dessert – Not Pinterest Perfect

I’ve found my new, personal, close friend that has sadly been sitting cold & alone, in a box, in my garage since my wedding….. my Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker! However, I have decided to make up for lost time, because the ice cream maker has now been living on my kitchen counter for going on three weeks now.

I’ve looked on the Cuisinart website, and it looks like the model I have is a little older, so there is the one that looks like it would be the best option if you are on the market for an Ice Cream Maker!

This gem has been just waiting to break out of its box, and it’s making quarantine wayyyyy better. And my waistline….let’s not tag that as going in a positive direction at the moment!

The ice cream maker came with a little recipe book, but rather than follow directions… I’ve decided to just run with it on my “variations”!

Basic Vanilla Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup whole milk, chilled
2 cups heavy whipping cream, chilled
3/4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons Vanilla

Without the ice cream maker, it will be challenging to make this ice cream (I actually am not certain how you would do so without the machine). However, here are the directions for making this recipe according to the Cuisinart recipe booklet (and this is a newer booklet so the recipe/directions are slightly different from mine).

Chocolate, Peanut Butter Ice Cream

This recipe just takes the basic vanilla recipe and adds… 2 Tbsp. Chunky peanut butter, 2 Tbsp. chocolate fudge, 1 Tbsp. chopped peanuts & 1 Tbsp. chopped chocolate chips. I kind of do “little dollops” into the spinning ice cream maker to help make it a “swirl” I don’t just plop it all in there at once.

Chocolate Chunk & Coconut

Similar to the above, this variation starts with the basic vanilla recipe and adds… 2 Tbsp. chopped sweetened coconut & 2 Tbsp. chopped chocolate chips.

So until I’m convinced I need to go to the grocery store for ice cream, I’m just going to keep doing my thing! Also, if you want to make a batch at a time, you can freeze the whole milk in 1 cup increments into plastic bags in your freezer, and pull them out to thaw to chilled when you need ice cream! I consider that a pro tip.

It has been a HOT minute since I posted my last blog……. It has also been a HOT few weeks here in Northern Nevada. But what I am about to share is NOT HOT, it is a cool summer treat that is extra tasty when the weather is warm and the fruit is at its peak of deliciousness!

In the not too distance past, my Grandma would make me the most delicious summer sundae when I would visit. It helped that they had a lemon tree in the backyard, but it was most special because it was a sweet treat from my Grandma.

Special shout out to my Grandma, that little cutie in the middle in the blue!

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With the weather too hot, I wanted to make a scrumptious little dessert for my friends post-happy hour – and baking was not an option (oven + hot weather = boiling inside temperatures). So it was fun to pull this little sundae from the archives in my brain for my girlfriends & hubs who so graciously obliged to taste test, and they HIGHLY APPROVED!

What you’ll need: Your favorite fruits!

What I used to make two small-ish sundaes for me & the hubs:

5 Strawberries (chilled)

1 Apricot (chilled)

2 Tablespoons of your favorite Jam

(Ours just happens to be the most delicious Mixed Berry Jam from Jacobs Family Berry Farm – where we got married!!!)

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Making it is not science, but there is a little trick: Once you spoon out your Jam into a small (separate) bowl, add a bit lemon juice to the jam to make it more “liquid-y.” This will help it to be more like a “syrup” on top of your ice cream.

To assemble your Sundae: Slice strawberries & apricot and divide between the two sundae bowls. Scoop a scoop (or two) of ice cream into the bowl. Drizzle the jam-lemon juice mixture over the ice cream. Devour.

sundae2

That IS IT! YUM!!

Other fruit ideas: peaches (Grandma used peaches but they were not ripe at the store), blueberries, raspberries, blackberries…. Whatever your heart desires!

Oh, P.S. here is my cute dog Ellie.

Ellie