Ice Cream Social weekend has arrived and we are ready.

I am baking the 204 pies my friends helped me make last week. The totals were: 33 apple, 33 strawberry-rhubarb, 66 cherry, 28 mixed berry, 29 blueberry, and 15 peach.

Getting everything in the house and yard ready at the same time is always a challenge so I enlisted the help of my grandkids, kids, and friends. With all those strong kids around pulling weeds and spreading mulch, you need good food. So we have been cooking, too. Izzy made her delicious Buffalo chicken dip for us a couple of days ago, and I have some Dr. Pepper pulled pork in the crock pot right now.

Besides getting my house ready and all my pies baked, I’m very excited that Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers are coming to perform. Mullins has promised a new Ohio song that I can’t wait to hear.

Lastly, I’m happy to say my newest cookbook, Fran DeWine and Tina Husted’s Family Favorites, will make its debut Sunday.

Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork

1 whole large onion

1 whole pork shoulder (“pork butt”) — 5 to 7 pounds

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

2 cans Dr. Pepper

2 tablespoons brown sugar

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Peel onion and cut into wedges. Place in bottom of a large Dutch oven. Generously salt and pepper the pork roast, then set it on top of the onions. Pour can of chipotle peppers over the pork (include the sauce). Pour in both cans of Dr. Pepper. Add brown sugar to the juice and stir in. Place lid tightly on pot, turn on low. Cook for at least 6 hours, turning roast two or three times during the cooking process. Check meat after six hours; it should be falling apart (use two forks to test). If it’s not falling apart, cook for another hour. Remove meat from pot and place on cutting board. Use two forks to shred meat, discarding large pieces of fat. Strain as much of the fat off the top of the cooking liquid as you can and discard it. Return the shredded meat to the cooking liquid and keep warm until ready to serve. (You can also refrigerate the meat and liquid separately, then remove hardened fat once it’s cold. Then, heat up the liquid on the stovetop and return the meat to the liquid to warm up.) Serve on warm flour tortillas. Top with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, grated cheese, avocado slices and salsa.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

1/2 cup Frank’s Buffalo or original Sauce (or less to taste)

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 block cream cheese

1/2 cup ranch or bleu cheese dressing

1 10-12 oz. can shredded chicken or shredded cooked chicken

Mix together and bake in a casserole dish at 350° for 20 minutes or in a crockpot until hot. Serve with tortilla chips, pita chips, celery or carrots.