Kitchen Party

i scream for ice cream

I've had this ice cream maker on my wish list forever and I got one this week as an early mother's day gift! I am so excited since I have a long list of ice creams, frozen yogurts, sorbets, and coconut milk ice creams that I want to try!  Oliver was really excited to try an ice cream with cream cheese so that's what we decided our first ice cream should be.  I found this blueberry cream cheese ice cream recipe and decided to add a strawberry mint salsa instead.  It turned out so amazing! It looks like it's going to be a delicious summer!

*this is recipe #21 in my 52 recipes challenge 

Cheesecake Ice Cream with Strawberry Mint Salsa 

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 cup 2% milk

1 tbsp fresh lime juice

3/4 cup sugar

pinch of salt

1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries

2 tbsps fresh mint, finely chopped

1/2 cup whipping cream

Directions:

1. Blend the cream cheese, milk, lime juice, sugar, and salt in a blender until smooth.  
2. Chop fresh strawberries or blend frozen strawberries with the mint to make a thick salsa.
3. Transfer the cream cheese mixture to a bowl or extra large mason jar and mix with the whipping cream and strawberry salsa.
4. Cover bowl or place lid on your mason jar and refrigerate overnight.
5. Make your ice cream according to your ice cream maker's directions.  If you are using a KitchenAid ice cream attachment, make sure the ice cream maker is turned on before you add your liquid. Mix for 15-20 minutes and then freeze for a few hours before serving.  Allow your ice cream to sit out for a few minutes before trying to scooping.
6. Enjoy!

I have been having so much fun making birthday cakes. Today was our friend Nico's birthday and I made him a dairy free vanilla almond cake.  I used this recipe, but used almond milk and vegan becel instead of butter.  It was such a moist beautiful cake and I will definitely use this recipe a lot.

It was also my mother in laws birthday last week and I made her a coconut cake.  I wish I took a picture of it, but I guess I was too busy eating it.  Good thing I took a video.

 

the great outdoors

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Now that the weather is nice we have been living outside!  I took these pictures last week when the weather was just starting to warm up.  These boys are so happy digging in the dirt, looking for bugs, and running around wild. Oliver has been helping me in the yard during Arlo's naps and it's become such a fun time for us.  I'm a little sad on those 3 days he has school and I don't have my helper. I just can't get enough of these boys.

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Check out Oliver's "chicken pox" that he drew while I was changing Arlo.  Luckily he is feeling fine ;)

april

This crazy April weather has not been my favorite, but the rest of April has been pretty good.  Here's what has been happening.

Señor Oliver

Arlo is starting to talk a lot and it's making it way easier to communicate with him.  His favorite word is more.

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Arlo is always using a chair to get at things he shouldn't.  He climbs on the counters and Ryan even found him on the stove!  Definitely not my favorite stage!  Whenever I hear Arlo dragging a chair, I know that trouble is on its way.

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These two have started holding hands all the time and it is one of my favorite things EVER!  When we drop Oliver off at school, Arlo grabs his hand and they walk into the school together.  After we drop him off, Oliver waits at the window and these two blow kisses.  This has been the highlight of my month for sure!  

sandwich buns

My second and third attempt at buns turned out way better than my first try.  These buns definitely get easier to make each time. I'm going to start making them once a week because it's so nice to have homemade buns in the freezer.  I modified this recipe from Mennonite Girls Can Cook and here is the way I made them so I don't forget.

 

Sandwich Buns

makes approximately 22 buns

2 cups filtered water, warmed to 100 º F

2 tbsps honey

1 tbsp active dry yeast

1/4 butter, melted (warm but not hot)

3-4 cups unbleached flour (plus more if needed)

2 cups whole wheat flour (plus more if needed)

1 egg

1 tsp salt

Olive oil for brushing your bowl

Directions:

1. Stir the honey into the heated water until it dissolves.  Sprinkle the yeast on top and set aside for 10 minutes.  The yeast will turn frothy after 10 minutes. If it doesn't, it is inactive and you need to buy new yeast.
2. Melt the butter and set aside so it's warm, not hot.
3. Add the salt, egg, 3 cups unbleached flour and stir into the yeast mixture.  If you have a mixer, use your dough hook.
4. Add the warm butter and whole wheat flour and continue mixing until well combined.  You may need to add more flour or liquid, depending on your dough (I always add extra, but the exact amount is different each time).  It should be easily shaped into a ball and only slightly sticky. If you are using a mixer, the dough will start to come away from the sides and form a ball.  Mix well.
5. Lightly oil a large bowl and place your ball of dough in and then flip over so it is lightly covered in oil on all sides (you don't want it too greasy).
6. Cover with a tea towl and then place a plastic bag over top.  
7. Leave on your counter to rise for 1 hour.
8. Place a few pieces of parchment paper the size of your baking sheet on the counter to place your buns on.  This will make your buns easier to transfer to the oven without loosing their shape.
9. From here you can pinch off some dough for your buns, or if you like your buns to be the same size then weigh them with a kitchen scale.  For medium size buns I weigh mine at 65 grams a bun.
10. Smooth into balls and shape on the parchment paper.  Leave a few inches in between.
11. Cover your buns with a tea towel and let rise another hour.
12. Preheat your oven to 400.
13. Place your parchment paper with the buns onto your baking sheet.  
14. Bake for 18-20 minutes.
15. Cool on a wire rack.
16. Enjoy them fresh that day and freeze the rest.

 

It has been one of those weeks.  TGIF!

pen pals

 

 

 

Oliver and his pen pals, Olivia and Matilde, are still having a lot of fun writing letters to each other.  We received another letter from the girls a few weeks ago and it made our day.  They sent some gifts, beautiful drawings, an amazing pirate comic by Olivia, and a recordable card that says, we love you Oliver and Arlo, everytime you open it. Their voices are so sweet and the boys love listening to it over and over.  

I have also enjoyed getting to know their mom Nuria better through emails.  She is such a thoughtful, wonderful friend.  Her website, The Adventures Archive, is so inspiring and full of so many great ideas. Be sure to check out Oliver's favorite post on Olivia and Matilde's adventures at circus school.  These girls have so many fun adventures!

Hi Oliver,

Thanks for your letter!  I went to watch Break it Ralph!  I love it.  Did you watch it?  Broccoli is gross! We don't do jokes at the circus only balls and trapezes.  I love drawing.  I hope you like the pirate comic I make.  

Kisses

from,

Olivia and my sister Matilde

 

I love these pictures of the girls opening Oliver's letter! Olivia said Oliver's candy is so special, she could become a fairy with it!

 

Olivia and Matilde,

Thanks for your letter.  I love the pirate comic!  I wish you lived here.  That would be fun and I would really want you to stay here.  I'm drawing a picture and I'm going to go to the mailbox and send it to you.

Love Oliver

Arlo says hi

Joke by Oliver,

What is a moose in the sky?

A weird weirdo

 

 

April is a fool

There is nothing quite so depressing as a snowstorm in the middle of April, but we are trying our best to enjoy another day inside.  I took this picture last week and it makes me smile everytime I look at it. It seems Arlo has finally found a way to deal with his incredibly loud brother.  I think Arlo is on to something... I wonder if I can get a pair in pink?

52 recipes update

 

I have always wanted to cook with lemongrass and when our grocery store started carrying it I had to buy some.  I came up with an amazing coconut sweet potato soup recipe with lemongrass, wrote it on an evelope and then lost it.  I'm sure Arlo isn't upset, but it was really good.  I'll have to try making it again soon.  This soup was recipe #19 in my 52 recipes challenge.

I also made buns for the first time for Easter weekend.  Even though they didn't turn out perfect, I'm excited to try again.  I have a feeling that practice will make perfect. This makes recipe #20.  Only 32 more recipes to go before the end of the year!

Easter weekend

We had a lovely Easter last weekend hanging out with family and spending lots of time outside.  Even though we still had a lot of snow, the weather was beautiful.  I had so much fun watching the boys play outside.  I can't wait until the weather cooperates and we get to do this more often...hello spring, where are you?!

 

  

I'm so lucky to have such wonderful nieces.  They are so sweet to Oliver and Arlo and we have so much fun hanging out with them.

  

Two of Oliver's favorite things are water and mud.  He just can't help himself.

 

Hanging on the telephone

 

 

My mom made the most amazing lemon pavlova.  Soooo good!

 

We were lucky that we got to spend friday and sunday at BubaG's house.  The boys had fun playing in the snow with G, dying eggs with Buba Edie, and snacking on good food.  It was such a great weekend.