‘Summer’ Articles at Sweetnicks

Recipe: S’mores Banana Boats

July 14, 2015 · Narrative

Simple, delicious, and summer memories all rolled into one. Let’s take a trip down memory lane and make S’mores Banana Boats.

As parents, we can get quickly caught up in grand gestures for our kids.

And when it comes right down to it, they don’t really care about any of that.

I have a friend who went with her family on a ten day trip to Alaska, including a seven day cruise. When they came back, I asked her son what his favorite part of the vacation was, and he responded, “The scrambled eggs at the Hilton.”

A hotel chain which we actually have a few miles away.

Kids and food are the same way.

They don’t care that I might take hours and hours to make an elaborate dessert that I think they’ll go crazy for.

Simple works just as well.

And so it was with these Banana Boats that we made over the weekend.

It requires little to no effort. Takes mere minutes to make. And they were completely and utterly enamored.

Isn’t that always the way?

I have a vague recollection of my Mom making these when I was a kid. You can *definitely* do them over a campfire, as is summer tradition, but if you’re like me and don’t camp, this is the next best thing.

Set up a toppings bar and have some friends over – everyone can mix and match toppings to make their own personalized banana boat and you have an easy Dessert Party with next to no work.

Delish.

Hungry for more s’mores inspiration?
These No Bake Oatmeal S’mores Cookies were a crowd favorite.
These Chocolate S’mores Cookies are not to be missed … especially if you’re lucky enough to have Joanne pipe some hearts on them.

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Recipe: Fresh Summer Salad

August 12, 2014 · Narrative

Taking full advantage of summer produce, this salad is quick to make and is a great celebration of the season.

The calendar says there are only three short weeks of summer and ack! How is that even possible? I’m not ready to let our sort-of relaxed vibe go quite yet. We still have Summer Bucket List items to check off our list, lazy days to be had, and sunshine to soak up. Though Fall is my favorite holiday by far, we intend to enjoy every last second of summer we can until that pesky school bell rings.

Which means taking full advantage of summer produce, and this throw-together salad is perfect for doing just that. Juicy ripe tomatoes from the farmer’s market. Tender creamy bites of avocado. Jersey corn. All the very best tastes that summer has to offer, brought together with a simple dressing of extra virgin olive oil and lime juice.

A side dish that takes just minutes to whip up, the toughest part of making it is chopping a red onion and two avocado. I mean, really, even in our lazy days of summer, we can handle that. This is a nice cool salad that pairs well with a burger or piece of chicken fresh off the grill.

Clean eating, super healthy, quick, fresh, and guilt-free.

Which is pretty much what summer is made for.

Dig in.

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Joey Tomato’s {Point Pleasant Beach, NJ}: The Best Pizza in New Jersey?

July 11, 2012 · Narrative

When the kids and I were celebrating Spring Break a few months ago, we had all sorts of adventures. There was the Cape May County Zoo, a visit to the Atlantic City Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum, and more still-yet-to-be-blogged shenanigans.

And there was pizza. It’s been awhile since we had a pizza review, and as we make plans to head down the shore next weekend (and likely go back here), it was time to share this newest spot with you.

Joey Tomato’s Gourmet Pizza is on the boardwalk in Point Pleasant Beach. Which means if you’re heading to the shore yourself this summer, this is a good place to duck into for a bite to eat. Flanked by arcades and cotton candy, how could you go wrong?

We had some time to kill in between getting up close and personal with sting rays and penguins (more on that coming soon), so we asked for a suggestion for a bite to eat. I swear I have Rachael Ray in my head saying, “If you need a food recommendation, ask a local.” She’s, of course, right. Eat where the locals do and you can’t go wrong. We did, and ended up at Joey Tomato’s.

We haven’t visited it in the summer yet, but if the Spring crowd is any indication, it will be crowded and busy. There are some tables inside, and more outside. Better still, place your order and head to the beach. Or a less crazybusy spot. Unless you’re lucky enough to get a table. While we were in line, I spied one open up, and sent Nick and Madeline (still within eye sight) to stake it out. The inside of the restaurant is quite loud, from an acoustic standpoint, so if you have babies in your crew, you might want to scope out a quieter area to chow down.

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Visit: Cape May County Park & Zoo

April 12, 2012 · Narrative

I have loved road trips for as long as I can remember. At least since Junior or Senior year of high school. When I was single (before getting married and divorced, not this time of being single), my girlfriends and I would take road trips to the Jersey Shore. Way before it became known as this Jersey Shore. Road trips to Boston were a frequent occurrence during the summers. The Ex and I even road tripped for our honeymoon, heading to Disney World (for my first time ever). I’ve road tripped with Joanne and Patsy. My mom and sister. With the kids by myself. With Mystic and his kids. And with many of our friends.

What I love most about road trips? That you can stop at any time. For any reason.

When I was making the plans for last week’s Spring Break, although I had a couple specific things I wanted to do with the kids, I also kept our schedule loose so we could succumb to detours. To whimsy. To just because moments.

And hitting the Cape May County Zoo was one such moment. When my sister and I were kids (and even through after my high school years), my parents had a house in Cape May (South Jersey to non-local readers). We spent many, many weekends down there. It holds a special place in my heart, and I loved introducing the area to the kids last week, as one of our stops. Nick was there once when he was a baby, but we haven’t been back since.

Although we spent countless summers in Cape May growing up, I had never been to the zoo there.

Pity that.

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Proof that summer was good to us

August 25, 2011 · Photos

Less than two weeks to go until Summer 2011 draws to a close, this week we had the aftereffects of an earthquake and a hurricane on the way. But Summer 2011? We loved nearly every second of it.

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Strawberry and Goat Cheese Bruschetta

September 14, 2010 · Narrative

The name for this tasty little appetizer is all wrong. It really should be called a Crostini, because the only thing that resembles Bruschetta is the fact that it includes a piece of toasted bread. After that, the path from this picture to Bruschetta sharply diverge. But I digress.

As I planned the menu for our guests for Sunday night’s dinner, I started going through a stack of clippings on the kitchen counter, and once this recipe caught my eye, the appetizer was a done deal.

To be quite honest with you, I am not a fan of plain old naked strawberries. The kids, however, go through a ridiculous amount of them, pint after pint, devouring their juicy goodness when they’re in full season. As for me, while I don’t like them on their own, strawberries, as part of something else, are quite alright. And in the case of this recipe, they’re more than alright, they’re magical.

There’s something unique about strawberries that, when added to other ingredients that just don’t make sense, they come alive. Such is the case of the Strawberries Pazzo that I love so much, and this Crostini (as it will be henceforth known) is exactly the same thing. I mean, really, who thinks to put goat cheese with strawberries? I’ll tell you who… the folks at Better Homes & Gardens magazine. Thank you and amen!

Between the creaminess of the goat cheese, the sweetness of the strawberries, the peppery bite of the arugula and the crisp bite of the toasted baguette … well, eating this well for only a few minutes worth of work should be criminal. But since it’s not, there’s no reason (well aside, from gluten and allergen issues) that you shouldn’t make these. Do. Celebrate the last little bits of what’s left of summer strawberries and give these a go. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

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