Last year, I came up with a delicious cafe miel popsicle recipe and I thought of them this year when Lavazza sent me some of their Gran Selezione roast and asked me to come up with a cold beverage to celebrate summer. So I pulled out the blender and used almost the exact same ingredients--coffee, coconut cream, and honey--to make a Paleo coconut frappé. 

Whoever said "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" was on to something.

Paleo Coconut Café Frappé

Ingredients (serves 2) 

• 12 ounces of coffee--I used Lavazza Gran Selezione
• 1 can of full-fat coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• Unsweetened cocoa powder, for garnish

Instructions 

1. The night before you make this, take a little over half of the coffee and freeze it in an ice cube tray.
2. In a blender, combine coffee ice cubes, the creamy part of the can of coconut milk (about four or five tablespoons), honey, and the liquid coffee.
3. Pour into a chilled glass, top with cocoa powder, and enjoy!

This post is brought to you in partnership with Lavazza.

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Pure Leaf via Mode Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Pure Leaf.

My friend Andy and his family always throw the best little backyard barbecue parties in the spring and summer, but I haven't been to one in a long time. I think the last time I was able to attend was on Memorial Day several years back, but I still remember Andy's mom's amazing bourbon slush, which is delicious, easy to make, and very simply dressed up or down (Solo cup? That works. Martini glass? Also fine.)

Now my family makes it every year when the weather gets warmer--you just throw everything into a big pitcher or even a plastic container, pop it in the freezer overnight, and just like that, you're ready to throw a party.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of Pure Leaf Iced Tea (I used sweetened)
• 24 ounces frozen lemonade concentrate
• 12 ounces frozen orange juice concentrate
• 3 cups bourbon whiskey
• Orange and/or lime wedges for garnish

Instructions: 

1. In a large pitcher or another container, combine iced tea, lemonade and orange juice concentrate, and whiskey. Stir until the juice concentrates are melted and well incorporated.
2. Place the mixture in the freezer overnight (at least 10 hours). The whiskey will prevent the entire thing from freezing, which is what creates the "slush!"
3. To serve, scoop into glasses and garnish with a wedge of lime or orange (or both!). 

Pure Leaf is a premium iced tea brewed from real tea leaves picked at their freshest. For recipes, tea tips, and daily inspiration, visit PureLeaf.com.

This post is sponsored by Hebrew National.

The fourth of July is coming up and I'm back with another Hebrew National post to help you plan for an Independence Day party! Obviously there's probably no other food that screams "America" more than a chili cheese dog, but I also came up with a few other combinations for your next celebration.

• BBQ sauce + Coleslaw
• Thinly-sliced radishes + dill relish
• Baked beans + chili
• Some combination of all six!
• Note: The combination of franks and these toppings may not be Kosher.

And here are some easy and straightforward party-throwing tips:

• Make it festive! Depending on whether you plan to entertain inside or outside, pick up some little flag toothpicks or streamers or even balloons. If you like to keep it simple (kind of my life mantra lately), just stick to red and white napkins, or maybe even a fun tablecloth to tie everything together.
• Have all your toppings and condiments set out and ready before your guests arrive, so when they show up all you have to do is throw the hot dogs on the grill and enjoy a beverage with them.
• Speaking of beverages, keep a nice variety--I like to have sodas or fun, flavored waters handy in case someone doesn't want to drink alcohol. You could even make a few interesting simple syrups so people can make their own Italian sodas. As far as adult beverages go, you really can't go wrong with beer and wine on a hot day.
• Make the food fun--I decided to include radishes because I love them and had never thought to put them on a hot dog. See who can come up with the most creative combination.
• Have gluten-free buns or big pieces of lettuce for anyone who doesn't eat bread--I always appreciate that so much whenever I go to someone's house for dinner. (Just make sure you keep them separate from the regular bread--in these pictures I plated everything together because I'm not so sensitive to gluten that I can't eat anything that's been cross-contaminated, but some people are.)
• Don't forget the music! I made a little playlist to get you started. These are all songs I'd love to listen to during a cookout--they all remind me of summers or college afternoons in some way:

1. This Must Be The Place by Talking Heads
2. The General by Dispatch
3. I'm Yours by Jason Mraz
4. Dust on the Bottle by David Lee Murphy
5. I Will Wait by Mumford & Sons
6. Home by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes
7. Wagon Wheel by Old Crow Medicine Show

What makes a Hebrew National kosher hot dog premium? It's all about what makes the cut (and what doesn't). We're choosy about what goes into our franks--we use only premium cuts of 100% kosher beef from the front half of the cow and then choose the best from that. No artificial flavors, colors, fillers, or by-products. When your hot dog is Kosher, that's a hot dog you can trust! For more summer fun with Hebrew National, visit facebook.com/hebrewnational.