Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream

I don't want anyone thinking I'm reinventing the wheel or doing anything fancy, but when I tell people we made Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream last night, their eyes light up and their taste buds shudder. A source of creative ice cream inspiration will always be Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream and Dessert Book - if you have an ice cream maker (you have a homemade ice cream maker, don't you!?) then this is your bible.


They have a pumpkin ice cream recipe, but mixing canned pumpkin into a sweet cream base just doesn't cut it. I need bite-sized pieces of pumpkin pie in my pumpkin pie ice cream. Here is how to make that dream come true.


The first step is to buy a pumpkin pie. Freeze for 30 minutes and then cut it in half.


Remove the dense edge of the crust and slice into bite-sized pieces. Place into freezer.


I used Ben and Jerry's Sweet Cream Base #2 as a starter. Here is the recipe:

2 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup half-and-half
3/4 cup sugar


I added 2 teaspoons of pumpkin spice and probably another 1/2 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg. Mmmmmm, nutmeg.


After chilling the pumpkin spice sweet cream base for 1/2 an hour in the freezer, it was time to drop the base into the ice cream maker.


Within 10 minutes, the mixture is starting to freeze and has doubled in size due to the air being whipped into the mixture.


Once the base has thickened, drop in the "half pie" and mix for another 30 seconds on high.


Transfer into a freezer-safe container and deep-chill for at least 1 hour.


When ready, scoop out, top off with some whipped cream and serve.

Miami Cream Cheese

Todd "The Senator" Halstead came for a quick visit this past weekend and we couldn't help but whip up a batch of Miami cream cheese for old time's sake. An everything bagel loaded with this savory spread was a staple during our Framingham recording sessions back in the late 90's.

Miami Cream Cheese

1 block of regular cream cheese, softened on the counter for 15 minutes
3 small scallions
1 cup smoked salmon
2 tablespoons of horseradish

These small scallions add some crunch and savory goodness.

Get yourself a good fresh prepared horseradish - if it has been in the fridge for more than 3 months, replace it for recipes like this.

Chop up the salmon into bite sized pieces and thinly slice the scallions.

Lillie monitors the whipping process. Whip until blended and the salmon begins to flake.

The final product won't be around for long.

Fresh veggies for the most flavorful sandwich ever.

Slice and toast your everything bagels in the oven!

Now that's a sandwich!

Sadie ate the whole thing.

A skilled bagel muncher, Lillie shows off her one-handed sandwich skills.

Halstead only ate two fingers this time.

Lillie's Broiled Asparagus

Lillie's hands down favorite vegetable is asparagus. Grill it, saute it, or just leave it alone, she can't get enough. Although she requests it often, I usually don't have it on hand. Today was her day.


She was thrilled to help out so when I told her she was in charge of preparation and picking the flavor combination, she was beside herself.


We reused the Styrofoam packaging as a reservoir for the seasonings.


Lillie picked out Penzeys Mural of Flavor, olive oil, salt, pepper and a peach champagne vinegar.



Shake on that herbal goodness!


Coated with flavor and ready for the pan. She arranged them single file...


Last minute drizzle of champagne vinegar for a little acidity boost.


Stop eating them raw! We have a mission here.



Lillie's Broiled Asparagus

One bunch of raw asparagus (thinner the better)
1/2 tsp Penzys Mural of Flavor (or Herbes De Provence or any dried mixed herb selection)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tbsp champagne vinegar (or any flavor, really. balsamic would be nice)
Salt and pepper to taste

Coat asparagus with olive oil. Then sprinkle on the herbs, salt and pepper. Lay flat on a baking sheet and drizzle (for rizzle) with champagne vinegar. Broil for 10 - 12 minutes until golden brown. Serve immediately.



We whipped up a little monkey plate salad with some tomato, greens and microplaned parm topped with a champagne vinaigrette.


A little grilled chicken breast from last night finished it off.


Even Sadie is catching the asparagus bug!


Picking off the cheese - she is a Sauter! Lillie did a great job!

Whole Foods Sneak Preview

I received a last minute invite to the Whole Foods sneak preview last month (I finally found the photos on my phone.) After being asked by the manager of the other Whole Foods to stop taking pictures, I was nervous to snap away but they didn’t say a word.


The Grand Opening for the new Dr. Phillips store was just a few days away and I had no idea what I was in for. After signing in, we were given a generous gift bag filled with goodies from every department. Score! The place was almost empty and they were just starting to stock the items to fill out the store. When I say store, I mean warehouse. I’ve been to many Whole Foods from SF to Boston. Up until now, we were lucky to have a smaller store in Winter Park, just north of Orlando. Once a month, I would bring a cooler and hit them up for my golden beets, mussels, some hard to find cheeses and whatnot.


This place has its own smoker, dry-aged beef section, smoked seafood section, a finishing salt and sugar bar, homemade gelato, juice bar, etc. The prepared food section alone is over half the size of the entire Winter Park store and has over 150 restaurant quality offerings. Quaint it is not. A foodie’s paradise indeed.

The first stop was the 4,000 square foot produce department. In each section, the manager would give a quick overview on what sets them apart from products to new innovations. We were shown the locally grown board which lists every item grown within a 50 mile radius. I was just there today and the number was 123. Not too bad.

Each department had some yummy samples. My favorite was the smoked chicken wings – smokey goodness.

The salt and sugar bar was a highlight too. I picked up some ginger coriander finishing salt today for a sweet potato crusted red snapper. The cheese section was insane and wisely situated between the exotic beer and the gourmet pastries. Pull up a chair.

They feature 400 hand cut cheeses (put the cheese dagger down, dude!) including this Cave-aged Emmenthaler.

They always have some samples out and will let you taste anything. Their huge coffee roaster was going that day too so the olfactory senses were in overload. It was a great behind the scenes view with a champagne toast at the end. Check out their calendar for local events and tastings.

I’ve been back several times and will post the results of my WF harvests in the next week or so. It is dangerously close to my work so if I haul ass, I can be back in about an hour. It is good to be back on track with the blog. Lots of fun stuff to share about the girls and our culinary adventures too.

Pickles

Pickles
Originally uploaded by Bnice2mice

the ever clever bnice2mice is at it again.

Western Spaghetti

this is amazing! just watch it. -c

Melting...

Whooooo! It has been ridiculously hot the last few days here in central Florida. We lucked out with a mild (albeit dry) spring and once summer kicked in, the afternoon showers showed up to cool us down just a moment before we were scheduled to catch on fire. I bought a new GRILL last night and I am giddy with anticipation. The whole beauty is stainless steel - even the grill surface and burners. More to follow...I'm picking up the matching rotisserie this weekend so look out!

bird's nest in the mango tree

I was wandering around the yard waiting for the dog to find the exact right spot to pee and this nest caught my eye. It is about 6 feet up in the mango tree. I thought I saw an egg when I peeked in the first time but when I came back out to take a picture, it was empty. Weird. And NO, I didn't touch it! Lillie found the juice box straw wrapper and thought that was the coolest thing...


The tree has rebounded well since the late spring frost knocked about 10 feet off the top and killed all the baby mangoes. Boo! We probably would have had 40 or 50 this season. No mango pickles or mango ice cream for you! I picked up some golden mangoes from the Cabbage Patch and they are delicious! A little less "mango funk" to them - maybe a little more tart with a hint of pineapple? The flavor is really unique. We made blueberry mango smoothies - yum.

CheeseBob CrackerPants

Against my better judgement, I grabbed some roasted garlic easy cheese the other day. I am such a sucker for a new product. Yes, it is as gross as I remembered but the girls sure loved it.

The cheesefest quickly went from the simple squirt on a cracker to some more advanced cheese art. Here is my best Spongebob on a blue corn tortilla round. Not too bad!