Nov

09

2010

A Broken Computer and Pumpkin Ice Cream

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Category : Working, recipes

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One terrible morning 2 weeks ago Genevieve spilled an entire cup of coffee on my MacBookPro. It wasn’t her coffee, of course, it was mine. It all happened so fast, I’m not sure if she did it on purpose or if it was an accident. She was upset that I had to stop playing with her to do some work on the computer, and she has done bad things on purpose before out of anger (like how in September she threw my iphone off the balcony because I wouldn’t let her call her Nana). Either way, I was mad at her. As soon as the liquid hit the computer went off. I tried wiping it all up but it soaked in too quickly. It’s an aluminum unibody laptop, so I couldn’t even easily pop the battery off. Since liquid damage voids the warranty anyway I even took the back panel off and got more of the coffee out inside. I let it dry out for 3 days and it still didn’t work so I had no choice but to take it to the Apple store for repairs.

They said I needed a new logic board and it would cost around $800 to replace it. I almost just bought a whole new computer, but this one is only 10 months old and I held out hope that my data would still be there. It only took them 5 days to do the repairs, and luckily my hard drive did not need to be replaced so I did get all my data back! Lessons learned: Do not leave a cup of liquid near the computer and start backing-up!

I’m happy that’s all over. When I didn’t have my computer I had to drive 35 minutes to my sister’s to use hers, unless I was trying to use my old Toshiba that barely works. It was really not fun, my Etsy shop was neglected, I couldn’t invoice or work on my business literature.

i love my mac!

I had intended to post this Pumpkin Ice Cream recipe before Halloween, but didn’t get around to it with all the computer drama. It’s a really great, creamy ice cream and I’m thinking about making it again for Thanksgiving, but adding in some pie crust crumbles. It’s better than pie, sweet and spicy, and it tastes like fall. I used fresh roasted pumpkin instead of canned of course!

pumpkin ice cream!

Jul

29

2010

Smores Ice Cream

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I’ve had my eye on this ice cream recipe for awhile. I held off on making it because I wanted to make the marshmallows and graham crackers myself (yes, I’ve done both before and although both are time-consuming they are worth it at times, or at least once to try it out). In the end, I decided to use store-bought because I just didn’t feel like going to the trouble.

This is the quickest ice cream I’ve ever made. Since there is no custard to make, and only 3 ingredients go in the ice cream maker it was a breeze to prepare. I used half and half instead of whole milk, semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of the candy bar, and I’m not sure how many graham crackers. I gave a pack of them to Ve to crumble up, and since she only knows how to count to 2 and then we ate some it was probably around 5?

The ice cream is so good! The marshmallows gave it a creamy richness, and the graham crackers and chocolate added to the flavor, making it perfect. I’m really happy, because I hate camping and can’t build a fire on my apartment balcony, but now I can still enjoy smores! This is definitely going to be made again. Maybe as soon as we finish this batch.

marshmallows melting in cream and half and half

ve prepping the graham crackers

ice cream!

Jun

15

2010

Strawberry Rhubarb Ice Cream

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Category : Uncategorized, recipes

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Strawberry and rhubarb is a classic springtime combination. Their harvest seasons coincide, and the strawberries provide a nice balance to the tartness of rhubarb. I’ve put them together in pies and crumbles before, but this year, since I want to become really really good at making ice cream I thought I’d try it out. I’m glad I did!

I went with this recipe because it’s modified from a David Leibowitz recipe, and he is a master. I’ve made quite a few of his recipes and they were all amazing. This ice cream is very creamy and the flavor is perfect. It’s just sweet enough and really takes advantage of the fresh flavors of the fruits. I ate a big bowl of it as soon as it came out of the ice cream maker!

the strawberries mixed with sugar

custard mixed with the fruit puree

yummmmm!

Jun

09

2010

Burnt Sugar Ice Cream

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Last mother’s day I got an ice cream maker for Mothers’ Day. Since then it has gotten a lot of use. What I love about making my own is that I can use fresh ingredients and make flavors that aren’t commonly available, and even basics like vanilla taste far better when made at home. Homemade ice cream has a slightly different texture as store-bought. The big brands have additives to make it harder and creamy.

Over the winter I didn’t make any, but as soon as it was hot out I was ready to get started again. I plan on doing a summer ice cream series on this blog. I’ll make the ice cream, eat it, and share the results with you. This way, I can eat bunches of ice cream and tell myself that it’s work so I have to do it ♥

I bookmarked this recipe for burnt sugar ice cream as soon as I saw it. After reading her write-up and looking at the photos, I was sure that this would be one of the best things that ever happened to me.

Making this recipe was a lot of fun. Boiling the sugar and watching it turn caramel-colored was very cool, and when I poured the milk and cream mixture in there was a reaction similar to what happens when you add lye to water when making soap. I would advise using a stock pot, because it does bubble up, and not having small children or anyone else around that doesn’t understand safety.

sugar and water starting to heat

sugar and water boiling, beginning to caramelize

it steams!

the fully caramelized mixture

At first taste, I was not happy with the results. It was bitter and I thought I must have done something wrong. I put it in the freezer, thinking maybe the flavors needed more time to meld. I liked it when I tried it again, but it definitely was not the best thing that ever happened to me. It was still bitter at first, then the sweetness and vanilla came through. It tasted like black coffee with a bit of cocoa. It actually was quite delicious.

The next day we went swimming at a friends house so I brought it along with me. Everyone liked it, and one person even called it divine. I’ll definitely be making this one again, but it’s not something you would want to eat everyday.