I may have mentioned that I’m currently addicted to my ice cream maker. I’m not sure if the addiction will be wearing off any time soon so you may start seeing a slew of creamy frozen dessert recipes. Here’s one I adapted slightly from Cooking Light using fresh mint.

Fresh Mint Ice Cream

(6 servings)

2  cups milk (I used Twin Brook Creamery)
1  cup whipping cream (I used Twin Brook Creamery)
8 to 10 fresh mint sprigs
3/4  cup  sugar
Dash of salt
2  large egg yolks (I used Stokesberry Sustainable Farms)
Small fresh mint leaves (optional)

Combine milk, whipping cream, and mint sprigs in a medium heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Heat milk mixture to 180° or until tiny bubbles form around edge (do not boil). Remove from heat; cover and let stand for 10 minutes.

Pour milk mixture through a fine sieve over a bowl, pressing slightly with a wooden spoon; discard solids. Return liquid to pan.

Place sugar, salt, and egg yolks in a bowl; stir with a whisk until pale. Gradually add half of hot milk mixture to egg mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Pour egg yolk mixture into pan with remaining milk mixture; cook over medium-low heat until a thermometer registers 160° (about 2 minutes), stirring constantly. Place pan in a large ice-filled bowl until custard cools completely, stirring occasionally.

Pour mixture into the freezer can of an ice-cream freezer; freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions. Drain ice water from freezer bucket; repack with salt and ice. Cover with kitchen towels, and let stand 1 hour or until firm. Garnish with mint leaves, if desired.

Optional: Try a sprinkle of chocolate shavings on the top.

Credit: Cooking Light

Ripe strawberries, fresh peaches, and Northwest huckleberries blended and frozen – couldn’t ask for a more refreshing dessert. My husband and I bought a hand-me-down ice cream maker at a club auction over three years ago and it hasn’t moved from its spot in the cupboard until just recently (and for the record, since I broke it out it has now been used three times…). I had some strawberries on their last breath, a couple of peaches, and some frozen huckleberries. I looked around to see what I could make and landed on a sorbet recipe from Full Circle Farms. I changed it up a bit to fit my fruit and here’s what I came up with.

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When I was a kid my mom and I would take walks up to the woods during the summer. If we were lucky enough, we could snatch a few juneberries ripe on the shrub. My mom always had plans for them – crisps, sauces, jams – but my mission was to eat them all before we returned home. I popped the tiny berries in between my teeth and my face would scrunch as the tart juice hit my tongue. Far from the Midwest and closer now to the Cascades, I’ve set my eyes on huckleberries. Yet to wander into the forest and forage on my own (although this is absolutely something I need to do!), I have recently discovered locally picked Wild Harvest frozen huckleberries at the Metropolitan Market. I have a weakness for fruit crisps; naturally this is where the huckleberries ended up.

Cascade Huckleberry Crisp
(6 servings)

10 oz. bag of wild red huckleberries
5 oz. (half bag) of wild blue huckleberries
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 cup regular rolled oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup emmer flour (I used Bluebird Grains)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup butter

Place huckleberries (frozen or thawed) in a 2-quart square baking dish. Stir in the granulated sugar.

In a medium bowl combine the oats, brown sugar, emmer flour, and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle topping over huckleberries.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until huckleberries are tender and the topping is a golden brown.

Credit: Recipe is a modified version of Better Homes & Gardens fruit crisp recipe.

The only thing missing is a heaping scoop of Whidbey Island Almond Vanilla Ice Cream…

This was our third trip to Lake Chelan this past year. Can you tell we like the place? Mostly we are attracted to the wine from the region, but the views are quite the draw too. Charlie and I booked the weekend as a Christmas gift for his mom and brother and we were ecstatic to show them our new favorite vacation spot… and possible future home of Cairdeas Winery.

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I missed out on the Eat Local for Thanksgiving campaign. Merely a participant in the eating festivities, I refrained from being too involved in dictating the meal’s ingredients. For Easter, I was called in to be the back-up family cook as my husband’s grandma had recently undergone knee replacement surgery. Thrilled to help, I also took the opportunity to make it an Eat Local Easter, managing to fill up the menu with approximately 65 percent Pacific Northwest ingredients.

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For Christmas this past year, my husband and I decided to give experiences instead of gifts. For his dad and his dad’s wife, who love boating and eating salmon, we bought tickets to the Tillicum Village Salmon Bake on Blake Island. We took the 45-minute trip aboard an Argosy Cruise vessel on a sunny Sunday and enjoyed the narration of the history of Tillicum Village, Blake Island, and its native tribes.

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For Valentine’s Day, Chef (that would be my husband) and Cook (that would be me) decided to spend the lover’s holiday at home. We both adore the kitchen and decided on a four-course dinner. Flipping coins for the courses, he pulled the starter and meat course, I, pasta and dessert.

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I promised Jerry Stokesberry I would cook it slowly. And cook that grass-fed chuck roast slowly I did. I had picked up some sweet potatoes from the market and imagined the two would marry well.

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This was my first visit to the West Seattle Farmers Market in weeks. I had missed the fresh vegetables, sustainable proteins, and the vendor smiles as they share their knowledge and tips for preparing their goods. I grabbed my Flip ‘n Tumble shopping and produce bags and headed to the market sans husband.

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I live in my kitchen, breathing flour and blinking butter, skating from the pantry, around the island, and back to the stove to stir. More concerned with my dish than the condition of my clothes, I rarely tie on an apron.  An extra step, a nuisance I once thought, until I owned a few. My husband and friends had to remind me at first, but I soon began to adore them. And adoration has quickly led to an obsession.

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