Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

We started making ice cream at 8:45 on a work night. Halfway through grating the chocolate chips, Katie had had enough and she went to play a game on the computer. Kevin came in to help grate the chocolate and left the kitchen in a chocolate massacre. There were melty chocolate shavings covering every flat surface in a 10 foot radius. I started to analyze if he did more harm than good, but then figured that he grated all of it in less than 3 minutes, plus it was already done, so I should count my blessings and give him a big ole' kiss.

After the ice cream was in the freezer I sat down with the laptop to check Facebook. There it was on Katie's status: "I'm so bored."

WHAT THE HECK!??! I'm staying up late for HER ice cream, and she sneaks off to write about how bored she is. What gives?

Then she made up for it, plus some, with this sweet note on my windshield:

(And she laughed the whole time she helped me write this post. Here is a refresher on the nickname Megasaurous Wrecks.)

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

2 1/2 C milk

2 3/4 C sugar

1 t salt

2 1/2 C half and half

1 1/2 t vanilla extract

6 C whipping cream

12 oz (2 C) grated semisweet chocolate

2 t peppermint extract (or less - it was pretty strong)

1 1/2 green food coloring

Scald milk until bubbles form around edge of pan. Remove from heat. Add sugar and salt. Stir until dissolved. Stir in half and half, vanilla, and whipping cream, peppermint extract, and green food coloring.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Freeze in ice cream freezer.

While ice cream is freezing, melt the chocolate and spread it thinly on the back of a cookie sheet. Put the pan in the freezer for 10 minutes, then use a metal spatula to scrape off the chocolate, which will break in thin, rough chunks.

When ice cream is frozen, after removing dasher, immediately stir in chocolate chips.

The Poor Little Piggy

See how sweet this girl looks? The little piggy doesn't think so. This is what she said on our Christmas drive:

"I hate pigs because they are smelly. I want a piggy so I can hit it, and if I miss it's behind and hit it in the head, oh well. Then I would put it in a stampede of wild mustangs. Then I would make it into bacon and then eat it."

For the record, Miranda was against the piggy abuse.

Fruit and Nut Rolls

Every night I have been reading a couple of chapters of "A Homemade Life" and it is absolutely wonderful. I first bought the book when I was planning to go to a book club. It is the "Wine and Reads" book club and the rule is that you have to bring a bottle of wine and read the book, but they don't enforce the part about reading the book. This time they asked everyone to bring a recipe from the book to share.

The night before the book club meeting I was 2 chapters into the book and googled the location of the meeting. The neighborhood was close to a sketchy one in St. Paul, but it may have been OK. At the last minute I cancelled because I:

1) Hadn't finished the book

2) Hadn't made a recipe from the book

3) Wasn't too sure of the neighborhood

4) I'm not a big fan of wine. I prefer non-fiction to wine any day of the week.

That was two months ago and until now it has been sitting untouched on my bookshelf. As soon as I started reading, though, I have been hooked. Molly tells a story about a time in her life when a certain food was special for her, then she offers the recipe. Not only is she a great writer, she is a sweet woman living an incredible life.

This is the first time I have even considered eating anything resembling fruitcake because it just seems too old. Not that there is anything wrong with that, mind you, but it felt truly odd stocking up on prunes and walnuts.

Any time chocolate is around I think of Aunt Louise. She is the chocolate professional of the family. She isn't actually professional because she doesn't sell her artwork but she makes all these fabulous looking treats that taste every bit as good as they look. If she were here my chocolates wouldn't look so pathetic. Wanna move in, Aunt Louise? I have a spare bedroom with your name on it, and I'm ready to supply you with any and all chocolate supplies you desire.

Fruit and Nut Rolls

1 C walnuts

1/2 pound pitted dried cherries

1/2 pound dried figs

1/2 pound dried apricots

1/2 pound pitted prunes

1-2 T Grand Marnier, brandy, or apple cider

1/2 C powdered sugar

10 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

Put the walnuts in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse to chop finely. Transfer to a large bowl. Put 1/2 the fruit into the food processor and pulse to chop finely, but don't turn it into a gummy paste (no fruit pieces should be bigger than a pea.) Repeat with the rest of the fruit. Stir the fruit and nut mixture well. Add 1 T Grand Marnier and stir to incorporate. Pinch a small piece of the mixture and squeeze it in your palm. If it doesn't hold together in a tight ball add another T of Grand Marnier.

Put the powdered sugar in a pie plate. Use a small cookie scoop to measure and roll into a ball, then roll in the powdered sugar, shaking off any excess. Set aside at room temperature, uncovered, for 24 hours.

To finish line a second baking sheet with parchment paper or a SilPat mat. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or the microwave. Working with one ball at a time over the sink, use a spoon to dollop a bit of chocolate on top. Shake the ball lightly to coax the chocolate down its sides. The chocolate will not coat it completely - just the top half, as if it were wearing a hat. Place the ball chocolate side up on a lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining balls until you are sick of it and then put the chocolate in a baggie and pipe it over the remaining balls.

Place the baking sheet uncovered in the fridge and chill about 2 hours until the chocolate has hardened. Store in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 weeks.

A Dog After My Own Heart

As a kid, Christmas was the holiday that drove me the most crazy. I waited and waited, and it just never seemed to arrive. Santa may have brought presents, but he sure milked it first. The worst part was that there were some presents sitting under the tree waiting to surprise me with something wonderful. Mom liked to get her shopping done early, so it was a long wait and I don't like surprises.

There were several occasions when Christmas just didn't come soon enough. I had waited as long as I possibly could, and then took it upon myself to take matters into my own hands. I took one present and held, shook, and rattled it, then held it up to the light. Nothing gave away it's contents, so I tried to unwrap it as neatly as possible. When my dirty deed was done I would try to wrap it back up so it would look exactly like it had before I touched it. It never worked. A crumpled present with torn paper and a half roll of tape holding it together was tucked back under the tree where hopefully nobody would notice before Christmas morning. It not that I'm naughty - I just don't like surprises. Well...I should say it's not JUST that I'm naughty.

Age brings all things wonderful, and this story is no exception. There is absolutely nothing I want, and I therefore I don't wonder or even care what is under the tree. But Harper - he's a naughty little doggie. I looked under the tree today and saw a present that was half opened. This time it wasn't me - but it did resemble the shoddy re-wrapping jobs of my youth.

Little Harper couldn't wait until Christmas. No wonder he found his way into our family.

Brown Rice Veggie Sushi Rolls

Rolling sushi is hard. I rolled it up. It was too loose so I tried again. No matter how I struggled, a tightly rolled sushi roll eluded me. Finally, I gave up and sliced the dang roll, even though it was not as tight as the professional ones.

One of my high school teachers had a sign "The Problem with 'Good Enough' is That it Never Is." It took me years and years before I realized that his sign was wrong. Although it had good intentions, it left out the need to prioritize. Some things are worth striving for perfection, and some things are meant to be done quickly just to get them out of the way. I could spend 6 hours trying to get the sushi rolls rolled tight enough, but in the end a loose roll is good enough. The extra 5 hours and 55 minutes to make it perfect would be a waste of time.

And me? I am good enough just as I am. Loose sushi rolls and all.

Note: Do no attempt to make sushi rolls with rice that doesn't have any rice vinegar. My first attempt was with over cooked rice and no vinegar. I figured that it wouldn't make much of a difference, but it was an unsalvageable flop. A little bit of rice vinegar makes a huge difference.

Sushi Rice:

2 C brown rice

2 C water for cooking rice

2 T sugar (or 1 T sugar, 1 T mirin)

4 T rice vinegar

Filling:

julienned vegetables including avocados, carrots, cucumbers, mushrooms, and bean sprouts

mayonnaise if desired

nori

Wash rice under cold running water until water runs clear. Drain for 15 minutes. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine rice and water. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Do not stir. Cook, covered, until all water is absorbed, 35 to 40 minutes.

While rice is cooking, combine sugar, vinegar, and mirin in a small saucepan and heat to dissolve sugar, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large bowl add cooked rice and lightly fold in vinegar mixture. Let cool to room temperature but do not refrigerate.

If desired, lightly saute any crunchy julienned vegetables such as mushrooms and carrots.

To roll sushi:

Place a piece of plastic wrap over a bamboo sushi mat to make rolling easier. Place one sheet nori on top of plastic wrap. Sprinkle lightly with water. Spread about 6 T of rice evenly over nori, leaving 1/2 inch bar on the top and bottom. About 1 inch from the edge nearest you, put several rows of vegetables. Put the mayonnaise in a small baggie and cut a tiny hole in the corner. Squirt a thin strip of mayonnaise alongside the vegetables.

Roll up the nori, first rolling the mat over away from you and pressing to shape the roll, without catching the edge of the mat. Moisten the bare edge of nori (the furthest away from you) with a little water and press against the roll to seal. Try several times before giving up and calling it good enough. Repeat for each additional roll.

With a sharp, wet knife, slice each roll into 1" pieces. Serve with sliced pickled ginger, soy sauce, and wasabi if desired.

The Secrets of Houseplants

The first plant in the photo has never flowered, but was started from a deep magenta plant, and the second and third plants have blossomed with bluish-purple flowers several times. This time, however, the third plant was the only one that continued as it had previously. The second plant is now producing a pinkish-purple blossom with a white frilly edge. How did it switch? Have the African violets in my office been fornicating when I am not watching?

No Use Cryin' Over Spilled Perfume

I have about 7 bottles of various perfumes under the bathroom sink. As they rotate through use, Kevin always comments on how yummy I smell when I wear 5th Avenue Nights. No other fragrance gets any comment whatsoever.

It came into our home after a fateful night at class. Kevin was sitting, waiting for class to start, when a girl sat down next to him. The moment she walked in he was surrounded by a wonderful fragrance. When he asked, she said it was 5th Avenue Nights, and she got it at Macy's.

For the next two weeks, he commented on how good it smelled. Really? How it that possible? I thought it was a passing phase, but as the weeks went by and he was still commenting, I finally decided to stop by the perfume counter and try it out. I wasn't all that impressed: it smelled nice, but very light and very much like baby powder. And it cost $50. Hah! I wasn't going to spend so much for a bottle of perfume.

Then he STILL kept commenting. Finally, another two weeks went by and I broke down and found a bottle on Amazon.com for $35.

Just this morning I spritzed it on my wrist, then looked at the bottle and thought about how long it has lasted. I had been using it consistently for a year and it still had 95% left. Then, I put it away right before I got out my hair dryer. As I pulled the dryer out of the cabinet under the sink, about 4 things were knocked out, including the bottle of perfume. I left everything on the floor until I was finished blow drying my hair, and as I was putting away the perfume I realized that the bottle must have hit on a corner, cracked, and the only thing holding the broken pieces together was the label on the front of the bottle. Dang. The WHOLE UPSTAIRS smells like powder. All the perfume is soaked into the rug and refuses to leave even after it has been rinsed for 30 minutes.

Amazon? It still has a bottle available, and I just finished ordering a replacement.