There is so much goodness…
that belongs only to summer…
that it must be gathered with care…
and sipped…
so slowly…
that not one…
precious…
moment…
slips by…
unnoticed…
or unappreciated.
———————-
Week 24 Food Storage Prompt: 10 lbs. Powdered Milk
Don’t Look Nowww…
But we…have…a…crawler…
Stationary is no longer good enough.
Now when she sees something pretty…
that before…she could only look at…
and long for…
from afar…
it is magically within her reach…
within seconds.
Perhaps a name change is in order here, because…
overnight, Baby “Chomp” has transformed into…
the “Flash.”
And we’re keeping her.
The County Fair
We found another one…
a County Fair, that is…
complete with a cow girl on a horse showing us where to park…
lovely Elsie and Bossy the cows…
and sleek, sleepy sheep.
Say that three times really fast…I dare you.
I found a small smackeral of trimmed wool on the ground and I needed it.
Baby Chompy wanted to play the rubber duck game…and she won…
an amazingly cool stuffed wolf.
We saw a pink tractor…
and an oddly groomed llama.
We ate fair food…
saw blue ribbon vegetables…
gorgeous quilts…
beautiful preserves…
and amazing artwork.
Oooooh—slow down summer…
we aren’t finished with you yet.
Deep Chocolate Ice Cream
What is “Deep Chocolate Ice Cream” you say?
It’s the kind of chocolate ice cream that people eat in slow, deliberate silence. It’s the kind of chocolate ice cream that makes peoples’ eyes flutter–just a bit–like they are sinking into some kind of trance. It’s the kind of chocolate ice cream that will make you run right out and get an ice cream freezer for yourself–if you haven’t already.
Oh, you can come to my place and taste some of ours—but I’ll warn you—beyond a heaping spoonful, we don’t share so good.
Just read the ingredients and see if they don’t send you shopping, at a sprint…of your own free will.
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Deep Chocolate Ice Cream
Ingredients:
3 cups whipping cream
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons cocoa
1- 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
4 large egg yolks
1-1/2 cup white sugar
Directions:
In a small saucepan gradually whisk together the whipped cream and cocoa powder until it is smooth. Place over medium-high heat and bring the mixture to the scalding point (the milk begins to foam up). Remove from heat. Add the chopped chocolate and stir until the chocolate has completely melted.
Meanwhile in a stainless steel bowl beat the egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually pour the hot mixture into the whipped egg yolk mixture, making sure you keep beating so the eggs don’t curdle.
Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, cook until the custard thickens enough that it coats the back of a spoon.
Immediately remove the custard from the heat and continue to stir the custard for a few minutes so it does not overcook. At this point stir in the vanilla extract. Cover and let cool to room temperature and then refrigerate the custard until it is completely cold–preferably overnight.
Transfer the cold custard to the container of your ice cream machine and process according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Once made, transfer the ice cream to a chilled container and store in the freezer for a few hours or for as long as you can stand it.
Take it out when no one is around.
Hide somewhere.
Make sure you have a big spoon.
Deep Chocolate Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 3 cups whipping cream
- ⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons cocoa
- 1- ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1-1/2 cup white sugar
Instructions
- In a small saucepan gradually whisk together the whipped cream and cocoa powder until it is smooth.
- Place over medium-high heat and bring the mixture to the scalding point (the milk begins to foam up).
- Remove from heat.
- Add the chopped chocolate and stir until the chocolate has completely melted.
- Meanwhile in a stainless steel bowl beat the egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Gradually pour the hot mixture into the whipped egg yolk mixture, making sure you keep beating so the eggs don't curdle.
- Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, cook until the custard thickens enough that it coats the back of a spoon.
- Immediately remove the custard from the heat and continue to stir the custard for a few minutes so it does not overcook. At this point stir in the vanilla extract.
- Cover and let cool to room temperature and then refrigerate the custard until it is completely cold--preferably overnight.
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Confetti Crayons
I’ve seen these all over the place lately and have been anxious to try them. You may have tons of crayons around your house–but if not, luckily, they are about 25 cents in all the Back To School sales now-a-days.
Peel off the paper. When I was a kid–this was easy. But crayons today are a bit more snooty. They have some plastic stuff under the paper to help the crayons not break so easy–which also makes the paper harder to get off. Ask for help. I was surprised at how many people like to take the paper off of crayons.
Break them up and sort them into whatever color combos interest you.
Drop them in paper lined cupcake pans. Heat the oven to 350 degrees, then turn it off. Set the pan on the top rack and leave them there for about 10-15 minutes…
until they look about like this.
Set them in the freezer for about an hour.
Peel them out of the paper…
and there you have it…
Confetti Crayons for your very favorite little artists.