Pina Colada Fruit Dip

Submitted by Cindy Klein

8 oz can crushed pineapple in its own juice

¾ cup milk

3 ½ oz package instant coconut pudding

½ cup sour cream

In a food processor bowl with metal blade or blender container, combine all ingredients.  Cover, blend 30 seconds; if using blender, stir after 15 seconds.  Refrigerate several hours or overnight.  Stir, serve with fresh fruit.  (I serve it in ½ a pineapple with greens still attached.)

Mullen-Hall Playground

     Since moving to the Cape last year, my daughter and I have had a fantastic time exploring some of the wonderful playgrounds our area has to offer. While we find ourselves frequenting Adventure and Marina for the sake of convenience, we sometimes get into a rut and venture out of the Sandwich area to find new places to play.

     One of the first places we discovered last summer was Mullen-Hall Playground in Falmouth. It not only remains one of our favorite playgrounds on the Cape, but we've become even more enamored by it as my two-year-old discovers new things to enjoy there on each visit.

     Mullen-Hall is located off of Main St. in Falmouth, in front of the Mullen-Hall Elementary School on Katherine Lee Bates Road. It is a wood-based set of structures of elaborate steps and spaces to crawl, climb, and explore.  The equipment here accommodates a variety of ability levels, ages, and interests. The larger set-up is geared towards elementary-aged children, but is not too complex for a toddler to navigate. (Though you may want to follow along, as it's easy for a little one to get lost or stepped on by the enthusiastic bigger kids.) There are lots of slides, a giant lighthouse clubhouse, and a swing set. (And it is a fantastic area for a game of hide-and-go-seek.)

     For toddlers, there is a smaller-scale structure, as well as a set of bucket swings, a sandbox, and a plywood town front for playing peek-a-boo (or if you are a bit camera-crazy like me, taking lots of cute pictures.) In addition, there are bells to ring, and a little boat to climb onto for imaginative play. Because of the busyness, large-scale, and complexity of the play area, I also recommend dressing your toddler in bright clothes so that they are easy to spot between the tangle of children and playground equipment.

     Our favorite way to spend a day at Mullen-Hall is to pick up breakfast (and coffee!) at Cape Cod Bagel Company, head over for a couple of hours of play, and then stroll down Main St. before heading home. Mullen-Hall is a mostly sunny playground. So, like most of our local parks, it is best to play in the morning or evening during the hot summer months. Use of it is limited to non-school hours, as it is a part of the school and used by students at recess-time. A wide age-range of children almost always occupies the playscapes, though there is a good amount of space to spread out and enjoy.