There’s something about the songs you listen to during a summer that become engrained in your head for years to come. While songs like “Footloose” reminds me of dorm dance offs and “Hot N Cold” brings back memories of hikes up Sugarloaf. Of course new songs are added and old ones are replaced. Here’s a little glimpse at my summer mix tape. What are your go-to songs for summer?
Robin Thicke, T.I. and Pharrell: Blurred Lines
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis: Can’t Hold Us
Bruno Mars: Treasure
Labrinth: Beneath Your Beautiful
Good Charlotte: Girls & Boys
Mike Posner: Cooler Than Me
Daft Punk, Pharrell Williams: Get Lucky
Journey: Don’t Stop Believing
Kid Rock: All Summer Long
Carrie Underwood: Blown Away
Katy Perry: Hot N Cold
Flo Rida: Right Round
LFO: Summer Girls
Drake: Fancy
Mungo Jerry: In The Summertime
Ke$ha: Party at a Rich Dude’s House
Jana Kramer: Goodbye California
Kenny Loggins: Footloose
Kid Rock: Born Free
S’mores are a Fourth of July necessity, in my opinion. This year I decided to change it up by making homemade graham crackers and while the process of making the graham crackers takes more time than buying a box the end result is definitely worth it.
Graham Crackers
Ingredients
7 oz all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
6 oz graham flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed
3 tablespoons honey
To make the dough:
1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and honey on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
3. Add in the flour mixture and mix on low speed until the dough comes together, about 30 seconds. At this point, the dough will look crumbly but when squeezed between your fingers, it will form together.
4. Transfer the dough to a piece of plastic wrap, form it into a 7×7-inch square, wrap it tightly, and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours. This can be done up to 5 days in advance.
5. Before continuing, allow the dough to sit at room temperature for at least 20 minutes before attempting to roll.
To make the cookies:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thick and cut into 3×3 squares.
4. Keep the dough chilled to prevent from spreading.
5. Bake for 11-18 minutes rotating the cookie sheet after 7 minutes.
6. Cool on the sheets on wire racks for 2 minutes before transferring them to the racks to cool completely.

I hope everyone in the U.S. has a fabulous holiday weekend! I am taking the next few days off, but will be back on Monday. You can keep up with what I am doing here.
Can you believe the 4th is tomorrow? Holidays are so much fun and I am thrilled to spend it in my new town. For me the 4th means a patriotic parade, time with family and/or friends, tons of yummy food, a trip to the beach, s’mores and mass amounts of red, white and blue. This year I will be having guests over for a barbecue, and then we’ll be heading downtown to watch the fireworks on the beach. Of course I can’t send everyone out of the house empty handed, so everyone will receive a treat bag filled with goodies to enjoy while watching the fireworks.
