July was a fun month, but it sure did fly by fast. We had a super-fun Fourth of July, and I made lots of tasty treats throughout the month.

For the Fourth of July I made two batches of homemade Ice Cream. There was a tasty batch of vanilla.

There was also a tasty batch of chocolate too.

I made a big batch of milk chocolate ganache. Half of the ganache made its way into the triple chocolate ice cream, the other half was turned into hot fudge sauce.

The triple chocolate ice cream is crazy good. It is a chocolate base with chocolate ganache ribbons, and mini chocolate chips. Thade thought up this recipe, and I love it too.

I also made a few dozen Homemade Dinner Rolls for the Fourth of July. They became BBQ Chicken Sliders, and we had a few left for dinner too.

I made some Chocolate Chip cookies for the 4th, and my mom made a very delicious Blueberry Duff. Just how did she know her homemade blueberry duff is my favorite dessert…

I baked a Cherry Pie for the 4th too. We were too full to cut into it though.

After cleaning up the yard, and the house, and doing all of those dishes I ran and got late night snacks for my hubby and me.

A few days later, we finally cut the pie.

There was fruit left behind from the Fourth. I thought it would be enough to make a double batch of Duff.

It was Blueberry and Strawberry Duff, and I topped it off with homemade vanilla ice cream. I think I ate it for every single meal, including breakfast.

Agnes wanted me to make a batch of homemade brownies. They are her favorite.

July must have been an eat-every-sweet-in-sight month. I couldn’t resist these peanut butter m&m’s.

We also splurged and got ice cream from the ice cream truck on a hot afternoon. The kids were playing in the sprinkler, and the ice cream truck just happened to drive by.

Once I spotted Hostess cupcakes back on the store shelves, I really wanted to pick-up a box of them. I resisted though (thanks to the price), and I tried to make a batch.

The cream filled chocolate cupcakes were very rich, moist, and delicious. The kids loved them too.

I also tried making fried pickles. I love fried pickles, and this batch turned out just right. I’ve even converted James into being a fan of this fried food.

There were more Giant Chocolate Chip cookies to be made. This batch was for my hubby’s co-worker’s birthday. I then made a batch for us. I need to make one more batch for the new neighbor that has just moved in next door.

June was a funny month. I don’t really think I cooked too much, but I never left the kitchen. There were lots of dirty dishes to keep up with. I do have a few photos to share, and I tried a new recipe too.

Well the first two I didn’t make, but we did enjoy. We visited the Good ‘Ol Days and shared lots of tasty goodies. It is mandatory to have at least one funnel cake at the Good ‘Ol Days.

Lately I’ve been making Giant Chocolate Chip cookies, just like you would buy at the bakery. The family loves them, and I make them once or twice a week. They go fast.

I made a batch of Chocolate Ice Cream.

It made a pretty tasty treat for an all too warm Summer day.

I also made a batch of Vanilla. As you can see I like a little bit of Bundt Cake, and a bunch of Vanilla Ice Cream. I’m going to make a few more batches for the Fourth of July.

More Giant Cookies! Maybe I should turn these into giant ice cream cookie sandwiches.

Since there was a bit of vanilla ice cream hanging out in the freezer, I made a Cherry Pie to go with it.

I made a batch of cupcakes for the kiddos snacks.

Agnes loved the cupcakes.

Summertime lunch for me.

When I was little, my mom would make me an amazing dessert. It was Blackberry Duff, and she would top it off with half & half, or full on heavy cream. It is still the dessert that I always request from her. I had some fresh fruits hanging around, and I thought let’s caramelize them in some brown sugar and butter, and make a tropical Duff.

I made a batch of Caramelized Banana, Coconut, and Pineapple Duff. The aroma in the kitchen was amazing as this was baking. I couldn’t wait for it to cool a tiny bit, so I could try it.

I topped mine off with lactose free 2% milk. How I wish I had just one scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream left to top off the Duff, but the kiddos ate all of the ice cream. They didn’t want to try the Duff though, and I didn’t mind. I had it for breakfast the next day. It was delicious. I think the next batch I might omit the banana and coconut, and just go for the caramelized pineapple.

July has arrived and already I’ve been busy in the kitchen. I’m prepping all of the desserts for the Fourth of July a little ahead of time. Yesterday I made a big batch of vanilla ice cream, and today I’m making triple chocolate ice cream for the holiday. Time to get to it.