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.

Clafoutis

Kaitlyn found a recipe that she wanted to try. It is French (pronounced kla-FOO-tee) so she kept saying "oui" (pronounced "we"). She pestered us for a solid 3 days before we were broken down enough to make it with her.

What does she think of it now that it is made? "It is nasty." It is actually pretty good if you like custard, which Katie does not like (unless it is in the middle of a donut).

Clafoutis

4 eggs

2 cups milk

1/3 C flour

1/3 C sugar

1/4 t salt

1 t vanilla extract

1/2 C fresh or frozen fruit

Blend all ingredients except fruit in a blender on low speed for 30 seconds. Pour into a quiche dish or ovenproof glass dish. Put fruit on top. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until clafoutis is not very jiggly.