It’s hot and going to get hotter as summer has finally hit eastern North Carolina with a hot and humid vengeance. Though I had to work yesterday, our community celebrated Fossil Festival. The festival is usually held the weekend of Memorial Day but due to high winds it was postponed to this weekend. I missed it, again. I took off the weekend of Memorial Day to finally have a chance to enjoy the festival again but things did not work out well. Do you enjoy going to summer festivals? We have several local festivals and I used to try to go to a couple each year but with work and age, I’ve gone to less and less of them. My son made sure I got to enjoy one part of the festival, he brought me a funnel cake. Do you love fair and festival food? What do you look forward to getting when you go to a festival or fair?

One festival I remember going to had ice cold watermelon you could buy by the slice. It was so cold and sweet and refreshing after a day of wandering through booths and playing games. What is one of your favorite summertime treats? Do you eat salt on your watermelon?

When I lived in Louisiana, I went to a strawberry festival and had a daiquiri right on the street. That wouldn’t have happened back in North Carolina, at least not then. I love a frozen drink in the summer whether it’s a slushy from the convenience store or a frozen tropical adult beverage, summertime is just made for frozen drinks. Do you have a favorite frozen drink?

When I was a kid we used to make Pepsi floats. When I’d go to wedding or baby showers they had sherbert punch with ginger ale and pineapple juice. I loved that stuff. When I married my husband, we started drinking root beer floats. I still love a good ice cream or sherbert float, milk shake or a blizzard. Do you have a favorite?

The trick to making a really good ice cream float is to put a little soda in your glass before you add your ice cream or sherbert. Float your ice cream on top of your soda, add a little more soda and another scoop of ice cream, repeat until glass is almost full. Top with soda and whipped cream. I think I need to run to the store for ice cream.

Daquiris are best when made from fresh fruit but put your fruit in the freezer for a couple of hours, add fruit into blender until nearly full, add two to three shots of rum, make a lime sugar water with juice from one lime, 1/4 cup of sugar (or less) add two cups of warm water to dilute sugar. If fruit isn’t completely frozen add ice and less water.