Is it that time again?

It feels like it's been ages since I last blogged. Quite a bit has happened this week. We're still enduring a heat wave, and I swear that our little AC is losing the battle. We're supposed to get a reprieve from the high temps this week, and I so hope they're right. We had quite a storm not too long after I finished my last blog post, complete with golf ball-sized hail and hurricane-force winds. One of the pine trees out front decided to split open and fall over right in front of the house, and I am SO, SO grateful it decided to fall AWAY from the house.

Look at this tree. Just look at it. All falling over and crap.

 Had the wind been blowing the opposite direction, our master bedroom would have been crushed. That would have most certainly moved our rental search priority to DefCon 1. Speaking of which, last Thursday we took a look at a rental property that we liked very much. We may not get it because it's a tiny bit more expensive than we would like, but hey, at least we found something. That's a great improvement over the "no pets, no longer available" luck I've been having. We will prevail. With time and perseverance, we'll find a place that's both in our target price range and has the features we're looking for.

Now that I've given you a personal update, here is the real reason I'm posting today: HOMEMADE STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE ICE CREAM.

Wipe your chin; you're drooling.

This stuff is delicious, and it wasn't difficult to make! I found the recipe in a Philadelphia Cream Cheese  advertisement in my latest issue of Better Homes and Gardens. It really does taste like cheesecake with strawberry topping. It even has graham crackers in it! I made this for dessert as part of our Independence Day celebration, and I have to say, I'm pretty proud of myself. Anyway, without further adieu, here's the recipe:

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream, courtesy of Philadelphia Cream Cheese

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
• 1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
• 1/3 cup whipping cream
• 2 tsp. lemon zest
• 1-1/2 cups fresh strawberries
• 3 HONEY MAID Honey Grahams, coarsely chopped

Directions:

• Mix first 4 ingredients with mixer until well blended. Freeze 4 hours or until almost solid.
• Beat cream cheese mixture with mixer until creamy. Blend berries in blender until smooth. Add to cream cheese mixture with chopped grahams; mix well. Freeze 8 hours or until firm.
• Remove dessert from freezer 15 min. before serving; let stand at room temperature to soften slightly before scooping into dishes.

See, what'd I tell ya? EASY! Go make some. You won't be sorry!

PSSST! By the way, you don't have to use the name brand stuff. I didn't. But don't tell Kraft I told you that.