Grilled Apricots with Honey Greek Yogurt

Kids are funny little creatures (as I'm sure you know). As a camp counselor, I see the side of children when they are far away from their parents—a little bit more wild, a little bit more adventurous, and just a little bit more fearless. Diving boards, ticks, and snakes are no longer items of scary dreams, but play things. Kids wear ticks on tape as bracelets, enjoy a good belly flop, and swing snakes like whips above their heads (much to my dismay).

Given the chance, children are also very good at advertising.

On the bus, I often hear boisterous renditions of the many jingles from FreeCreditReport.Com. Even the tune from the Education Connection commercial has made an appearance or two. It's very strange to sit on a bus and have 20 children serenade me with a song I would normally run to mute on my television. Sweet serenade or not, I wish children had a remote.

That isn't too much to ask for, is it?

Because children are so susceptible to good advertising, even our traditional camp songs have become muddled with commercialism. The counselors tried to keep the songs pure, innocent, and bias free (we really did), but the voices of 70 children could not be swayed. We sing a song about Fried Ham. Amongst the cheese and bologna, there's a line about "onions, pickles, and pretzels" that the kids have changed to "Funyuns, pickles, and pretzels." Ordinarily I wouldn't mind this except that, because they think they are being "rebellious" by singing their version, they shout it at nearly three times the volume. My ears cry.

We also sing a healthy song all about staying fit and exercising. It ends with a sound off—"Sound off, eat right! Sound off, exercise! Subway, Eat Fresh!"

Did you catch that little ad in there? Kids are sneaky.

Note to those in marketing: The secret to success lies in small children. Come up with a catchy jingle and they will sing it so often their parents ears will bleed. It doesn't matter that they have no idea what a credit report is or won't be a consumer for another decade. Playing to the kids will turn you into a money-making machine.

After a long day of camp songs and commercialism, it's nice to just sit in the peace and quiet of my home, with the television turned off, and enjoy a simple, elegant snack. These Grilled Apricots with Honey Greek Yogurt fit the bill exactly.

The apricots are a snap to grill, spending little over a minute on the coals. The grill warms the flesh while keeping the fruit firm. With a dollop of Greek Yogurt and a drizzle of honey, ripe apricots turn into a little delicious dream. Perfect for breakfast and snacks, these grilled apricots are not only a healthy choice, but a special treat.

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S'mores Ice Cream Sundae

S'mores belong in summer territory. There's just something about the heat of a long day, the glow of a warm bonfire, and a fragrant summer breeze that can't be replicated in the kitchen. Believe me, I've tried. Maybe the secret to the summer s'more lies in burnt marshmallow ashes. Perhaps it is in the slow, patient roasting of an exquisitely golden marshmallow over an open flame. Whatever the reason may be, I know that summer holds this secret deep within, keeping her lips sealed from me.

I've had my fair share of winter s'mores, but they never seem to come close—there is always something inherently lacking. The graham crackers are less crisp. The chocolate is always too sweet. And those microwaved marshmallows, those poor marshmallows, couldn't be any more inferior to their fire-toasted cousin. Winter s'mores can only daydream of breezy summer evenings, where the stars glow faintly and stories are shared by those sitting together around a flickering fire.

Nevertheless, I do like to experiment with s'mores flavors in the kitchen. Perhaps one day I'll crack summer's secret s'mores code, but until then, I can enjoy these unique flavors in interesting ways year round.

I cannot claim the delicious inspiration for this S'mores Sundae. The credit rightfully belongs to Frances at The Foodess Files. Frances sent me a wonderful email, taunting me with an absolutely sinful description of this sundae. I was immediately smitten. As soon as I had a spare moment, I rushed to the store and purchased the ingredients. I simply couldn't settle for a description of these S'mores Sundaes—I needed the real deal in my hands (or rather, my mouth) as soon as possible.

I used large marshmallows for this sundae since I mysteriously had 3 large bags of them sitting in the cupboard, but I wouldn't recommend using them for this particular sundae. The large marshmallows were too much for one bite, even when cut in half. I recommend using mini marshmallows or, if you happen to have a ridiculous number of large marshmallows lying around the house like I do, simply cut them into fourths with a pair of kitchen shears before toasting.

This S'mores Sundae is the perfect accompaniment to the swell of summer heat. The Honey Cinnamon Ice Cream tastes just like a cinnamon graham cracker, making a cool and refreshing base to this nontraditional s'more. The ice cream is then topped with oven-toasted marshmallows and drizzled in a homemade chocolate sauce. The chocolate sauce sets when it comes into contact with the ice cream, but melts into a delicious mess the moment it hits the tongue. For those of you who love s'mores, consider this my taunt to you. Now the question becomes, can you settle with a simple description of this sundae or, like me, will you suddenly be beckoned to the kitchen?

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Strawberry Pancakes

This is a public service announcement brought to you by the National Highway Traffic Safety Council. Well, kinda.

It was a typical Wednesday afternoon. I went to the grocery store like I do every Wednesday afternoon, picking up the usual fare with one exception—a watermelon. Spring was in the air, it was 50 degrees outside, and it seemed like a good decision. Especially since it was on sale.

After making my purchases, I packed the groceries in the backseat of the car and headed home. I like to drive slow with a car full of groceries because I don't want them to roll around and make a big mess of the backseat—it's a very big pet peeve of mine. As I was driving down a steep hill, the car in front of me stopped suddenly which meant that I stopped suddenly. It's a real shame my groceries didn't get the memo. They flew about the backseat like birds just released from a cage. And that precious watermelon of mine, the one that seemed like such a good idea only moments before, bounced out of the bag, off the seat, and managed to hit me straight in the side.

I was hit by a watermelon. In a car.

Explain the physics of that one to me.

After the initial shock of did-I-really-just-get-walloped-by-a-watermelon? wore off, I realized I had managed to puncture it with my elbow and it was now releasing watermelon juice at an alarming rate. As in getting-sticky-watermelon-juice-all-over-the-front-seat-of-my-car alarming. The orderly nature of my groceries had been shot to hell and my front seat was beginning to look like a gory crime scene.

I was peeved.

By the time I made it home, my only goal was to get that watermelon to the kitchen sink as fast as possible. It was a perfect plan except for one caveat—I'm clumsy. Yes, I managed to drop the wounded watermelon in the garage. Yes, it cracked open and shot watermelon juice everywhere. Yes, I had a second crime scene on my hands.

By the time I finally got it to the sink, it was in shambles—a shell of its former delicious self. So I did what any self-respecting person would do, I dug into the remains with a fork and cried over spilled watermelon. You would have too.

The moral of the story is to wear your seatbelt. You never know when you'll be hit by a flying watermelon. It's probably a good idea to buckle your watermelon in too.

Better yet, next time save yourself the trauma and buy strawberries instead.

These strawberry pancakes are light, fluffy, and thick. Packed with strawberries, you'll have a burst of berry flavor in every bite (which is a welcome sight when you're desperate for spring). The pancakes are not overly sweet, so you have the power to control how sweet you'd like your breakfast. I enjoyed these drizzled with a little honey and maple syrup. These pancakes make for a lovely spring brunch.

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