Pops! Icy Treats for Everyone

These banana split pops look amazing.

Ice cream sandwich on a stick? Brilliant idea if kids are around.

I like the idea used in these white grape pops of just combining juice with frozen fruit.

More icy treat ideas and recipes here, although I am just going to add the book (Pops! Icy Treats for Everyone) to my Amazon list.

Pomodori Al Forno

For Mom and Heather, and anyone else interested: Bon Appetit posted the delicious Pomodori Al Forno recipe here, and the article here.

Just in case the links disappear, below is the amazing recipe. I found myself dipping bread into the oil while the tomatoes cooked, and no tomatoes made it through the full standing time, but I did make the mistake of halving the recipe!

*err on the side of extra spice and seasoning!

Ingredients

• 1 cups (or more) olive oil, divided
• 2 pounds plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise, seeded. (Canned or fresh, depending on the season and convenience. Canned worked beautifully.)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano (I used fresh and doubled this)
• 3/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh Italian parsley
• Aged goat cheese (such as Bûcheron)
• 1 baguette, thinly sliced crosswise, toasted

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 250°F. Pour 1/2 cup oil into 13x9x2-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Arrange tomatoes in dish, cut side up. Drizzle with remaining 1/2 cup oil. Sprinkle with oregano, sugar, and salt. Bake 1 hour. Using tongs, turn tomatoes over. Bake 1 hour longer. Turn tomatoes over again. Bake until deep red and very tender, transferring tomatoes to plate when soft (time will vary, depending on ripeness of tomatoes), about 15 to 45 minutes longer.
• Layer tomatoes in medium bowl, sprinkling garlic and parsley over each layer; reserve oil in baking dish. Drizzle tomatoes with reserved oil, adding more if necessary to cover. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours. DO AHEAD Cover; chill up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
• Serve with aged goat cheese and toasted baguette slices.

Beach Bear Cupcakes

Leave it to Bakerella to inspire me to
have a little more fun in the kitchen!

Oh my . . .

My Dad is a wee bit obsessed with Haagen-Dazs, so when I read that they now make single serving size containers in this month's Gourmet mag, I had to laugh because he is always complaining that you can't buy HD in a half gallon size. I decided to check out the website and email him the link for laughs, and discovered a "serving suggestion" section with all sorts of recipes and ideas for different ways to use your ice cream.

I am intrigued, but know that somewhere my Dad is crying out in anger at the thought of decimating the perfection that is an unadulterated pint.

I had to write it that way because that is how passionate he is on the subject.

pssst, Dad! There is a quarterly newsletter you can sign up for!

Choux Beignets with Apricot Curd

Oh how I wish this was my picture and that I had eaten these Choux Beignets for breakfast!

I just discovered Tartelette, and I am pretty excited about it. The author shares this delightful quote in her profile:

"Seize the moment. Think of all those women on the 'Titanic' who waved off the dessert cart."

Erma Bombeck

I like her already.

Rolo Turtle Pretzels

I've seen this done with varying kinds of Hershey kisses with m&m's smooshed on top (the white striped mint ones are delicious with this!), but this is a new combo for me.

image via Hostess Blog

Whole Wheat Waffles

My Dad developed the best recipe for whole wheat waffles, and with my minor modifications (I love to tease my Dad with that!) I think they are perfect. They are not heavy at all.

The recipe is posted on We Love Good Foods. As the picture shows, they are great with blueberries too!