Rocky Road Ice Cream and Weird Kids

A month or so ago, as I was deep in the throes of my ice cream obsession, my 12 year old asked (more like begged...) me to make Rocky Road Ice Cream instead of something more fun, like Honey Lavender or Cherry Pie à la Mode.  So of course I made it, right?

But then I served her a bowl of that ice cream she had begged for.

She wrinkled her nose.

"Are these...NUTS?!?" she gasped.

Ummm...yes.  That's kind of what makes that Rocky Road ice cream you've been enjoying for years rocky.

She followed with, "...is this MARSHMALLOW?!?"

Yes, my child.  Also, you love marshmallows.  Also marshmallows are always in Rocky Road ice cream.

Kids...they're a weird, finicky breed.

I was confused by the reaction, to be honest.

She asked me to pick out the nuts and the marshmallows, for her.

I- of course- refused.

*sigh*

Ice Cream Contests and Cherry Pie

So, if you're keeping track, I've made something like five different kinds of ice cream this summer- and June isn't even over yet.

I'm actually at the point where I can't make any more until my family finishes off what I've already made because there just isn't room in the freezer anymore.

This month the Allrecipes Allstars were challenged to create a fun, interesting new flavor of ice cream- and my goodness did they rise to the challenge!  Brian came up with Raspotle Sorbet, Nikki created a number of fun varieties like Sriracha Lime Ice Cream, and Pat went another interesting direction with Earl Grey Tea and Lime Ice Pops.

I certainly have some creative fellow Allstars!

I threw my hat in the ring with a new ice cream creation too- though mine wasn't quite as out there as flavor profiles go.

Me?  Well I created this recipe: Cherry Pie à la Mode Ice Cream.
Doesn't sound too weird, does it?

It's not.  Lets be honest.
Flavor-wise at least.

Lemon Ice Cream and Summer Obsessions

I have been going a little ice cream crazy lately.
Ok...maybe not just a little.  At this moment I have Lavender Honey, Banana Pudding, Rocky Road, Cherry Pie à la Mode, and this Lemon ice cream in my freezer...and I have more cream in the fridge just begging to be used.

I'm on a roll, guys.
I have mastered the art of tempering eggs for custard bases and have moved on to experimenting with my own recipes.

I have way more ice cream than my family can possibly eat in that freezer already!
It's just so much fun to play around with these recipes.

I've always wanted to try a lemon ice cream so when I saw this recipe I knew that I was going to have to give it a whirl- especially since I already had all of the ingredients on hand.
Once I realized that there was just no saying "no" to this recipe!

Banana Pudding Ice Cream and Underrated Desserts

I think pudding is a highly underrated food.

Has there ever been a time when downing a spoonful of that cool, creamy, concoction didn't make you happy?

I think not.

Chocolate pudding, pistachio pudding, tapioca pudding- all excellent.

Even custard.  Oh my do I miss that Jell-O brand custard I grew with!

I may have overindulged in that particular treat just a wee bit when I was pregnant with my son.  :-)

Banana pudding, though- that's something special.

While all of the other puddings are generally served with little fanfare, remaining largely under-appreciated in the world of desserts, banana pudding has managed to escape a similar fate.

No, banana pudding brings to mind recollections of family meals and happy times.  Nilla wafers and whipped cream.  Sometimes soft and sweet slices of banana- though you can keep those for yourself.

I'll stick with the pudding and Nilla wafers.

Lavender Honey Ice Cream and Perfect Summer Desserts

The first time I drove over the mountains from Tennessee to Asheville, North Carolina it felt like I'd come home.  It was more like what I'd left behind in California than anything I'd experienced in Mississippi or Tennessee.  Quirky, funky, foodie-filled, artsy.

Fabulous.

Very Nora.

I could take a deep, mountain air-filled breath and feel my whole body relax in that same way it does when you slip into your pj pants and collapse on the couch at the end of the day.

It felt comfortable.

My husband and I quickly made it our weekend getaway destination when we had a day or two away from the kids.  We wandered the meandering aisles and cozy spaces of Battery Park Book Exchange, we followed very Nora-ish type lunches with grown-up beverages and giddily strolled the art at Woolworth Walk and scooped up fun hats and silly jewelry from cute stores.

Ok...all of that was definitely me enjoying Asheville, but my husband was generally a good sport about tagging along on my adventures as long as there was the promise of good food and adult beverages.

Key Lime Pie Ice Cream (My Ice Cream Obsession Continues)

We already know that I'm a wee bit obsessed with my ice cream maker these days. 

I mean...I store it in my freezer and I keep heavy cream in my fridge at all times just in case.

Never in my life did I think that there would come a day when I would keep heavy cream on hand just in case.

Oh well.  The day has come.  At least for the summer months.

So I've been amassing quite a collection of ice cream recipes I'm excited to try (cannoli ice cream, I'm coming for you one day soon!) and Key Lime Pie ice cream has been hovering around the top of my list for awhile.

I love key lime, don't you?

I mean, what's not to love?

It's so different from regular lime flavor, it has that sweet and tangy flavor that sets it apart from regular lime that just can't be beat.

Chocolate Ice Cream Trumps Memories Of Bad Ice Milk

When I think of the homemade ice cream of my childhood I think of only one thing:

peaches.

We had a plethora of fruit trees when I was a kid- a peach tree in the front yard, and then the backyard had two apple trees, an apricot tree, a plum tree, a poorly performing pear tree, an abundance of grape vines, a number of berry bushes, and- until we got a dog- a strawberry patch.

There was also an ill-fated artichoke plant in there for a few years, but I'm pretty sure that doesn't count as fruit.

Or does it?

I don't know.  Maybe I'll look it up later.

Either way, I'm pretty sure it has no place in ice cream.

Anyway, we had a ridiculous variety of fruit, and I might even be forgetting a thing or two!

For real.

Our friends and neighbors got so. sick. of fruit.

So did we come to think of it!

What we didn't eat fresh or pawn off on whoever would take it was made into fruit leather, baked into cobblers (that I wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole as a staunchly 'anti-cooked fruit' child), frozen and forgotten in the back of the freezer, or made into ice cream.

Reese's Peanut Butter S'mores Ice Cream

Do you know how long I've wanted an ice cream maker?

FOR-EV-ER.

That's how long.

When my mother-in-law asked me what I wanted for my birthday I was at a loss.  That's always such a hard question for me to answer!

I need a new 13"x9" pan- mine's in terrible shape.

I need new bread pans- two of mine were left at a cabin seven years ago when we got married and have yet to be replaced.

Also...I wanted an ice cream maker.

I know there are a lot of them out there, at varying price points, but I love having attachments for my Kitchenaid, so that's the one that made the list.

Guess what I got from my fantastic in-laws?

Yep, you got it.

I got my ice cream maker!

I decided to break it in over Father's Day weekend.  My husband's only request?

"None of your lavender/chamomile/honey/Rosemary/weird flavor craziness."

Got it.

It was Father's Day after all- my honey/lavender ice cream will have to wait for another hot summer day.