It's my Birthday gift to Me!

I might have mentioned that my birthday was a few weeks ago. And for most of it I felt like this:

I felt even more like this when my mother in law asked what I wanted for my birthday. Easy question, I want an ice cream maker! Otherwise what would this pinboard by good for?


Exactly, not good for very much at all. And furthermore, what good would an ice cream maker be good for if I didn't have the Jeni's splendid ice cream at home recipe book!!!?


Exactly, not good for anything.


So, I asked for both. And I am not ashamed to admit that I cheered and danced and leapt in joy when said gifts arrived. For a week I contemplated the very difficult decision of what would be my first homemade ice cream. I ended up choosing this one.

A little sneak peek of the recipe! pick up a copy!

Yes, yes. Salty caramel. And it turned out perfectly. Rich and smooth and creamy. The cool thing about this cookbook is that the first chapter gives the cook a foundation for developing ice cream flavors on their own and the science behind the ingredients. Which is complicated and essentially comes down to water content of the ice cream...Anyway...

Ice cream getting a chill before going in the machine.

Ice cream making is not to be taken lightly. It's kind of a several hour investment. None of it is difficult, but you will have a sink full of dirty dishes by the time you're done. And patience is essential, in fact I have a bag full of backyard mint ice cream steeping in my fridge as we speak.


But all that waiting is well worth it because in about 45 minutes you'll go from soupy mix to...

super mix.

Oh yum. I'm so excited to try the mint ice-cream with a bunch of added dark chocolate chips - my favorite flavor :)


So I want to know, what's your favorite flavor of ice cream?