Easy Chocolate Milkshake

It's here! Summer! Heat! Humidity!

Sooo... That doesn't sound all that fun, BUT, if there's one good thing about summer (besides baseball), it's getting to eat cold, sugary foods, right?? And what better way to cool off than to have some ice cream or a milkshake.

I know, I know. First, Nutella fudge pops, and now chocolate milkshakes... I can't help it. I love my chocolate...

This was another last minute craving, so it's going to be SUPER simple and SUPER quick.

What you'll need (for one big serving):
- 3-4 scoops of ice cream (I used vanilla, but chocolate would be amazing!)
- About 1/2 of a cup of milk
- 3-4 tablespoons of chocolate syrup
- 1-2 Ice cubes
- A splash of vanilla extract (optional)
- Whipped cream (optional)

Add the ice cream, milk, chocolate syrup, ice, and vanilla to the blender. Blend. Pour into pretty cup. Top with delicious whipped cream. Inhale Enjoy.

I know this really isn't anything special, but it's a yummy, simple way to keep cool during the heat waves that is a Baltimore summer. And can you really turn down chocolate and whipped cream? Because I can't...

♥Sara

Where I've Been

My apologies for being MIA for the past month! I wish I had a happy reason to give you, but unfortunately, it's a sad one.

My Uncle Todd passed away unexpectedly on May 31st. It was buy tickets, pack, fly to Wisconsin faster than you can blink. We stayed for a month with my Grandmother to help her through this difficult time. 

The passing of my Uncle is a tremendous loss to the whole family. Personally, I also lost a friend. He and I used to correspond about WWII and American history — he was brilliant. He was a Major in the United States Air Force — I called him "Major-Major" and he called me "Minor-Major". 

We are slowly getting back into the everyday routine now, so hopefully I'll be back to a regular blog schedule soon. 

❤ Courtney

App Review: A Beautiful Mess

So I'm going to try something new. I can't promise you that I'll do this consistently, but here it goes.

 

An app review. And by review, I mean my thoughts on an iPhone app I thought was fun. I could call it "Technology Tuesday," but I'm pretty sure that's been done before, and that would also mean I'd probably have to continue the tradition of "Technology Tuesday," which I can't promise... So, let's just go with Temporary Technology Tuesday for now, okay? But anyway..............................

 

Courtney introduced me to A Beautiful Mess when we were thinking of starting the Blue Typewriter and it quickly became a great influence. The style and design of the blog, the recipes, the content in general - it was a lot of stuff I enjoyed looking at, and could see myself doing, so when the Beautiful Mess photo app came out, I was pretty excited to give it a shot!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It only costs 99 cents (which is really reasonable to me) and includes filters and over 30 items, including pictures, text, and borders, to add to your photos. You can also buy additional items within the app for 99 cents per package.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the things I enjoy most is adding doodles to a picture. There are adorable pictures and shapes, and word bubbles too. I don't know what it is, but I really like adding words and doodles to pictures. I just think it makes the picture pop a bit and gives it a little more personality.

It's also really easy to add text to your photos. There are over 20 fonts and plenty of colors to choose from, which is nice. Choosing a font that fits the occasion and mood is important!

Another neat thing about this app is you can choose from different preset backgrounds to add text and doodles to create your own picture! Creativity at its finest!

If you want, you can check out the app for yourself by clicking here, or searching it in the iTunes app store. If you like to create fun, whimsical pictures, I'd definitely consider getting this app. It's a lot of fun and really easy to use. Sure, it's probably not going to make your photos award winning, but it really adds some fun touches - perfect for those Instagram-able moments!

I don't know Elsie and Emma or anyone associated with the Beautiful Mess blog or app, but I love both and can't wait to see what's in store for them. I just really wanted to share this app with you because I've been having so much fun with it, and wanted you to have fun with your photos too!

♥Sara

All pictures are my own, edited with the A Beautiful Mess iPhone app. :)

Nutella Fudge Pops

Yes. You read right. NUTELLA. FUDGE. POPS.

I was walking around Target one day and saw these popsicle molds, and put them in my basket without even thinking about what I was doing, so these were a really last minute thing, but they were TOTES worth it!

(Not so precise) Ingredients:

2-3 spoonfuls of Nutella (the more, the chocolatier! ;) )

1 cup of milk

A splash of vanilla extract

Warm the milk in a saucepan, then add the vanilla and Nutella. Whisk it all together until the Nutella is completely melted and everything is blended together. Take it off the heat, let it cool, and pour into your popsicle mold! Let those puppies freeze and enjoy!

I love Love LOVE Nutella, so I was pretty darn excited about these. They turned out really nice and they were so yummy! Perfect for a hot summer day! I can't wait to experiment with some other flavors for more frozen treats!

❤Sara

Happy Summer!!!!

Happy first day of summer, everyone! 

Can you believe it's the end of June already? I know I say this every month, every year, but I really can't believe it! Time really does fly when you're having fun!

I hope y'all are enjoying your summer so far and have some fun things planned with your friends and family!

❤ Sara

Strawberry Lemonade

When I hear "summer," I think baseball, the beach, hot dogs, and lemonade. Yesss.

I don't know what came over me, but I suddenly had a craving for strawberry lemonade. And when I get a craving, I pretty much have to take care of it right away, so I made my way to the grocery store to get some ingredients.

- 1 cup lemon juice (about 5-6 lemons)
- 1 1/2 cup simple syrup
- 3-5 cups water
- 1 cup strawberry puree (about a pint and a half of fresh strawberries and 2-3 tablespoons of sugar)

I started by mashing up my strawberries with a few tablespoons of sugar. You can use a food processor or blender, but I actually just used a potato masher and fork. I let the mixture sit in the fridge for about an hour before mashing it up a little more and running it through a strainer.

Next I made the simple syrup. One and a half cups of water. One and a half cups of sugar. Simmer until sugar is dissolved. Let cool completely. Done. Simple!

Now for the main attraction - LEMONS! Juice your lemons and strain (no one wants seeds in their lemonade), then add the syrup, water, lemon juice, and strawberry puree to a pitcher, stir, and voila! Strawberry lemonade! Totes delish! My only suggestion is to add the syrup, water, and strawberries slowly, according to your taste. Obviously, if you like your lemonade stronger, or more tart, you won't need all the water or syrup. I happen to like mine sweeter. :)

This can also be made with raspberries. That would be just as good!

 

If you guys have any good summer recipes, let me know!

 

♥Sara

The Blue Typewriter is on Instagram!

Let's talk about something serious, shall we? Instagram. Okay... this isn't really serious, but it's pretty fun, right? Instagram is an easy way to share photos. You take a picture. You add a filter. You share it with anyone willing to look. Boom. You're now on Instagram.

Whether it's a picture of you and your friends, your dinner, your dog, or that creepy looking tree in your neighbor's backyard, it's a great way to share what's going on in that moment of your life. And while there might be one or two people who don't want to see that creepy tree, we do!

Be sure to follow us on Instagram (@BlueTypewriter) to see our photos and please leave a comment with your Instagram username! We'd LOVE to check out your photos too!

♥ Courtney & Sara