Heyo, Thursday. Have some links, would ya?
Have you made your own ice cream yet this summer? Fall is starting to creep up on us — darker evenings, more back to school sales, fewer sweat-through-your-shirt days — but there’s still time!
We’ll embrace knitwear/closed-toe booties and hot coffee soon enough, but now’s the time to savor a few things (not necessarily in this order):
Let’s talk about number five.
My friend Sarah introduced me to this particular mint ice cream — I was visiting her newly built cabin up on Lopez Island, and I had just put Calder down to sleep. I sat on the couch and she handed me a bowl of homemade mint chip ice cream. It was cold and perfectly creamy, studded with chopped Andes mints (how underrated are Andes mints, btw?!), and between the new-cabin-wood-smell, the salty island air and the fact that my child was sleeping soundly a few rooms away, it was, quite possibly, one of my favorite ice cream experiences to date.
You can have it too! It turns out that this treat is on the simpler side to make. It uses mint extract instead of fresh mint leaves (I know, I was skeptical too), eggs, and healthy amounts of half-and-half and heavy cream (among other things – see below). It makes a lot of ice cream, and a bowl piled high with the cool and creamy, chocolate chunk-laden stuff is a true delight, even without the smell of fresh wood or ocean air (or the relief that comes with the knowledge that your kid is finally – finally! – asleep).
It’s still summer! More ice cream, please.
Creamy Mint Chip Ice Cream…
Well, here we are, feet firmly planted into August. How has your summer been so far?
Besides a general theme of uncomfortable, sticky heat (yes, summer, hello, hi), mine has been filled with good things: popsicles, peaches, chubby toddler toes in public wading pools, ferry boats, merry-go-round rides at the zoo, cold wine, flowy shirts, bags of fresh cherries, Moana dance parties, grilled salmon, and a handful of rocky beaches. The usual, you know.
And we’ve only had two instances of toddler food poisoning, and just one semi-bad allergic reaction. Not too shabby!
OH, also, here’s a fun question: anyone know what happens when you accidentally run a (used, yes, ugh) non-cloth diaper through the washing machine?
I DO.
I don’t really want to talk about it – there is weird chemical gel involved – but let’s just leave it at GROSS, cool?
Let’s get back to the popsicles and the wine and the cherries, okay? Maybe in a bright, tangy baby kale salad with pops of sweet fruit and salty pistachios? There’s still plenty of summer left to grab.
Baby Kale Salad with Cherries & Pistachios…
Ever since I first laid eyes on the absolute delight that is the Great British Baking Show (or Bakeoff, depending on where you live), I’ve been jonesing for some Victoria Sponge.
I’ve also been in a generally better mood, because as anyone who has watched this show can tell you, it’s the loveliest of lovely things to watch and, somehow, can make you forget (if only for an hour-long episode) that things like this are the truths we live with now.
Plus, there’s cake! Or sponge, if we’re being British about it. As far as I can tell, a Victoria Sponge (I really want to call it a “Victoria Sponge Cake” but isn’t that like saying “Victoria Cake Cake?” Help me, Brits!) is basically just two light and buttery pound-ish cakes, sandwiched with a thin layer of jam and a thick (beautiful, billowy) layer of lightly sweetened whipped cream.
SWOON.
I’d put it firmly in the category of snack cake, which as we all know is the best kind of cake — the kind you can just snack on all day long and it somehow feels appropriate. Not overly adorned. Lightly sweet. Snacky. You know?
Anyway, when I went to create my own version, I ran quickly towards Nigella Lawson, Domestic Goddess that she is, and she didn’t steer me wrong. (Also, Mary Berry’s version — and most versions, actually — calls for castor sugar, which is the Brit way of saying superfine sugar, which I didn’t have on hand. I eventually picked some up, though, because the cake — the sponge, I should say — really benefits from a final dusting of the stuff before serving). The final verdict on this thing is: SCRUMMY. Let’s eat cake.
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Summer is feeling HOT here in Seattle, and as a result we’ve been on a smoothie kick in our house lately. Give us all the frozen fruit! (And all the pancakes, too, because it’s actually more like a smoothie-and-pancake-kick, if I’m honest, because #balance (and also #toddler), and it’s kind of my favorite thing.)
Aside from being a generally healthy and cooling treat, I’m loving the smoothie life because have you ever watched a one-year-old with very minimal hair growth slurp smoothie from his tiny cup and then look at you and go “mmm” very matter-of-factly? Hot weather or not, I will keep make smoothies as long as I get to watch this happen.
I love all manner of frozen fruit for smoothies (we’re generally big on peaches, strawberries, blueberries and cherries over here), but when The Oregon Raspberry and Blackberry Commission challenged me to come up with a blackberry smoothie recipe with an unexpected flavor twist, I jumped at the chance. And given the lovely fresh herbs available this time of year, my mind went immediately to basil. I kept it simple, letting the berries and basil shine through, and the result is one of the most refreshing cupfuls of frozen goodness you’ll find — sweet, tart, and very slightly herbaceous, not to mention the most gorgeously gorgeous shade of purple. (Does it exist in lipstick and nail polish form? Beauty experts, please say yes.)
Something in me suspects that, frozen in little cups or molds, this smoothie would transition pretty perfectly into popsicles, too. Popsicles and pancakes for breakfast? Works for me.
Oh, hey! While you’re blending your own smoothie, head on over to Instagram, where the ORBC and I are doing a fun little giveaway — all you have to do to enter is follow our accounts and tell us what you’d do with your own shipment of beautiful Oregon blackberries!
The Oregon Raspberry and Blackberry Commission provided reimbursement for the ingredients in this post. All opinions are my own.…
Happy #popsicleweek, peepsicles! If you’ve yet to discover the wonder that is this weeklong, summer blogosphere holiday (started by Billy of Wit & Vinegar five years ago 🙌🏼), you’re in for a treat (or, like, a few hundred treats, once the week is through).
The week is basically just a celebration of popsicles and blogging and sharing and probably Mariah Carey, and it’s a brain-freeze-filled good time, so find your favorite pop and get chilling! In years past, I came to the party with Dark Chocolate Pudding Pops (a personal favorite), Date Shake Pops (crowd-pleasiest of crowd pleasers), Honeydew Agua Fresca Pops (real refreshing), and Brown Sugar Roasted Strawberry & Coconut Pops (longest-named pop ever)!
This year, I bring you light yet creamy, tangy and faintly sweet, gorgeously pale-yellowy ORANGE YOG-SICLES.
….Yes. Yog-sicles. Just go with it.
They’re mostly yogurt and OJ, with a splash of cream and vanilla (because balance!), both toddler and grownup approved. If we’re being honest, I threw these together without much thought during nap time (after a very appropriate and on-trend for #popsicleweek toddler meltdown), using ingredients I had on hand, and I’m proud to say they’re some of my favorite pops yet.
So, what do you say? Should we make yog-sicles a thing? ENJOY!…
So, yeah, I’ll admit it: I developed this recipe purely for the opportunity to say spatchcock a bunch of times.
Spatchcock! Spatchcock. Spatchcock.
…Alright, I think it’s out of my system now. (But how fun is that to say?)
Have you ever done this to a whole chicken? Have you spatchcocked? (Sorry.) Have you butterflied a bird? Consider this post Part 2 of my “Fear Not Whole Bird Cooking” series! (Part 1 is here.)
It’s a fancy-looking affair, but I promise, you’re just one sturdy pair of kitchen shears (and a small mental pep talk, maybe) away from your own gorgeously-glazed, juicy butterflied chicken.
Aside from looking cool, spatchcocking a chicken flattens out a whole bird so that it cooks more quickly and evenly, whether in a pan or on the grill. I actually had summer grilling in mind when I set out to cook this dish, but I found that an oven proof skillet (such as cast iron), used either in the oven or on the grill, helps to catch all of the lovely cooking juices, saving our bird from drying out and creating a nice little pan sauce, to boot.
A tender, juicy bird with a sort of sweet, kind of tangy, definitely sticky glaze. How’s that for SUMMER? Add a quick corn salad on the side! Or a few slices of watermelon? Either way, let’s just get to spatchcocking, shall we?
In partnership with Draper Valley Farms. All opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that support Dunk & Crumble!
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Happy long weekend, peepsicles! The news is utter catastrophe, but the sun has finally graced us with a string of warm and glorious days, and on every block you can almost feel Seattle’s foliage wringing itself out after a (long, wet, and did I mention long?) rainy winter.
Here are your links for the week!
Have you roasted a whole chicken yet? It’s time.
Knowing how to confidently roast a chicken is up there on the list of essential life skills — you know the one — The Things A Person Should Know. (You don’t know this list? Uh oh. That’s the first thing on the list — know about the list. …You’ll catch up.)
Actually, knowing how to roast a chicken is right up there with knowing how to launder your own clothes, fix a clogged shower drain, tip appropriately — in fact, pulling a beautifully bronzed, crisp-skinned, whole chicken out of your oven is probably less important than remembering to schedule your own dentist appointments, but, one could argue, more important than proper eyebrow care. (I see your perfectly-sculpted eyebrow raise, missy — I stand by that statement.)
The great thing about a classic roasted chicken is that, though it looks involved and sophisticated, it’s actually quite simple (and relatively hands-free), so roasting a whole bird is as appropriate for Sunday dinner (or a special Mother’s Day feast!) as it is for the weeknight hustle.
So let’s get roasting! Springtime is the perfect season to toss a chicken in the oven and play around with bright flavor combinations, like creamy new potatoes, crisp radishes, and a vibrant, herby vinaigrette.
Get out there! Have no fear! Snag yourself a (local! free-range!) bird, a mess of herbs, and a fat bunch of radishes, and you’re halfway to dinnertime perfection.
In partnership with Draper Valley Farms. All opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that support Dunk & Crumble!
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Sniff sniff, HONK sniff! I think I’ve officially entered the stage of life where someone in my house is always sick. Sniffles and coughs and viruses, oh my! (And Calder’s not even in daycare yet! Oh dear.) It’s all terribly glamorous and attractive, yes it is.
But what if rhubarb cake is a cure-all? Do tender crumb and sweet-tart fruit have healing powers? What if the soft cake is flecked with dark buckwheat flour, some Greek yogurt, and hints of citrus, too?
I’m going with yes. (And even if not, a friend I shared this cake with said it “tastes of unicorns,” so at the very least, we’ve got that going for us.) Join me!
Tender Rhubarb Snack Cake…