly encouraging about the whole project and agreed to wash all the dishes (and there were a lot in the beginning, before experience taught me how to streamline better), I don’t know where we be today.
Since I was so daunted by the prospect of making upwards of 200 meals a year, I instead focused on making it a personal goal to simply find five good recipes to “add to the mix.” I decided to research 5 of the diet friendly dishes closest to me, to try and inspire me.
Yes. Five.
That sounds totally doable, right?
When I went to visit my third graders a few weeks ago, they kept asking me to sign their yearbooks. I usually try to write more personalized messages for my students, but it had been over half a year since I last taught them, so it was hard to come up with something meaningful. Which is why I fell back to good ‘ol middle school-lazy H.A.G.S: have a great summer!
One of the great things about teaching kids is that you get to be the first to introduce them to a lot of things, like the solar system and fractions and onomatopœias and… silly yearbook acronyms.
At first, they read it slowly, confused with my short message:
“…Hags…?“
“Yep! It stands for Have A Great Summer: HAGS!” I explain, pointing to each letter as I huff my H, Tony-the-Tiger my Gr-, and ssssnake my S.
“Oh… HAGS! HAHAHHAHA!! I GET IT! HAGS! Look, Diana, HAGS! Have. A. Great. Summer!” the child would cry out in delight, showing anyone in a five foot radius, “LOOK! Mark! Look! HAGS! HAVE A GREAT SUMMER!”
Again and again and again.
They crack me up. Aw I miss those little buggers!
Well, I DO hope that everyone Has A Great Summer! Summer officially began this past weekend on June 21, although in my head, summer starts at the end of May… or at least by the time school gets out.
Or maybe in my head, summer is in February, because apparently that’s when I started posting summery recipes like ice creams and berry tarts. Anyway I figure most people who come by this blog have not made it that far back in my post history, so I’m taking the liberty of re-sharing four of my favorite summertime recipes with you!
One of my favorite little restaurants in college served up a rich and creamy pasta dish called The Godfather’s Favorite. It was also my favorite. And probably lots of other people’s favorites. Perhaps it will be one of your favorites, too! I’m posting this recipe here at the request of, coincidentally, my goddaughter’s mom! Ooh. I just thought of a really clever name for my version of this recipe. Heh heh. I bet you’ve guessed it already…
Since I rarely make the trek back up to my alma mater, I had to figure out how to make this myself. Thanks to the Internet, I was able to experiment a bit and put together something really, really close. Warning: this dish is not healthy. Make it when you’re going to have a bunch of younguns over who are not yet concerned about their cholesterol, carb, or fat intake. Pair it with a side salad to make yourself feel a little better about it. But do make it. It’s creamy, tasty, and deeeeelicious!
My Auntie K has been a major supporter of my sweet tooth since I was young, and has been spoiling me with baking supplies from Williams Sonoma since I was a kid. I attribute much of my love of baking to her, and think of her fondly whenever I use my stand mixer, melamine mixing bowls, ice cream containers, and most recently, a second ice cream maker attachment!
Yes, this means I think of her a lot. Thank you, Auntie K!
She also cooks like a boss. Seriously, what more could you ask for in an aunt?? I always look forward to meals at her home, because not only do I get to spend time with my family, but I know there will always be something tasty and delicious served up.
A few years ago, she made this amazing mango pudding. My husband went crazy for it, so I had to ask for the recipe. Happily, she’s the kind of lady who says things like, “Absolutely, recipes are meant to be shared and enjoyed!” So when friend after friend kept asking me for this recipe, I was happy to oblige.
We love eating salmon in this house. Good thing, too, because it’s always listed as one of those super healthy foods full of omega-3’s. I still don’t really get what omega-3’s are, but I know they’re good for you, so that’s reason enough for me! If you want to learn more about omega-3’s and everything salmon, check out this article here that is packed with great info!
We enjoy our salmon many ways: raw (sashimi!), seasoned and baked with garlic salt, garlic and lemon, and salt and peppered with garlic, dill, and dabs of butter. Lately, I’ve had a crush on a recipe from Ina: panko-crusted salmon! Mmmm. This one stands out because of the crunchiness. Yes, I love crunchy things. This one is a twofer: you get the crunchiness from the tasty panko topping, and the savory, mouth-watering crunch of pan-fried salmon skin on the bottom.
YUM.
I feel so fancy when I make this. I mean, panko, salmon, lemon, parsley, and dijon mustard? Doesn’t that just sound like an amazing combination to you? Yet it’s really easy to prepare. You just brush some mustard onto salmon fillets, top with a panko mixture, pan-fry on one side, then finish it off in the oven. It’s some seriously simple cooking that yields impressively tasty results. Ina’s timing for cooking salmon has always been just right for me, so I would follow the instructions to the minute.
Have you ever been in China in the heat of summer?
It is insanely hot. And humid. Like, I walk outside and my shirt begins sticking to me in a matter of seconds. The kinda humid that makes you want to stay in the shopping mall just to avoid the icky sticky humid air that awaits outside. The kinda hot that leaves you constantly searching for the next cool, refreshing drink you can find to indulge in.
Like watermelon juice.
Mmm-mmm watermelon juice! Chilled fresh watermelon juice. This stuff tasted like the nectar of the gods. I would get excited from the moment I put my damp palms around the cool cup, wet with condensation. I always finished it too quickly, but luckily it was fairly inexpensive there. In the states, I see the same small-sized cups of the stuff going for $4! Seriously? I could buy a whole, big watermelon for $4 and make eight cups of it!
So I did.
Nothin’ like a cold glass of watermelon juice for a hot summer day!
Raise your hand if you are addicted to milk tea.
Yes, I see you. And you, and you. For those of you who haven’t tried it yet, I’m not sure if you should: It’s very habit-forming, and can be pretty expensive to go out and buy. When I was ten, I remember a D.A.R.E. officer telling us that some people were so addicted to cigarettes that they would would smoke a pack a day, and at $3.50/pack, that came out to over a thousand dollars a year! My jaw dropped. A THOUSAND BUCKS TO KILL YOURSELF?!
Well, my boba-loving friends, sometimes I wonder if we’re in the same boat. Instead of cigarettes, it’s milk tea… and instead of cancer, it’s diabetes or obesity or something. But the $3.50 price tag sounds about right, and I’m willing to bet there are some of you who, if you really thought about it, guzzle down this frothy liquid almost daily. Some of you even get it twice in a day sometimes:once after lunch, and again that evening when a friend texts to see if you’re free. Oh… well… for the sake of hanging out. Yes, yes. I suppose I will have to just get another one… *giddy laughter inside*.
How did I know about that? Yes, it’s me too.
This is how I came to realize that I was addicted to milk tea. Now, addressing the addiction is probably the heart of the matter, but I’m not ready for that yet, so until then, I will merely search for a way to minimize the cost of it: MAKE IT YOSELF!
I’ve tried, JoEllen, I’ve tried! It’s just not the same. It doesn’t taste as good.
Yes, I hear you. I, too, have been trying for the last 15 years to nail down the perfect milk tea recipe myself, to little avail. As the options of milk tea shops keep expanding, so my milk tea taste buds keep getting refined. I have never been able to make a satisfying cup of milk tea to adequately stave off the next milk tea run… until now.
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