We’ve had record breaking temperatures here in Maryland for the last…what seems like forever. When I moved here people would warn me of the hot summers down here to which I would respond, “Pshaw, I can take the heat.”
Ok, I admit, I started writing this post like a week and a half ago when it was still sweltering. Temperatures have fallen to double digits and I can walk to from my car to my office without having to change my shirt. But just because it isn’t ridiculously hot, doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy some ridiculously good ice cream. (Also, I maintain that slightly cooler temperatures are better for eating ice cream so you don’t have to race to beat the heat before it melts. As a notoriously slow eater, this is important to me.)
I made me (and I say me, because I’m pretty sure I ate this entire batch by myself) some mint chocolate chip ice cream. Please note: mint chocolate chip ice cream requires PEPPERMINT extract. Don’t buy mint extract unless you want to eat a bowl of frozen toothpaste.
I love this ice cream. I used fancy-schmancy dark chocolate, but it was still light and refreshing. It’s the kind of ice cream you want to eat on a hot summer day while sitting in a Norman Rockwell painting.
Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup skim milk
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp PEPPERMINT extract
- 4 oz of dark chocolate, finely chopped
Ice cream is so easy to make.
Combine all of the ingredients except the chocolate in a large bowl and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes if not more. Getting the ice cream mixture really cold before freezing helps keep it creamy.
Pour the ice cream mixture into your ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When the ice cream has thickened add the chocolate. Spoon into an airtight container and freeze until hardened. Wax nostalgic.
Elise came to visit this weekend from Chicago! Melissa, Elise, and I all lived together senior year of college and while our apartment lacked 36 packs of Bud Light and rows of shot glasses, we did have a pasta maker and panini press. Let’s just say we like to cook.
So when Foodbuzz came a-knocking for ideas for this month’s 24×24, we jumped at the opportunity.
We’ve been out of college for four years now and I must say, the reality of growing up is starting to sink in. Somehow, without us really realizing it, we’re supposed to be adults. When the heck did this happen? But amid the responsibilities and bills there are some perks to growing up. Our palettes have matured beyond the years of Wonder Bread and bologna (thank goodness) and we can stay up past 10.
We decided to update a few of our favorite childhood foods with more grown-up versions while reminiscing of the good old days of bad haircuts, eighth grade dances, and bad early nineties music. Oh wait, we made a “Gin Blossoms Playlist” on Pandora. Maybe we haven’t come that far.
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I was eleven years old the first time I had ice cream. I was lactose intolerant when I was younger which precluded me from enjoying the creamy goodness that is ice cream. However, once I had that first taste, I never looked back. My first real job was at an ice cream stand where I worked on making the perfect ice cream scoop and became a truly skilled soft-serve ice cream cone maker.
Not too long ago I stumbled upon an ice cream maker on super sale. I snatched it up and have made a few batches of ice cream here and there with mixed results. But yesterday when I was at the store and saw that strawberries were on sale, I picked up a bunch. And by a bunch I mean four pounds.
With four pounds of strawberries in hand and since yesterday was a Thursday, I figured it was as good a time as any to whip up some delicious strawberry ice cream. I use skim milk mostly because I think using whole milk and heavy cream is too rich and not refreshing enough for me.
This ice cream is a cinch to make. No cooking, no eggs, just mix and go!
Strawberry Ice Cream
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups skim milk
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups mashed fresh strawberries
Wash and hull the strawberries. Mash them in a bowl with the back of a fork. Mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl. Refrigerate for a half hour. The colder the mixture before you freeze it, the better.
Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and freeze according to the directions.
I’m heading out shortly for a week-long trip to Vienna and Munich. It’s mostly for work, but I plan on having some fun along the way too. There will be incessant updates of every minute detail of my day, so be on the lookout for that. But, before I go, I just have to leave you with one thing.
Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream.
Please excuse the terrible photo. I’m working on it.
Let’s just say, that liquid nitrogen ice cream is…awesome. It’s smoother and creamier than regular ice cream and while making it, it’s practically required to stir while doing your best evil laugh. MWAHAHAHAH!
Then eat it with some of the best chocolate chip cookies ever…and well, life is complete.
Alright, gotta run! Catch ya on the flip side!
I got an ice cream maker. $15 at Kohls. My life is never going to be the same again.
