Dairy-Free Fudgesicles

I always buy a big bunch of bananas with the anticipation that we will eat them before they turn completely brown. Lately, they’ve been turning brown on me more often than not. So we cut up the sugary sweet & pretty mushy bananas, put them in a zip top bag & freeze them. I use them in smoothies instead of ice & to make dairy-free chocolate ice cream. 

I mixed things up a tiny bit & made a different rendition of my go-to dairy-free chocolate ice cream & made homemade fudgesicles. The best part is - they only require 3 ingredients (4 if you count water) & they take just minutes to mix up. There's no dairy or sugar involved. You can make them in the morning, pop them in the freezer & they’ll be ready for an after (or before) dinner treat.

Strawberry-Blueberry-Banana Pudding Tart

When given the option of a dessert I usually choose a fruity or some spicy cinnamon option. Chris will always choose chocolate. It’s not that I don’t like chocolate - I do - but I like it when it’s mixed with other things like hot molten chocolate cake with ice cream.  Whenever I say I’m going to make a dessert, Chris cheerfully asks, “chocolate chip cookies?” to which my usual response is “no I want to try this fruit thing.” Like the amazing husband that Chris is, he’ll eat it anyway, even if it wasn’t his first (or second) pick for a dessert.

During the summer months I try to eat as many of the ripe fruit that the season has to offer & in turn cook or bake with them too. My sister made a version of Magnolia’s Bakery Banana Pudding last year & I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. Naturally, I needed to make it. After reading a bunch of different recipes & putting my own twist on things (the original calls for instant pudding mix & I opted to make my own) I came up with this strawberry, blueberry banana pudding tarte & as Chris put it “it’s pretty good for a non-chocolate dessert.”

If you’re making this for the fourth of July (because of all the pretty colors) I would definitely try freezing it over night so that it doesn’t melt in warmer temps while it’s out for display on the dessert table or traveling with you where ever you may be headed.

Shrimp Boil

Hi from the beach! Sorry for the radio silence but I've been busy with some r & r as of late.  Each year it's tradition to spend time at the beach with our family.  Along with said tradition is the food we cook & eat together.  As of last year we've started the shrimp boil tradition (using this recipe).  It's a one pot wonder (or two if you opt for a veggie pot like we do) that appeals to people with all different tastes (no really you'd be surprised!).

You basically boil all of the ingredients together, drain them & throw them on to the table that's been covered with newspaper & then you dig in with your hands - no utensils necessary.  We opt to eat outside & to keep it super casual with a simple salad & some cornbread (& lots of paper towels!).  When we're finished we crumple up the newspaper  & toss (there will be no leftovers I promise). 

This dinner is even easier to eat, make & clean up if you have super helpful family members like I do that help you peel, chop, drain, pour, melt butter & clean the pots, so make it a family affair.  Huge thanks to my fam for helping out!

What's your summer tradition?

Read on for some more pics & helpful tips.