Ice Cream Sandwich Casserole – Another Easy Dessert!

With the crazy hot weather on the east coast this weekend, I remembered another one of my favorite, super-easy summer desserts. I do not know if this dessert has an official name, so I have named it the delicious Ice Cream Sandwich Casserole!

I have had great success with this dish. It only takes minutes to prepare, and everyone loves it. What’s really funny is to see your friends’ faces when they learn that it is made from ice cream sandwiches. :) They always think it is more complicated than that. lol

Here’s what you need:

• 13X9 casserole freezer-friendly casserole dish
• A box of ice cream sandwiches
• A container of Cool Whip
• A bottle of Hersey’s Chocolate Syrup

Here’s how to make it:

• In the bottom of the casserole dish, pour in a thin layer of chocolate syrup. I like to give it a zigzag effect, but that is up to you.
• On top of the chocolate syrup, place a layer of unwrapped (that should be obvious, but just in case) ice cream sandwiches. You may have to cut a few sandwiches in half to finish filling the dish.
• Cover the ice cream sandwiches with a nice layer of thawed Cool Whip.
• Finally, take the bottle of chocolate syrup and make a cool design on top of the Cool Whip. The design can be as fancy or as simple as you want. You can also add other small toppings, such as M&Ms, graham cracker crumbles, etc…

Let your delicious ice cream sandwich casserole sit in the freezer for 4-8 hours, so it gets nice and cold!

When you’re ready to serve, bring it out with a big serving spoon, because I guarantee you that everyone is going to want a nice big piece!

For more cold dessert ideas, see my earlier post.

Peppers, and Basil, and Tomatoes, Oh My!

This pepper smells amazing.
Dan and I picked a bunch of veggies from the garden yesterday, so I figured I would post an update on how everything is growing.

Our pepper plants are producing by the fistful. Chillies and jalapenos are everywhere, and we also got our first bell pepper!

Chilli Peppers

First Bell Pepper
The basil and rosemary plants smell sooo good! We grabbed some of each to season our dinner tonight.

The four tomato plants have grown into a mini jungle. No joke, they are over SIX feet tall!! The cherry tomatoes are already ripening and being picked, even as the plant puts out more flowers. The beef steak tomatoes are making up for their smaller numbers by producing tomatoes that will weigh at least a pound each!

Look how tall the tomato plants are!

Beef Steak Tomatoes
The rest of the garden is bursting at the seams and starting to bloom. The bean bushes are reaching up toward my knees, and both the cucumber and zucchini plants are blooming. Our chives and garlic are also getting taller by the day.

Hurray for fresh produce!!

My Epic Visit to the Hallowed Grounds of ThinkGeek HQ

In addition to Star Wars, Star Trek, and binary, one thing that I love about being a geek is the geek culture itself. Gone are the days when we geeks had to hide behind monitors or book bindings. Today, we have a culture of our own, and we can proudly display it on our clothes, our cars, and our pizza cutters!

When I was young and new to the working world, my coworkers taught me many important facts, such as: accurate ICBMs (inter cubical ballistic missiles) are vital for cubical survival, office soccer is allowed if work is mostly done, and ThinkGeek.com is an essential resource for geek culture supplies.

A week ago, I saw a ThinkGeek tweet about a lightsaber training event being held at their HQ building for 50 local fans. It only took a few seconds to enter Dan and I into the drawing, and I got to spend the next few days in nervous agony wondering if we had won this coveted honor. Needless to say, I was ecstatic when I received our email invitation. Finally, I was going to be able to cross another item from my bucket list and visit ThinkGeek HQ. Huzzah!!

Dan and I arrived at the *undisclosed* location right on time. It was really hot and humid outside, with temperatures in the low 100s, but we were undaunted by the weather. Some friendly ThinkGeek staff signed us in and placed us on the Flyboys team, handing us blue swatches of fabric and blue lightsabers (ie: spray-painted dowel rods. No laughing. They were badass).

Dan and I with lightsabers
We walked into the loading bay (employee lounge), read through the evening’s itinerary, and enjoyed a few minutes of A New Hope while waiting for things to begin.

The Itinerary
For us Flyboys, our evening began with a great tour of the facilities. We got to see all the important areas where the magic of ThinkGeek occurs, as well as spotting lots of important items from ThinkGeek legend.

Admiral Ackbar Fish

Sighting of a Flux Capacitor

Timmy Outfits
My own personal quest was to discover the Mutant Jello, of which I have been a transfixed follower for over a year. Seriously, any group of people who can make a cult following for something like a cratered piece of dried jello is awesome in my book.

Me with the Mutant Jello
After our wonderful tour, we moved to lightsaber training. At the training grounds, we met Bette and Paul, who walked us through the process of film-staged combat. How awesome is that?! When I first signed up, I thought lightsaber training would be something like a fencing class, but learning the ins and outs of stage combat was way cooler than just a fencing lesson! Dan and I practiced back and forth, inserting sound effects and dramatic acting. It was brilliant.

See the ThinkGeek image of us on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thinkgeekmonkeys/7490240692/

Sweaty and hungry from all of our efforts, we made our way from the training grounds to the Noms station. Aware that hungry padawans are angry padawans, ThinkGeek had prepared for the training by asking a Stix food truck to provide nourishment for the event. We were all quite happy with the delicious food, and we even got to watch some great scenes from Empire Strikes Back while we munched.

See the ThinkGeek image of us on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thinkgeekmonkeys/7490242622/

Our evening concluded with an epic battle in the training grounds, which was lit by the blue and green lightsabers of our trainers. As the sky faded to black, members of the ThinkGeek staff also gave out tons of raffle prizes to the lightsaber trainees. Dan was especially excited when his name got called for the inflatable Star Trek Captains chair. :)

Dan sitting in his new chair the next day
The evening of lightsaber training was a smashing success for ThinkGeek, and Dan and I enjoyed it immensely. We are definitely planning to keep our eyes open for future events (which were rumored to be in the works). If you are interested in learning about them yourself, be sure to like or follow ThinkGeek on Facebook and/or Twitter.

May the Force be with You!

Special thanks to ThinkGeek for letting us join them for this auspicious event and for the links to a few pictures that I was unable to get, due to being in a battle or stuffing my face. :)

Moonrise Kingdom and Other Summer Movies

Apart from the sunshine and visiting pools and beaches, one of the best things about summertime is the movie theater! Everyone knows that the best movies come out during the summer, when everyone is on vacation or wishing they were on vacation. Some years have been very disappointing, but 2012 has an impressive lineup.

Dan and I have already started working our way through the list of movies that we want to see in the upcoming months. Some of these movies come out after the summer months, but I am going to include them anyway. Here’s our list (as of May) of movies that we want to see:

• Avengers – seen
• Dark Shadows – (already out of theaters, so I’m going to catch this on DVD)
• MIB3 – seen
• Moonrise Kingdom – seen
• Rock of Ages
• Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
• Ted
• Brave
• The Amazing Spider-Man - possibly
• The Dark Knight Rises
• The Bourne Legacy
• Expendables 2
• Skyfall
• The Hobbit
• Les Miserables – possibly
• The Great Gatsby

I am sure this list will change as time and money permit. :) For the movies we have already seen, here are some quick reviews, in case you are still deciding whether to watch them or not.

Avengers:
Another superhero classic. We both enjoyed all the action scenes and comic book humor, and I think they did a good job bringing so many main characters into one movie. There are also lots of good-looking characters for both girls and guys to enjoy. :)


MIB3:
Dan is a huge MIB fan! This latest installment was well done and almost had me crying at one point. There were lots of laughs and comical/creepy creatures. I thought it was consistent with the previous movies and very enjoyable to watch.


Moonrise Kingdom:
This film is about two kids who run away together while everyone else on their hometown island is frantically searching for them. You may not have seen a preview for it, because it is only playing in select theaters. Do not let this discourage you from seeing it though! It is filled with hidden wit and humorous situations, as well as having an all-star cast (including Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Tilda Swinton, and Bill Murray!).


One of my favorite things about the film was the cinematography. Each setting was detailed and beautiful, and I seriously want to buy the house in which the runaway girl lives!!


Of all the movies that Dan and I have seen recently (both in theaters and at home), Moonrise Kingdom is defiantly our favorite! For anyone who is curious to learn more, I am imbedding the preview below:

Morven Park

Just outside of Leesburg town limits lies majestic Morven Park, home to Virginia’s 55th governor Westmoreland Davis. I first learned about the park at Leesburg’s monthly First Friday event, where a volunteer handed me a flyer and told me about some of the features the park offered. One important thing that I learned from the volunteer is that leashed dogs are allowed on the grounds – important knowledge for anyone who likes to bring their dogs on day trips.

A gorgeous tree I found in the gardens.
Covering 1000 acres of open and wooded property, Morven Park is a fantastic picnic location. The grounds contain numerous gardens, all of which are well maintained and great for pictures. The grounds of the park are free, and you can tour the governor’s mansion or take a ride in a horse drawn carriage for a small fee at different hours during the week and weekend.

One of the garden paths
I have visited the park on a few occasions and have always found it open and relaxing. Sometimes I see other visitors, but each time I have gone, it is never crowded. On my most recent trip, Dan and I brought the dogs with us. They LOVED running through the fields and playing fetch with fallen branches. :)

Puppies resting in the shade after playing fetch.
Whether you live around Leesburg, or are just passing through, Morven Park is a great location to visit. I would also recommend it to people who are planning an event, such as a wedding or party. The gardens and mansions are excellent settings for any event!

For any additional information, visit the Morven Park website. Enjoy!

A view of the mansion from one of the farther fields

Barrel Oak Winery

Right off of Route 66 in Virginia is Barrel Oak Winery, or BOW for short. This fantastic winery has top ratings in multiple categories, including the most family-friendly. I love BOW for multiple reasons and have decided to dedicate a whole post to this fantastic location. :)

As with all wineries, the wine needs to be delicious, and Dan and I both enjoy the wines at BOW. They have a mix of both whites and reds, and I have favorites in each category. On our visit this weekend, Dan and I enjoyed glasses of their Norton and Seyval Blanc. We also picked up bottles of their Steel Chardonnay and Peanut’s Petite Cuvee (which is Dan’s new favorite summer red).


BOW’s tastings are done in a beautiful wooden building that also has lots of indoor seating for cold and/or rainy days. While I still visit wineries on cold or rainy days, the best days to visit a winery are sunny ones. To accommodate the sunny day crowds, BOW has dozens of patio tables and picnic tables scattered across its hillside. When we visited this weekend, there were cars parked everywhere along the hillside, but we had absolutely no trouble finding an open picnic table to sit down at. They even have umbrellas for those who do not want to sit in the direct sunlight.

Another wonderful feature of having the tables on the hillside is that everyone has an unhindered view of the grape-vine covered hills stretching into the distance. The scenery really was breathtaking yesterday!


As you drive up the hill to the tasting house, the first and most noticeable thing about BOW is that it is very family-friendly. Anyone and everyone can come to this winery had enjoy themselves. They have provided games of corn hole, and they even have a sand pile that kids can play in.

Of all the wonderful qualities of BOW, my favorite is its love for dogs. You can even bring your four-legged family members into the tasting room with you! BOW places bowls of water and containers treats to share with your dog(s). The owners of the winery have also adopted several sweet, friendly strays who wander the property greeting all the visitors. There are many great Virginia wineries that love and support animals, but there is something about BOW that goes above and beyond the standard expression– maybe it is the paw prints on the top of each and every bottle of their wine. :)

This is puppy found a cork and was carrying it around like a pacifier. Priceless!
Vander sitting on the picnic table and watching all the activity around us.
By now, it should be pretty obvious that BOW should be on your places-to-visit list. :) Be sure to bring your friends and family with you, especially your four-legged ones!

Cool Semi-Healthy Summer Desserts

What to Avoid!
Now that it is finally warm outside (*crosses fingers*), I have begun to crave cooler desserts. While most of us love cold desserts like ice cream and/or popsicles, the brands you can find in the store are usually not healthy and filled with sugar. Luckily, my mom taught me some nice alternatives!

Homemade Jello:
JELL-O brand snacks usually contain a good bit of sugar and very little nutritional value. When I was a kid, my mom avoided JELL-O brand snacks by making homemade jello. Our homemade jello was made from fruit juices (whatever kind caught our fancy for the week) and Knox unflavored gelatin. Not only were we able to cut back on bad sugar, we got be creative with our juice choices and enjoy a fun activity!

Frozen fruit:
Some store bought popsicles are better for you than the Fireworks popsicles I loved getting on the 4th of July. However, if you are not able locate them or make your own popsicles, a nice alternative is munching on frozen fruit.

As a kid, my favorite fruit to freeze were grapes. They were automatically bite sized and were just plain fun to eat. I also enjoyed eating frozen peas – which most people find weird, but it was normal in my family. LOL Frozen fruit is delicious, and even if you do not eat it by itself, they can make many other delicious snacks, like smoothies.

Frozen Yogurt Pie:
This is one of my favorite recipes from my mom, and it is also one of the easiest to make! The resulting pie is light, creamy, and refreshing. It’s also easy to decorate it with fresh fruit and bring it to a party or cookout.

All you need are the following ingredients:

Filling

• 2 16oz containers of Cool Whip (get the low fat kind to save a few extra calories)
• 2 8oz yogurt containers (any flavor, or mix and match! My favorite is usually the Yoplait low-fat strawberry.)

Graham Cracker Crust

• One package of crushed graham crackers
• 2 tablespoons of sugar (you really do not have to add this)
• 1/3 cup of melted butter (you can use margin, but real butter is the best)

Mix the crust ingredients together thoroughly and form into the bottom of a pie pan. Mix the filling ingredients together and pour them into the pie crust, smoothing out the top. Put the pie in the freezer for about 8 hours and serve cold. This pie never disappoints, so be sure to try it out!

Hope you all enjoy the warm weather and sunshine!