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Beat the Heat with a Summertime Treat

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Tags: dessert, kids, summer

We’re in the middle of a hot summer, y’all! I can’t take two steps outside without the heat and humidity makin’ my hair flatter than a pancake—even my teeth are sweatin’! Now I know Savannah’s a little more “swampy” than most places, but just about every town in America is feeling the heat right now. I wish I could send all y’all a cool breeze to take the edge off; I really do. Just yesterday, Michael caught me stickin’ my head in the icebox. When he asked what I was looking for, I replied, “January.”

In spite of my fussin’ and complainin’, I really do love summertime because I get to take some much-needed vacation time and catch up with my family. My grandsons could spend every single day splashing around our pool. When they’re swimming, every other word is, “Guinny, watch this! Guinny, see what I can do! Guinny, check this out!” So I sit on the edge and dip my toes in the pool and cheer ‘em on. They’ve got this new slide—one of those real tall ones that you have to climb a ladder just to get to the top. They get a real kick out of trying to make the biggest splash possible. I pretend to throw a fit as if getting wet is the last thing in the world I want, when really nothing feels better.

After the boys are all waterlogged, I’ll bring out some refreshing homemade frozen fruit, yogurt, and pudding pops for everyone to enjoy. We eat ‘em faster than they can melt. They are that good, y’all. I have four yummy frozen pops for you to try –Sunshine Fruit PopsFrozen Raspberry Yogurt PopsCreamy Coconut Pops and Gooey Butter Pudding Pops. Some are a little healthier than others, but if you’re up for some summertime indulgence—and I hope you are—I recommend my very favorite…you guessed it, the Gooey Butter Pudding Pops! You know that cool breeze I was talkin’ about? This is even better.

Even if it’s hotter than two goats in a pepper patch, don’t trap yourself indoors like a caged animal—just head out a little earlier. A summer morning is one of God’s greatest gifts. Life is bloomin’, the birds are singin’, and the day is filled with promise. What better way to begin than hostin’ an early morning breakfast party surrounded by friends? It takes so little—just a few heartfelt touches: a big Southern breakfast, an old painted table, mismatched tableware, and some fresh-cut flowers from the garden. Some hanging cloth pennants cut from fabulous vintage cloth add the perfect festive touch. We can fuss about the summer heat until we’re blue in the face, or we can enjoy comin’ up with fun ways to beat it. By the time Mr. Sun gets high in the sky, the dishes will be cleaned up and you’ll be safely tucked away inside your air-conditioned home, wondering who would ever complain about such a beautiful day.

Paula Deen - As a young girl growing up in Albany, Georgia, Paula Deen never dreamed she would become an American icon. As a young mother, Paula was living the American dream — married to her high school sweetheart and raising two adorable boys — when tragedy struck. Her parents died, her marriage failed and she began a prolonged battle with agoraphobia. With her boys in their teens and her family near homelessness, Paula took her last $200, reached deep inside her soul and started The Bag Lady, a home-based catering company that marked the start of Deen's professional cooking career. With sons Jamie and Bobby delivering lunch-and-love-in-a-bag, beginning in June 1989, Paula turned her life around by sharing what she knew best, traditional Southern cooking.

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