friday links

Hello!
Happy Friday!


Since we've been on an ice cream kick....have you ever used pumpkin in ice cream?
You simply must because it goes so well with a good buttermilk custard base.
Pumpkin-vanilla oreo ice cream.


I'm willing to bet the sales on this t-shirt are quite high.


A cupcake photo for no real reason other than I love to eat look at cupcakes.


My darling hydrangeas have finally bloomed!
Aren't they gorgeous?
I baby them--a lot.


I got very lucky with this shot.
I like to call it "Incoming!" with Flight of the Bumblebee playing in the background.



Summer time = carnivals


So I found this neat feature, by chance, on my iphone.
Did you know that the lower row, first one on the left is a flashlight?
How handy is that? Love this for night time. Now you know!


crumb cake muffins with espresso filling


tomato pie with panko


what else can you do with summer tomatoes?
make tomato, cheese & walnut salad.


cheddar-cranberry crackers. one of the best things you can make for a cocktail party.


Should you ever need to know how to tell someone they have a big ass shark behind them
while you're scuba diving....

around the web:

12 quiet rituals of successful people
want to change your habits? change your password
how to avoid a blood clot after surgery
best ice cream in new england
can I burn a tick off me?
the mess left by stress
meyer lemon-raspberry tart (raw)
strawberries & cream popsicles
coffee cups of the world
world's tallest statue will be twice the size of statue of liberty
7 detox tips from scientists
can food affect mood?
fried banana milkshakes
the tree walker (and how he does it)
no bake nutella cheesecakes
I love this way of eating: Whole 30 (common sense eating)
copycat bacon-taco crunch wrap
famous ice cream sundae quotes (thanks cakespy)
raspberry crescent twists
busy NYC restaurant kept getting bad reviews for slow service, so they hired a firm to investigate
top foods for asthma relief
cardamon-vanilla pudding popsicles
4 mystery symptoms that could be RA
the many wonders of oregano oil
arcrylamide in food could cause cancer
fun food blog find: paper & salt; attempts to recreate dishes that iconic authors discuss in their
letters, diaries, essays, & fiction.
isn't this triple french braid so pretty?
the latest Starbuck's free drink record...
one pot BBQ chicken pasta
is almond milk all it's cracked up to be?
5 healthy reasons to eat more coconut
photos from above (artist florian beaudenon captures private moments from above)
This is great! How to cool a drink in 2 minutes

Have a wonderful weekend!

vietnamese coffee ice cream

Have you had vietnamese coffee yet?
It's quite good, a little sweet, but if you make it at home you can adjust the sweetness level.
I got turned on to this coffee by this product at Whole Foods.

Wow, that was good!
But holy batman it is sweet, so I dilute mine a little with more milk and add in more coffee to it.

Since I'm on this 'homemade ice cream kick', this idea of really good espresso ice cream came to me at night--the time I crave espresso the most.  Why I don't know. Around 9 or 10pm at night I crave a large iced latte from Starbucks.  Not sure why, but it happens almost every night.
Funny because I can't drink any coffee or espresso after 1pm; I won't be able to sleep that night.
One cold, fall night I did act on that craving by having a large pumpkin latte at around 7pm--didn't fall asleep till 3am. Yeah that was fun.
With this ice cream I made two versions: one with full force fattening ice cream kind of way, made with heavy cream, and one with a less calorie way made with half & half.
The latter wasn't so good; kind of like an ice milk.
So if you want to try and make this with whole milk or half & half it will stink--unless you like ice milk!


Use a dark roast espresso powder or a Starbuck Via.
The Via's are wonderful for ice cream making.
I used Pike's Place Via--it's one of my favorites; not too strong, not too weak AND never bitter!




vietnamese coffee ice cream
print recipe

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 pint + ½ pint of heavy cream, cold
1 pint whipping cream, cold
3-4 dashes of cinnamon (if you have vietnamese cinnamon please use it!)
1 Starbuck Via (or 1 TB of high quality espresso powder)
giant pinch of sea salt

cook notes:
when you've mixed all the ingredients, do a quick taste-test and see if it needs more espresso or cinnamon. If you're using an espresso powder start off adding a little then work your way up.
I've only made this using Starbuck Via's, and I know how strong they are.
So if you can get a hold of the Via's please use them for this recipe.
Also, if you have vietnamese cinnamon, please use it! It's perfect for this recipe.

In a medium bowl, mix all the ingredients until all is dissolved. Do a taste-test and see how you like it.
Pour into a freeze-safe glass or other bowl that has a tight fitting cover.
I used a large glass bowl that has a tight fitting lid.
Let freeze for 2-3 hours.
Makes about 1 & ½ pints, roughly?

friday links

Happy Friday all!


The traffic on the cape has been rough.
July 4th was really backed up--both ways on the bridges.
I was lucky enough to be stuck in it one day.  I think a lot of people came to the cape for the July 4th holiday.

If you plan on coming to the cape July 18-20, come to the Greek Festival. So much fun!
More info here at St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Centerville

If any of you follow me on Instagram, you might recognize this nightmare photo.
I always keep a water bottle on my bedside table, and normally with the cap off since I'm
half asleep in the middle of the night to drink it.
Well leaving the cap off makes spiders feel more than welcome to come in and have a sip.
Always leave the cap on!

If you're in or on the water a lot, this is handy to know.
Marine Disentanglement Hotline

Summer has been beautiful hasn't it?
I always love to look up and wonder where is that plane going or that one?
Do you?

Rescued this little guy last week.  A baby morning dove.
Couldn't find his momma or nest, so I brought him to the Cape Wildlife Center
Happy to report he's doing fine, eating well and has zero injuries.
Thank you so much Cape Wildlife Center for taking him in.

Been to the beach a couple times; the water is perfect.
(bass river, cape cod)

Got to witness a couple friends jump out of a perfectly good airplane at the cape cod airfield in Marstons Mills, Cape Cod.
I am "almost" ready to do this myself.
Would you?
I'm dying to do the biplane rides.


my banana bread balls have been the most D/L recipe for the last two weeks.
have you made them?
are people craving banana bread balls?

around the web:

a good list of summer books of 2014
magic flan cake
14 brain exercises to help you get smarter
oxygenating your cells to reduce inflammation
back surgery for back pain: caution is in order
5 steps to meditate anywhere
fresh cherry cupcakes
a few thoughts on worry
'smart' luggage will text you when it gets lost
DIY nautical knot bracelets
flu vaccine contains 25,000 times more mercury than drinking water? (yikes)
health benefits of pumpkin seeds
lavender infused lemonade
pb & j popsicles
one of the best looking taco salads I've seen
vintage recipe: lazy daisy cake
flip flop cookies! (so cute)
new way to regrow human corneas
21 things you didn't know your i-phone could do
how to make bubble tea (aka boba) at home
mississippi mud cookies
are you deficient in magnesium?
floating over bora bora (LOVE this!)
pb-banana bonbons
rhubarb meringue bars
homemade hot pockets
why we stay in crappy situations & how to get out of them
homemade cherry filled chocolates!
strawberry shortcake muffins
10 causes of hair loss
timeless wisdom
chocolate-vanilla froyo pops
motion sensor that helps align new knee joints
bake-able, crunchy & edible cupcake wrappers!
blueberry-oat cheesecake bars
the many health benefits of ginger
grilled elote corn
the one emotion that really hurts your brain
natural compounds to improve thyroid function
are we aging faster?
hot fudge brownie sundae pie
nutella crepe cake
best ways to store tomatoes
how to write on a cake with sprinkles
dangers of plastic: 5 hidden places of BPA
sesame crisp bars
nutella ice cream is coming to Carvel?
5 ways to use up old bread
the implant that gives you back your hearing
why we stay in crappy situations
what is pantothenic acid?
raw/vegan ice cream bars (hard to believe they're raw)
dangerous chemicals found in food packaging
crayon lipstick?
want to go viral? 7 things to do now to be ready
13 most powerful superfoods
fluoridation and dementia
vasectomy may increase risk of aggressive prostate cancer
huge anchovy swarm invades san diego
food blogger fined for her negative restaurant review? (yikes)

Have a wonderful weekend!

walnut-cream cheese sandwich cookies

I just love exploring new recipes that actually incorporate a finely ground up nuts into the flour.
I mean flour on it's own is so tasteless, so adding in ground up nuts is perfect.
Toasted walnuts have such nice flavor on it's own, so you can imagine how good they are when ground up.

If you don't like walnuts, I bet pecans would work well; might be a little greasy, but reduce the butter by a couple tablespoons, you should be good?
These cookies are really good on their own, you don't have to make the sandwich filling.
Speaking of the filling, I've found an easier way to fill the cookies.
I wrap the filling in plastic wrap or parchment paper, chill, then slice and fill.  So much easier than
spreading the filling via a knife or piping bag.  So keep this in mind for future sandwich fillings.


The recipe doesn't call for it, but I added in a couple handfuls of chopped walnuts to the filling.
Of course you don't have to do this, but it was a great way to add in a little texture.



walnut cream cheese sandwich cookies
From The Sweet Life by Kate Zuckerman
print recipe

for the cookies
1 cup walnuts (make sure they are toasted walnuts)
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 ts salt
16 TB (two sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, at room temperature

for the filling
4 ounces cream cheese, room temp
4 TB unsalted butter, room temp
1/2 cup powdered sugar
pinch of salt
(I added in a couple handfuls of chopped walnuts to filling, optional)

cook notes:
Please use toasted walnuts.  The flavor that a toasted walnut adds instead of a plain one is huge.  If you don’t like walnuts, you can try pecans?

Combine the walnuts and 1 tablespoon of the flour in a food processor and grind to a fine powder. Place in a bowl then add in the remaining flour, salt, and mix; set aside.
In a mixer or hand mixer, cream the butter and the sugar. You want to cream it till it’s nice and fluffy/lighter in color. Add the egg and continue to beat until it is fully incorporated and the batter looks nice and smooth (about 2 minutes).
Add the dry mixture, to the butter mixture and using a rubber spatula mix until combined.  You can do this with your mixer.  Take the dough and divide in half.  Place in plastic wrap or parchment paper; fold or roll into uniform logs, about
1 1/2 inches in diameter. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
While dough is chilling you can make the filling.  Combine all ingredients in a bowl and using a hand mixer or stand mixer cream until all is mixed and has lightened in color and formed stiff peaks.  At the last mixing I added in a couple handfuls of chopped walnuts; this of course is optional but I wanted some texture in the filling.
When ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350° F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Using a sharp knife, cut as many 1/8-1/4 inch slices from each log of dough as possible and place the cookies on prepared cookie sheets. Bake the cookies until golden brown about 12-15 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool completely before adding the filling.
To fill the cookies you can either place the filling in a piping bag, plastic bag with edge snipped off, or use a knife to spread.  I poured/formed the filling into plastic wrap, chilled it till firm, then sliced it. So much easier!  But do what you feel comfortable with.

chocolate chip cookie ice cream (no churn, no cook)

I remember watching an episode of Martha Stewart (years ago) and her 5-minute celebrity guest of the day was Andy Rooney.
Two very strong-minded people sharing the stage for 5 minutes to talk about food, this should be good. Curious to see "what food" Andy was all about; never imagined Andy Rooney liking anything out the norm or being a foodie--always imagined him as a "I'll have the same chicken salad for lunch every single day kind of guy".
Ice cream, he is an avid ice cream maker!  Makes his own batches, and he likes to do it the old fashioned way; they really old fashioned way: hand churn.
Ever see one of those machines?  A hand churn ice cream maker that sits over ice?
They are a lot of work; a lot of work when it's really hot outside.
If you watch the above video, his recipe is almost like this one, no eggs, no cook, just heavy creams
mixed with sweetened condensed milk.  Fairly easy.
To be honest, I never made a no churn ice cream, always thought they were going to taste horrible
because of the missing egg custard.  But in all honestly you cannot tell the difference.
I played around with the recipe a bit, by adding in high quality vanilla beans to make a nice vanilla
ice cream base.  The vanilla beans really give it a nice smooth vanilla taste, not too strong, not too sweet--just right.  Once you've made the base, the add's are literally endless.
This time I chose chocolate chip cookies since I've always wanted to make my own with extra cookies added in.
I hate getting ice cream from a local stand and there are just a couple pieces of cookies in there.
What's up with that?


This recipe should be filed under "ridiculously quick & easy" because it is.
It took me 2 minutes to chop up cookies, 2 minutes to gather ingredients, 2 minutes to stir, then 3 hours to freeze.  Crazy easy!  I am making this recipe my go to for easy, delicious vanilla ice cream.
As long as you use good quality vanilla bean paste or vanilla bean pods then you will have really good vanilla ice cream base in which to create other ice creams.



This vanilla bean custard is literally one of the best ice cream custards I've made next to an egg-based one.
I just love how easy this is to whip up together.  Perfect for those very hot summer days when you want to do as little work as possible when making anything food related.





chocolate chip cookie ice cream (no cook, no churn)
print recipe

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 pint + ½ pint of heavy cream, cold
1 pint whipping cream, cold
1 ¼ ts of pure vanilla bean paste (I highly recommend Nielsen-Massey brand)
giant pinch of sea salt

about 1 to 1 ½ cups of chopped chocolate chip cookies

cook notes:
Using vanilla bean paste gave this a really good vanilla ice cream; it was so good just one its own. So if you’re looking for a good vanilla ice cream, this is it.
If you don’t have vanilla bean paste then use the seeds from a couple of vanilla bean pods. You can use vanilla extract, but it won’t give that nice, deep vanilla flavor.
I added a lot of chopped cookies to this; you don’t have to; add what you like.
The best time to add the cookies is when the ice cream is halfway frozen.  If you add the cookies to the unfrozen custard they will sink to the bottom.
In a medium bowl, mix all the ingredients except the cookies together.  Mix until all is dissolved. Pour into a freeze-safe glass or other bowl that has a tight fitting cover.  I used a large glass bowl that has a tight fitting lid.
About an hour to an hour and a half later, you can add in the cookies; as long as the ice cream is kind of set up.  I just put cookies on top of soft ice cream and pushed them down with a spatula.
If you add the cookies to the unfrozen custard they will sink to the bottom.
Let freeze another 2 hours.
Makes about 1 & ½ pints, roughly?