We are a baseball family. My grandfather loves Dodger baseball, and so does my fiance. These are the two men in my life that I will be celebrating this Father’s Day. I know for a fact that both my Grandpa and my Honey Bunny want to stay home and lounge for a day of baseball (yes, the Dodgers are playing that day). I decided to make our Father’s Day menu a ballpark theme. There will be caramel popcorn, salted nuts, chocolate malts in a cup, and hogs in a blanket. These two sports fans will be HOG wild about the idea.

The best part about this whole plan is I could buy EVERYTHING I need to make my Father’s Day celebration happen at Walmart! That allows me less time running around from store to store and more time spent with my lovely family. Plus making hogs in a blanket is so easy and can be done in no time at all. It gives any baseball viewing game at home the perfect vibe of being in the stadium. All you have to do is serve with mustard, a pickle on a the side, and you got a perfect bite size treat. Hooray!

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads who work hard to raise their children right.

Ingredients for hogs in a blanket:

• 1 – box puff pastry sheets
• egg wash (1 egg and 1 tablespoon water)
• 8 – franks or any cooked sausage of your choice
• Optional: sesame seed, poppy seeds, dried jalapenos, grated parmesan

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Unfold puff pastry on a lightly floured surface.
3. Cut puff pastry into 4 squares. 
4. Brush on side of each square with egg wash. 
5. Place the frank on the opposite side and roll the puff pastry up toward the side with the egg wash. Press the edge to seal. 
6. Brush the top of each top with the egg wash. 
7. Optional: Sprinkle tops with any of the seeds or cheese above. Press topping into dough, then cut each one in half. 
8. Place on a baking mat lined cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
9. Serve with mustard and a pickle.
10. Enjoy!

When I first found out I was pregnant I knew I wanted a boy! There is a photo of me crying out of pure joy with a little sign that says “It’s A Boy!” I had heard it was hard to raise boys when they are young, but harder to raise girls in the teen years. I’m sort of a tomboy in disguise so I didn’t need any prissy girl roaming around the house. BOY, oh BOY… I got what I asked for. My boy is a ruff and tumble lad who has very little fear installed in his heart. He does things on a daily basis that make me cringe. He’ll take a spill and immediately follow it with “I’m okay!” Meanwhile I’m holding my breath on the verge of a heart attack and tears. Rarely does he cry, and if he does I know it must be bad.

With the ending of the school year and summer walking through our lives I know there are going to lots of active moments that may be met with scrapes and bruises. Instead of waiting for them to happen I’m gonna prepare myself now. I made a list of everything I need. Ointments, band-aids, gauze, hydrogen peroxide, and baby aspirin. I already cleaned out my medicine cabinet of old outdated meds to make room for my personal Summer first aid kit. Here’s the catch, my son Max gets uneasy whenever I have to tend to an open wound. He’d rather I leave it alone and allow it to scab up solo. We all know that’s not gonna happen. I figured out a method that works really well for me. PALETAS! I hand him a paleta and that gets his mind off the cut at hand. I combined a few of his favorite flavors to make something that will ease the pain and the heat of summer.

Ingredients for strawberry banana horchata paletas:

• Fresh strawberries (sliced)
• Banana (cut into wedges)
• Horchata (store bought)
• Popsicle mold
• Popsicle sticks

Directions:

1. Drop a few pieces of strawberries and banana into the Popsicle mold.
2. Pour in horchata to reach the top. 
3. Top mold with cover and insert Popsicle sticks.
4. Freeze overnight.
5. Fill basin with warm water and dip mold into water for 15 seconds to loosen from mold.
6. Pull straight up toward sky on paleta. 
7. Eat This Now!