Easy Apple Pie Ice Cream

Nothing says summer quite like ice cream. As a kid we used to make homemade ice cream every couple weeks from Memorial Day and Labor Day, but the process of filling and cranking the ice cream maker was arduous. While I would love to continue the homemade ice cream tradition with my own kids, cranking the machine for 4 hours is just not practical. Instead, we’ve found a much simpler way to create delicious flavored ice cream while still going about our summer activities. I’ll usually whip up the concoction just before we head out to the park or the pool, so that by the time we get home we can relax on the porch and indulge.

This recipe is super easy and leaves much room for variation. My favorite ice cream flavor we’ve tried is by far the all-American apple pie. We’ve tried other flavorings and all have been great (including some adventures with chocolate and peanut butter) but apple pie stands out as the crowd favorite in my home.

 

Apple Pie Ice Cream [Read more…]

Caramel Apple TWIX® Parfaits and Salted Caramel TWIX® Shakes

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for #CollectiveBias and its advertiser. #EatMoreBites
TWIX
If you’ve ever uttered the phrase, “Two for me, none for you,”  then today’s post is definitely for you.    TWIX® Bites are a delicious, bite-sized version of the TWIX candy bar.  They come in a nice little pouch, making them a convenient snack for you to take along with you on car trips and outings.  TWIX Bites also happen to make a fabulous ingredient for your desserts..  I recently purchased TWIX Bites, along with a bag of Milky Way Bites,  and I used them to make a couple of cool treats, perfect for any hot summer day!
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Summer Health & Beauty Series: Summertime Shaving Tips #SummerizeYourLegs #CollectiveBias

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser.
Summertime Shaving Tips
Today as part of my Summer Health & Beauty Series,we are going to be talking about summerizing your legs with some Summertime Shaving Tips.  As I go out for a day at the beach, the pool, or just a day of shopping, it is so fun to your favorite shorts, swimsuit, or summer outfit, but it is not nearly as fun if you’re suffering from razor burn! It looks bad, and it doesn’t feel good either! Luckily for us, there are some great products to help soothe and protect our legs during the summer months.

In anticipation of the warm summer weather, I recently shopped at Walmart for shaving products and sunscreen: [Read more…]

Summer Health & Beauty Series: La Bella® Skincare Review

Having a sweet and happy home and family life isn’t just about food and housekeeping.  It starts with you. If you don’t feel healthy and feel good about yourself it is more difficult to take care of your home or other people. That’s why I try to share health & beauty tips and products from time to time. For the summer, I’ve planned a series of posts centered around health & beauty.  Over the next few weeks you’ll discover some great products, tips, and a giveaway or two!  Hope you enjoy!

LaBella Skincare Review

We kick off our Summer Health & Beauty Series with Skincare Products from La Bella.  La Bella has more than 30 years of experience  offering a variety of superior, salon quality hair and skincare products. Their skincare line offers solutions to keep your skin looking clear and vibrant and subtle.

You can find their products online and Drugstore.com or at local retailers like Walmart, Target, and Kroger.

Here’s a list of the products I have used, along with details on the usage:

La Bella Rose Hips Oil Cream – Contains Vitamin E to help rehydrate chapped skin and prevent aging from the sun. It also lessens wrinkles and skin spots, all while smelling amazing.

La Bella Vitamin E Cream with Aloe – This gentle product evens complexion and skin tone, while soothing and cooling burns from the harsh sunrays. Perfect to use after a day at the beach.

La Bella Vanishing Cream – Sometimes the damage from the sun is inevitable, but with a cocoa butter combination this cream helps diminish sunspots, freckles, and age spots while creating a smooth complexion.

La Bella Cosmetic Gel – This cream is made with collagen, elastin, snail extract, and aloe vera to help accelerate skin cell production while hydrating and healing skin blemishes.

Why I Love the Products:

  • The products are made from all natural ingredients.
  • Affordable! Each product is $5-$6.
  • The products come in a very good portioned size.
  • The products deminish blemishes and other imperfections, while also healing and rehydrating your skin.
  • The products feel good on your skin.
  • The products have a very nice and pleasant scent.

Check out the La Bella website for more details on their products.

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Disclosure: I received review products to facilitate this post. The opinions are my own. If you have a product you’d like to see featured on my site, please see my PR page for more details or send me an email.

Friday Favorites – Week 215 – With Strawberry Recipes

friday favorites

Hi Everyone! Welcome to Friday Favorites.  While you’re here, please enter my new giveaway from OxiClean!

Today we’re enjoying a taste of spring and summer with some Strawberry recipes!  Hope you enjoy! [Read more…]

Friday Favorites – Week 214 – With 5 COOL Drinks

friday favorites

I’m so happy things are finally warming up around here. That means it’s time for warm weather desserts, especially ice cream, shakes, and other frozen delights! In anticipation of the hot summer months, I’m featuring 5 COOL Drinks!

Guest Post Opportunity!!  Speaking of the hot summer weather, last year I hosted a series of guest posts featuring summer recipes from our bloggy friends, and I’d love to continue that tradition this year!  Your summer recipe could be a dessert (ice cream, pies, cakes, etc.) but it doesn’t have to be.  Summer salads, barbecue recipes, and anything else summer related is also welcome.  If you would like to be a part of my summer recipe series, please send an email to simplysweethome@hotmail.com and I’ll be sure to add you to my invite list! [Read more…]

Oreo Icebox Cake

Oreo Icebox Cake

Today I’m really excited to present this recipe featuring one of my favorite cookies: Oreos.  I got the idea for this Oreo Icebox Cake from this recipe for Chips Ahoy Icebox Cake by Spend with Pennies.  I made a few tweaks, including the use of pudding, and all in all, it made a pretty tasty (and super easy!) dessert.  Hope you like it! [Read more…]

Summer Recipes with Carapelli Olive Oil

Olive Oil Recipes

 

The summer will soon be drawing to a close, but it’s not too late to get in to some summer recipes for those of end of  summer and Labor Day barbecues.  Recently I received a sample of Carapelli Olive Oil, and they also sent me some great recipes for the summer time, which I’m happy to share with you today.

By they way, olive oil also has a lot of health benefits and has a lower fat and calorie content in comparison to vegetable oil, so if you were looking to start off the school year a little more healthy, the addition of olive oil to recipes would be a simple place to start. [Read more…]

Banana Pudding Milkshake

Banana Pudding Shake with Blue Belle
Today I have an amazingly simple treat for you!  Growing up, I absolutely LOVED banana pudding in the summer time! Last year I tried Chick-Fil-A’s Banana Pudding Milkshake and was absolutely in love, but of course, they only had it for a limited time.  So this spring I found myself basking in the glory of Zaxby’s Banana Pudding Milkshake, which is just as equally delicious!  I now hear that it will be a permanent menu item at Zaxby’s….and indeed, they’ve just now brought back the shake at Chick-Fil-A (again, for a limited time).

But the other day I decided that I wanted to make my own.  I remembered trying some banana pudding ice cream by Blue Belle years ago, so I went to Wal-Mart with high hopes and was very excited to find this ice cream in my freezer. Yay!  Now I can have a banana pudding milkshake any time I want, and I get a lot more shake for my buck!

By the way, I made this shake using my Ninja! That thing is awesome!

[Read more…]

Guest Post: Turkey Burgers from Spindles Designs

This week we have another guest recipe!  These turkey burgers are brought to your by our friends over at Spindles Designs and are sure to be a hit at your next backyard barbecue. Take it away ladies! [Read more…]