Hello! Summer has officially arrived at Jewhungry! If you follow me on Instagram (and I hope you do — check out the sidebar to see all the fun you’re missing in case you aren’t), you’ll know that a few weeks ago, I posted what turned out to be a popsicle fail. I was so thrilled to be asked to join in on the my first ever #popsicleweek by the incredible Billy Green (of Wit and Vinegar). I was all excited to join in on the popsicle fun but then my husband went out of town for two weeks, summer school started and I fell waaaaaay behind on posts. You see, unlike actual seasoned food bloggers, I do not and cannot plan and execute my posts weeks in advance cause I just don’t have the time. My posts usually come together last minute on a Sunday that I’ve blocked out 3 days prior to a deadline. It’s not the MOST effective way to work but 9 times out of 10 it actually works. Two weeks ago, however, it did not.

So, like I was saying, if you follow me on Instagram you’ll remember that I posted a melted mess of a chocolate and vanilla creamsicle that I was hoping would have made it in time to actually be included in my first ever Popsicle Week. But, alas, it did not. Well, 5 days later, husband finally came home from being gone for 2 weeks and helped me make my Black and White Creamsicle dreams come true. And while they didn’t get done in time for Popsicle Week, they still got done in time for summer and you can find the recipe and some thoughts on the power of the Black and White cookie over at Interfaithfamily.com. Click HERE for the recipe! Happy Summer!

You ever wonder how it is you got somewhere? Not like, “I’m at home and now I’m at Target. How did that happen?” Because, really, we all know how that happens. The more appropriate question for Target is, “I went in for toilet paper. How did I end up walking out with $150 worth of goods?” Damn you, Target!!!

But no, that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about looking back at your life and wondering how it ‘landed’ you where you are today. Case in point: This passed week I found myself how it was that I was managing a camping trip of roughly 110 9th graders and, like, I was in charge (of that camp — thank Gd, not of the whole trip). I was, however, put in charge of all medical issues—assessing, treating (with what little equipment I had), making calls on who needs off the island NOW and who can wait. I think back to who I was a decade ago or even 20 years ago as a fresh graduate of high school and I think, “There’s no way in hell I saw myself doing what I’m doing now”. Of course I had always wanted to be rock star—singing is the ONE thing I can confidentally say that I do well. I charted my course for that as well. I took lessons forever. I immersed myself in musical theater. I even went to college of a theater scholarship. But alas, I took a different direction when I was 19. When I was 19 I spent the summer working for a rehabilitation camp for Kosovo refugee children and that was it. I went to college the next year, changed my major from theater to political science (which is just theater for unattractive people) and starting working on my career as an advocate. I didn’t know that that’s what it was I wanted to be at that time but, in looking back at what I wanted, that was definitely ‘it’.

I guess you could say my dreams of becoming an advocate have come true. I advocate for my students CONSTANTLY and sometimes? Sometimes people actually listen . . . but not as much as I’d like. That said, I think I might possibly be living my dream. It’s not the dream of accepting a TONY award (I’ve had that speech prepared since I was 12) or of running a nationally recognized nonprofit (I love my family too much to give my whole life to running a nonprofit. Also? I don’t know how to run a nonprofit. Details.). But it is the dream of advocacy. Albeit, a different kind but I love it all the same.

So what does this have to do with fruit bowls and mermaids? Well, the other thing I NEVER thought I’d be doing is running the little food blog. Or any food blog, for that matter. Heck, even cooking! My first roommate and I used to add frozen vegetables to pots of Rice a-Roni and call it gourmet. I did not know how to cook for a very long time. That said, I still loved entertaining and would go out of my way to make sure the table setting looked great . . . most likely because I knew the food was going to be terrible but hey! At least it looked pretty. This post is an extension of that old Whitney. It doesn’t take a lot of culinary ‘know-how’ and it really doesn’t take a lot of talent. It does, however, take a few coconuts, some fruit and tiny little cookie cutters. Tiny cookie cutters came into my life last year when I was reading a Pinterest post on fun kid lunch ideas for school. Someone showed tiny cheese sandwiches in the shapes of various animals and I was like, “Can adults also eat that cause that’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. Show me the Amazon link IMMEDIATELY”. A batch of animals, hearts, stars and Mickey Mouse ears later and I’m cutting everything I see into fun, tiny shapes. So if you’ve got friends and family coming over for a Shavuot or Memorial Day meal and you need a fun dessert recipe, STAT or you just really enjoy cutting foods into tiny shapes, this is the recipe for you. I hope you enjoy! Chag Sameach!

Mermaid Dessert Bowls

Ingredients:

1 whole coconut, cut in half
1/2 mango, sliced long and thick
1 pint strawberries
1 pint blueberries
1  package pineapple, sliced long and thick
1 pint ice cream

Directions:

First, drain the coconut. Seeing as that I am not, in fact a mermaid and that we definitely didn’t have coconuts falling from the trees where I grew up in Marietta, GA, my husband and I totally searched “WikiHow” to figure out the best way to cut a coconut in half as precisely as possible. We found that #3 works best from the site: 3 Ways to Open a Coconut.

Once you drained and rinsed out your coconut, set it aside. Next, using your favorite tiny cookie cutters, cut out as many tiny figures as possible. I used a tiny heart, dolphin and star cookie cutter to create a more ‘under the sea’ vibe.

Next, scoop out as much ice cream as you want and top with fruit. No one’s pretending this is a difficult ‘recipe’, but it is a fun one at that. Enjoy after Instagramming so that all your friends know you’re having a deliciously fun mermaid time!

P.S. Use all the leftover fruit scraps to make one delicious fruit smoothie! Waste not; want not!

Team. I’m editing this post from The Rape Treatment Center of Santa Monica’s conference, The Roads to Respect. Headliner for this conference: The original bad b*tch, Jane Fonda. Goal of the conference: Learning how to help kids thrive as they transition into adulthood. Topics to be covered:

• Child/adolescent development through a gendered lens – how it’s different for girls and for boys.
• Instagram, Vine, YouTube, Ask.fm, Tinder, and more – how the pervasive role of social media in adolescents’ lives is impacting their relationships, communication skills, and self-esteem.
• Why it’s important to talk with kids about Internet pornography, and how to have age-appropriate conversations.

I mean, exciting stuff, right!? And adding to the excitement is the fact that I was THIS close to getting a selfie with Jane Fonda but then her handler was all, “She’s gonna take a break now. Come back at lunch.” It will happen folks. IT. WILL. HAPPEN. (Update: It did not happen. We chatted, but I was too chicken to ask for a pic).

But in all seriousness, this conference is what I live for. It’s what I do and what I want to keep doing for as long as I can. As much as I love food blogging, my heart is in this work. I am inspired to be an advocate for young people. I was inspired before I became a mother but was exceedingly inspired when I became a mother; especially a mother of a daughter. It’s hard enough to get through the worries and angst of adolescence in a safe environment but if recent increases in hate speech and crimes tells usanything, it’s that empathy education and individuals who are willing to teach it are in need much more now than ever. This work is frustrating and sad, uplifting and motivating. It’s exhausting. It can be just as soul-crushing as much as it can be soul-enduring. My commitment to this work is why I rarely post on this blog. It’s absolutely why, when someone asks me where I want to see my blog go in 5 years, I think to myself, “I don’t know. It is what it is”. There are times when I wish I had more time to learn the art of monetizing my blog or creating those fun overhead videos showing how to cook something. But I just don’t have the time. Speaking of time, I gotta jet. Jane Fonda is talking about the role of patriarchy and it’s effect on developmental grown in adolescents.

For this full recipe of this easy but DELICIOUS tahini and vanilla ice box cake, head on over to Interfaithfamily.com.

P.S. I think I’ve lost count on just how many recipes of mine include tahini! I LOVE the stuff. Also? If you can believe it, there was a time when I didn’t actually like tahini. I didn’t even like halva! I remember visiting the Mahane Yehuda market in Jerusalem and being offered free samples of the stuff, left and right, and saying ‘no’ to all of it! I said ‘No’ to free tahini and halva!! What the hell?! Who was that girl!? I don’t know but, needless to say, I’ve grown up a lot since then.