quick and easy ice cream sammiches

after my visit to sarabeth’s in may (see post about it HERE) i became obsessed with real, homemade ice cream sandwiches. baked fresh with amazing ice cream flavors between. with my last month of school being the most hectic of my life i ended up craving all things sweet and thought of a quick and easy way to make my own! (without having to worry about the heat of the oven in the fall-like weather)

simply, what you’ll need: ready to bake pillsbury cookie dough, ice cream right out of the freezer!

all you need to do is place the {i chose chocolate chip} cookie dough in the oven at 350 for approximately 15 minutes. let them cool completely and take a great scoop of {i chose neapolitan} ice cream and squeeze it between two cookies. you’ll likely need a bowl to eat it all together as the cookie might break but it is one of the greatest, quickest treats that combines two of the best things…ice cream and cookies!

p.s. if the cookies are a little burnt, it actually tastes awesome with the ice cream (in my opinion)

enjoy this treat for the last couple weeks of summer!

xx|A

a special, little dinner party

my summer has been unlike any other. one of the most special parts is spending the few spare moments that i get with great friends. one of them being my wonderful friend Mandy who has been a great part of my self discovery. a week ago she held a little dinner party at her house and it felt so sweet, with more great company. the same crew from the time we went to beer belly’s plus another new friend.

beautiful table set! i was at my very first grown up dinner party. she’s an amazing cook and is the only person, ever in my life who made it be that i could try all of the dishes (she made turkey bacon especially for me!)..she really didn’t need to do that ..but the thought! really!

peek in the background and you’ll see my sangria that i made! (see recipe HERE) there was freshly baked corn bread, corn pasta, chicken with special sauces (the only one i truly remember was the chipotle!) bruschetta, just such awesome food.

aaaand for dessert Kim brought this chocolate creme pie! it was great (especially with a little nut liquor…who are we guys?!) but..yum. it was the perfect ending to a fantastic meal.

credit to Geddes Bakery for the awesome dessert!

Mandy, you’re the greatest! thanks, again for having us! xoxo

the end of the beginning

so another term is under my belt. i finished my first summer term on friday and it felt so awesome. i can’t believe how quickly it’s all flying by and how much things change moment by moment. i feel that i have some amazing, new friends and have never felt so great about what i’m getting my life into. i can’t wait to be with kids, all the time and to be the person that understands them, that advocates for them, that guides them, and is one of their best friends.

my first summer session ended with these beautiful flowers from two very influential instructors that i’ve had- in more ways than one.

given my whole new obsession with flowers this season, i’d say it was pretty fitting.

Beer Belly’s

so my busy schedule has prevented me from exploring as much as i’ve really wanted to this summer in syracuse. but this weekend, i discovered an awesome new foodie spot on westcott called “Beer Belly Deli & Pub.” it’s a neat spot with a nice outdoor patio and rustic look on the inside that just makes you feel like a cool gal. 

the menu has an awesome beer selection- who do i really think i am?…haha and a fascination for pickles and eggplant. if that’s not the coolest thing you’ve ever heard of…i don’t know what is.

and what topped it all off? amazing company. hanging out with an old/new friend you hadn’t seen in a while and developing new friendships, introducing these friends…and just being around positive, supportive women. i’m pretty blessed. i ❤ you Mandy & Kim.

 

^^fried pickles, avocado with corn dip and tortilla chips MMMMM^^

 

if you’re into this kind of stuff…you HAVE to check it out.

a very special visit

yesterday, one of the greatest women in my life came to visit me! she’s my former boss and now good friend from my internship at the center for civic engagement at binghamton. she had never been to destiny usa and we hadn’t seen each other since i graduated and syracuse was just so inviting with the incredible weather (for what felt like the first day in weeks).

we started off at the amazing CNY regional market. it’s the biggest and greatest farmer’s market i’ve ever been to. they have all sorts of things– veggies, fruits, breads, jams, pies, meats, gluten free options, fish, cookies, herbs, donuts, pasta, clothing, and MORE. it’s HUGE and just a great environment. i ate the most amazing donut i’ve ever had in my life (good thing bc i sadly missed national donut day this year!) but sadly couldn’t get a photo bc it was just…that darn delicious. i also tried rhubarb for the first time and got some strawberry rhubarb jam…YUM! and also some freshly handmade pasta- spinach garlic. nomz there’s so much that i wanted to get. definitely have to get back soon!

next we hit the mall! and boy, was it a good shopping trip. made some exciting (smart), purchases and it was nice to be in the mall with a girlfriend. afterwards we tried out Tokyo Seoul where i had Korean food for the very first time! it was so delish and really hit the spot. lacking photos of these moments because they were just great and i was completely invested in enjoying (much too often we spend way too much time on our phones and such that we’re not invested in the moment- put down those phones and unplug, people!– something i’m still working on myself but really do love when i “forget” to look at my phone for a few hours at a time…it’s very liberating!)

beautiful orchid- thank you, girl!!!!

we basically explored a little bit of the surrounding areas of syracuse and really enjoyed it. i absolutely love her. she’s so inspirational and a total bad-ass. thank you so much for coming, Christie. you mean so, very much to me.

SU “Strawberry” Fest

yesterday, syracuse had their “strawberry” fest. in quotes because above were the last carton of strawberries that my friend, Kate was able to get and they were only at one stand! regardless, it was a cute, sweet, and really nice to just get out and do something like this. especially with the first day of sun in what feels like months. (i feel like i’m living in Seattle, people!)

we stood by this dessert table the longest…for what i think are for some obvious reasons (heh). they had all kinds of desserts you could think of to try (carrot cake, lemon bars, red velvet, chocolate cake, strawberry shortcake, and the list goes on…) and they were amazing. don’t worry plenty of people were enjoying them and we kept being told to “have more, take another” (whyyyy would i have protested?!)

little plants with handmade little pots!

and my favorite thing about markets, festivals, carnivals, and the like–fresh squeezed lemonade! i got a freshly squeezed “lemon blizzard” which was lemon, lime, and raspberry! it was perfect. and exactly what i needed to feel something for summer!

hope to do more things like this, this summer around syracuse and share with you, all! hope you’re having a great weekend!

xo|AN(&)A