Cereal milk ice cream

We sat curled up on the couch, braving the steady stream of chilly air that snuck through the seams of the industrial windows. I knew those things were going to be trouble the moment I laid eyes on them, but at the time I didn't care. I was entranced by the immense amount of natural light they let into the main living area. And their ability to open downward, making them perfect for rainy days. Except we hardly ever have rainy days. This, much like the situation with the cold, I didn't conceive until after we were months deep into our lease. After I had fallen in love with our little home at the top of an old warehouse, ten times over.

That evening, our bodies were wrapped in blankets, our feet in two pairs of socks. It was cold. But not cold enough to squander his insatiable craving for ice cream. A craving I tried so hard to suffocate with copious amounts of chocolate and other sugary things, but I had no luck. As it turns out, you can't just sweep a man's ice cream craving (or any craving, for that matter) under the rug because it comes back full force days later. When it's five below zero. It's too cold for ice cream, I told him. But he didn't care. He wanted it. Bad.

I untangled our feet and went to abandon my comfy spot on the couch, hoping he'd drag me back down and make me stay. Because I like to think that the warmth from my body reigns supreme to the satisfaction that comes with eating ice cream. Turns out it doesn't, because he let me go into the cold. And so I put on an extra pair of striped long johns, his slippers, one of his thermals, a sweater, and a down parka. All of this to make ice cream for the man who complains about not getting warm waffles in the morning, but then sleeps through breakfast when I finally get around to making them (side note: I have waffles every morning, he's just not up early enough to bask in the deliciousness). Despite not getting waffles on demand, this man is loved. I hope he knows that.

When the ice cream was ready, I scooped it into pretty bowls and we shivered on the couch and laughed about the fact that our loft was 57˚ and we were shoveling spoonfuls of frozen, milky goodness into our mouths. It was then that I decided to order a space heater. Because eating ice cream next to a surge of heat seemed much more enjoyable than the current situation, which was eating ice cream on our frozen couch, swaddled in so many blankets we could hardly move.

To tide us over until aforementioned heating device arrived, I took a page from the book of a little punk I used to nanny. Let me preface this by saying it was not my proudest moment. I retrieved my hair dryer from the bathroom and used it to heat our blanket cave, to which Thom completely objected up until the moment he realized he could feel his toes again. I'm going to go ahead and say that you should not use a hair dryer as your own personal heater because it absolutely is not safe. Unless your living room is 57˚. Then I'd venture to say that keeping warm takes precedence over any risks or dangers associated with using a hair dryer for anything other than drying your hair.

But really, don't do it.

Notes: This recipe calls for more coconut milk than usual because the cereal absorbs a lot of the milk (about one can's worth). I've made this with light coconut milk (and almond milk - holla!), but if you do this you'll want to soak the cereal overnight. It won't be nearly as creamy as the full fat coconut milk variety, but it's pretty damn close. Growing up, I always loved fruity cereal milk so I went with Cascadian Farm Fruitful O's. But feel free to use any kind of cereal you want - a few favorite cereals are Original Puffins, Peanut Butter Panda Puffs, and Chocolate Koala Crisp.

PS - I've got a s'mores version coming at you once the temperatures start to rise. Complete with graham cracker cereal milk, fluffy marshmallows, and chunks of rich dark chocolate.

CEREAL MILK ICE CREAM

5 cups cereal
5 1/4 cups full fat coconut milk (3 cans)
1/4 cup cane sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Add the cereal to a large mixing bowl. Cover with coconut milk and stir to combine. Place a large, heavy plate on top to ensure the cereal is sumberged the entire time. Refrigerate for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. Once the cereal has soaked, use a fine mesh strainer to strain the mixture over a medium saucepan; make sure to firmly press the cereal mush to get out as much coconut milk as possible. After you've pressed out as much of milk you can get, scoop the layer of thick cream that formed on the bottom of the strainer into the pot. Set the saucepan over medium heat and whisk in the sugar and vanilla extract; bring to a boil and whisk vigorously for 45 seconds. Remove from heat and transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Allow to cool for 30 minutes, then cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. Once chilled, pour the mixture into the bowl of your ice cream machine and mix according to the manufacturer's instructions. Eat ice cream immideately (it will be somewhat soft) or transfer to a container and freeze until ready to consume. Thaw for 10-15 minutes before serving. Top with crushed cereal, if desired.

Yield: about 1 quart

Pumpkin pie sundaes

My mind is cluttered and full this week; bursting with lists of to-dos, to-mights and to-probably will nots. And for that, I am wordless. Leaving you with a beautiful, thought-provoking letter that Jack Kerouac wrote to his first wife, Edie. It sends feel-good chills up my spine. I hope it does the same for you, too.

• • •

“I have lots of things to teach you now, in case we ever meet, concerning the message that was transmitted to me under a pine tree in North Carolina on a cold winter moonlit night. It said that Nothing Ever Happened, so don't worry. It's all like a dream. Everything is ecstasy, inside. We just don't know it because of our thinking-minds. But in our true blissful essence of mind is known that everything is alright forever and forever and forever.

Close your eyes, let your hands and nerve-ends drop, stop breathing for 3 seconds, listen to the silence inside the illusion of the world, and you will remember the lesson you forgot, which was taught in immense milky way soft cloud innumerable worlds long ago and not even at all. It is all one vast awakened thing. I call it the golden eternity. It is perfect. We were never really born, we will never really die. It has nothing to do with the imaginary idea of a personal self, other selves, many selves everywhere: self is only an idea, a mortal idea. That which passes into everything is one thing. It's a dream already ended. There's nothing to be afraid of and nothing to be glad about. I know this from staring at mountains months on end. They never show any expression, they are like empty space. Do you think the emptiness of space will ever crumble away? Mountains will crumble, but the emptiness of space, which is the one universal essence of mind, the vast awakenerhood, empty and awake, will never crumble away because it was never born.

The world you see is just a movie in your mind."

Notes: To make the pie crust cookies gluten free, simply replace the flours with a gluten free flour blend and xanthan gum. If you don't have a vanilla bean on hand, substitute 1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract. Also, you don't have to add the coconut water to the coconut whipped cream, but I like it to be slightly less dense than what it is without the addition of coconut water. So, do as you wish.

PUMPKIN PIE SUNDAES

6 tbsp whole wheat flour 1/4 cup unbleached flour 1 tsp cane sugar 1 small pinch fine sea salt 1/4 cup vegan butter, cold 1-2 tbsp water, ice cold

1 can full fat coconut milk, refrigerated overnight 1 tbsp powdered sugar 1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped 1 tbsp cinnamon sugar Pumpkin spice ice cream

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flours, cane sugar and salt; stir until combined. Using a pastry cutter, or two knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal with a few larger chunks. Add the water and mix the crumbles with your hands, just until a dough forms. Pat the dough into a round ball and set aside.

Line a flat surface with parchment paper and sprinkle with flour. Roll out the dough into a large circle, about 1/4" thick. Using a small cookie cutter (I used leaf shaped cutters), cut the dough and transfer the pieces to the prepared baking sheet. Freeze for 10 minutes then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake at 350˚F for 6-7 minutes. Allow to cool on baking sheet, then store in an air tight container until ready to use.

Remove the coconut milk from the fridge and scoop out the thick, white layer of fat on top. Reserve 2 teaspoons of the coconut water, then store the remainder for later use (in smoothies), if desired. Using a handheld electric mixer, cream the coconut milk fat, 2 teaspoons of coconut water, powdered sugar and vanilla bean on high speed for 1-2 minutes, or until light and fluffy. 

To assemble the sundaes, put a few scoops of ice cream into 4-6 bowls. Divide pie pieces between the bowls and top with coconut whipped cream. Add a sprinkle of cinnamon for good measure. Enjoy!

Yield: 4-6 sundaes

Pumpkin spice ice cream

Since I over shared a few months back, I've been getting a lot of emails asking questions in regards to the current state of my health. Truth is, I figured you'd eventually forget about it and we could just go on like I never mentioned anything, but.. you didn't. So I guess I should say sorry for keeping you in the dark.

SORRY!

After months of what seemed like handing over vial after vial of my precious blood for no apparent reason, my doctors "diagnosed" me with a condition called aplastic anemia - which is basically a fancy way of saying my bone marrow isn't producing a sufficient amount of new blood cells. I put diagnosed in quotations because you can't actually be diagnosed with aplastic anemia unless you have a bone marrow biopsy - I've put off having the procedure because the idea of someone jabbing me in the pelvis with a large needle, then extracting my marrow, is an extremely unsettling thought. So, due in part to my fear of needles, and in part to my aversion to medicine, we're taking the holistic route to treat this thing; no bone marrow biopsy, no medication, no chemotherapy, no bone marrow transplant. I'm counting on nature, for this one.

Despite it being potentially fatal if left untreated, aplastic anemia is reversible in young, healthy adults. Reversible! Reversible! But in order for the disorder to reverse itself, I have to allow my body to do it naturally; medication isn't an option. Although I am technically not treating it (my doctors just love reminding me of that), my blood counts are being monitored closely - which makes my holistic approch pretty damn safe. And aside from following a healthy diet and exercising regularly, I've started boosting my system with vitamins galore and increasing the already enormous amount of produce I consume on a daily basis. So far, so good, as my once deteriorating health has been on a steady incline.

I feel better. So much better. I'm genuinely happy to be alive and (on the path to getting) well, grateful to have such incredibly supportive people in my life, and feeling pretty fortunate to have the capacity to treat this thing holistically. I've got one year to get better - fingers crossed and good vibes for higher blood counts, folks. Now, how about some ice cream?

When this ice cream was still imaginary, Thom went on and on about how delicious it'd be to load it up with chunks of pie crust. I looked at him, rolled my eyes, and told him there wasn't a chance in hell that would happen. Chunks of pie crust IN ice cream? Then there I was, standing in the kitchen in my underwear (a regular occurrence in our house), rolling out pie dough. So, in the very near future I'll show you how to make a mean ass pumpkin pie sundae - and yes, it includes vanilla bean whipped cream.

Notes: The spice measurements below are equivalent to one tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice - so if you have that on hand, add that instead of each of the spices individually. Also, you might be able to get away with replacing the full fat coconut milk with equal amounts of light coconut milk, because the pumpkin puree makes this stuff super thick and creamy. If you don't have sucanat, replace it with brown sugar. Or maple syrup. Psst, this is super delicious served over a warm brownie.

PUMPKIN SPICE ICE CREAM

1 3/4 cups full fat coconut milk 1 3/4 cups light coconut milk 1 cup pumpkin puree 2/3 cup sucanat 1 tbsp pure vanilla exract

2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground ginger 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg 1/4 tsp ground cloves

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk together 1 cup of the coconut milk, pumpkin puree, sucanat and vanilla extract. Bring to a boil and whisk vigorously to ensure the pumpkin mixture smoothes out. Add the remaining 2 1/2 cups of coconut milk, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves; whisk to combine. Remove from heat and transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Allow to cool for 30 minutes, then cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. Once chilled, pour the mixture into the bowl of your ice cream machine and mix according to the manufacturer's instructions. Eat ice cream immideately (it will be somewhat soft) or transfer to a container and freeze until ready to consume. Thaw for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Yield: 1.5 quarts

Vanilla bean ice cream and boozy root beer floats

Behold: the final ice cream recipe of summer. This is it, folks! Although I'm sure none of you are complaining considering I've shared one too many ice cream recipes this summer - OOPS. So, if you're sick of the ice cream (which you probably are, especially if you don't have one of those fancy ice cream making devices) - I'm sorry, but I can't not post this one. I just can't. It's the building block for future quarts of mint chocolate chip or cookie dough or salted caramel ice cream. Did I mention it comes with a boozy bonus and-- I had you at boozy bonus, right?

Right.

It's my belief that root beer floats are under appreciated. Overlooked for things like ice cream cones, milkshakes, or hot fudge sundaes. But I urge you, before the official end of summer, to make one and share it with someone you admire. Someone who inspires you and makes you want to be a better person. Pay attention to them, their face, as you pour the soda over the ice cream and it fizzles it's way down the sides of the cup. Give them a pretty straw to sop up all that creamy, root beer flavored goodness. Watch them. How something as simple as ice cream and soda (and a pretty straw) will instantly brighten their mood. Sit there. Let the night take you in and get lost in deep, meaningful conversations. Feel sad, happy, hopeful, optimistic. Only good will come from a night spent over root beer floats. I promise.

I've made this ice cream with coconut milk and soy cream, but I prefer the soy cream recipe best. If you're trying to avoid soy, replace it with equal amounts of coconut milk (one can full fat, one can lite). I've also made it with both sugar measurements, but I feel like 1/2 cup is just too sweet for me. However, considering apples are too sweet for me lately, you people who consume sugar regularly might want to add the larger amount. And don't you even think about skimping on the vanilla bean. Get the biggest, fattest one you can buy. If there's a spice shop near you, I recommend getting one there, as they're considerably cheaper than vanilla beans sold in grocery stores (not to mention, better quality).

VANILLA BEAN ICE CREAM

3 1/2 cups soy cream
1/3-1/2 cup cane sugar
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Add 1/3 cup of the cream to a small saucepan over medium heat. In a small bowl, stir together the sugar, xanthan gum and vanilla bean; whisk into cream and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the remaining 3 cups of cream and stir for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat, transfer to a glass bowl, cover with plastic and refrigerate until cooled. Once cooled, pour the mixture into the bowl of your ice cream machine and mix according to the manufacturer's instructions. Eat ice cream immideately (it will be somewhat soft) or transfer to a container and freeze until ready to consume. Thaw for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Yield: about 1 quart

BOOZY ROOT BEER FLOATS

6 scoops vanilla bean ice cream
Vanilla bean sugar
Root liquor (or any other liquor)
Good quality root beer

Stack three large scoops of ice cream up the side of a 16 ounce cup. Sprinkle with vanilla sugar. Add root liquor (to taste) and root beer. Sip with a pretty straw.

Yield: 2 floats, one for you and your favorite person

Raw cacao ice cream

The days of making raw ice cream with frozen bananas are over. You hear that? O V E R. Because I found a way to make raw ice cream that doesn't involve it having a weird banana undertone. Unless you like the weird banana undertone - then, by all means, enjoy your banana ice cream. But for those of us who are sick of the freaking bananas, I found a solution. And best part about this ice cream? Only the fact that it doesn't contain any dairy or refined sugar, but tastes like real ice cream. That alone is reason enough to celebrate.

I had my doubts about this stuff. Especially after the first night of trials had my kitchen floor covered in cashew milk. Yep, all down the stove, seeping into the burners, all over the floor. And me. Off went my pants in the middle of the kitchen. But when I dipped my spoon into the churning ice cream maker (yeah, you probably shouldn't do that) and had a taste, I completely forgot about my milk soiled pajama pants. It was rich, creamy and flavorful. And considering my Ben & Jerry's loving boyfriend gave it two thumbs up, I'd venture to say that this stuff rules. It rules so hard, you guys.

There's a lot to say about this ice cream, so follow along. First of all, it's super versatile. If you prefer a sweeter ice cream, add more dates. Less chocolate? Reduce the cacao! The ice cream base is comprised of the cashews, water and dates - and there are so many flavor possibilities that it makes my head spin. You could ribbon in raw chocolate (cacao + coconut oil), or add cacao nibs and a few handfuls of unsweetened shredded coconut. How about whipping up some raw brownies and adding chunks of that? Completely omit the cacao and cinnamon, and add a vanilla bean for raw vanilla bean ice cream. You could even make a raw version of my blueberry frozen yogurt by adding lemon juice (2 tablespoons) and blueberries. Or any other fruit. AM I BLOWING YOUR MIND OR WHAT?

And don't think I forgot about you people without fancy mixers or magical ice cream making devices. Because if you don't have either, you can still make this stuff. Simply blend all of the ingredients together in your blender, then pour the base into ice cube trays and freeze overnight. Once frozen, transfer cubes to a plastic bag for storage, then mix in your blender whenever you get the sudden urge for ice cream (you may need to add a bit of liquid to get things moving). So, kind of like the whole frozen banana ice cream process, minus the whole banana flavor.

*A commenter pointed out the "high" calorie content of this ice cream (about 300/half cup) - so if that bothers you, you can strain out the nut pulp (although I don't recommend it unless you're seriously committed to sticking to your calorie counting diet). I, however, welcome high calories and good fat with an open mouth. Isn't that the point of eating a diet full of mostly plants? So I can eat whatever the hell I want and not feel bad about it?

RAW CACAO ICE CREAM

1 3/4 cups raw cashews
3 1/2 cups filtered water, plus more for soaking
15 medjool dates, pitted
6 tbsp cacao powder
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon (I used Ceylon)

Place the cashews in a small bowl, cover with water and soak for 6 hours, or overnight (if you don't have a high speed blender, the longer you soak the cashews, the better). Once the cashews have soaked, discard the soaking water and transfer the cashews to the container of a high speed blender, such as a Vitamix. Add the water and blend on high speed for 45-60 seconds. Add the dates, making sure each of them is submerged, then allow to soak for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, blend mixture on high speed for 30 seconds. Add the cacao powder and cinnamon; blend on high speed for at least one minute.  Transfer to the bowl of your ice cream maker and mix according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer the ice cream to a container and freeze until ready to consume. Thaw for 20 minutes before serving. I like to top mine with cacao powder and a handful of cacao nibs. I highly recommend it.

Yield: about 1 quart

Roasted blueberry frozen yogurt

Life has been nothing but a steady stream of good, lately. Nothing necessarily exciting has happened (ok, nothing exciting has happened) (at all), but I wake up every morning feeling happy. Energized. Motivated to be the best person I can. Because I've discovered that making it a priority to be a good person - to every single human I encounter - has changed my view on life. Not to mention, it's changed my purpose in life. It is now my perogative to be a good-doer. No matter what. No matter if I'm having the shittiest day of my week, I will do good for someone else. Because maybe they're having a shitty day, too. And maybe a glass of ice cold lemonade will make their problems seems a little less terrible. Even if it is just a glass of ice cold lemonade.

Going with the theme of being a good person, I started doing good for a homeless man who sleeps on a bench across the street from my bedroom window. I've spent a countless number of nights peering out said window, looking down at the man as he tries to get comfortable on a wooden bench that is much too small for his lengthy body. I cry. Then I laugh. Because life is so funny sometimes. There's a grown man trying to sleep on a tiny bench. Ha ha ha! THAT'S NOT FUNNY. Sob. Sob hard. Repeat cycle. I watch him as he attempts to jimmy his backpack into a pillow. As he takes off his combat boots and places them neatly under the bench. And I cry. Then I try to wipe my tears and hurry into bed before Thom comes in to tell me goodnight.

The good ranges. I don't think that what I do is important - nor do I think it's necessary to talk about the good you do (it kind of defeats the whole purpose, right?) - but I've noticed that it's a growing trend in our society to be complete assholes to one another. When someone smiles at you, you smile back. When someone holds a door for you, you say thank you. And when someone is sitting on a bench all day, in triple digit heat, you take them a glass of something cold. Because that's what Jesus would freaking do.

In the event you need convincing of the magical powers of doing good - I ran into him on the bus one day last week. When he finally got around to realizing who I was, he came over and told me how much he appreciated me taking time out of my day to make sure he had a glass of cold lemonade. He told me how much he looked forward to me coming around with a bag of treats, and how every time he saw me out, my half-smile (you know, the one sans chompers) made his day. I started crying. A wave of feel-good emotions rushed over me and I just sat there, laughing and crying in harmony. He just stood there and looked at me like I was crazy.

I was. But up until then, I never realized the impact even the smallest act of kindness can have on a person. It didn't take much for me to grab him a lemonade from the restaurant across the street. Or wrap up some treats on my way out. So be nice. Smile at people. And when you get the opportunity to do something good - do it. Don't hesitate. Just do it. Because we're all humans, and we all deserve to be treated with kindness and a little something special every once in a while. Like frozen yogurt. With roasted blueberries. Do you see where I'm going with this?

If you want to replace the soy products with coconut yogurt and coconut milk, you can do that. And if you want to replace the frozen blueberries with fresh, you can also do that. Costco has had crazy good deals on organic frozen fruit lately (blueberries! cherries! raspberries! oh my!) so I've been trying to include them in things other than my smoothies. I didn't use the xanthan gum trick this time, but if you want to eliminate the formation of icicles in your frozen yogurt, add 1/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum to the yogurt base. If you don't have an ice cream machine, try this method via David Lebovitz.

ROASTED BLUEBERRY FROZEN YOGURT

3 cups soy yogurt
1/4 cup soy cream
1/2 cup cane sugar
1 tsp pure almond extract
2 cups frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 425˚F. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the yogurt, cream, sugar and almond extract. Bring to a boil and continue whisking for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat, transfer to a glass bowl, cover with plastic and refrigerate until cooled. While the mixture is cooling, roast the blueberries at 425˚F for 20 minutes. If desired, sprinkle them with a bit of sugar prior to roasting. Once the yogurt mixture has cooled, pour it into the bowl of your ice cream machine and mix according to the manufacturer's instructions. Add the roasted blueberries (and juice) once the mixture has been churning for 20 minutes. Eat ice cream immideately (it will be somewhat soft) or transfer to a container and freeze until ready to consume. Thaw for about 10 minutes before serving.

Yield: 6 servings

Peanut butter chocolate chunk ice cream

DISCLAIMER: THERE'S GOING TO BE AN INFLUX OF ICE CREAM RECIPES UNTIL THE END OF SUMMER.

There's something to be said about a spoonful of ice cream; sweating in the sun, melting in their mouths. I never realized it until we got an ice cream machine - and started making it regularly - but ice cream makes people happy. Giddy. Ecstatic, even. Walking the bowls from the kitchen to the dining area, their eyes got wide; fingers got excited. They sat as patiently as they could for the five seconds it took me to transport the bowls to the table surrounded by their quivering fingers. And then they dug in. Like scavengers that hadn't eaten in months. Like a tiny human at it's first birthday, shoving cake into it's mouth. If you've ever witnessed it, you know what I'm talking about. And that feeling - watching them get so excited over something as simple as cream and sugar? It gives me an indescribable sense of happiness. Happy as they are, scooping the melty goodness into their faces. Happy to be able to witness something so genuine, over something as uncomplicated as ice cream. This is the good stuff, folks. This is what keeps me going.

If you don't like the idea of using coconut milk, you can use equal amounts of soy creamer. But if you want to use soy creamer because you're worried about the ice cream tasting like coconut, the peanut butter does a good job of masking that. Be generous with the peanut butter. I'm serious. It makes the ice cream super smooth and creamy. And delicious. Also, I've been making ice cream with light coconut milk (and the kind from the carton) and it comes out just fine. Not as creamy as ice cream made with full fat coconut milk, but other than there there's not much of a difference. Use one can of full fat and one can of light and you'll be golden.

Healthier peanut butter ice cream here.

PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHUNK ICE CREAM

3 1/3 cups full fat coconut milk
1/2 cup cane sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter (or more)
1/2 cup chocolate chunks

In a saucepan over medium heat, stir together 1/4 cup of the milk, sugar and peanut butter. Stir until the peanut butter has melted then add the remaining milk. Bring to a boil and continue whisking for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat, transfer to a glass bowl, cover with plastic and refrigerate until cooled. Once cooled, pour the mixture into the bowl of your ice cream machine and mix according to the manufacturer's instructions. Add the chocolate chunks once the ice cream starts to thicken. It takes 30 minutes for my machine to make ice cream, and I added the chocolate after 10. Eat ice cream immideately (it will be somewhat soft) or transfer to a container and freeze until ready to consume. Thaw for about 10 minutes before serving.

Yield: 6 servings

Chocolate chunk coconut ice cream

I surprised Thom with an ice cream maker months ago. It was one of those gifts that, surprisingly, wasn't something I bought for him just because I wanted it. I had no desire to do anything with an ice cream maker. At all. Until I found it in the back of one of our closets - unused after five months of ownership - and decided that if Thom wasn't going to use it, I was. So one night last week, I set out on a quest to make ice cream. But by the time the mixture was ready to use, it was late and I was groggy from 90 minutes of yoga in a 105˚F room. What was I thinking? I'll tell you. I was thinking my quads have been sore for three weeks, now. And my calves hurt so bad that I have to crawl, literally, out of bed each morning. From my bed, to the living room. ON ALL FOURS. So I was thinking I wanted to do 90 minutes of uninterrupted stretching in a really, really, really warm room, to help ease the tension in my legs.

So, anyway. It was late, I was tired and watching Ryan Gosling play super dreamy getaway guy with perfect hair and a distracting, shiny gold jacket put me in a trance. I had prepared the ice cream base hours before and it was ready to be put into the ice cream maker. So in it went, on turned the machine and.. ice cream started pouring from the bottom. I said the F word a few times and screamed, NO! NO! NO! NO! NOOOO! Because I forgot to put the ice cream bowl into the ice cream maker. The worst part is, I had assembled the churn without even realizing it didn't fit properly. But, to my defense, I was all out of sorts from the 90 minutes of torture I endured earlier in the day. I'm dehydrated and groggy, I told myself. And pause the freaking movie, Thom. HOW DARE YOU CHEAT ME OUT OF SEXY RYAN GOSLING TIME. Now help me clean up this mess, please.

The first four ingredients are for the ice cream base - if you want to add chocolate chunks and coconut, be my guest. But if you'd prefer other add ins, you can do that, too. If you're going to make fruit flavored ice cream, I recommend replacing one of the cans of coconut milk (13.5 ounces) with 16 ounces of coconut yogurt, as it lends the perfect amount of tanginess to the ice cream. If you don't have xanthan gum, no need to fret - simply omit it. I only added it because it helps to reduce the formation of ice crystals, therefore creating a smooth/creamy texture.

CHOCOLATE CHUNK COCONUT ICE CREAM

3 1/3 cups full fat coconut milk (2 cans) 1/2 cup cane sugar 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp xanthan gum, optional 3 oz dark chocolate, chopped 1/2 cup shredded coconut

In a saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the milk and sugar. Bring to a boil and continue whisking for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.  Sift in the xanthan gum, whisking to combine. Transfer to a glass bowl and refrigerate until cooled. Once cooled, pour mixture into the bowl of your ice cream machine and mix according to the manufacturer's instructions. Add toppings once the ice cream starts to thicken. It takes 30 minutes for my machine to make ice cream, and I added the toppings after 10. Eat ice cream immideately (it will be somewhat soft) or transfer to a container and freeze until ready to consume. Thaw for about 10 minutes before serving.

Yield: 6 servings

Peanut butter cup soft serve

I find any excuse I can to make this ice cream. But really, do you need an excuse to make ice cream? I don't think so. If you're having a good day, reward yourself with ice cream. If you're having a bad day, use ice cream as a pick-me-up. If you just found out you have a twelve page paper due at midnight, use ice cream to help wash down the fact that you probably aren't going to finish that paper.* Regardless of the circumstance, this ice cream is sure to make you feel all nice and tingly inside. Even if your goldfish dies. You'll be like, AHHHH!!!!!! What am I supposed to do with this fishbowl? Uhh, fill it with peanut butter cup soft serve, that's what.

This is the perfect sweet treat when you want to indulge.. at midnight - it's not completely horrible for you and is comprised of mostly natural ingredients. I usually make this sans the chocolate additions, but on extra special occasions, like when I bring home a pint of ice cream for the mister, I'll throw in a handful of chocolate chips and a peanut butter cup so I don't feel like I'm missing out on all the fun.

*This is not about me.

PEANUT BUTTER CUP SOFT SERVE (GF)

1 c. frozen banana chunks

4-6 tbsp almond milk

1 tbsp all natural peanut butter

2 tbsp vegan mini chocolate chips

1 dark chocolate peanut butter cup

In a high powered blender (such as a Vitamix), blend the banana chunks, almond milk and peanut butter on high speed for 20-30 seconds (or until smooth). Add the chocolate chips and crumble in the peanut butter cup; blend for 10-15 seconds. Eat immideately. Or do like I do and let it sit on the counter for a few minutes to get melty.

Yield: 1 serving