M. Y. O. F. Y. - or - Tell Pinkberry to Shove It

I think it was about halfway through the summer when it hit me: frozen yogurt is just frozen yogurt. Could I replicate the cold, creamy goodness of peddlers nationwide in my own freezer?

The short answer is yes. Buy a big carton of yogurt for $3 instead of a single serving at the dairy bar for the same amount. Churn it in your ice cream maker (or stash it in the freezer, stirring thoroughly every 30 minutes) until you reach the consistency you like. Get creative. I bought nonfat lemon yogurt and tossed in some macerated blueberries. I happen to really love the taste of plain yogurt with honey swirled in.

Like most homemade ice creams, however, this concoction gets hard after a few days. Microwave to the rescue, though; just pop it in for 20-30 seconds, stir, and spoon.

Ice Cream Cupcakes

Ok, this recipe is so cute it almost makes me want to ralph. Except for the fact that it is so friggin perfect for a summer evening, I would have completely denied that I ever made it. Lucky for you, it is perfectly one-, two-, or twenty-person sized, so it made the blog cut! Bonus: super easy.

Ice Cream Cupcakes

(serves as many or as few as you want, depending on how much of the ingredients you buy; takes at least 2 hours)

1 slice pound cake, about 1 inch thick

2 scoops ice cream

freshly whipped cream

• Take two cupcake liners (foil works best, but doubled-up paper will probably work too) and cut two circles of pound cake to fit in the bottom. Top with a scoop of ice cream and set in freezer to harden, at least 1 hour.

• Whip your cream or break out the cool whip and "ice" the "cupcakes" with whipped cream. Return to the freezer to fully freeze, another hour.

Notes: I used lemon pound cake and blueberry ice cream, but work with any combination of flavors you like. Truly, this little concoction would make an adorable dinner party denouement: perfect single-size, able to be prepared well ahead of time. If you just want one or two, try buying a single slice of pound cake from your local bakery.

Cantaloupe Sorbet

If you ask me--and I'm sure you would, given the opportunity--the best thing about summer is not freedom from school or warm lazy evenings or even (gasp!) the Red Sox.

It's fruit.

Everywhere blooming, growing, weighing down bushes, sagging on vines, bursting with sweetness, ripening too quickly, then disappearing before you have the chance to get sick of it. Because David and I have been working hard at eating as locally as possible, and because we live just south of the North Pole, our fruit season is short. But don't pity us. We are extravagant (hence the bounty of cantaloupe recipes you've been/will be seeing). It is my personal goal to overindulge on every fruit in its season, so I can live without until it comes again.

I recently invested in a copy of Lindsey Shere's Chez Panisse Desserts, a brilliant but simple approach to enjoying the sweeter part of your meal in line with the seasons. Shere has a lovely way of bringing out the essence of whatever she's highlighting, not drowning it in cream cheese icing or pounds of cocoa powder. It is in this book that she includes a "sherbet" recipe for almost every fruit--and almost every recipe is identical.

Fruit + sugar = sorbet.

Cantaloupe Sorbet

(serves 3-4 but freezes nicely; start to finish 3 hours; requires food processor or blender)

1 medium cantaloupe

3/4 cup sugar

1 Tbsp vodka or other liquor of your choice (optional)

1. Peel, seed, and cut cantaloupe into large chunks. Place in food processor or blender with sugar and liquor and process until smooth and sugar has dissolved. Place in ice cream maker and churn or pour into container and place in freezer, stirring every 30 minutes until frozen through.

Note: after a day or two in the freezer, this sorbet will firm up. A few days later, if it's still lingering, be sure to let it sit out for 10-ish minutes (or give it 20 seconds in the microwave) and stir well before consuming.