Cheers to Dad! Root Beer Float Fun & FREE Printables; Peanut Butter Pie

Celebrating Dad!

Father's Day weekend is upon us and just in 

time I have some pretty cute Dad's Day Root Beer Float

fun to share with you.

Simply print out the ties, color and cut out...attach with
tape or a dot of glue...and you're ready for a fun root beer party!!
Cheers to dad!!  (Printable ties below)

Another FUN way to have a little celebration is with S'mores!!
We couldn't LOVE dad S'more??... Right? --and even easier...s'mores
in the oven...that's right, skip the mosquitoes...and
make a crowd sized batch of s'mores
right in your kitchen!!  Details below...

This Father's Day, my husband asked for mulch... 

not glamorous...but totally practical... 

and I think by asking for mulch, 

he's also looking for extra helping hands to
put all that mulch out... so we know what we'll
be doing this Sunday afternoon.  By 4 PM we will
only too happy to sip a root beer float
after a hard day's work.  

Happy Father's Day to all the dads, and granddads this
June 16th...including my very own mulch-loving
husband and my dad (the kid's grandpa)...being a dad or
a granddad, it's an important job...and they do it well.

What are your Father's Day plans??  

It's probably better than putting out mulch!!

Need a peanut butter pie recipe??

I have one for you... this version (pictured) has
a chocolate graham crust... if you scroll down, I made a
brownie bottom crust for Fox19 last year...both are
delicious and both pies would put a smile on dad's face!!

When Refrigerator Eyes Are Smiling: Berry Cake

Of all the questions relating to

food and baking that I get asked... 

the most frequent question 

I hear might surprise you...

 The question I hear most...is from the 

open refrigerator in our very own kitchen.

"Mom...we are out of butter?"...

"Because I don't see it...!!"

or

"Mom... Do we have ketchup?? 

I don't think we have any!..."

Surprised??

My 14 year-old son has a "condition" 

we lovingly refer to as: "refrigerator eyes" 

He's had a case of "refrigerator eyes" 

ever since he started playing 

with LEGO toys,

I'm guessing he was 3 or 4 years old.

Will can stand in the kitchen, 

with refrigerator door wide open,

he will be positioned directly

 in front of the milk...

and he won't see it.

...Same for the ketchup and butter... 

Will almost always tells me he is S U R E,

 100% sure, we are 

out of very important food staples

--quite regularly, in fact... and... then...like magic,

I point out the missing item.... and he smiles and 

grins...and says a sheepish "Thanks mom"

I have recently started to reply to his

many food-related mysteries with...

"If I come and find it...

you'll owe me one chore...no complaining."

--to which he replies..."I will look again..."

...and the second look usually gives

 Will what he was searching for.  Oh boy...

Which brings us to this past weekend, 

Will and I were antique hunting... 

he looks for coins usually,

I search for odds and ends...

Sometimes I have a list, or a

 particular item in mind

...other times...I just like to see what's there...

It's great fun to have a shared

 hobby that the two of us enjoy.

I showed Will a picture of what 

I was searching for this trip...

It was a particular vintage

 tin I had on my

radar for quite some time now...

We looked high and low... 

and my sweet boy,

the one with the 

beautiful blue refrigerator eyes... 

he spied the tin I had been searching for!

You'll see the tin in these photos... 

I put together a collection

 of patriotic-colored

 vintage tins for the 

upcoming July 4th holiday...

and Flag Day is next week too... 

Honestly, from Memorial Day through 

Labor Day... it's pretty patriotic at my house...

Will spotted the Campfire Marshmallow tin... 

and I am so thankful he did,  -- it

was just what I was looking for...

and special because I will always remember 

how thrilled, how absolutely

 excited he was to find it for me!

His smile was a mile wide...

and I can tell you for

sure, I missed the tin completely...

tucked away on 

a bottom shelf, 

nestled behind taller tins...

Truly, a needle in a haystack.

Will told me I owed him a hug 

for finding the tin... and I was

happy to oblige... I'm not sure how 

long teen-aged boys 

accept hugs in public from their moms... 

so I jumped at the chance...I always will.

Next time Will can't find the milk...

maybe he'll owe me a hug 

instead of a chore.  ;)

I think the elusive Campfire

 Marshmallow tin is

a lot like the things we end 

up searching for in life...

it's on our list... and it doesn't

 have to be a "BIG" something...

Sometimes we have a list a mile long, 

a list we eagerly check off...

 We know what we want, 

we know exactly how to proceed.

...and other times, we know

 there is that 

'something'...

that 'thing'  that's out there, and while

we might not know exactly what

that something is, 

we know for certain,

we will know it when we see it.

Whether you find your something or not...

sometimes the journey of searching, 

especially with someone you love

is just as special.  Maybe finding our

"something" is more about

 the adventure of searching.

Speaking of a special something...

I have some recipes for you!!

No chores...just hugs in the form 

of delicious summertime recipes!!

And if you were searching for a 

delicious bakery style yellow cake...??

Your search is over...

and the secret ingredient: pineapple juice!!

Buttery...Check

Moist...Check

Vanilla-y and balanced...Check

a perfect crumb...Check...

Check out the Strawberry 

Shortcake Cake recipe below for all the details...