GARDEN STATE VIEWS - DUFFERS MINI GOLF AND ICE CREAM

Duffers Ice Cream and Mini Golf 

Miniature golf and ice cream go hand in hand for some reason. If you go and play mini golf, you just want ice cream after. It has always been a great past time for us as a family. The kids and grand kids just love it. So while visiting Wildwood recently, we were drawn to this place, Duffers, and decided to give it a try. While not wanting to be negative right out of the gate, I also want to be honest, so that you will know what to expect if you decide to try. If I were rating this place with a star rating, with 1 being my least favorite place to 5 being one of my favorites, I would have to give this place a rating of 2.  First things first, the food. Being a food blogger, that is top priority. The food is not very good and it is pricey. We ordered the kids mac and cheese and you could tell it was a very commercial mac and cheese by the way it looked AND tasted. We also ordered the freedom fries, which are described as crispy fries covered with melted jack and cheddar cheeses and crispy bacon with ranch dressing for dipping. First, one of my pet peeves is to get a sauce for dipping, and there is no where near enough. If you give me a giant plate of fries, one tiny cup of dressing is not nearly going to be enough! So of course, that is what I was given with my large plate of fries. There were plenty of fries, actually too much, and one little cup of ranch. Also, not nearly enough cheese, nor enough bacon. We ended up tossing them. In addition, I ordered a chocolate coke, and it had lumps of chocolate at the bottom. I have never experienced this before. They are always very smooth. So with that being said, we decided to skip the ice cream. 

Now this place has an arcade and I think it is a really cool arcade. The arcade alone would get a 4 star rating. They have new technologically up to date games, and an easy card system for the kids to use. Very reasonably priced, and the kids can waste a good hour of time in there maybe even 2 depending on their age. My kids really enjoyed the arcade. 

As far as the 18 hole mini golf course, it left a lot to be desired, especially as far as kids go. For mini golf, kids like a lot of animation and things that move, and some water falls. This golf course has none of those, and it also is pricey. The adult price is $8.00 which is fine, but I certainly do not think that kids under 12 should be the same price as an adult, but they are. They do play music while you golf which I thought was nice for the adults. Their website is: www.dufferswildwood.com    

SUMMER IN JERSEY - PEACHES - PEACH SUNSET

Peach Sunset

It's summertime and the living is easy. At least that is what I've always heard, so that is my motto, and how I choose to spend my summers. Summer is the time for hanging at the pool, and having friends and family over for those summer barbecues and cocktails. You fire up the barbecue, get out all of your comfortable seating, and turn on all those tiny lights that make your yard look like a magical fairy garden. My family just loves sitting on the deck watching the sun set while sipping a special cocktail and listening to music. It somehow just draws us closer to each other. After all, family is everything! 

Summer is a song, it's a season. A summer breeze makes me feel fine. These are the things that I thought of the first time I saw this peach cider. I was shopping at schober orchards, and saw this cider for the first time ever. Of course, I had always gotten apple cider before, but never knew that peach cider was even a thing! So when I saw it, I thought to myself, I know I can make a special cocktail with that. So I bought it, brought it home, and created the peach sunset. And the rest is history. My family loves them. 

What you will need: 8 oz. (1 cup) of peach cider - 2 oz. (1/8 cup) of vanilla flavored vodka - 1 Tbsp. of peach schnaaps

How to make it: Pour all ingredients into an ice filled shaker and shake vigorously. Then pour into an ice filled glass. Garnish with a sliced peach and a mint leaf. Salute'

SUMMER IN JERSEY - PEACHES - OLD FASHIONED PEACH COBBLER

Old Fashioned Peach Cobbler

So you've taken the family on a great summertime family activity; picking peaches. And now you are wondering what to do with all of this sweet, juicy, luscious fruit. The answer of course, is to make peach cobbler. There is no doubt about it, that picking peaches with the kids and maybe grandkids is a wonderful experience. Kids, especially kids that live in the city, need to know where their food comes from. I can tell you from experience, it is a great bonding time with your family to get outside in the fresh air and sunshine, and pick fruit together at an orchard. There is nothing really quite like it. We have some really wonderful orchards here in Jersey, and I would like to share with you some of the best here in south Jersey and close to central Jersey. There is a small orchard on Buck Road in Monroeville, called Haynicz's Orchardview Farm. You can find them on Facebook. Also there is one in Mullica Hill called Moods Farm.  www.moodsfarmmarket.com This farm has a lot of "pick your own" such as blueberries, cherries, and peaches. A great place to go. Two bigger places to go, with lots of fun stuff for the kids are: Johnson's Corner Farm in Medford, www.johnsonsfarm.com and Terhune Orchards in Princeton www.terhuneorchards.com.   Your kids will so enjoy this time of family togetherness. You will be making great memories along with getting the kind of fruit that cannot be purchased at your local supermarket. Peach picking in Jersey runs from about mid-July to the end of August. Keep in mind that fully ripened peaches should be picked when they can be easily removed from the tree branches, otherwise they are not fully ripe. If you have to tug to get it to come off, it is probably not ripe enough. This is really important,  because peaches will not ripen after they have been picked from the tree. They will only soften up. This could give you a soft peach, but not much sweetness. Also, don't rely on the color of the peach to determine its ripeness. Green skin on any variety of peach is a sign that it is not ripe. Softness is somewhat of an indicator. The peach should have a little give when gently pressed. Fuzz is supposed to be on the peaches when you pick them. Peaches sold in supermarkets have been put through machines to get rid of that fuzz before being sent to the market, as some people find the fuzz un-appealing. 

If you need to keep your peaches for longer than 3 or 4 days after you pick them, it is best to keep them in the regrigerator. Otherwise, you can leave them out in a bowl for 3 or 4 days. Peaches freeze really well too. Now to that peach cobbler. 

Old Fashioned Peach Cobbler

What you will need: 3/4 cup of white sugar - 2 cups of cut up peaches (with or without skin, I leave the skin on) Mix the cut up peaches with the sugar, and let stand while making the batter. 

For the batter you will need: 3/4 cup of white sugar - 3/4 cup of all-purpose flour - 3/4 cup of whole milk - 2 tsps. of baking powder - 1/8 tsp. of salt - 1 stick of butter

To make: Set oven to 350 degrees. Put the stick of butter in an 8" pan, and then melt the butter in the oven. 

Mix all of the remaining batter ingredients. Pour over the melted butter, but do not mix. 

Last, pour the peach mixture over the batter, but again, do not mix. 

Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Enjoy.