Piña Colada Pops

"Hot enough for you?" 

How many times have you heard that recently? 

I know many of my friends in the States are experiencing very hot weather. 

(We can't wait to join you all in the States for our Disneyland vacation soon. Only 12 more days!)

And at last we are experiencing hot weather in Saskatchewan. Summer is finally here.

We enjoy sitting outside in the yard with a frozen treat after supper on these hot summer days. The treat I have for you today is perfect for just such an occasion & is family friendly (non alcoholic). 

I've created another frozen pop recipe to help you take the edge off of the heat. 

Piña Colada Pops {Print Recipe}

makes about 7 Dixie cup sized pops

1/2 of a fresh pineapple, peeled, cored & chopped

1/2 cup pineapple juice

1 cup coconut milk (I had unsweetened on hand so that's what I used)

1/4 cup flaked coconut

1/4 cup sugar

Place all ingredients in the blender & puree until smooth.

Pour liquid into Dixie cups & freeze until solid.

Super easy & yummy!

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Stay cool & enjoy your day!

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{Very Easy!} Mix-It-Up Ice Cream Cake

  

Having to turn on the oven during a hot, summer day is a thing of torture, don't you think? Having a few no-bake desserts in one's collection is certainly a necessity.

  I came across this recipe from Kraft last week, & thought how easy it would be to mix it up & make almost any combination of cookie, ice cream, & candy.

  While my daughter & I were sampling this cake this weekend, we were thinking about some different combinations a person could use. Here's what I used to make it & some of our other imaginations:

• Oreo cookies, chocolate mint swirl ice cream, & grated chocolate
• Chocolate chip cookies, chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, & chocolate chips
• Peanut butter cookies, peanut butter cup ice cream, & chopped peanut butter cups or chopped peanuts
• Vanilla Oreo cookies, Strawberry ice cream, & sliced strawberries
• Oatmeal cookies, maple walnut ice cream, & chopped walnuts

It would be easy to customize this recipe to any taste!

Mix-It-Up Ice Cream Cake  {Print recipe}
makes 16 servings

1 bag cookies - Oreos, chocolate chip, vanilla Oreos, Fudge-Os, peanut butter, etc.
1 tub ice cream, softened - Pick your favourite
(*Note* Since you need to soften your ice cream, choose a flavour that looks good melted. For instance, rainbow ice cream turns grey-ish when melted, so it likely wouldn't work for this recipe.)
3 cups thawed frozen whipped topping, such as Cool Whip
Cookies, candy, or grated chocolate for the top

Line 13x9 inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides.

Crush 20 cookies; sprinkle crumbs onto bottom of prepared pan.

Spread ice cream evenly over crumbs in pan; top with whipped topping & sprinkle with candy or grated chocolate.

Freeze 3 hours or until set. When ready to serve, let cake stand at room temperature for a few minutes to soften. Lift dessert from pan with foil handles; cut into 16 squares. Top each piece with a cookie (or half of one).

~~~~~

Thanks for reading. If you like what you see here on Silver Boxes, I'd love it if you would become a follower, 

subscribe by email (sign up on the right sidebar), or follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter. 

And please leave a comment when you do so I know who my new friends are! :)

Stay cool & enjoy your day!

I link up to these great parties

This recipe was featured on:

Guest Posting Over At...

Hello readers! 

I'm excited to be guest posting over at One Artsy Mama today as part of her Fun In The Sun Series today!

Come on over & check out the yummy recipe I'm sharing there...

See you there!

Greek Potato Salad

  Hello friends! How was your weekend? Ours was wonderful! We were able to spend lots of time outdoors with family & friends. My mom-in-law is staying with us for a week, so it is nice to have her here to join us. 

  Is barbecue & picnic season in full swing in your house? It's going full-speed-ahead in ours! I love cooking outside at the grill, with a cold iced tea to sip on while I keep an eye on the cooking (or in some cases, burning) food.

  This is one of our favourite side dishes in the warm summer months. Potato salad is pretty all-American right? But this potato salad takes a bit of a different turn with the addition of some Greek ingredients. I'm sure you'll like it as much as we do. 

  I cannot take credit for this recipe. I first tasted it at a barbecue / potluck a few summers ago. A friend of ours brought this salad & it was a huge hit! I begged for the recipe & was so happy to make it myself when our friend graciously shared it with us.

Greek Potato Salad {Print recipe}
serves 6


salad:
3 cups cooked, peeled, cubed potatoes
8 cherry tomatoes
1/2 a green pepper, diced
1/2 cup feta cheese, cubed or crumbled
1/2 cup black olives (whatever kind you like. I use Kalamata olives.)

dressing:
1 cup mayonaise
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
a few shakes of black pepper
a pinch of crushed chili flakes

Mix together salad ingredients in a medium bowl.

Mix together dressing ingredients. Add to salad, mixing well. Garnish with olives, tomatoes, & a bit of crumbled feta cheese.

Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.

~~~~~

Thanks for reading / subscribing!

Keep enjoying barbecue & picnic season!

I link up to these great parties!

Strawberry Daiquiri Pie

  Are frozen, fruity, slushy drinks a favourite part of your summer? We sure like them! So much so that we frequent convenience stores much more in the summer than any other part of the year. You too? Oh good, I'm glad we're not alone.  ;) I like fruity, but my family is more into the soda flavoured slushees. What's your favourite?

Speaking of slushy drinks, this is a way to take the yummy flavours of a non-alcoholic strawberry daiquiri & make it into a delicious, cool dessert. 

Strawberry Daiquiri Pie

Makes 8 servings

Crust:

1 1/4 cups Oreo baking crumbs

2 Tbsp sugar

1/4 cup butter, melted

Filling:

1 can sweetened condensed milk (the low-fat version works too)

1/2 cup frozen strawberry daiquiri concentrate, thawed (1/2 a can) *See note below

1 cup frozen strawberries in light syrup, thawed

2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed (the light version works too)

Fresh strawberries for garnish

Spray an 8 or 9 inch springform pan with non-stick spray.

Crust: Combine crumbs, sugar, & melted butter in a small bowl. Press crumbs evenly over bottom of the springform pan. Place in the freezer while you mix up the filling.

Filling: Beat sweetened condensed milk & daiquiri mix on low speed of an electric mixer. Add strawberries & beat again until well blended. Fold in whipped topping. Pour into prepared crust. Cover with plastic wrap & freeze overnight. 

To serve, run a knife around the edge of pan & remove sides. Garnish individual pieces with fresh strawberries.

*Note: If you're not sure what frozen strawberry daiquiri concentrate is, this is the kind I use. It can be found in the freezer section of most grocery stores near the frozen juice.

Mmm, are you craving a slushee now??? ;)

Enjoy your day!

Check out the great parties I link up to!

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Mango Lemonade Pops

Are you enjoying the summer so far? 

We're starting to cross a few things off the 100 Things To Do This Summer list... This being one of them!

These are like popsicles for the grown ups, but the kids love them too!

Mango Lemonade Pops

makes 6 pops

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup water

1 cup peeled, chopped fresh or frozen mango (about 1 mango)

3/4 cup water

2 Tbsp lemon juice

A couple of fresh mint leaves

Plastic cups or Dixie cups

Popsicle sticks

1. Make a syrup with the sugar & water by combining the two in a small saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil. Cook until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat & let cool completely.

2. In a blender, combine remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth. Stir in syrup, mixing well. 

3. To make pops, divide mixture evenly into 6 plastic cups. I just used disposable party cups.

4. Freeze for about an hour or until a popsicle stick can be inserted into the mixture & stay standing upright. :)

5. Freeze until firm. To remove pop from cup, run the plastic end under hot water for a few seconds until you can pull the pop out by the stick.

Enjoy this fun summer treat!

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I want to say thank you to all my new followers on all the social media sites as well as to those of you who have subscribed by email! I look forward to getting to know you all a bit better. :)

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Thanks!

Enjoy your day!

I link up to these great parties!

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100 Things To Do This Summer!

  It's June & summer is here!!!

  You know those summer days when your kids come to you & say, "I'm bored." I remember doing that as a kid & my mom promptly putting me to work. Usually out in the garden. :)

  Several years ago I made up a (much smaller) list of things to do during the summer. It was simple, inexpensive things & we tried to do as many as we could that summer. We ended up doing almost all of them & I have to tell you that that simple list made that summer very memorable & special.

So ward off summer boredom & see how much fun you can have instead!

1. Pick berries
2. Go to the beach
3. Have a summer party
4. Build a sand castle
5. Fly a kite
6. Stargaze
7. Go camping or sleep in the backyard
8. Go to the playground
9. Play mini golf
10. Eat ice cream
11. Make popsicles
12. Blow bubbles
13. Visit a local theatre or summer musical
14. Go for a bike ride
15. Go for a walk
16. Read a book
17. Visit a local music festival
18. Go on a picnic
19. Go to some yard sales or garage sales
20. Go on a road trip
21. Visit a museum
22. Make a craft
23. Cook up a summer feast
24. Visit a local fair or carnival
25. Shop at the local farmer's market
26. Go for a boat ride
27. Play charades
28. Wash your car by hand
29. Draw pictures with sidewalk chalk
30. Play hopscotch
31. Go on a hike
32. Collect sea shells
33. Sing campfire songs
34. Lay on the grass & look at the clouds
35. Build a fort
36. Plant a garden
37. Pick flowers
38. Go to the library
39. Visit a local farm
40. Roast marshmallows
41. Have friends over to play
42. Jump in the sprinkler
43. Put on a play or a puppet show
44. Have a lemonade stand
45. Bake cookies
46. Play a board game
47. Go horseback riding
48. Play baseball or attend a local game
49. Make a CD of your favourite summer songs
50. Catch bugs in a jar
51. Play frisbee golf
52. Go fishing
53. Make paper airplanes
54. Snap some photos
55. Skip stones
56. Learn or teach something new
57. Have a movie marathon
58. Play with water balloons
59. Have a watermelon seed-spitting contest
60. Draw a picture
61. Have a tea party
62. Make a root beer float
63. Start a journal
64. Make homemade pizza
65. Watch the sunrise
66. Watch the sunset
67. Have a fashion show
68. See some fireworks
69. Visit a second hand store. Search for a new-to-you treasure
70. Go to a local stampede or rodeo
71. Go to the zoo
72. Feed the birds in the park
73. See a parade
74. Listen to some new music
75. Have a video game tournament with prizes for the winners
76. Play cards
77. Have a water fight
78. Play tag
79. Go to the pool
80. Write a letter
81. Do a puzzle
82. Have a scavenger hunt
83. Make an obstacle course in the backyard
84. Visit a tourist spot near your home
85. Throw a block party
86. Jump on a trampoline
87. Make a pinwheel
88. Climb a tree
89. Go exploring
90. Play street hockey
91. Relax in a hammock
92. Have a wheelbarrow race
93. Make a banana split
94. Play musical chairs
95. Have a pillow fight
96. Bury someone in the sand
97. Have a talent show
98. Have a 3-legged race
99. Attend a local outdoor movie night
100. Visit a national/ provincial/ state park

Click HERE for a printable list

Check off as many as you can or just the ones that interest you. 

Let's rock this summer!

Thanks for reading. If you like what you see here on Silver Boxes, I'd love it if you would become a follower on Google Friend Connect, subscribe by email (sign up on the right sidebar), 

or follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, or Twitter. 

And please leave a comment when you do so I know who my new friends are! :)

Check out the great parties I link up to!

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Summer Layout {My Mind's Eye}

There's something about this colour combo that just screams "SUMMER!" to me. 

Orange & turquoise... the colours of afternoon sunshine, orange popcicles, open water, & clear sky.

The perfect colour combo for a cheery summer layout featuring my son.

  This is one of my favourite layouts of late. And because I used papers from a single line it made co-ordinating the patterns a breeze (like a summer breeze). ;)

I used my Cricut & a couple circle punches to get all the different circle sizes. 

Usually I do my journalling by hand. Mostly because it's faster for me. This time, I was trying to get out of my normal scrapping routine, so I typed up my journalling in plain old Times New Roman 

(way faster than searching for the "perfect" font for what would turn into hours), 

making sure I double spaced the sentences. 

I printed it out onto white cardstock, trimmed it into strips, & adhered to fit in with the circle pattern.

  I also love how the title turned out. I wanted to use these letters that I had in my stash & had kind of forgotten about, but there wasn't room to line them up in a row. I pop-dotted every other letter to make a layered effect. Love it!

Supplies Used:

• Patterned paper - My Mind's Eye Fine & Dandy line
• Corrugated letters - Jillibean Soup
• Small letter stickers - Basic Grey
• Felt stars - Pebbles
• Flair Badge - American Crafts
• White cardstock - Bazzill Basics
• Font - Times New Roman

What have you been working on lately?

20 Outdoor Spaces & Garden Ideas

How was your Mother's Day weekend? Did you plant your garden? Do some yard clean up? 

We did some yard clean up, gardening, & got out the patio furniture. 

On with spring!

Here are 20 beautiful garden spaces that are inspiring me...

Let's start with some gorgeous yards & container arrangements:

Source

Source

Source

Fruity Iced Tea

Spring is here & that means getting out all the spring & summer recipes. 

Barbecues & backyard parties are just around the corner! 

Ya-hoo!

Fruity Iced Tea
makes 6-8 servings


1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
6 bags black tea (I use Earl Grey)
4 cups boiling water
1 1/2 orange juice
Unstrained juice of 2 lemons
3/4 cups pineapple juice

In a small saucepan, combine sugar & first measurement of water. Bring to a boil. Continue boiling until liquid is clear, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

Place tea bags in heat-resistant pitcher; add boiling water & let steep about 5 minutes. Remove & discard tea bags. Add sugar syrup to tea. Mix well. Let tea cool & refrigerate until chilled.

Add orange juice, lemon juice, pineapple juice & chilled sugar syrup. Refrigerate a few hours, preferably overnight. Serve over ice in tall glasses.

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Enjoy this spring day!

Check out these great parties I link up to!

Summer Days Layouts / 100 followers!

  Are you dreaming of spring & summer as much as I? Even though it's still winter I'm enjoying planning for the warm weather ahead. Getting ideas for the garden, planning our spring cleaning & summer vacation, and doing some projects & crafts that remind me of summer. Part of that includes working on scrapbooking this past summer's photos. I'm almost done!

  I've found that since I've started this blog, I'm taking many more pictures of stuff than of the people in my life... bad mommy!! :) I've resolved to change that & return to taking more pictures of the everyday moments in our lives. I got a nice opportunity this weekend when we went ice skating as a family. The outdoor rink is in a lovely little spot right downtown beside the river. It was just beautiful & it was our daughter's first time on skates. Fun!

  Back to the point... scrapbook layouts.

  Here are two that I created using Echo Park's Summer Days line. I originally bought this line thinking I'd save it for  this year's summer vacation but those bright colours & fun patterns won me over sooner than I planned.

This line is so colourful & just plain happy! I can't wait to use it for all the fun photos we capture this summer!

~~~

This weekend, Silver Boxes reached 100 followers!! It's been a very exciting weekend for me. When I started SB & after perusing many other blogs, I thought it would take at least a year to reach 100 followers.
Here I am, 6 months into blogging & I'm astounded that I've already reached that milestone.
I want to thank you for you continued support & kind words. I appreciate you all!

AND...welcome to my new friends!
I look forward to getting to know you in the coming months. 

Enjoy your Monday!

Organizing Our Big Road Trip

  It's January. Christmas is done & the days can be dreary. When our regular to-do list is complete, we fill our free time with crafts & cute projects to bring some cheer to the grey winter. One other thing people start to do at this time of year is to start planning their summer vacation.

  We are no different.

  In fact, we started planning this summer's vacation a year & a half ago. It's been a long time coming, it seems. Now that it's 2012, we can start saying "this year" instead of "next year".  How exciting!

  Yes, we're going to Disneyland.

  Not only are we going to Disneyland, we're driving to Disneyland. Approximately 2,800 kilometres (that's 1,740 miles for my American readers).

  It will be a road trip of monumental proportions. I'm absolutely pumped. I love road trips! But this is the longest road trip we've ever attempted, so it requires some major organizing & planning.

  We've been reading up on Disney vacations & tips. I'm starting to plan early & have started to make a packing list for each person in our family.

  I've also started compiling a trip binder. 

  The trip binder is an idea I got from my sister-in-law, Carrie-Lynn, when they drove to Disney a couple of summers ago.

  It includes maps, itineraries, pamphlets, hotel information, etc. Any paper work involving the trip goes into the binder. 

  It's a brilliant idea, really. 

1) Choose a zippered binder, so that your papers don't slip out & get lost.

2) Fill it with plastic sleeves. One for each day of the trip, plus a hand full of extras.

3) Print off your day-by-day directions from map quest or google maps, your trip itinerary with each night's hotel information, including confirmation numbers, restaurant possibilities, sights you want to see, etc. & include them all in the binder.

4) When you're on your trip & pick up small mementos & pamphlets or tickets you want to keep, stash them into the binder & it's all in one place when you get home. 

  I'm filling up the binder bit by bit, as we reserve our hotels & get things booked. I've also started a countdown on our computer so we know how many sleeps are left until we leave! Ya, we're just a bit excited. :)

When do you start planning your summer holiday? Are you headed somewhere special this year?

Enjoy your day!