Summer Party Tips

Take time this summer to create fun, family memories. And if the economy has your budget limited, look for affordable ways to entertain in your own backyard. If you are like me, I find myself re-prioritizing how and where I am choosing to spend my "recreational budgeted" money. My kids are doing less camps and more getting together with neighborhood friends. And I am enjoying having families over for casual get-togethers more so than heading out to a restaurant.

I put together an All-American party with some of those ideas in mind. You can check it out at:
PartyOriginals.com/All-American.

Here's a simple, fun, affordable dessert that my kids and I like to make. Hope you enjoy at your next backyard summer party:

Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches
Premade and precut cookies (Whatever flavors you like - chocolate chip, sugar, peanut butter, etc. The precut version allows for all of the cookies to be exactly the same size.)

At least 2 or 3 flavors of ice cream (pick your favorite flavors that go with the cookies. IE: strawberry ice cream with sugar cookies, chocolate chip with peanut butter cookies, banana ice cream with chocolate chip cookies, etc.........!!!)

Bake cookies and let cool thoroughly. When ready to assemble, make sure ice cream is soft. Using an ice cream scoop, place 1 - 2 scoops on a cookie and then put the other cookie on and press lightly. Use a knife to clean and mold the ice cream that tries to push out around the sides.

These are best prepared a day in advance. Make sure you have enough room in your freezer for a large container (I usually store mine layered in a square plastic storage container.)

Have Fun,
Barb