Summertime Goodies {Guest Post}

Hey there! I am Mandy from Mandy's Recipe Box and I'm taking over today! 

I am a wife and momma to 3 cutie pies- Hannah (8), Preston (6), and Emma (3). I grew up in the city of Ogden, Utah and moved to Logan to attend Utah State University. I met my husband there and we married in June 2000. Three years later, we moved to the middle of nowhere, Idaho. I am a converted country girl. You couldn't get me to move back to the city. No thanks! I love being home with my kids and cooking and baking up some goodies. I am a Twilight and Harry Potter fan and I love that my husband puts up with it.

I love love summertime. I love eating fresh food from my garden, spending lots of time with my family, and all the outdoor activities we can handle. I don't love cooking inside. It is too dang hot. I try to cook outside, in my slow cooker, or on the stove top as much as I can.

Today I am sharing some summertime favorites of ours. Greek Souvlaki, a Tropical Smoothie, and Very Chocolate Ice Cream. I hope you enjoy these summertime treats. 

Greek Souvlaki

2 lbs. pork roast cut into bite sized chunks

Accent or Season Salt

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 Tbsp. garlic powder

1 1/2 tsp. garlic salt

 olive oil

whatever veggies you want to add

Mix all seasonings together. Place pork in a container and sprinkle seasoning over it. Toss to coat. Pour in enough olive oil to cover the pork. Cover and marinate over night. Put onto skewers with veggies (peppers, mushrooms, onions etc), wrap in foil, and cook slowly on the grill. About 20 minutes or until done. Before serving, remove foil and sprinkle with lemon juice.

It is so tender and delicious. You will want more than one skewer, if you're like me. Makes great leftovers.

Tropical Smoothie

1 c. frozen pineapple chunks

1 c. frozen mango chunks

1/2 c. canned unsweetended coconut milk (found in the asian section)

1/2 c. milk

2 Tbsp. honey

Place all in a blender. Process 15-30 seconds until smooth.

Very Chocolate Ice Cream

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

3 egg yolk, lightly beaten

2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine sugar, milk, salt, and cocoa powder in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly. Bring to a simmer. Place the egg yolks into a small bowl. Gradually stir in about 1/2 cup of the hot liquid. and return to the saucepan. Heat until thickened, but do not boil. Remove from the heat, and stir in the chopped chocolate until chocolate is melted. Pour into a chilled bowl, and refrigerate for about two hours until cold, stirring occasionally.

When chocolate mixture has completely cooled, stir in the cream, and vanilla. Pour into an ice cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturer's directions.

Thanks to Lovely Little Snippets for letting me steal their blog today. Be sure to check out more tasty recipes on Mandy's Recipe Box. You can also find me on Facebook.