Splendid

I've been saving my empties from the Splendid Ice Cream that Travis had shipped to me for Christmas. I had plans for them. Sadly, the empties now far out-number the fulls, which means it's time to break out the book again. Ginny and I cooked up a batch of the Darkest Chocolate Ice Cream in the World on Tuesday evening. I chilled the mix overnight, froze it yesterday morning after I took her to school, packed it in my empty Jeni's containers and popped it into the freezer.

It was perfectly cured by the time she got home from school and she had an chocolate ice cream cone for her afternoon snack. I may also have had one myself. I didn't get to share my Ohio-made Jeni's with her, because of the possibility that it might contain traces of nuts, but now we have 2 (make that 1 1/2) pints of totally nut-free ice cream that's just as good as the "boughten" stuff. My Jeni's at Home is right at home, and all is right with the world.

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5

I don't know how she does it, but Ginny manages to get sick the week of her birthday nearly every year.  This year most of the guests we invited to her birthday party were also sick, so suffice it to say, there was no party.  But there were a few presents.

 (She built this almost entirely on her own.)

There were also birthday candles...

 ... and cake.  (So un-Martha and so good.)

And the girl is no less 5 than if we'd thrown the party of the century.  And she said it was the best birthday ever.  I love her.  As there were not many "birthday" pictures taken, I offer, instead, a sampling of Ginny's own photography.  I think she shows enormous talent.

Ginny's sock-cake is simply divine.  Let me know if you want the recipe.

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A Party for Clara

Two weekends ago I hosted a tea party baby shower for my sister-in-law, Mary.

The shoes were Mary's when she was a baby.  Pink roses and honeysuckle from my back yard, and daisies from the roadside.  The vintage children's storybooks are from the free bin at a used bookstore.

Red roses from my mother-in-law's yard.  Tea tin from Goodwill.

The gown on the far left was made by Clara's great-great grandmother for my mother-in-law when she was born.  The rest of these tiny things were Mary's. 

Peonies from my yard and my mother-in-law's with more roadside daisies

Menu

Mini Cherry & Almond Teacakes

Chicken Salad with Croissants

Bacon Cheese Ball with crackers

Grape Salad

Cream Scones with Strawberry Jam and Lemon Curd

Punch, Coffee and Assorted Teas

 
My only regret is that I don't live near enough to my brother and his wife to have hosted parties for their babies, too.  Happy Birthday, 3rd birthday Anna Beth!  Aunt Bek loves you.

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Ginny Makes Lunch

Yes, that's bacon.  She's a genius.

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4

My baby is four years old.  How did that happen?  This is the cake she's been asking for for months.  The ice cream cone turrets are my favorite.  As I was frosting it,though, I realized why I usually make cupcakes.  I am not skilled at frosting layer cakes.  The cake was this crazy Southern Living recipe that included white cake mix, strawberry Jello, chopped strawberries, lots of eggs and extra sugar.  Definitely yummy -- but somewhat overpowered by the massive amounts of frosting and candy that were piled on top.  Still, at the end of the day, when she was asked what her favorite part of the day was, she said, "Eating the castle cake!"  Totally worth the work and the subsequent sugar coma. 

Goofballs.  These two are quite a pair.

 I love it when our house is full of shiny, happy people.  And presents.

Ginny's Aunt Mary made her this amazing Winnie the Pooh flannel-graph set, with promises to add more pieces for Christmas.  She's awesome.

 Iron Chef Ginny demonstrates her culinary chops.

 

This is what we've been doing ever since.  

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Saturday Morning Waffles

I make waffles every Saturday morning.  It's actually not as big a deal as it sounds, because I have a super easy recipe, which I thought I'd share with you.  I've made these so often now that I have the recipe memorized and have pared the tools I need to a minimum so I won't have so much to wash after. 

You need:
all purpose flour (Farine, for you Francophiles)
baking powder
buttermilk (You can use plain milk, but you'll be missing out.  Trust me.)
2 eggs
vegetable oil

Preheat your waffle iron.  Don't feel like you have to buy the most expensive waffle iron you can get your hands on.  This one came free with a George Foreman grill that I tossed out LONG ago.  I've been using this thing for almost 9 years.  It's not fantastic, but it gets the job done.

2 cups of farine in a large bowl

1 tablespoon baking powder

Whisk dry ingredients together.

2 cups buttermilk 

Yes, that expiration date was 2 weeks ago.  It's buttermilk.  What's the worse that could happen?  It's going to turn even more sour?  I'm not concerned.  I laugh in the face of danger.  Use a large measuring cup so you can mix all your wet ingredients without dirtying another bowl.  

1/3 cup vegetable oil

Separate eggs-- whites in another small mixing bowl and yolks right in here.

Whisk wet ingredients together.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and whisk to combine.

It's okay to leave it a little lumpy.  Now let this stand (so the buttermilk and baking powder can do their thing) while you whip up some magic.

Beat your egg whites until they look like this:

Add egg whites to your batter and fold in gently.  It is far better to under mix than to over mix and deflate the egg whites. 

See how there are a few fluffs of egg white that didn't get mixed in?  Now follow those manufacturer instructions and make some waffles!

Curse your rotten luck when this happens.

My waffle maker has kind of a cooler spot in one corner where the waffles never get quite as done, but we don't care.  They're still yummy.  Enjoy the fruits of your minimal labor with the topping of your choice.  You can also add blueberries, chocolate chips, a teaspoon of vanilla, a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg, or whatever you like to this batter.  I usually don't, but I have and they're always great-- really light and fluffy and a little custardy in the middle if you don't cook them to a crisp.  I put leftovers in a big Ziploc bag and keep them in the fridge to warm up in the toaster later in the week.

I apologize for all the wacky shadows in these photos.  You can thank my very modern, and totally-inappropriate-for-task-lighting track lights.  I should probably have just turned them off and opened the curtains.  Lesson learned.  Fortunately, my shadowy photos have no affect on the recipe.

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