I pledge.

My college roommate recently wrote a blog post about her summer pledge and it mostly involved icy summer treats (she already does triathlons and such so she doesn't need to put things like exercise on her list). It got me thinking about my summer pledges, which coincidentally, also involves a lot of icy summer treats! Especially since I'm leaning back into the world of dairy (woo).

It's going to be an interesting summer. For the first time in our years together, Hank and I will both be home and free of that whole day job thing for the entire summer. In theory, this means a lot of stuff can be accomplished. It also means we can do a whole lot of goofing off if we play it right.

In addition, I plan to say, "Go ask your father." a lot! Bwahahahahahaha.

I've vowed to stop being what I call an "idea gatherer" and will work on putting plans into motion. I've already started on that. Lots of work to happen after vacation. The words Summer Pledge seem so much more motivating than something like New Years Resolutions. I'll be anxious to see my progress come August when I'm shipping Hank off to work and The Boss off to school. The nice thing is that even if we shirk some jobs along the way, it was in the name of good fun with our kids.

We haven't started making popsicles, ice cream, or sorbet yet, because we're still all about crunch. Sweet potato chips to be exact. Yeah, we're still making everything into chips. To go with one of our favorite dips which I just so happened to whip up for Father's Day. It's from one of our favorite restaurants of all time, Kaya. The dip is spicy and so good with the slight sweet and salty flavors of the homemade chips. The restaurant serves this with sweet potato and other root vegetable chips that are fried, but we're all crazy for the baked sweet potato chips around here. The in-laws are crazy about them, too when they were here for Father's Day. Everyone devoured the dip and chips before I could even get outside to take photos. Ahh well, it won't be the last time these make an appearance. The only downside is that these recipes call for turning on your oven which is I think against the law in the summer. Save these in your back pocket if you'd like.

The vacation countdown begins today and somehow I think giving Hank a hammock for Father's Day really wasn't the way to go if I wanted anything to be accomplished this week or during the summer for that matter. Certainly I have no designs on that hammock. Nope, not me. Relax? What? Never! I only bought the hammock for him.

Baked Sweet Potato Chips

Using a mandoline or if you have mad knife skills, thinly slice sweet potatoes (we keep the skin on) and lightly toss with olive or canola oil. Place on baking sheet making sure the potatoes do not touch or overlap each other. Bake at 400 degrees anywhere from 10-20 minutes, depending on how big your pieces are. The edges will start to curl up and turn slightly brown. Remove potato pieces and place on a cookie rack to cool and sprinkle with sea salt.

Kaya's Yucatan Black Bean Dip

I snagged this recipe off of their website years ago before they probably realized they shouldn't put their recipes on their site;)

3 cups cooked black beans

1/2 cup mayo

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cayenne

1/2 can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (I typically only use 3 peppers and it's spicy enough)

chihuaha or monterey jack cheese, about a half cup

green onions for garnish

In a food processor, add half of the black beans, mayo, parmesan, chili powder, cayenne, and chipotles. Process until well mixed and smooth. Add in remainder of black beans and pulse a few times. You want some of the black beans to have some texture. Place mixture into a baking dish, sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and dip is bubbling around the edges. Sprinkle with green onions if you wish. Serve with chips of any kind. If you aren't into making your own chips, a bag of Terra chips works really well!