TSRI Sizzling Summer – Food, Family, Fun

 

TSRI is your comprehensive resource for Summer fun! All summer long we are bringing
you fabulous recipes, exciting travel destinations and family activities.  Not
to mention we are so excited to be celebrating you with a lot of fantastic contests and giveaways!  Our little way to say thanks.

Are you looking for fun activities to keep the family entertained this summer?  We have awesome ideas for you!  Need recipes to spice up your menu?  We have you covered!  Exciting USA travel destinations?  We are featuring 5 every week!  Keep scrolling to check them all out.

Y’all are having so much fun!  Your photos make me want to jump in the excitement with you.  Keep ’em coming. 

We are featuring you, our fabulous readers all summer long.  Get in on the fun by sharing your photos on Instagram or Twitter by tagging #TSRISummer in your description.  Don’t have Instagram.  Feel free to shoot us an email and we will share your photos for you.  Check out what our readers are up to…

You can join in on Facebook by posting your summer fun photos on our Facebook page and write #TSRISummer in the comment.  One person each week this summer will win a $50 Amazon Giftcard.  Check out the details here:  TSRISummer.com

This weeks featured photo of TSRI’s Sizzling Summer comes to us from Sara at MomEndeavors who submitted this awesome photo on Instagram.  Congrats Sara!  Contact us with your email address.

We have rounded up our favorite Food, Activities and Travel ideas for you below, so keep scrolling.

With love from our Sizzling Summer to yours!

Donna, Chad and Munchin ❤ ❤ ❤

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FOOD

Summer time is a fabulous food season.  But there are always times
that we struggle for ideas. Each week will be sharing your summer food ideas along with our recipes from this week!

①  Most Popular Recipe This Week – Nana’s Southern Style Macaroni Salad
is the best ever macaroni salad of all time.  It is creamy with the
perfect crunch and a little tang.  It is exactly what I think of
whenever summer sides come to mind.  This recipe is so easy you can whip
it up in less than 30 minutes.

②  New This Week – 50 Best Ever Sweet Treats and Cold Drinks to Celebrate Summer!!! More than 50 of our favorite summer desserts.  There is something for everyone. Frozen treats, cold drinks, ice box pies, and so much more!

③  Tropical Cocktails are all the rage in every resort from Maine to Hawaii.  This fabulous creation is featured at the Tiki Bar in Hawaii. photo from @BrianPlayPool

④  Brownies & Cream Iced Coffee Shake
– Sweet Cream iced coffee creates the perfect shake reminiscent of my
favorite ice cream treat.  The addition of brownies really takes this
dessert over the top.  With just 5 minutes and 4 ingredients this is one
you will be enjoying all summer long.

⑤  Cheesy Philly Cheesesteak Burger is a fabulous gourmet burger loaded with steak flavor and topped with sauteed peppers, caramelized onions and the most delicious smoked provolone cheese sauce you have ever eaten.  It’s an easy recipe with amazing flavor.

ACTIVITIES

Summer time is perfect for fun activities but there are always times that we struggle for ideas. Each week will be sharing your summer activity ideas along with ours.  Share your photos on Instagram or Twitter by tagging #TSRISummer in your description

Outdoor Fun

Swimming, hanging out at the lake and fireworks are some of our readers favorite summer activities this week.  How do you cooling off and having fun?

①  Make Chores Fun – This fabulous photo from Marley_Kristin really
struck me this week.  Because this is really how we teach Munchkin.  If
you make it fun.  Then it is fun.  Get your little their own kids lawn mower
and teach them that chores can be fun.  I have to say at 4, my daughter
loves chores.  She makes her bed everyday, picks up after herself,
clears the table without being asked…  We made it fun.  And gave a
reward system.  I will share that more later, but I love the lawn mowing
idea.  I can see the same idea working for gardening, washing the cars,
even picking up fruit dropped from fruit trees.  How do you make chores
fun in your house? photo by @Marley_Kristin

③  Pool Fun – Getting into the pool to splash around is a
favorite activity.  Whether you have a huge in ground pool or a kiddie
pool, you really can’t beat water fun!  I grew up with pools all around.
My family pretty much always had a pool growing up in Florida.  That is
one thing I miss out here in Phoenix.  No pool.  We could build one,
but that’s a lot of money and the property sizes are much smaller here
in the valley.  So we are talking about a this 15′ above ground pool.  What are you swimming in?  I would love some suggestions. photo by @Tamarazzi

④  Waterblasters – Sara at MomEndeavors shared this awesome DIY Water Blasters {Kiddie Sprinkler} how-to with us this week.  Water noodles that shoot 30 feet?  Sign me up.  We discovered watergun fun a few weeks ago and this project really takes that fun to a whole new level.  Waterblasters are a fun twist on the old and tired sprinkler fun with water that can shoot 30 feet!  Can you imagine having Waterblasters at a party (kids or adults)?  How exciting.  With simple step by step directions you can have it set up this weekend.  Check out the details here. photo by @MomEndeavors

⑤  Fireworks – “The rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air….”  It seems that summer screams for celebrations and fireworks.  Fourth of July was an amazing fireworks display, but every weekend you can hear the fireworks.  From time to time you can even catch a little show. I love sparklers and had so much fun watching Munchkin twirl them around for the first time.  We bought extras so we can enjoy the fun all summer long. photo by Chad @SlowRoasted

Indoor Fun

Living in Arizona we find a lot of indoor activities during the summer too.  Chad, Munchkin and I are really enjoy making time for indoor fun.  Here are our three favorites this week.

② & ⑥  Home Depot – Kids workshop the first Saturday of every month.  A FREE hands on learning experience for your kids.  Workshop for kids 5-12 (although no one is checking birth certificates).  Munchkin has been going since she turned 4 is looks forward to this activity all month long.   She loves every craft she has made and her skill increases every class.

This week they made a bug house, which I have to tell you my clean kid was not thrilled about going outside to find bugs.  I assured her we can order LadyBugs on Amazon.com and she was happy as can be.  haha  All kids that participate receive a workshop apron and a fun pin for each class.  They create a different craft each month.  You can sign up here. photos by Chad @SlowRoasted and @Marley_Kristin

⑧  Balloon Fun –  For Chad’s birthday last week, Munchkin
insisted we blow up a whole bag of balloons (72 of them) for the
celebration.  Needless to say, mama has got some good lungs.  haha 
Anyway after his birthday we had a house full of balloons.  A few days
later when temps were soaring and we were looking for something fun to
do, Chad tied them together and made fun games for Munchkin.  She is
constantly playing with them.  Balloon games are fun anytime! photo by Chad @SlowRoasted

Family Movies – This week we headed out to Epic the Movie.  A great story of a young girl, who finds herself transported to a magical world deep in the forest.  She is recruited by a nature spirit, Queen Tara, to help fight the battle of good verses evil. 

We enjoyed the movie.  It is rated PG and Munchkin loved it.  However it was a bit tense and did result in a nightmare that night, so beware if you have sensitive younger children.  We caught this movie at Harkins Theatres as a part of their Summer Movie Fun (just $2 each).  We catch a kids movie each week as part of our summer activities.

TRAVEL

Where are you heading this summer?  We have a few trips planned and we are so excited to be sharing some of our reader favorite USA destinations too.

①  Tucson Arizona – With 350 sunny days a year, Tucson is the place to visit!  A distinctly western town with turn of the century architecture, fabulous nightlife, unique Tucson cuisine, amazing scenery and 361 things to do.  Tucson, only 60 miles North of the Mexico border is sure to win your southwestern loving heart!  photo by Sara @MomEndeavors

② Amana Iowa – The Amana Colonies in east-central Iowa truly represent the American dream come true.  26,000 acres are home to the 7 villages that make up the historic Amana Colonies.  The Colonies were formed by German immigrants in 1855.  Amana society is founded on religious faith and community spirit.  Even today the past is cherished and hospitality is a way of life. Amana Colonies are well known for its restaurants and crafts.  It is truly like stepping back to a time when life was simple.  It is well worth a stop this summer.  photo by Chad @SlowRoasted

③  San Diego California – With 70 miles of beautiful coastline and reliable sunny weather, San Diego features a fabulous boardwalk and spectacular surfing.  It boast a laid back vibe and views as far as the eyes can see.   With magnificent attractions, including a world-renowned zoo and classic California cuisine it is perfect for the young and young at heart.  photo by Chad @SlowRoasted

④  Dyersville Iowa –  “Is this Heaven? No, it’s Iowa.” Dyersville is home to the well known movie set of Field of Dreams.  A quaint town with a population of just over 4,000.  It lives up to its small town expectations with traditional values and simple pleasures.  Grab a glove, ball and a bat and head to Dyersville for the day.  Hit a few balls and even catch the “ghost players” stepping out of the corn field and playing a game of baseball during the summer months.  Definitely worth a stop. photo by Chad @SlowRoasted

⑤  North Shore, Oahu Hawaii –  The beaches of the North shore stretch over 7 miles.  Home to the perfect wave, if ever there was one the North Shore is considered to be the surfing mecca of the world.  The winter waves of this paradise attract the best surfers in the world.  Every year North Shore hosts the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing.  You could simply sit and watch the waves come in for days and never tire of its beauty.  photo by Ashley @WishesNDishes

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