Pixelated Crumb

Since my sister and brother-in-law were driving all the way from Philadelphia to Boston just for Apple Day, I figured I may as well get the celebration started early and I decided the best way to do that was with a recipe from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home. Jessica and Adam were the ones that first introduced me to her ice cream back in June, after all, and are huge fans. I was intrigued by Jeni’s Baked Apple Sorbet both because I don’t think I’ve ever seen an apple sorbet before and also because I was looking for something pretty easy.

I knew I wouldn’t have time to make something the night they arrived, and the night before they arrived I was out at the America’s Test Kitchen launch party for their new Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook. I could not possibly have been more excited to get that invite, so there was no way that I was going to peace out early just so I could go cook alone in my own kitchen. No, I had to live it up in the most impressive kitchen I have ever seen and chat with Julia Collin Davison (excuse the gushing, I’m a big dork and a huge fan). This sorbet was easy enough that I was able to go home after the party, throw the apples in the oven and whirl the mixture together in the blender and throw it in the fridge overnight to chill.

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Another peanut butter and chocolate recipe? Yup, that’s because the next birthday was Joseph’s. Now, one of the very first things I learned about Joseph was his love of chocolate and raspberries together, so the obvious choice would have been the most amazing chocolate raspberry cake ever, but that is one mondo cake and I didn’t want anything that delicious and that big sitting in the kitchen tempting me. Also, his birthday was on a Tuesday and since we’d been busy the weekend before hanging out with my sister and brother-in-law, I hadn’t had any time to get anything ready ahead of time. I needed something that I could come home from work and whip up quickly so we could go out to dinner and enjoy ourselves.

And I know that the traditional thing to do is to bake a cake, but for some reason, ice cream just felt right.  Very close behind chocolate and raspberry, Joseph’s next favorite dessert flavor combo is chocolate and peanut butter and when I found this recipe from Recipe Girl (yes, two chocolate peanut butter recipes in a row and they are both from Recipe Girl – totally coincidental!), I knew I had found the perfect recipe.

Unlike most of the ice creams that I usually make, this ice cream is not custard-based (the French style), meaning it doesn’t have eggs. Which means you don’t have to stand over a stove stirring eggs and waiting for the perfect consistency and then cooling the mixture and getting on with making your ice cream. No. All you have to do for this recipe is mix up some milk, cream, sugar, peanut butter, and vanilla, throw it in the ice cream maker, toss in some chopped peanut butter cups, let it harden a little in the freezer, and you’re good to go. It is so EASY.

So I came home from work, whipped up the base, churned the ice cream cream while I cleaned up and wrapped Joseph’s present, finished it off with the peanut butter cups, and I was done and we were off for a lovely dinner out (sushi!). When we got home, the ice cream was waiting in the freezer, so all I had to do was scoop some out and stick a candle in his bowl.

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I hope that everyone had a wonderful National Ice Cream Day last Sunday! If you missed it and didn’t have any ice cream (shame on you!), don’t panic, July is National Ice Cream Month. You’ve got the rest of the month fulfill your duty to dig your spoon into that bowl or get your fingers sticky with an ice cream cone. If you’re inclined to make your own (and I believe everyone should give it a shot!) I strongly suggest you celebrate with this raspberry swirl and brownie ice cream.

About a week and a half after my knee surgery, my boss e-mailed me and, knowing we don’t have air conditioning in this sweltering heat, said she hoped I was making lots of ice cream. Eating it, sure, but making it? No. I was pretty darn lucky that Joseph had made that strawberry basil sorbet (which is so wonderful and so easy!) but making sweets isn’t really his domain and I was confined to the couch. But the more I thought about it, it just seemed critical that we make our own ice cream for National Ice Cream Day because anything less would be a downright disrespect to this oh so important day (yes, this is how my mind works). Luckily Joseph was game, so we plunked a chair for me in the kitchen and got to work armed with crutches (me) and a great attitude (Joseph). Continue reading

I had knee surgery just a few days ago and have been laid up, once again, depending entirely on Joseph for everything from a glass of water, to going to the pharmacy for my pain killers, to making each and every one of my meals. It’s been painfully hot here in Boston the last few days and he’s been running around doing all these things for me on top of his own work. Meanwhile, I’ve been sleeping really late every morning and then lying on the couch all day taking naps. Occasionally I wake up long enough to peruse the blogosphere and look at all the pretty food everyone’s been making. And since I can’t help grocery shop, cook, or clean up, I’ve been making suggestions to Joseph for what he could be making me. Fair trade right? What would he do without me?

When I saw this sorbet on Two Peas & Their Pod, I knew I had to have it. It’s my favorite drink, the strawberry basil mojito, in frozen dessert form! And it’s such a simple recipe! I suggested it to Joseph, but didn’t think he would really make it since A) he was already in the middle of making me the most incredible ribs ever (recipe coming as soon as I can get my percocet-addled mind to find it and write it up) and B) while I know that he has made sweets at some point in his life, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him do it.

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