Fabulous Friday

It's time for another edition of Danielle's Fabulous Friday! Today's topic:

My absolute favorite summer treat is Ice Cream!

Blue Bell's Mint Chocolate Chip is my all-time fave. Other honorable mentions are Rocky Road and Cookies & Cream.

While we are on ice cream...Oreo Fudge & Ice Cream Cake

This is a HUGE hit anywhere I have taken it. It is so yummy and easy!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup hot fudge ice cream topping, warmed
1 tub (8 oz.) Cool Whip, thawed, divided
1 pkg. (3.9 oz.) Jello Chocolate Instant Pudding
8 Oreo Cookies, chopped (about 1 cup)
12 vanilla ice cream sandwiches

Directions:
1.Pour fudge topping into medium bowl. Whisk in 1 cup Cool Whip.
2. Add dry pudding mix; stir 2 min.
3. Stir in chopped cookies.
4. Arrange 4 ice cream sandwiches, side-by-side, on 24-inch-long piece of foil; top with half the Cool Whip mixture.
5.Repeat layers. (You have to do this FAST or your ice cream will melt! I usually have my husband take the sandwiches out of the freezer and unwrap them as I need them to speed things along.)
6.Top with remaining sandwiches. (I put in the freezer after this step to help it form up before frosting. It really reduces the problem of melting ice cream.)
7.Frost top and sides with remaining Cool Whip.
8. Bring up foil sides; double fold top and ends to loosely seal packet.
9. Freeze 4 hours.

My next fave summer treat is Grape Salad!

modified from Recipe Zaar

This again is a BIG hit. I usually cut the recipe in half for serving 4 or less.

Ingredients:

4 lbs red seedless grapes (I personally make mine with red grapes only, but you can use 1/2 red, 1/2 green if you would like.)
8 oz sour cream
8 oz softened cream cheese

1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract (can be more or less, I don't measure.)
A splash of milk

Topping (I don't even make this up until just before serving.):
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:
1. Wash and stem grapes. Set aside.
2. Mix sour cream, cream cheese, white sugar and vanilla by hand until blended. (This is where I add the milk. It's hard to get the right consistency by hand, and the milk helps in the stirring. You can add more, but you don't want the mixture to be runny! It needs to be able to coat the grapes. I have used a hand mixer before in a pinch.)

3. Stir grapes into mixture, and pour in large serving bowl.

4. Chill several hours or overnight.
5. Add brown sugar/pecan topping (use as little or as much as you'd like) just before serving.

What are your favorite summer treats??