Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Guest Post: Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream

Holy smokes summer has finally hit Seattle!!  And look who is here with a perfectly timed guest post for me.....BFF Nikki!  Did you all know she started her own blog? It is honest and fun and yummy all at once.  I love reading it and you will too!!  Check it out and then come back and read all about the yummy ice cream she made...I think she needs to invite me over!


Hello there, I’m Nikki over from hopefulandhungry.com  and I’m so happy to be doing a post for my bestie Alex while she is busy caring for her new baby, Peyton. A little background, Alex and I have been best of friends since 1993 (yes, that far back!)-we were just mere freshman sitting in our Biology class when we met.
Alex is like a sister to me and I’m so glad to be an “auntie” to her beautiful daughter, Peyton. Peyton is one lucky girl to have a Mom like Alex; she is much loved and will hopefully be able to read these blog posts when she is older and maybe enjoy all of the things her Mom is constantly creating in the kitchen.
I’ve guest blogged for Alex in the past, before I had my own blog, and like I said previously, we share many things in common, but one thing is our love of sweets. It will never change, good or bad, we love sugar!
For my last birthday, Hubby got me a Cuisinart Ice Cream maker. Funny thing-he got me a red one, Alex already had the same one in white-she has red appliances, I have white-we thought about a trade, but Hubby would have been devastated if I exchanged his gift. Kidding…..sort of.


Finally it’s summer here in Seattle and I was excited to put the new gift to work!
Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream-adapted from Cuisinart recipe book
* 1 ½ cups fresh strawberries, hulled
* ¾ cup whole milk
* 2/3 cup granulated sugar
* Pinch salt
* 1 ½ cup heavy cream
* 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1. Put the strawberries in a food processor fitted with the chopping blade. Pulse the strawberries rough/finely chopped (depending on preference). Reserve in bowl.
2. In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer on low speed or whisk to combine the milk, sugar, and salt until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla. Stir in reserved strawberries with all juices. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours, or overnight.
3. Turn on ice cream maker (Cuisinart); pour the mixture into the frozen freezer bowl (bowl should be placed in freezer for at least 24 hours before using) and let mix until thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes. The ice cream will have a soft, creamy texture. If you desire a firmer consistency, transfer ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours.

I love ice cream and this was no exception. Made with whole milk and heavy cream, it was definitely rich, but the strawberries gave it a bit of tart lightness. It had the perfect amount of sweetness-just like Alex and baby Peyton.
Thank you Alex again for letting me share a recipe here on your blog. And thank you for your continued friendship!


Thanks Nikki!  I think she is the sweet one. Ice cream, like a true friend, is such a comfort.  Make this ice cream for your friends..they'll love you even more for it.  
Oh and Nikki forgot to mention that when we met in 1993? 
We were 5. 
Yes, we took biology at age 5.
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