Quick and Easy Ice Cream Cake

Simple summer dessert

Guys, this recipe is for you, too. It came from my sister Charlotte, and she learned it from her sons, Clifford and Ben, when they had an apartment together. It takes maybe 10 minutes to put together.

Ingredients:
2 boxes of 12 ice cream sandwiches (24 sandwiches total)
1 large tub of Cool Whip, thawed
Chocolate sprinkles

Directions:
Unwrap the first box of ice cream sandwiches and cover the bottom of a 9x13" baking dish with them. Spread about half of the Cool Whip over them. Unwrap the second box of ice cream sandwiches and cover the layer of Cool Whip with them. Cover and place in freezer. When ready to serve, slice the "cake" and top each serving with Cool Whip and chocolate sprinkles.

I made this a few minutes ago and put it in the freezer. Our weekend company is arriving tomorrow evening, and I'll serve this for supper dessert. I have to work tomorrow, so I'm trying to keep everything as simple as I can.

And if this sounds like redneck cuisine -- well, you aren't too surprised, surely.

Happy 4th of July, everyone. Have a safe holiday!

No Man Is an Island

A blogging experience

I stopped at the Pennysaver Market in Fairview yesterday on my way home from the dentist. I had a yen for some of their hickory smoked cheddar cheese.

I was the only customer at the time. The proprietor, a Mennonite lady about my age, cut the cheese for me, and then waited at the cash register as I gathered a few more items from the bulk goods section -- a bag of milled flax seed, a bag of oatmeal, a little tub of cinnamon.

At the register as I prepared to write a check for my purchases, I discovered I had left my wallet in the car. "Do you know me?" I asked. "Should I go get my ID?"

"Let me see your check," she said. I showed it to her, and told her where I live and whom my nearest Mennonite neighbors are. "Oh, it's OK," she declared. "I remember who you are now."

As I picked up my bags and prepared to leave, she asked, "Have you written anything on the internet about us lately?"

I'm sure I looked very surprised. "Umm, no. No, I haven't" I answered, trying to remember exactly what I had written about the Pennysaver Market in the past.

She seemed amused at my bewilderment. "Oh, our family in Pennsylvania printed it out and brought it when they came to visit."

"And that picture you took of the horse and buggy outside? We knew whose horse and buggy that was, so when they were in the store, I showed them the picture. And when your neighbor Willis was in here, he told us all about you."

"Well, well," I said weakly. "No, I don't think I've written anything about the Pennysaver for quite a while."

The reach of the internet should never be underestimated.

Related posts:
Pennysaver Market at Fairview, Kentucky
Horse and Buggy Country
Jefferson Davis and the Mennonites

Homemade Orange Julius

Slush fun

These smoothies will really cool you down on a hot day.

Combine the following ingredients in a 6-cup blender:

Ice cubes to the 3-cup mark
6 ounces frozen orange juice concentrate
2 rounded tablespoons sugar or Splenda
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 banana (if desired)
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract (if desired)
Enough regular orange juice (not concentrate) to fill the blender to the top mark.

Put on the lid and blend on high speed until the slush is smooth. Serve immediately in glasses with straws.  Enjoy with a clear conscience -- orange juice, milk and water are good for you, and the banana is good for you too, if you added it.

Suggestion: While you have all the ingredients out, make a second batch of the recipe to freeze. Pour into styrofoam coffee cups; cover each cup with plastic wrap held in place by a rubber band. Place in freezer until solid. Serve the frozen ices with a spoon -- they are very similar to the "Frozen Lemonades" found in grocery freezer sections.

Fire in a Pile of Hay Bales

Spontaneous combustion of hay

Our neighbor had some bad luck last week with a large stack of big round bales. Apparently the hay was not dry enough when he baled and stacked it. A few days later, the stack of bales ignited.

Our volunteer fire department responded and sprayed the bales with water. The farmer pulled the bale pile apart with a tractor to allow the bales to cool. The smoke from the fire could be smelled for a mile or more, and the bales smoldered for several days.

Hay fires like this are all too common, and they are usually caused by baling and/or storing hay before it is fully cured (dried). The hay can also self-heat and combust if it becomes wet in storage.

The problem is that bacteria and mold grow on wet hay, causing it to ferment and producing flammable gases and heat. Also, as the hay dries, it goes through a natural chemical process called "sweating" in which it releases moisture and heat.

In a stack or pile of hay, the heat from fermenting and sweating cannot escape. The internal temperature can increase to the point that the hay will blacken, smolder, or even burst into flames.

The hay is spoiled even if it just warms up and turns a little brown. It loses most of its nutrients, and of course, livestock prefer not to to eat it.

This sort of combustion can occur in a hay pile of any size. Some of us have seen this in small scale with green lawn clippings or a compost pile.

This farmer lost a lot of hay, but at least he didn't lose a barn. I remember a barn fire that was caused by wet hay bales when I was a child. I was with my mother when she noticed smoke coming from a neighbor's barn and alerted him. The men from nearby ranches gathered and fought the fire, but the barn burned down. (This was on the Ray Ranch at Rose, Nebraska, in the late 1950s or early 1960s when Jay and Martha Hixson were running it.)

Read more on the web:
Cooperative Extension System bulletin "Spontaneous Combustion in Hay Poses Danger"

A Break From the Heat

Cooler weather next week

We've had a full week of heat advisories, high humidity and temperatures over 90° every day. The heat indexes have been up to 105° every afternoon.  Weather like this in June could be the harbinger of a long, hot summer, though I hope not..

Our forecast predicts cooler weather next week, particularly at night. If we really do get some cooler days, it certainly will be a welcome relief. Meanwhile, I'm very grateful for air conditioning.

Sunday Night -- Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 60s.

Monday -- Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 80s.

Monday Night -- Mostly clear. Lows in the mid 60s.

Tuesday through Thursday --Mostly clear. Highs in the upper 80s. Lows in the upper 60s

Source: Weather Underground for Hopkinsville, KY.