When I think of summer, I think of _________. Part 1

Fill in the blank.  When I think of summer, I think of beautiful sunsets, crisp mornings and hot afternoons, the smell of freshly cut grass and camp outs.  NOW for the food portion: When I think of summer I think of s'mores, firecracker Popsicles, strawberry shortcake, strawberry milk, strawberry lemonade, banana splits and banana pudding.....can you tell where this is going?

Some things are just synonymous with summer - S'mores for example.  Does anyone eat s'mores in the winter?  Our local grocery store creates a whole display with s'more items every summer but I have never seen that same display during the winter, so last summer I created the S'more cupcake (previously blogged about).

Last summer I also created my Firecracker cupcake.  As a kid I can remember the ice cream truck coming down my street playing a horrible version of The Entertainer, but that was the cue to drop what I was doing, beg mom for a dollar and run into the street.  Ever since I can remember, the Firecracker Popsicle has been my favorite - I mean 3 flavors for the price of 1; blue raspberry, white lemon and red cherry.  Cherry being my least favorite was perfectly placed on top so of course was the first to be eaten, followed by my 2nd favorite, and then the finale, - artificial raspberry!  When I was done my poor tongue was a grotesque hue of purply blue.  But it was worth it, so of course in my obsession for new cupcakes, I had to create this one.
(on a side note, I had to have a real Firecracker Popsicle for "picture" purposes and just about sprained my ankle running to the icecream truck - must have been quite the picture since I'm not quite a child anymore).

Also, a creation from last summer - the Strawberry Shortcake Cupcake.  Honestly, as a kid, this was not one of my favorite desserts - the cake part always became so soggy that it wasn't appealing, but I loved strawberries and whipped cream so there must be another way to enjoy this.  Well, I have since discovered, as an adult, that I LOVE this dessert with angel food cake and if the strawberries are fresh and haven't been soaking in sugared strawberry juice for a day, then you can have your cake, strawberries and whipped cream all together and it creates a delightful, light summer treat.  So, I made  an angel food cupcake, filled with strawberry puree, topped with strawberry whip cream and a strawberry, delightful!

All 3 summer delights - Strawberry shortcake, Firecracker, & S'mores

Warning - not a picture of a cupcake, this is my ankle after running for the icecream truck! Ouch!