Long Weekend Kitchen Fun!

The Huz and I love long weekends. I realize we’re probably not the only ones, but we really love them. Saturdays (when I’m not in class) are for errand running. Sundays are for apartment cleaning. Mondays are for US! Sometimes we’ll go to a movie, or take a long walk around town. Other times we’ll settle in for a Law and Order marathon and some tea. This weekend we celebrated our extra day together by creating a truly sumptuous dinner. On the menu were:

Spicy Almonds (from the Williams-Sonoma Bride & Groom Cookbook)
Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil Salad (also from the Williams-Sonoma Bride & Groom Cookbook)
Bloody Mary Shrimp Cocktail (Rachel Ray’s 365: No Repeats)
Batch Family Mountain Cherry Choconut Ice Cream

I can say, without a doubt, I’m going to need to kick my training up a notch if I’m going to keep up with meals like this. As in, I probably should have shot for 18 miles today, not 8. And then doubled that again. Ah, me. I guess I’ll survive one fabulously indulgent meal. I’ll just have to keep in mind this week when I’m tempted to sit down with the tub of ice cream and a spoon!

And speaking of the ice cream, I’ll describe that first. After all, isn’t dessert the best course?

As stated in the original recipe, the ingredients are as follows:

1 1/2 cups chopped cherries
1 pint whipping cream
1 pint half and half
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup white sugar (I bet using raw sugar or brown sugar would be delicious here!)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup coarsely chopped raw almonds
1/2 cup shaved dark chocolate

Step one: Chop cherries.

Step two: Order cherry pitter online.

Step three: Mix liquid ingredients, eggs and sugar in a large bowl, whipping until sugar is dissolved.

Step four: Add cherries, stir and chill in freezer for 30 minutes.

Step five: Remind yourself to thank your friends for sending such amazing ice cream recipes your way.

Step six: Pour 3/4 of mixture into ice cream maker and mix for 20 minutes, or until the texture of a thick milkshake. I wanted to mix the entire batch at once but it was too much for my machine so I made one main and then a second batch immediately after.

Step seven:  Draft ‘thank you’ email to CSN Stores for sending the amazing ice cream maker to me within 48 hours of my order. Talk about great service!

Step eight: Coarsely chop 1/2 – 3/4 cup raw almonds and 1/2 cup dark chocolate. Add to ice cream while mixing.

Step nine: Remove ice cream and add second portion of mix, checking to be sure the canister is still frozen. I had no trouble since I made the batches back-to-back and the second batch had been in the freezer while it waited.

Step ten: Remove second batch and mix with first. Store in air tight container in freezer.

Step eleven (optional): Install industrial strength combination lock and have husband set the code so you can’t dig in with the aforementioned spoon.

Step twelve: Crack the code (after all, you know your husband pretty well so this should take no time at all!) and dig in!