Friday, July 22, 2016

Five on Friday: Packing in Summer

Hello my Dearest Friends 'O Friends!! 


I hope you have wonderfully fun plans for the weekend ahead. It's another scorcher here today and I can't picture doing anything but hiding in the air conditioning! But it is supposed to get better after today.... so I'm hopeful it will improve and I can get some things done around the yard. That is...as I have time in between our son's summer hockey tourney. It's always an odd sensation going from a hot day into a cold ice rink to watch hockey.  Life of a hockey Mom I guess...


Anyway, I'm getting off topic - which is that it's Five on Friday today! So I would like to share some of my plans for the ways I hope to still pack in some summer fun, as it's already flying on by! I can't believe it's almost August, can you??


ONE




I still have a lot of summer reading I'd like to pack in! I've finally started a new book - but I still have a pile of fun magazines to get through yet! I also recently picked up a pile of crafting idea books at the library I'm reading through as well. I snapped the top photo out of one of the books all about mason jar projects. Isn't that dressing jar idea adorable?? It could make a great summer gift for someone as well. Throw in some ingredients towards the dressing, a bag of salad and maybe even a fun summer cookbook. Put it all into a nice salad bowl with tongs and voila - adorable gift for a summer birthday pal!







TWO

Balsamic BBQ Sauce Recipe - balsamic vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, garlic, Worcestershire, Dijon mustard - make an amazing sauce with a hint of sweetness once reduced. Great on chicken or pork. We gobbled this up!!:



Skirt Steak Fajitas: mmmm marinated steak in your fajitas... looks to good not to make:



Grilled Peaches with Cinnamon Honey Ricotta | This light and not too sweet summer dessert takes only minutes to make and tastes so good!:



I definitely want to pack in more grill time!! I love cooking on the grill in summer and adding that extra yumminess to summer recipes. Like balsamic BBQ chicken, or marinated grilled flank steak fajitas, or grilled peaches with cinnamon honey ricotta. Mmmmm. These are all recipes I have pinned under my "grilling" board on pinterest which you can find here.






THREE

Frozen fruit cups really good, super easy and healthy. Perfect substitution for freezies and sugary popsicles:




Taste just like Sour Patch Kids candy..a must try this summer. Much healthier than the candy.:



Monkey Bark - so cute and so simple!! Everyone will love this treat idea.:




33 Activities Under $10 That Will Keep Your Kids Busy All Summer:



I also want to get inspired to pack in more fun ideas with my kiddos. Like make our own fresh fruit popsicles, freeze grapes with jello mix so they taste like sour patch kids candy, make monkey bark, and find fun goofy activities we can do around our house and backyard or driveway together. We've already had some fun four square and pickle ball matches!! ;)  These ideas can all be found under my "kiddo ideas" board on my pinterest you can find here.









FOUR

Looking for a quick and easy Summer dessert recipe? Try out delicious No Bake Summer Berry Icebox Cake !:



Apple Pie Fries -Super fun spin on a traditional apple pie. Dip them in caramel or even whipped cream for extra yumminess.:



Banana Cream Pie Cookies - Butter With A Side of Bread:





Pink Lemonade Crinkle Cookies - Perfect warm weather and backyard barbecue treat!:



There's also several fun treats that seem "summery" to me that I still would like to make before I get into everything cinnamon pumpkin or eggnog. Like summer berry icebox cake, apple pie fries to dunk in caramel, banana cream pie cookies and pink lemonade crinkle cookies. Summer sweet goodness!  These are all recipes I have pinned on my "sweet treats" board on my pinterest you can find here.








FIVE








And I also have plans to start a new tradition I hope to do every summer - which is celebrate Christmas in July! I know several folks that do this sort of thing - being a Christmas nut just like me!! Lol One of them is my friend Billie Jo of the blog Afternoon Coffee and Evening Tea which you can find here.  Last summer I saw Billie Jo's posts about celebrating Christmas in July and taking a day to listen to Christmas music, watch a Christmas movie, do some holiday baking etc....and I was sold! I decided right then and there that come July 25th this year (exactly 5 months from real Christmas) I would make it a fun day like that. I knew my daughter (& my Mom) would be on board too! So I have some holiday crafts for us to work on (& save then for this winter) and I've been digging out my cookie cutters (we'll throw in a couple of summer ones too) in order to make some sugar cookies that we'll also decorate - all while we listen to Christmas music of course! Then I plan that we'll sip some cocoa (even if it's in the air conditioning) and watch a holiday movie of Annie's choosing. I'm also planning on making this slow cooker turkey breast and dressing recipe for dinner. It's a recipe I've made before that's delish! So come Monday at my house, for that one summer day only, it's going to smell like Christmas! 


I'm linking all of this summer goodness to Five on Friday at Amy's of the Love Made My Home blog. Happy weekend and Happy Summer to All!! xo













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16 comments:

  1. MaggieJuly 23, 2016 at 12:39 AM

    Whatever did we do before Pinterest?? My cook books lie abandoned on the shelf and my Kindle has pride of place on the kitchen counter these day.
    Great recipes, thanks for sharing.

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    1. carrie@northwoods scrapbookJuly 27, 2016 at 1:08 PM

      I know what you mean Maggie! I've become a pinterest nut - especially for recipes! ;)

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  2. PatriciaJuly 23, 2016 at 3:17 AM

    What a great collection of recipe ideas Carrie. I would love to try those grilled peaches or the berry cake - Yum!

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  3. Billie JoJuly 23, 2016 at 8:05 AM

    Woo Hoo!
    Merry Christmas in July!
    We will be celebrating here, my friend.
    Hugs!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Mac n' JanetJuly 23, 2016 at 9:04 AM

    I'm not sure I'm ready for Christmas in July. Love the recipes. Pinterest is my go to source.

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  5. ellen bJuly 23, 2016 at 2:33 PM

    I wonder why I'm now very hungry and craving a nice treat! So many fun things and good food to see here. Hope your weekend is going well. Glad things are cooling down. We'll be heating up this next week!

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    Replies
    1. carrie@northwoods scrapbookJuly 27, 2016 at 1:10 PM

      Ha! sorry if I got you too hungry Ellen! ;) Hope it's not too hot where you are this week. xoox

      Delete
  6. PatsyJuly 23, 2016 at 6:52 PM

    Looks like non-stop fun at your house.

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  7. Doreen@foxdenrdJuly 23, 2016 at 7:59 PM

    You're always up to something fun Carrie! Love that Mason jar book, and your idea for a gift is a great one.

    Pinterest has often taken the place of Google for me...it really is like a search engine, and I know lots of people agree.

    Have a great weekend!

    xxx

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    Replies
    1. carrie@northwoods scrapbookJuly 27, 2016 at 1:11 PM

      Thanks Doreen! That's a great way to put it - that pinterest is like a search engine! ;)

      Hope you're having a great week Doll. xoxo

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  8. Karen @ Beatrice EuphemieJuly 23, 2016 at 8:57 PM

    So many delicious and fun recipes here, Carrie! Love the idea of the salad dressing jar and gift basket. I love all the ideas for the kids, too. It's so nice that we can share all this on Pinterest! Stay cool, dear friend. Hugs xx K

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    Replies
    1. carrie@northwoods scrapbookJuly 27, 2016 at 1:12 PM

      Thanks sweet Karen! I love how pinterest can connect us in these ways as well my Friend! Blessings. xoxo

      Delete

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