DIY Life

For the last couple of days, the weather has been humid, without much wind to cool it off. It was hot enough outside that I had to split the lawn mowing into two days. I will not complain, though, as I will take the heat, sans humidity, any day of the year.

Unfortunately, it gets pretty hot in my house too, as we don't have much shade or air conditioning. It wasn't enough that I had cold water to drink: I needed something more to help cool down my body temperature. I wasn't prepared, but next time, you can bet I will be with these 6 simple frozen treats I can concoct myself.

Do you remember Magic Shell? It's that weird and wonderful chocolate creation that, when poured over ice cream, hardens so you get to crunch through.

As a kid, it was just pure fun. As an adult, I have to wonder what in the heck goes into that stuff. It turns out that certain oils keeps the chocolate liquid until poured over the ice cream. What's more, you can make it at home.

All you need is some finely chopped eating chocolate, coconut oil, and a pinch of salt. Brownie Points gives us the how-to. You can even add different flavor extracts to create your own varieties of Magic Shell that can't be bought in stores.

In honor of all the kids going back to school this month, Baskin-Robbins ice cream shops are hosting an Oreo Ice Cream Lick-A-Thon in participating stores on September 20th to benefit schools, clubs, and libraries across the country. The object is to see who can eat their ice cream come the fastest -- licking only, please! Winners will become official Lick Champions and, I assume will be called upon to seal envelopes and affix stamps for at least the next six months.

Baskin-Robbins apparently realizes that ice cream cone-licking is a learned art and has thoughtfully provided a few tips on how to be the best licker in your neighborhood: