I Scream for Ice Cream

Actually, I rarely scream.  But today was an ice cream day.  This batch required cooking.  Whenever I am working at the stove you will find La Brittany du Cuisine.  She sits right by the stove, getting in my way.

I am pretty sure she was hoping something would spill or drop.  There isn't a single ingredient in French vanilla ice cream that she would not eat. Well, she might be indifferent to the four teaspoons of flour.  

This was a laborious process because I didn't want to scald the cream or have the eggs solidify.  It was a long slow stir to get the base up to 180f.  This is more than I do for us, but it needed to be made because I am bringing it as part of dessert to a potluck.  It will be served with an amazing carrot cake, so I couldn't skimp.

This is what I am thinking of wearing. It's my new thrifted gray velvet moto jacket and a sequined top I thrifted when I was stuck out of town for a dog show and my car broke down.  It was way too big, so I took it in at the neck and shoulders.  I had offered it at full size to my friend's daughter to wear to a wedding, but she didn't want to wear it. Since I like sparkle, I decided to keep it.

I have wanted an excuse to wear this outrageous rhinestone cuff. It's a garage sale find. A lady on my block used to own a gift/jewelry store and after it closed, she needed to sell of what was left.  I got it for just a couple of bucks!  As for the necklace, it's a lab-created white sapphire tennis necklace.  The clasp isn't as reliable as I would like, so I spent a little extra to have a local jeweler add a safety chain to it for me. I do that with many of my more valuable silver pieces because when they have an insert clasp, after a while, it gets soft and less reliable.

The chocolate humus-based ice cream needed to be churned in case I needed the Ninja container for my vanilla batch.  It is actually pretty good! We also ran out of oatmeal for Frankie.  This batch has oats, brown rice flour, chicken stock, apple peels & cores.

The apple discards came from a batch of pie filling.  That $5 bag of produce from Flash Food provided the fruit.  I had a frozen shell that needed to be used because they come two to a pack, and we had quiche earlier in the week.  These shells stick to the aluminum pan they are made in, so I pulled it out and put it in a metal pie plate. It wasn't easy -- the dough stuck a lot, so I had to piece it together. It would have been a disaster once I cooked it if I'd left it in the tin.  For the top, I crumbled tea biscuits and walnuts and tossed with melted butter and maple syrup.  The pie shells were clearanced at $1.28 for two -- otherwise, I make my own crust.

Dinner was chili and pie. Last night I made a large batch, so we ate it again tonight.  There is still one portion left for Tommy's lunch tomorrow.  We topped it with shredded lettuce/salad, cheddar cheese, avocado, and sour cream.  The avocados were 99 cents each. I thought it was worth it to grab a few while they are still cheap. I expect the price to go way up!

Now I have to figure out what to wear on the lower half of my body to go with that blingy top and jacket.  I would appreciate feedback on the ensemble so far. If it seems too tacky, I need to know.  I'm kinda a loud and tacky girl, so maybe it's appropriate...