Good Morning,

Yesterday’s Watermelon Challenge brought in some great ideas for Watermelon flavored treats. Here are some that were shared:

• Suzanne: Watermelon flavored water
• Samantha: watermelon cake, ice pops, lemonade, mix with water
• Brendan J: Watermelon juices; watermelon iced tea; watermelon flavored cookies and cakes; watermelon gum.
• Zachary L: Fruit salad, slushee, popsicle, strawberry kiwi juice boxes or flavored water
• Taylor: Jello, sucker, taffy
• Roxanne: Watermelon frozen treats, watermelon flavored water and watermelon flavored gum.
• Matthew: Watermelon gum, Jelly Belly Jelly Beans, Lollipop, Hard Candy, Snow Cone
• Megan: Watermelon ice cream, grilled melon salad with feta cheese and balsamic reduction

Zack made his strawberry-watermelon slush yesterday and we posted the video in the Facebook group. If you didn’t get a chance to see it, click on the link below:

Strawberry-Watermelon Slush Video

I love all the wonderful recipes you can make with watermelon or even just making a sweet treat look like watermelon. I really want to make some watermelon sugar cookies or watermelon bread. They are on the list!

Today, however, watermelon sugar cookies are going to have to wait because here at the Dukicin house we are going to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak. Today is National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day! Now, that along with it being National Sandwich Month…well, thanks to a reminder from Diana J. that another great type of sandwich is an Ice Cream Sandwich — Can you see where I’m going with this?

Now, I would love to just go out to the kitchen right now and whip up a batch of chocolate chip cookies, but I’m not sure I have time today. Instead, while we were at Walmart last night picking up an ACE bandage for my leg (tore a muscle in my thigh yesterday, fun stuff) I grabbed a package of soft Chips Ahoy cookies. We have three types of ice cream in the freezer, a cookie scoop, sprinkles…get the picture. Well if you don’t, don’t worry. We will put a video up again today of Zack making some homemade (hey, they are being made in our home and that qualifies for homemade in my book) cookie ice cream sandwiches. We’ll also post it in tomorrow’s post for those of you not on Facebook.

For anyone that would like to give this a try, it’s a lot of fun. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Any type of flat cookie that you like (you’ll need at least two, or if they are a sandwich cookie one will work)
• Any type of ice cream you like
• Sprinkles (optional — but really, who wouldn’t want sprinkles!)
• Cookie or Ice Cream Scoop (or just a spoon will work)
• Wax or Parchment Paper or Plastic Sandwich Bags

So, given the chance to celebrate National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day, how would you spend it? Would you just want some wonderfully chocolatey good cookies and maybe a big glass of milk? Or how about skipping the whole cookie part and enjoying something with chocolate chip cookie dough? I recently made some no bake chocolate chip cookie dough truffles that were really good. Or maybe enjoy some cookie dough ice cream? Cheesecake with a chocolate chip cookie crumb crust? Maybe even stretch it even more and just have a chocolate chip cake or bread or muffin? The more I type, the more I want to get in that kitchen.

Your challenge is to share with us your favorite chocolate chip type things. Just because it’s “cookie” day doesn’t mean we can’t build on this and make it our own day. So, here on Keep In Touch it is National Chocolate Chip Day! What do you like to eat with chocolate chips in it? Or even, what do you like to use chocolate chips in — they could even be melted!!!

Also, for anyone that would like a little more to do today, below is a Chocolate Chip Cookie word search.

Make today GREAT!

Zack & Lisa

Chocolate Chip Cookie Challenge