You may (or soon will) be familiar with my mantra, which is, if we watch what we eat 80% of the time, and stay active, then we leave room for life’s small indulgences – like Dream Date Ice Cream.
Long story short; my ice cream maker is buried deep in storage. Aware of my longing to test a recipe for ice cream, my friend Laurel invited me over for an ice cream making party using the freezer bowl attachment on her KitchenAid Mixer. As if I did not love my KitchenAid Mixer enough already…I really love this easy attachment.
Now, back to the ice cream. The recipe I found was a bit unusual, which is why it piqued my interest. Instead of using heavy cream and/or half and half for the base, it called for whole milk and reduced fat sour cream. It also called for fresh figs steeped in sugar and lemon juice, but we used dates instead. Oh. My. Goodness. It’s creamy and smooth. The slight tang from the sour cream is balanced by the sweet, chewy bits of date. This ice cream is sophisticated and delicious!
Now, the only question is, can I wait to get my ice cream maker out of storage or do I need to just go buy this attachment for my mixer? Hmm…
Corn. Squash. Basil. Tomatoes. It must be summer.
This past weekend, we hiked the Grand Canyon. That’s right – hiked the Grand Canyon – as in climbed all the way down and then back up again. We left the North Rim via the North Kaibab trail at 6:15 a.m. on Saturday. By noon, we made it to Phantom Ranch on the bank of the Colorado River. Over the course of 15.5 miles, we experienced a 5,850 foot elevation change (from 8,000+ feet above sea level on the Rim to 2,500 feet above sea level at Phantom Ranch). On Sunday, we did it again – in reverse.
When it comes to happy hour, sometimes it’s hard to come up with a suitable “chip and dip” option. I am so over carrots and celery; we won’t even go there.
Lucky us. A friend was headed out of town for the weekend and just had to unload some tickets for a concert under the stars. We were more than happy to help him out with this little problem. Time for a picnic!
Let’s start with the bad news. A blight has hit tomato crops throughout the mid-Atlantic and the Northeast. The word “blight” sounds so, well, drastic- and indeed it is. Apparently this is the same blight responsible for the 1840s Irish potato famine. 
One of my favorite summer dinner party meals is 
This time of year, I look for easy, healthy dinner ideas that highlight summer’s bounty and don’t require too much time heating up the kitchen. This 
Recently, a good friend wanted ideas for how to prepare fish at home. I suggested preparing fish “in parchment,” which is a healthy way of steaming fish in its own juices by baking it in a pouch made out of parchment paper. Don’t let the French name fool you into thinking it’s fussy. The method is simple; the possibilities endless.
