Do you have a sweet tooth the size of Texas?  I do. My all time favorite calorie splurge is ice cream.  If that wasn’t evident from my 30 day ice cream marathon back in June, I don’t know what is. Given the push to enter the new year in a healthier way, I came up with a sundae that’s been filling the sweet cravings lately. My new favorite find is frozen Greek yogurt.  I’ve been eating Greek yogurt for breakfast for awhile now so any other excuse to nosh on it is good in my book. This sundae takes a grand total of 2 minutes to put together.  Toss a scoop or two of frozen yogurt in a bowl, warm a few tablespoons of fruit butter in the microwave, pour over the yogurt, and top with some dried fruit and nuts. For this version, I used cranberry apple butter from Trader Joes, dried cranberries, chopped pecans, and a sprinkle of cinnamon. The options really are limited by what you have in your fridge and pantry. …

Hello!  I’m back. I had brain freeze…aka 30 days of straight ice cream blogging and I needed a break. The best cure for a brain freeze… A trip to Austin, Texas.  It’s hot down here! But back up to Wisconsin and the finale ice cream party last weekend. I apparently thought it was a good idea to stuff people full of food before trying to eliminate 30 quarts of ice cream from my deep freeze. It went over very well.             In case you’re wondering where the photos of the ice cream are…there aren’t any. Seriously. I got so wrapped up in the party and scooping 30 flavors I totally, 100% forgot to take any. I assure you a lot of it was consumed and we had a house full of people. Because I feel like an idiot for not taking any photos after the banner above, I made my husband hold an ice cream scoop this morning in Austin. Just to have one last ice cream photo. He’s a …

Well folks, this is it! The grand finale of 30 ice cream recipes. With a bright sunny summer day I can’t think of a better way to capture the season than sweet corn ice cream with basil. I’ve learned a lot over the last 30 days: 1. How important this blog is to me. 2. How to make ice cream with my eyes closed. 3. How great my readers are. 4. That you should always expect the unexpected. The unexpected comes in the form of salted caramel sauce that just won’t come together or a flavor that was an afterthought (mimosa sorbet) will go viral overnight.  All of it has been a great experience. These past 30 days have been an absolute blast and I want to thank each and every one of you for reading and “freezing” right along with me.  I hope you’ve learned a little bit about me and had as much fun as I did. I’ve set this entry to post exactly at 5:00pm. At that time I’ll be welcoming friends …

Can you believe that tomorrow is the last day of my ice cream marathon? I can’t. Neither could they when I told them. Today is another “last” though. The last sorbet. It’s a bittersweet moment. Actually way more sweet and not at all bitter. I think if I made this again I would strain the puree before freezing to remove the seeds to make it smoother. The texture un-strained reminded me more of a scoop of a frozen smoothie. But it’s still delicious! See you all tomorrow for the final post! PrintBerry Pear Sorbet Ingredients1-12 oz. can pear nectar 1/2 c. sugar 24-28 oz. frozen berries depending on the consistency you like, I used raspberries and blueberriesInstructionsCombine the pear nectar and sugar in a small saucepan and simmer over medium high heat until sugar dissolves, 4-5 minutes. Meanwhile, place the berries in a blender. Remove the pan from the heat and let the pear sugar syrup cool to room temperature. Once the pear syrup is cool, add to the blender. Blend until all the fruit …

Today it was super hot and humid. Just like yesterday but worse. I have a lot of thick hair that doesn’t do well in this kind of weather. I look like I licked my finger and stuck it in an electrical socket. Even so, days like today make me wish we had a big wrap around porch with some white rocking chairs. If we did, I’d be out there right now sipping on some sweet tea. But I don’t. So instead I’ll settle for peach sweet tea with lemon sorbet.   On my couch. In the air conditioning. PrintPeach Sweet Tea with Lemon Sorbet 1/2 Quart Ingredients4 tea bags 2 tbsp. lemon zest (about 2 large lemons or 3 small lemons) 3/4 c. sugar 16 oz bag frozen peachesInstructionsBrew the 4 tea bags in 3/4 c. hot water for 5 minutes Pour the brewed tea, lemon zest, and sugar in a small sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Cook for 3-4 minutes until all sugar is dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat and …

Day 2 of grilled fruit! It’s been a scorcher around here in Milwaukee so all this ice cream has been a welcome escape from the heat. As mentioned yesterday, this ice cream is the “favorite child” to my husband.  He hadn’t even tasted it yet but when I grabbed the bottle of rum, he was won over. In all fairness, I have noticed I have a boozy ice cream trend going on… (here, here, and here) Is that really such a bad thing? In case you’re wondering, I’m still searching my backyard for that cabana boy that should have appeared when I was making my margarita ice cream.  He’s officially on the lam. Maybe he’ll show up for the party on Saturday… PrintGrilled Pineapple & Rum Ice Cream 1 Quart Base adapted from Jeni’s Splendid Ice CreamsIngredients2 c. half & half 2 tsp. cornstarch 1 1/2 c. cream 3/4 c. sugar 1 tbsp. corn syrup 1/2 tsp. vanilla 1 oz. cream cheese, softened Grilled pineapple & rum puree (recipe follows)InstructionsCombine 1/2 c. half & half …

The weather guy is forecasting upper 90’s for the next few days here in Milwaukee.  I should win a trophy for being a genius for two reasons: 1. I grilled all the fruit for the next two ice cream recipes yesterday when it was 70°. 2. I now have two creamy, grilled fruit ice creams to cool off with in the next few days. Convincing argument isn’t it? Today and tomorrow’s recipes will feature grilled fruits blended into creamy, vanilla ice cream. Choosing between the two would be like picking a favorite child.  I can’t do it. My husband can though.  He’s already chosen tomorrow’s based on the addition of rum. There is no better way to “grill out” on a 90°+ day than with a scooped of grilled fruit ice cream. Enjoy! PrintGrilled Mango & Lime Ice Cream 1 Quart Base adapted from Jeni’s Splendid Ice CreamsIngredients2 c. half & half 2 tsp. cornstarch 1 1/2 c. cream 3/4 c. sugar 1 tbsp. corn syrup 1/2 tsp. vanilla 1 oz. cream cheese, softened Grilled …

Next to red velvet cake, there is one other dessert that screams going home to Texas. Peach cobbler. In the early days of dating, my husband made a lot of meals when I was over at his house and I specifically remember the day peach cobbler came out of the oven. To be honest, until I met Mike, I’d never made a cobbler before.  I remember reading the recipe and thinking, “Oh, this must be a mistake…the dough should go on the top–not the bottom.” Shows what I know! The recipe for peach cobbler is in the recipe binder my mother-in-law made, previously mentioned in my red velvet cake ice cream post. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sat and flipped through this binder.  If you’re like me and have a thing for cooking and tradition, copy down recipes for your family and pass them on. I’m so glad my mother-in-law did! It’s amazing how a few ingredients can make us feel like we’re miles away down south. PrintPeach Cobbler Ice Cream–Day 25: …

I have nothing witty to say about today’s flavor.  No cute or embarrassing stories. I stumbled on this blog and this flavor combination sounded divine—along with looking so soft, heavenly, and girly. I had to put it on ice cream.  It makes me want to be in a pink Parisian café at a tropical beach.  If that was even possible… I wish I could say that no coconuts were harmed in the making of this ice cream but that wouldn’t be true. Today I’m thankful for my husband, the coconut cracker and dog distractor. Quiz time.  Why are the dogs staring at Mike in the photo below? A. He had cheese in his hand. B. He had pepperoni in his other hand. C. He was making pizza for dinner. D. All of the above. If you guessed ‘D’, you would be correct. It’s a lot easier to make ice cream when the dogs aren’t interested in your every move. So send your “boys” to make pizza while you sit down and enjoy a dish of this bliss all by yourself. …