We’re in the last throes of summer, when even the most enthusiastic fans of the season begin to wish for things start cooling down soon. For this last official month of summer, the Lifestyles channel decided to introduce you to what makes our dog days a little more bearable!

At The Food Bowl, I’ve got a frosty treat to help your dog beat the heat with a home-made, doggy-approved ice cream recipe, and I want to know how you calm your upset pet when it comes time for travel and vacation. You can also meet my menagerie here.

Linette at Mother Earth’s Garden shares photos of her four legged garden companions. Robust Cooking has 9 Healthy Treats you can make for your dog. And, it’s dog party planning time at She Knows Parties, with dog party invitations, and dog party games.

Read more

This month, the Lifestyles channel decided to have a little fun with one of summer’s favorite pastimes - a picnic!

Let’s start with dessert first!

Strawberry Rhubarb Crunch by Robust Cooking

Watermelon Raspberry Lemonade at All Holiday Cafe

Rice Krispie Treats at Keeping the Castle

Homemade Oreo Ice Cream at Chocolate Bytes

Cool Summer Snacking at Inside Motherhood

Baking Delights is bringing enough chocolate for everyone to catch a chocobuzz with her favorite brownies

Nothing like sweet tea on a hot, summer day…Wait..I taste lime..mint…is that a non-alcoholic Mojito?  Kettle and Cup has the answer.

Blogfabulous is serving up a super easy, keep your butt out of the hot kitchen solution to Hors’ devours.

Weary Parent is serving Chocolate Puppy Chow, a snack that’s bound to be popular with the kids

Offbeat Homes is sharing details on how to hold an offbeat picnic in four easy steps.

Tree Hugging Family shares 10 tips for an easy green picnic or green potluck

Just because you choose to live thrifty doesn’t mean you have to throw a thrifty picnic.  Simply Thrifty shares tips for an elegant and inexpensive potluck

What fun is a summer BBQ if you feel disorganized and in disarray?  Declutter It shares five tips to help you organize your summer BBQ.

10 Summer party ideas and themes for your next backyard barbecue, or potluck.

Add some backyard Olympic games to your next barbecue, in honor of the Summer Olympics

And speaking of games, Marriage Actually is bringing a fun game for the grownups.  Life Stories - a fun way to find out more about your spouse, friends and extended family.

Cyndi won’t go anyplace to picnic unless she can grill, but she doesn’t want to spend all day doing it.  Try her tips for Grilling Chicken Fast, and get a jumpstart on your next picnic!

Who says picnics have to be complicated affairs?  Keep it simple with cheeses, meats and homemade bread.  Brewha-ha.com has a few suggestions - including a recipe for Polish beer rye bread

Whether you’re having a picnic, a barbecue or just looking for a fun activity to do with your kids outside, Susan at PlayLibrary offers a list of 50 outdoor toys and games that are perfect for summer.

This time of year there are bugs everywhere, don’t forget to bring the bug repellent along with your favorite dish to your next cookout.

Christine at Mad Cropper not only shares her favourite winter or summer recipe but also shares that you can turn recipes into creative works of arts. Find out how!

And while you’re out having all the fun and good food you can handle, don’t forget your pets - they enjoy special summer treats too!

At Quilting and Patchwork enjoy an array of potluck foods and memories from the Food Bloggers.

You never know what medical emergency could happen while your are picnicking…Marye at Simply Home Remedies is bringing the antidote for nearly anything!

Eliza at Babylune provides a checklist of tips to consider when taking baby picnicking.

Finally, when it’s all said and done, kick back with a nice frozen beverage.  MomGadget prefers the Dominican Coco Loco

[image: flickr]

What better way to end a summer picnic than with a nice big batch of homemade ice cream? A mix-in of chopped and crushed Oreo cookies makes it extra special. Keep it tucked inside the cooler with a lot of ice or ice packs and it should be just about right for dessert!

I use about six cookies total for a 1.5 quart batch of ice cream. I like to quarter about three of the cookies for some nice chunks, and then crush the rest with a mallet to make sure there are cookies throughout all the ice cream! Hot pink bowl is optional.

Oreo Ice Cream

2 large eggs (or 1/2 cup Egg Beaters)
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup milk
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
6 chopped/crushed Oreo cookies

Put the chopped Oreo cookies in the fridge. In the meantime, whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl for about one minute until light and fluffy, add sugar a little bit at a time until dissolved and continue whisking another minute. Pour in cream, milk and vanilla and whisk to blend. Pour into prepared ice cream maker and follow manufacturer’s directions. During the last two minutes of the cycle add the chilled Oreos.

I actually forgot the vanilla the last time I made this and the ice cream was so delicious that I don’t think I’m going to use it again! It produced a simple, sweet cream ice cream - a really nice, refreshing change from vanilla. And of course, the Oreos add a bit of flavor anyway!

What better way to celebrate the first day of summer than with some adorable little peanut butter chocolate bumblebees? And what’s even better is that they’re no-bake and easy for kids to help with!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Bumblebees

1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 square semi-sweet baking chocolate, or 1/4 semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup toasted sliced almonds

Beat butter, peanut butter and powdered sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add cracker crumbs and mix well. Shape tablespoonful of butter mixture into 1-inch oval to resemble body of bumblebee. Repeat with remaining butter mixture for additional bees.

Melt chocolate carefully in the microwave, checking often so it doesn’t burn. Drizzle in lines on top of bees to resemble bees’ stripes. Insert almonds into both sides of each body for wings. Store in refrigerator up to 3 days.

[image: allrecipes]