Creative Ice Cream Flavors!

Missy Tippens

Have you ever been inspired by something creative...like ice cream flavors?

I was inspired recently when we went to an ice cream shop I'd been hearing people rave about: Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams. We went to the one in Decatur (Georgia). I've also heard you can buy it at the grocery store as well! Or order online, apparently.

Here are some of the cool flavors I saw in the store. I had such a hard time deciding...

Yes, I ended up getting the goat cheese flavor. It was so good! I really want to go back soon to try more.

Next time you're doing something creative, try something different. Combine different flavors or shapes or colors...or (for us writers) different character combos.

Maybe combine characters from two towns. Or two families from different series.

And if you need inspiration, try visiting a cool ice cream shop. You never know what you might dream up. :)

www.missytippens.com

Garden goodness and black cherry ice cream

Hi everybody! Mary Jane here with a repost from last year where we made black cherry ice cream! We thought we were over the heatwave, but then the triple digits came back. Ugh! We just returned from the county fair and we're all hot, sweaty, and dirty.... but with happy smiles and bellies full of fair food! 

But first, a silly picture. (I'm wondering if this will be the screen grab for the post, haha. That would be great!) Anyway, we walk along the river in the evenings and came upon this field of... toilets. 

Apparently, this retirement home is renovating, but the image was so funny, especially to our elementary aged boys. "Ahhh, summer, when toilets are finally ripe for the picking."

  I also have to share this funny picture of my seven year old reading. It's so "summer" to read in an inner tube with goggles. LOL

 So, our peaches are ripe!
                                             
For a while, every day he'd go out with a basket and come back with a few tomatoes and peaches. Now, we need about five grocery bags.
                                            
We leave them on the tree as long as possible so that friends can come and pick what they like.

 We had old friends from Idaho visit this past weekend and my fifteen year old made a peach cobbler...

 And a huckleberry one (that was my favorite!)...

 And a blueberry one. It looks like all the fruit sunk to the middle, but it was nicely distributed.
                                  
Oh, it was delicious. I forget how amazing huckleberries are. We have blueberries most of the time, but huckleberries have such a unique flavor.

 We also made pasta salad. Only sharing because it's sooo prettttyyyyyyy. We also made a roast chicken with potatoes, gravy, corn, fruit salad, etc. Good food and great friends over, can it get any better?

 Random pictures of the garden before I get to the ice cream. Black bell peppers! They tasted pretty good once they ripened. I had one before it was done and thought it was bitter. But they were actually okay.

 Purple tomatoes. They're really called "black beauties" or some such but they're not exactly black. :D

 The tomatillos are growing! This is the source of all our salsa verde and green chile pork stew through the winter. MMMMMM....

 I'm excited to pick these banana peppers and stuff them with herbed cream cheese, then fry!

 It's been a great year for cantaloupe. Not anything like Ruthy's farm but I'm proud of these little guys.

 I'm not actually sure what this is...

 Pumpkins!!

 Little guys wanted me to take this picture of a "beauty" hidden under a spider web.

 I can't remember what heirloom variety this is but it's getting interesting.

 And the sunflowers! I love these giant sunflowers that grow bigger than your head!

 OK... so finally to the recipe! And there was something awry with my camera so it's a bit fuzzy. This is the final photo and it was so hot the ice cream was melting as I took the picture. The recipe is a general ice cream recipe tweaked for maximum deliciousness!

Ingredients:
one and a half cups chopped and pitted Bing or other sweet cherry
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk
1 1/3 cup heavy cream (I used half and half, still good!)
1/2 cup sugar
dash of lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped dark chocolate (I used chips)

Some add the chopped fruit directly to the cream, sugar, milk mixture, or they heat the cream and cherries altogether to make a dark purple ice cream (very pretty!). We've done it both ways, but I like this way the best: I like to make it into a syrup first. Add 1/4 cup sugar, cherries, and lemon juice to a sauce pan on medium heat (stirring constantly) until cherries are semi dissolved and the mixture is thick and bubbly. Let cool for about 30 minutes.

Mix the cream, milk, 1/2 cup sugar in a pan and heat on low until the sugar is combined. Pour into a form or mold. Place into the freezer for one hour or until lightly set. Fold the cherry mixture in, letting it fall gently into the ice cream. Let freeze overnight. Each slice should have a delicious ribbon of cherry goodness!

 That's all for now! A few last photos of my grandfather's typewriter. He was raised on the border of Arizona, the son of a border patrolman and fluent in Spanish from childhood. He knew from his teens that he wanted to be a veterinarian and to raise money for school, he wrote and translated letters for the illiterate city residents.

Note how there are the "enya" and upside down question mark keys! So wonderful to see this and remember how much he loved typing out stories. I have dozens of letters from him from my college years and early on in my marriage.

Everyone have a wonderful weekend and stop by my facebook author pages Mary Jane Hathaway, Virginia Carmichael, or my blog The Things That Last!

A Brownie Sundae to Beat the Heat

I just love the sight of trees dripping with Spanish moss. It's so...romantic. So southern. Definitely not something you'd see in New York, South Dakota, Oregon or even North Texas. But here in the heart of South Central Texas, it's as common as longhorns and barbeque restaurants.

Something else that's pretty common is the heat and humidity. Yes, summer has arrived. And what better way to cool off than with something cold, chocolatey and oh-so-satisfying.

Yep, that'll work.

Of course, the perfect brownie sundae requires the perfect brownie.

And I've got just the ticket.

Here's what you'll need.

1 1/3 cup All Purpose Flour

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup baking cocoa

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup coconut oil (canola or vegetable will work, too)

1/3 cup melted butter

4 eggs slightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2-3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional--I did not use them this time because a certain teenager has an aversion to them)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine your dry ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine oil, butter, eggs and vanilla.

Add to the dry...

And stir just until combined.

Batter will be thick.

Pour/spread into greased 9x13 pan.

Bake 20-25 minutes.

If using for sundaes, allow to rest 5-10 minutes before cutting, if they're simply for eating, allow to cool completely before cutting.

Okay, on to the sundae.

We have our perfect brownie.

Top with your favorite ice cream.

In Texas, it's gotta be Blue Bell.

 

Now add a little chocolate sauce or hot fudge, some caramel and whipped cream...

The only thing missing is the cherry on top, but we were out. Nonetheless, it hit the spot, meeting the criteria of cold and chocolatey. The perfect ending to another crazy week.

Instead of unpacking and demo, we headed back up north for our baby's graduation. He finished school back in December, but last week it became official as he walked with his classmates and received his high school diploma.

Throw in running around to get computers fixed, cleaning the old house and it was another busy week.

Of course, there was this.

I can't believe my little million-dollar-man is a month old already. And getting more handsome by the day, if might say. I just want to eat him up.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, it's all about paint colors.

We're trying to find the perfect "limestone" shade to paint the brick.

Which one would you pick?

Mindy Obenhaus lives in Texas with her husband and the last of her five children. She's passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren. Learn more at www.MindyObenhaus.com 

Spring Means Armadillos Ice Cream!

Spring comes slowly in the North.

The skies may be blue, but there's still snow hanging around, even after a few days of temperatures in the 70's!

My dear husband and I spent Saturday morning indulging in one of our favorite hobbies...driving around in the Hills.

While we were out, we walked this 5 acre parcel that's for sale (with the owner's permission). I say walked, but it was a pretty steep climb. Even though this particular spot was level enough for a house, getting up there was nearly impossible - a 50 foot climb in a very short distance. We can't imagine putting a driveway in there!

So even though the setting is lovely, we'll keep looking. We're not in a big hurry.

From there, we drove the Iron Mountain Highway. It's a beautiful drive, especially in the winter. This is the view of Mt. Rushmore from the Norbeck Overlook. It's about two miles from us to the boys on the hill as the crow flies.

But no crows were flying on Saturday. The wind was too strong! Spring is coming in 50-60 mile per hour gusts!

Of course, we never know when we'll be surprised by a spring snow storm, like this one in April of 2013, so we enjoy the sunny days whenever we can get them.

But regardless of wind, snow, or ice, spring is definitely coming.

How do I know?

Because Rapid City's Armadillo's Ice Cream Shop opened on March 1st! A new building, a new location, but the same great ice cream, and the customers flocked in. Huge crowds! Record breaking crowds!

Since you might not be familiar with this iconic place, you can learn more about it on their website: Armadillo's Ice Cream.

It's near and dear to my heart because it's owned by good friends. Plus, daughter Carrie works here. Best job ever, right?

Isn't this the greatest bouquet for an
ice cream store opening?

And since some of you may never be able to stop by to try my favorite Armadillo's Ice Cream treat, I'm including my version of it here today.

I shared this a couple years ago, but my love affair with this sundae is still going strong!

The Salty Dog

This is an ice cream sundae, so of course you need to start with ice cream.

If you live near Armadillo's, pick up a quart of their chocolate or vanilla. Otherwise, you'll have to be content with ice cream from your local grocery store.

Scoop a reasonable amount of ice cream into your bowl.

Top with hot caramel, marshmallow cream, and salted peanuts.

Eat it immediately! You don't want it to melt!!!


Now it's your turn: When the weather isn't cooperating, what are the sure signs of spring where you live?



And don't forget! A Mother for His Children has been re-released from Love Inspired and is available now!

Order Here!

Jan Drexler loves her family, her home, cooking and just about anything made by hand. But she loves her Lord most of all.

Stop by Jan's website to learn more about her books: www.JanDrexler.com