Sweet Mondays: Ice Cream Scoop Cake

This week is going to be all about ice cream.  School is finally out for summer and my daughters and I decided to have an ice cream party.  They helped to decorate and got out all of the toppings for the ice cream. It was a fun way to celebrate the end of the school year. More pictures from the party will come this week.

In the meantime, here is the "cake" we made for our little party.  All we did was scoop ice cream into a tower and put some toothpick flags on them to make it more festive.  And if you wanted to use that idea for a birthday, you can just put a candle on top. But make sure you work quickly...it melts fast!

To serve this, you can just pass out spoons and share the ice cream.  You can also take the scoops off the "cake" and serve it in bowls or cute ice cream cups. Don't forget the toppings!

Make A Store Bought Cake Pretty

Sometimes, there isn't time to bake a cake for a party or a get-together. And although some store-bought cakes can be pretty tasty, they don't always have the look that you are going for. Here I bought a cake from my local grocery store (the Migros, for those of you in Switzerland) and dressed it up using some items from my shop. Sometimes all it takes is something small to turn an ordinary cake into something special. Hope you enjoy the examples and it brings you some inspiration for dressing up your cakes!

Here's a great option for a birthday cake.  Just use these birthday bash toppers for an instantly fun birthday cake!

Add pinwheels to a cake to add instant fun to an afternoon tea or get-together. 

These cute drink umbrellas don't have to just be for your cocktails. Why not add them your cake too? Use them for a surf or pool-themed party, or have a cake-and-cocktail party so that the cake matches the drinks!

Wrap this pretty greaseproof paper around your cake and add some twine and you've got a pretty cake in two minutes flat! Just remember to take off the paper before you cut it.

Get creative and combine a couple of the options to make a cake perfect for any of your summer celebrations.  What's great is that you don't have to be in a hot kitchen baking all day and your guests will think you worked hard to make such a beautiful cake.  Whether you tell them your secret or not is up to you!

DIY Rainy Day Party Games

I was going to save this post for the fall when there are more rainy days, but here we are in July in Switzerland and it's cold and rainy! So I thought I would publish it now in case anybody is having a party soon and needs some ideas of what to do with the kids inside. For those of you in the warm sunshine (so jealous) you can pin this for later!

I've put together a few of my favorite games that we've played at family parties. You can quickly put these together using items that you probably already have around the house.  They are "minute-to-win-it" games that are fun for kids and adults alike.  Each person only has one minute to complete the challenge, so it ensures that no one gets bored watching the others play!

PS: Please excuse the picture quality. They were taken at last year's New Years Eve party at night!

Game #1 - Make it stick

Items needed:

• Peanut butter
• Slice of bread
• Ping pong balls (as many as you can find)
• Plate (optional)

The object of the game is to throw a ping pong ball and make it stick to the bread. To set it up, spread peanut butter on a piece of bread and put it on a paper plate.  It doesn't have to be on a plate, but it makes for easier clean up afterward.  Place the plate on one edge of a table. Have the player stand on the opposite edge to begin playing. Have one player at a time throw ping pong balls at the piece of bread. Each time a ball sticks to the bread, the player gets a point. Only one ball should be thrown at a time but they can throw as many balls as time allows (within a minute). The player that gets the most balls to stick to the bread wins. Tip: Have a rag close by to clean the ping pong palls…it will get messy.

Game #2 - Stack it up

Item needed: 

• Plastic or paper cups (as many as possible, but I recommend at least 25)

This is a fun game you can play alone or in teams. Everyone gets the same amount of cups. The team that is able to stack their cups the highest (and have it stay up until it is measured) in one minute wins. When we played this game, the kids wanted to play it over and over. They tried many different ways of stacking to see how they could make the highest stack. Of course, the parents wanted in too! Definitely lots of fun. If you only have one set of cups, have the players take turns. It's best to use a lot of cups so that you can get it really high. Tip: A good way to see who has the highest stack is to having a measuring tape handy.

Game #3 - Drop, Sink, Clink

Items needed:

• Some coins
• 2 - 3 Vases
• 2 - 3 Shot glasses (or small bowls)

This was super easy for the kids and most were able to get many coins in! Find a few vases and fill them about halfway with water. Drop in a shot glass until it is fully submerged. Add more water if needed. Give the kids some coins and have them try to drop them into the shot glasses. The smaller the opening of the shot glass, the harder it will be to get the coin in. The one who gets the most coins in the shot glasses within a minute wins. Tip: I recommend placing the vases on the floor and not on the table as a longer drop for the coins is more challenging.

Game #4 - Sock Grab

Items needed:

• Socks (as many as you can find).  If you're like me, you have a whole drawer full of socks that are missing their pair…these are the perfect socks to use.

I don't have a picture for this one, but it's very easy to set up. Place a pile of socks in the middle of the room. The object of the game is to see who can put the most socks on one foot.  The game ends after one minute or when there are no more socks to put on, whichever comes first. Tip: Try to provide socks in different sizes…we laughed every time someone tried to put a baby sock over an adult sock.

You can have a winner for each game or, if you play the games at different times throughout the party, you can keep score for each child and the one who has the most points at the end wins a prize. Either way, I'm sure they will have a blast playing these games! 

The ideas from most of these games came from Pinterest and Google searches. You can even find some videos of these types of games on YouTube. Enjoy!

Strawberry, Lemon & Mint Infused Water

In keeping with our strawberry theme this week, I thought I would share with you a yummy alternative to soda for your summer parties.  It's very easy to make and looks pretty too!  It's great to serve at a get-together with your friends or to keep in the fridge to sip on throughout the day.

Ingredients:

The following worked well for me.  Feel free to adjust amounts depending on your pitcher size and personal preferences.

• 6 Medium Sized Strawberries, Sliced
• 1/2 of a Lemon, Sliced
• 4 Mint Leaves, Torn
• Water (you can also use sparkling water if you prefer)
• Ice (optional)

Instructions:

1. Place strawberries, lemon and mint in a pitcher.

2. Add water (and ice if you are using it) to fill up your pitcher.

3. Serve and enjoy!

That's the end of our strawberry-themed week. I hope you enjoyed it! In case you missed them, take a look at our Hello Summer Strawberry Cake and our refreshing Strawberry Popsicle and Prosecco Drink. Enjoy the weekend!

Strawberry Popsicles + Prosecco = A Refreshing Summer Drink!

Next up in my week of strawberry themed posts is a refreshing adult drink perfect for your summer parties (change the straw color to blue, and you've got a great drink for a Fourth of July celebration). It's a bit unexpected as you don't normally put popsicles in your prosecco, but it is really refreshing and gives your prosecco a yummy strawberry flavor. It also has the added benefit of keeping your drink cool longer.

There are a couple of ways to enjoy this drink. You can wait to drink this until the popsicle has melted all the way. Or, like I did it, drink some, then eat some of the popsicle, then drink some more, and so on. The bubbles mixed with the fresh strawberry taste makes a great combination. This works well with any sparkling wine or even sparkling water (for those who don't want to drink alcohol or for the kids).

The best thing is they are so easy to make:

1. Puree strawberries and freeze them in a popsicle mold for a minimum of 6 hours. I replaced the popsicle sticks with straws before freezing. 

2. Place the frozen popsicles in a glass and pour prosecco over them.

3. Serve immediately and enjoy! 

I promise your guests will enjoy this, especially on a hot summer day. Or just make it as a treat for yourself!