ice cream tasting

[strawberry]

over a lot of trail and error, i have gotten to build up some pretty swell cooking and baking skills. many of the things i've become good at making were items i had an infatuation with...i'm looking at you, freshly made pasta, fried chicken, mac 'n cheese, cake, etc. but most of all, i love ice cream. so it only made sense for me to start learning how to make it myself. 

coincidentally, most of the ice cream recipes i've whipped up have thankfully worked out amazingly well. but, not all can be winners. and as much as social media, even this blog at times, may make it seem like everything comes out swimmingly, i feel it's only fair to share when it does not. case in point: mascarpone ice cream and ricotta ice cream. both seemed just crazy enough to be an amazing flavor you might see in a gelato shop. but, in real life? horrible! i mean, could not throw it out fast enough, horrible. thankfully, of the dozens of flavors i've made, only two have been a bust, but they were very memorable to say the least. 

here's to hoping my future ice cream trails are more on the delicious than memorable side!

[passion fruit with cacao nibs]

[blackberry cheesecake]

[blueberry basil]

baking 'ventures

as much as i love to bake, there are some recipes i steer clear of that seem too technical or outside of my skill level. for a long time, the swiss roll was on that list...until a couple of weekends ago. honestly, the idea of rolling a cake didn't quite click for me until i'd watched an episode of the great british baking show that featured it. the way the judges broke down each step and the logic behind it suddenly made it so simple. i had to finally see if i could do it.

first up, i had to whip the egg whites to lift the sponge cake...

then, to bake the cake to the perfect level of light golden and quickly roll it. oddly enough, this stage wasn't as hard as i thought it would be. minus, burning my fingers from rolling a hot cake. 

[goodies ready to go]

once the sponge cooled, i slowly unrolled it, added the cream and berries, and got to re-rolling it. 

then, to taste it...thankfully, T and my brother were sweet enough to be my guinea pigs. it was everything i'd hoped it would be, and i've already begun dreaming up new combinations :)

[yum]

hurts donut

last sunday, T and i checked out a new donut shop that just opened the day before, hurts donut. and while i am a die-hard fan for daylight donuts, i was curious to see what kind of delicious concoctions they would bring to the table. 

[so many delicious decisions]

and i have to say, i am a fan! not only were the staff extremely nice and helpful, the variety of flavor combos were stellar! we picked a variety to sample since we weren't sure what we would like and i would definitely recommend that it's the way to go. our picks were the maple bacon, the cookie monster, chocolate with lucky charms 'smallows, cereal milk and captain crunch, and cereal milk and fruity pebbles. 

[COOKIE!!]

a mini quest

 

so, you may or may not know my long time love affair with ice cream. i've been crazy for it ever since my mom would go for her daily double-dip waffle cone while she was pregnant with me. so, i was destined from the beginning to love it. several months ago, i had heard about roxy's ice cream truck in okc that had all homemade ice cream treats. ever since, i had been trying (unsuccessfully) to catch up with them. but, it seemed i would always just miss them or, we would be out of town when they were scheduled. finally, i had a stroke of luck last friday when i found they would be out and we were in town! so, T and i drove up right after working out to indulge our sweet tooth (or teeth)...

 

[T is a huge fan of ice cream sandwiches so, he went with the cookie monster]

 

[i chose a scoop of pineapple & cream, and pistachio]

 

so, so happy i finally got to try their amazing ice creams! the flavors were spot on and i loved their fresh ideas on creams made. my favorites: pineapple & cream definitely took first place followed by T's cookie monster.

 

perfect treat to welcome the weekend and i can't wait to indulge again soon. thanks roxy!

a twist on the original

 

it's strawberry time, have you heard? i couldn't resist picking up a container or two this past week since they smelled sooooo good. is it possible to be hypnotized by the scent of fruit? i swear, i could hardly finish grocery shopping before my thoughts were swimming with 'berry recipes! once i brought them home, i thought i would try my hand at this strawberry shortcake recipe. and between it, the yummy 'berries, and the fresh whipped cream i threw together, it sure did hit the spot.

best part about it was that even T liked it..which if you don't know, finding a treat that he likes (and not just taking a bite to be polite) is crazy hard to do. i predict there may be more shortcakes in our near future...

happy hump day!

the donut hole

 

our last day on holiday, my dad, T and i ventured for an early morning delight at a local bakery called the donut hole. my dad had heard of it via a friend and was promptly warned to get there early as they sell out each day. and while i wasn't so sure a bakery would be worth the wait of losing great sleep hours, seeing the lines around the shop were enticing enough to try it out.

(when we got there we saw two cop cars parked out front...and, not to be a smart ass about it but, i take that as a good sign in a donut shop)

 

upon walking in, still sleepy-eyed, bright lights illuminated baked goods from donuts to cupcakes to key lime pies. i caught my breath, could it be real?

 

to which i looked over to my shoulder at this guy who gave a look of "well, ya. where did you think you were?"

 

if can read the signage then you are right in seeing a key lime-filled donut. i had no idea such deliciousness existed!!

 

 

 

my two favorites of the bunch were key lime-filled (of course) and the red velvet (ah-mazing). my only regret is that i didn't get more of these two!

[our last sunset. i sure do love this photo.]

thanks for being such treats in enjoying our vacation via posts! i'll be back with some fall-like entries in the next day or so :)

adelaide

the end of summer

the end of summer is here. does that sound sad to anyone else? it always seems a little sad to me since it usually signals our longer sun-filled days to come to a close. i am secretly holding onto it just a little longer before i have to break out my sweaters and boots which, don't get me wrong, i love that part of fall :) part of what helps me savor these last fleeting days of summer is this summery dessert. super easy to throw together, light, sweet and all things that are summer. yum!

so if you are feeling like you want a little summer before it's gone, here's what you'll need:

angel food cake
mixed berries (i used blackberries, strawberries, blueberries and raspberries)
sugar
half and half

first thing, scoop out how much berry mix you would like to have into a medium-sized bowl. sprinkle a spoonful (or two) of sugar on top and mix well. set aside for 5-10 minutes or until you can't see the sugar granules anymore.

next, cut a slice of angel food cake and place in a small bowl. scoop out your sugary berry mix over the cake.

lastly, drizzle a tablespoon or two of half 'n half over the mixture and enjoy!

lemonade cake

on a whim, i decided a couple of nights ago that i wanted to make a cake that had a slight twist to it. so i baked this lemonade cake recipe i found from pinterest and all i have to say is YUM! i think next time i may add a few tablespoons of lemon juice but other than that, perfecto. (plus the homemade lemon cream icing was beyond delicious...oh my gatos)

happy friday!

dinner fiesta

last friday we had the sweet pleasure of having our friend Caroline over for dinner! it was pretty fun having her there and making all the food together plus the pup thinks of her as his lady love which is cute. Caroline helped broaden our horizons with her yummy mixed greens salad with avocado, cucumber, red onions and radishes. as strange as it may seem, it was the first time i've tried radishes and now i am a complete fan, yum. i can't believe i never knew about them all this time! T and i made chicken ragu (his favorite) and for dessert we snacked on bite-sized smores.

i have to say, bite-sized smores maybe my new weeknight dessert. they are so quick and easy to make plus i'm a sucker for toasted marshmallow. since we made them last week, T and i have already made them twice :)

happy almost end of the week!

the new girl

tuesdays have kinda of become my favorite day of the week. so much so that i'm not too grumpy on monday morning because i know it's so close to tuesday! and what you may ask gets me so bubbly for tuesdays? the new girl. as a fellow quirky girl, i have loved zooey deschanel for a long time and she & him is one of my favorite bands. (i've seen them in concert and she is even more loveable!) i really cannot pin it down to anything in particular that makes me love her so....maybe it's those big blue peepers, the quirks in her demeanor or even the velvety rasp of her speaking and singing voice.

i don't know if you have seen the new girl but i personally love it (obviously). i don't think i've ever wanted to wear thick, square-framed glasses so badly! her made up songs about daily activities, positive attitude and funny mannerisms make me look forward to the show each week. if you haven't, you really should at least check it out! i always watch it while i have some of my (new found) favorite ice cream...mmm!

get this! i don't even like strawberry cheesecake or any cheesecake for that matter! strange right? but i am bananas for this b&J flavor. maybe it's my kryptonite, as odd as it may seem! before i skedaddle, i have to tell y'all, the pup has started the cutest habit. he sleep barks and runs (or moves his paws really fast)...i always wonder what he dreams about...probably at cats and cute girl pups.

night!