Friday Favorites - Vol 5 - Summer Food (Recipe Recap)

Currently I'm sitting on my back patio staring up at a brilliant blue sky filled with white puffy clouds. I'm surrounded by warm air, bright pink flowers, the heavenly scent of mint leaves, and a tiny hummingbird that keeps coming to visit. It's summer, and it's absolutely perfect. I wish it would stay exactly like this forever.

Can you guess what my absolute favorite part of summer is? The food. Fresh fruits, ice cream, picnic snacks--there's so much great food to eat during the summer! I put together a list of all my favorite recipes for you, so hopefully it's not too hot in the kitchen to jump in there and whip up some deliciousness before you head back out to the pool or the barbecue!

Let's start with something to cool off--Ice Cream!

1. The perfect blend of slightly salty and sweet - Salty Caramel Ice Cream, 2. Simple yet utterly delicious - Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, 3. The easiest ice cream you'll ever make - Peanut Butter Ice Cream, 4. It's all about hot and cold, so add a little spice to your chill - "Hot" Chocolate Ice Cream


There's nothing better than fresh fruit in the summer. Ripe juicy berries are my weakness, and they just beg to be used whatever way they can.

 

1. Blackberries bursting with flavor - Blackberry Crumble Bars, 2. Be patriotic with a great Independence Day picnic dessert - Red, White, and Blue Shortcakes, 3. Chocolate and Raspberry marry beautifully - Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes, 4. This stunner of a dessert is simple to whip up - Strawberry Cream Cake, 5. Why not take your pie with you! - Peach Hand Pies


Heading out to a baseball game or a drive-in or outdoor movie? Make sure you pack some popcorn to munch on!

Left: Homemade Kettle Corn - a little bit spicy a little bit sweet, a whole lot of yum, Right: Homemade Caramel Corn - Lame prize not included.


Don't want to spend time inside? Take your snacks to go!

Left: Whether you're sitting around the campfire or just sitting in the airconditioning, S'mores are the essential summer snack. Class it up with Homemade S'mores, Right: Create your own beautiful fireworks with out all the noise and danger of blowing your hand off - Firework Sugar Cookies


And last, but certainly not least, celebrate Independence Day with a delicious cake! Red, White, and Blue and oh so good.

Hope you have a great summer, and happy summer baking! :)

Backyard Mint Ice Cream with Hot Fudge Sauce

Although we're still about a week or so away from being official, summer is definitely here. The days are warm and sunny. The flowers are blooming (I’ve even got my first flowers on my tomato plant!) I’ve signed up for the summer reading program at the library. I’ve even gone on our first camping trip of the year! But the thing that really makes it summer—I’ve officially made this season’s first batch of ice cream.

Along with a couple tomato and pepper plants, I also planted some fresh herbs this year. Since I don’t do much in the way of veggies, I mostly planted things I could use to make pasta—thyme, rosemary, and oregano. But of course I had to throw in a little something for dessert—a mint plant! I’m terrible at keeping things alive, so I went for the starter plant rather than seeds, and within a few weeks, it was ready to harvest.

I’ve been eyeing the recipe for Backyard Mint in Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home since I got it last year. I love Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream, and knew it would be even better with mint from my own plant!

Like the most of the recipes in the book, it’s not a quick “throw it all together” type of recipe. But it’s not a “slave the day away” recipe either. And trust me--it’s well worth the little bit of extra time it takes to put together. It’s insanely creamy and smooth. If you don’t have fresh mint leaves, feel free to substitute mint extract, but if you’ve got leaves, definitely use them. They give the ice cream more of a fresh, earthy taste.

Because I’m planning on sharing it with Boyfriend, who always complains that it’s impossible to find plain mint ice cream, I left the standard chocolate chips out. Instead I made a mint infused hot fudge sauce to pour over top so we’re both happy. It’s dark and luscious, and I kind of want to eat it with a spoon straight out of the jar I poured it into. It's the perfect topping for pretty much anything. I've even used some of it to make microwave s'mores!

So here's a question for you: I still have a lot of mint and all of summer left, so what else can I make with fresh mint? Besides ice cream and mojitos? Leave me your best mint recipes!

Salty Caramel Ice Cream (And a GIVEAWAY!)

Here it is, Friday already. The final day of Ice Cream Week! I can’t believe we’ve made it through a week of recipes already! But I saved the best for last! It’s one of the signature flavors from one of my favorite ice cream places ever. Today, we’re making Jeni’s Salty Caramel Ice Cream! And if you stick around til the end, there might just be something in it for you too.

One of the best things about going to a Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams shop is that you can sample as many flavors as you want before you decide. Which can also be a bad thing, because I usually have a hard time making a decision after I’ve tried everything! I’ve gotten a little better at narrowing it down to 3 flavors for my “trio” (3 small scoops in a bowl), but there was a time I’d walk out with a bowl overflowing with scoops because I couldn’t narrow it down to less than 5! And one of them was ALWAYS Salty Caramel. Apparently I’m not alone in my love of the Salty Caramel. According to Jeni’s book, the flavor makes up more than 20% of the total sales of all the flavors offered. 20%! That’s one in every 5 people walking out the door with a scoop of Salty Caramel! So you know it has to be good.

I was a little terrified of making caramel for the ice cream. I don’t have a lot of experience with caramel (1 success and 1 drippy failure), and I’ve never made it using the dry method suggested (melting the sugar in a pan with no water). But I only messed up once! I didn’t follow the golden kitchen rule of mise en place-- making sure you’ve got everything ready to go before you even start, including a place to set the hot pan away from the heat. I realized too late that I didn’t have anywhere to set my pan to add the cream, except my counter, which I was scared of burning. So I ended up burning the caramel instead. Round 2 went much better though, and my caramel came out perfectly.

The finished product is a smooth, creamy bite of rich salted caramel. Mine’s not as salty as I would like it to be because I made the mistake of using just table salt rather than the good quality sea salt, but it’s still really good. Definitely one I’ll make again and again. And hopefully you will too! What’s that? You don’t have the book? Well, we’ll just have to change that won’t we?

I told you there was something in it for you! I’m throwing a giveaway! You could end up with your very own copy of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home! Yay!

But if that’s not cool enough for you, how about I sweeten the deal a little more… Let’s make it an autographed copy of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home.

Oh, heck. While I’m at it, why not make it TWO autographed copies!

So how do you win one of these? Easy!

Just leave a comment on this post between now and 11:59PM EST on Friday, August 19th (1 week from now!), telling me what your favorite ice cream flavor is. It’s as simple as that!

Two winners will be chosen by Random.org and will be announced on Monday, August 22nd. Winners will also be notified by email, so make sure you include a valid email address or some way I can contact you. If I don’t hear back from a winner in 72 hours, a new winner will be chosen. Also, the giveaway is limited to US residents only.

Want an extra entry? Just follow @thebustybaker on Twitter, and tweet:

I want to win an autographed copy of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home from @thebustybaker. You can too! http://bit.ly/oSsoHs #giveaway

Then come back here and leave me a comment telling me you did! (Please leave either a link to the tweet or your Twitter name in the comment too, so I know who you are.)

**The giveaway has now ended! Thanks for participating!**

*Giveaway disclaimer: All opinions on Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams and Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home are my own. I have not been paid for endorsement in any way. The books for the giveaway were bought by me, with my own money, and I went to a book signing to obtain the autographs. (And looked like a crazy, sweaty, spastic creep while I was there. But I did it all for you.) The books will be shipped to the winners via United States Postal Service as soon as I can get to the post office.

Strawberry Fro-Yo Throwdown

I’ve perused a good share of ice cream cookbooks in my time. I even own a couple. There are some I like more than others, but there’s one single book I continually come back to time and time again. And I know I’m not alone in thinking this book is one of the top choices for ice cream making. I’ve used The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz for several recipes so far (Vanilla Bean, Peanut Butter, Cheesecake, "Hot" Chocolate), and all of them have come out great. I didn’t think I’d really find anything better out there—that is, until the owner of my absolute favorite ice cream shop, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, came out with her very own cookbook. Watch out David Lebovitz. You may have just been bumped from the top.

For those of you who aren’t from around the Central Ohio area, Jeni’s is a local favorite. Voted time and time again by local magazines and newspapers as the best ice cream in town (as well as ranking up there in the country by some national publications too!), everyone knows Jeni’s is the place to go. So I can’t even begin to describe how excited I was to know that with a new cookbook, I’d be able to make my favorite Jeni’s ice creams at home whenever I wanted! But how would it stack up to my current favorite ice cream bible? I’d just have to my own little ice cream throwdown to find out!

There weren’t many recipes that were exactly the same in both books, so I decided to adapt a recipe slightly from each book to create the same flavor. The beauty of the Jeni’s book is that the overwhelming majority of the recipes are made the exact same way every time, allowing for easy adaptation of flavors. I used the Frozen Yogurt base to create a Fro-Yo version of the Roasted Strawberries and Buttermilk recipe (minus the buttermilk) to pair up against DL’s Strawberry Frozen Yogurt, which I used roasted strawberries in as well. So how’d each contender in the throwdown fair?

First challenge: Preparation. The clear winner in this challenge is Lebovitz. It’s another “throw it all in a blender” simple kind of recipe. It’s very quick to put together, and doesn’t require a lot of prepwork. The most work that went into it was roasting the strawberries in the oven, which isn’t even in the original recipe. The Jeni’s recipe? It requires some planning ahead because you have to drain the yogurt overnight to get rid of a lot of the liquid. And it seems to use a lot of dishes. With DL, I used maybe 4 or 5 bowls and utensils total. Jeni’s left me with an entire sink full.

Next: Flavor. This one is honestly a toss-up. DL has a much bolder strawberry flavor than Jeni’s, but Jeni’s holds her own using subtlety as her strength. The strawberry flavor might be light, but it’s balanced perfectly with the slight tang of the combination of yogurt and cream cheese, Jeni’s secret ingredient. I really can’t call a clear winner in this round.

Finally: Texture. Hands down, Jeni’s got this one. It’s not even a contest between the two. While it adds to the prepwork of the recipe, draining the yogurt is actually a very important step. More liquid means more ice. Lebovitz’s recipe ends up a very icy, almost grainy texture, while Jeni’s is so smooth and creamy, it’s almost like silk on your tongue.

The big winner of the throwdown? I gotta give it to Jeni’s. There’s a reason why she has 8 shops in central Ohio, 1 in northern Ohio, has recently opened 2 in Nashville, and sells in retail stores in NYC. This stuff is the real deal. Easy prep is great and all, but no one cares how easy or hard it is to put together if the finished product isn’t blow-your-mind spectacular. And most of Jeni’s stuff is. But don’t worry The Perfect Scoop. You’ve still got a place on my shelf. I just might not be pulling you out quite as often as I was.

Tomorrow we're bringing Ice Cream week to a close with one of my favorite flavors! And maybe a little something special for you too. Be sure to stop by!

Popsicles

Apparently all I have to do is publicly complain about how awful the heat is, and Bam! No more heat. I just looked at the forecast for the next 10 days. Not one single day above 85 degrees. Now THAT’S what I’m talking about! But even with the lack of heat that inspired this whole project, Ice Cream Week rolls on with Day 3—Ice Cream on the go! Kind of. We’re making popsicles!

Popsicles remind me of being a kid, sucking all the juice out of a FlavorIce, then just throwing the ice part away. Or getting one of those red, white, and blue Bomb Pops from the ice cream truck. And those Push-Up Pops. Oh! And Bill Cosby and his Pudding Pops!

Popsicles are perfect treats for a quick snack. Just grab and go! They also tend to be a lot easier to prepare, and a lot faster too. No churning in an ice cream maker. Just pour in the molds and freeze! I can’t tell you the last time I made popsicles, but now that I remember how easy it is, and how much variety you can make, I’m definitely making popsicles all the time now!

First up, Peach Popsicles. These came from a book called Ice Pops by Shelly Kaldunski.

They’re a delicious way to use up some of those peaches that are coming into season right now! Just cut them up, blend them with some sugar, water, and lemon juice, and you’ve got yourself a healthy, yummy, frozen treat! Peaches are one of my favorite fruits, so I definitely love these popsicles.

Next, we’ve got Blueberries and Cream Popsicles.

These came from the Summer Special Issue of Everyday Food Magazine. As soon as I saw the magazine, still wrapped in plastic in our backroom at work, waiting to be put out, with its close up of a delicious looking fruit popsicle on the cover, I ripped into the bundle, and immediately walked up front to buy it. And these? Delicious. Albeit, a bit messy, and I had a little bit of issue with it.. I’m not the biggest fan of regular blueberries. I’m much more partial to the teeny tiny, sweet little wild blueberries. So I used a bag of frozen wild blueberries I got at Trader Joe’s. Which ended up tasting great. They were just harder to swirl around and instead sat in a big clump near the bottom of the popsicle. Which caused the popsicle to break when I took it out of the mold, because there wasn’t anything solid down there to freeze together. Oh, and they tend to melt really quickly. Like really quickly.

Still delicious though. Just needs a bit of tweaking.

The Neapolitans though, now those are tasty!

Layers of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. Mmm.. Really good. The chocolate and vanilla parts are creamy, although the chocolate is a little too cocoa powdery for my taste. I was hoping for more of a fudgsicle flavor. The strawberry, with its high water content in the fruit, tends to be a little more icy than creamy, but still really good! There are a quite a few more recipes for popsicles in the EDF Summer issue, and you should still be able to find it on newsstands through the end of the month, so check it out!

Although I didn’t get to make anything from it yet, there’s another really good popsicle book out right now called Perfect Pops by Charity Ferreira. It’s got some seriously tasty sounding flavors in it, like Key Lime Pops and Chai Latte Pops. So if you’re into popsicles, be sure to check this one out too!

Cheesecake Ice Cream

It seems my wishes have been granted. No more sweltering hot weather! At least not today. Right now it’s a gorgeous, sunny 79 degrees outside. Absolute perfection. Now THIS is the type of weather I like! A Goldilocks kind of day. Not too hot, not too cold. Not too windy, not too humid. Just right. But don’t think that means I’m going to stop eating my ice cream now that it’s a nice cool day. It just means I’ll sit outside and truly enjoy it today! Ice Cream Week continues with Day 2--Cheesecake Ice Cream!

While I’ve never been a big fan of plain cheesecake, assuming it was too boring, I may be rethinking that idea now. This ice cream is anything but plain and boring! With a tang from the cream cheese and sour cream and a burst of freshness from the lemon zest, it’s absolutely delicious! It’s creamy, rich, and smooth. And seriously easy to whip up. Just six ingredients thrown in the blender, and voila! You’re practically done.

I didn’t have any vanilla ice cream to pair with my Peach Cobbler while I was gobbling it up, so I topped it with a couple scoops of cheesecake ice cream instead. Holy jeez. Talk about a step up! I’m totally making this my new ice cream accompaniment for all future pies, cobblers, brownies… Pretty much anything you can pair ice cream with! It’s definitely a keeper.

Keep checking back the rest of the week for more great ice cream recipes! I've already made:

• "Hot" Chocolate Ice Cream

"Hot" Chocolate Ice Cream

It’s been one heck of a sweltering summer so far! Nearly 20 of the last 30 days have been 90 degrees and above here, and I know we Ohioans aren’t the only ones suffering from the unbearable temps. It’s been record temps all over the country all summer. It’s just downright H-O-T. I’ve been looking for ways to cool myself down, which means I’ve been cranking the AC, throwing on a tank top and shorts, and making ice cream. A LOT of ice cream. Enough to fill an entire week worth of posts (as well as my entire freezer). So today is the start of Ice Cream Week here at The Busty Baker! Yay!

I know I’ll regret it in a few months, but right now, all I can think about is how good cold temperatures would feel while I’m driving around town in my AC-less car, sweating buckets on 95 degree days. What I wouldn’t give for just one snowy day to cool everything down. So why not make an ice cream that reminds me of winter? There’s nothing better in the cold months than a nice steamy mug of hot chocolate. How about a nice icy bowl of “Hot” Chocolate Ice Cream in the middle of summer?

I've had this disk of Mexican chocolate, made with stone ground chiles, hanging around my kitchen for months now. I bought it who knows how long ago from a specialty market and have just been waiting for the right recipe to use it on. I finally decided to break it out and make ice cream with it!

This isn’t exactly the subtle heat of other “hot” chocolates I’ve made—the kind that you only notice as a warm aftertaste. This is more of a straight-up, kick-you-in-the-face heat. Nothing subtle about it. It’s front and center, making its presence known right away. It’s the kind of heat that catches you off guard at first, and stays with you for a while after you’ve finished. It’s the epitome of cold heat, which is kind of strange. But in a good way. Mostly. I will say, I find the spice to be a little bit overwhelming, and I would definitely cut back next time. But I’d make it again. It’s got a great warm cinnamon-y chocolate flavor, but next time I may just leave the chipotle powder out.

Stay tuned for more ice cream recipes to keep cool this week! And who knows. There may just be something in it for you.

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

It’s definitely spring now—nothing but rain the last couple days. Cold, dreary rain. But honestly, I’ll take downpours over blizzards any day, so I can’t complain too much. It’s just hard to stomach after such a beautiful Sunday. The weather skipped over spring altogether and went straight into summer. Sun, warm breezes, and a record high of 84 degrees—it was perfect. Boyfriend and I took advantage of it and drove down in his convertible to Hocking Hills for a hike. I even got my first sunburn of the season! I can’t wait until it’s like that every single day. Summer’s on its way, and I’m ready to greet it with a big bowl of Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.

I’m on a bit of a vanilla kick lately, if you couldn’t tell. Vanilla Bean Cupcakes. Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. It’s a flavor that’s so classic and simple, one that every baker should have in their arsenal. Yet, finding the perfect recipe is so difficult. I struck gold with the cupcakes, and with 3 egg yolks hanging around begging to be used, I thought I’d break in copy of The Perfect Scoop, by David Lebovitz, and give ice cream a shot too.

 

Honestly, I’m kind of surprised it actually turned out as good as it did. Not because I doubted the recipe, but because there were so many potential failures along the way. First, I only had about half of the heavy cream the recipe called for, so I had to substitute milk for the rest. Then I way overcooked my eggs in the custard. Like scrambled eggs overcooked. Then, I completely forgot to put in the vanilla extract. I realized it as my ice cream was pretty much done churning. (I may or may not have been taking tastes straight out of the ice cream maker, while it was running..) How do you forget to put vanilla extract into vanilla ice cream?? But I managed to scrape it out of the canister into a bowl, mix in the extract, and throw it all back in to freeze up again.

I wasn’t holding out much hope for this ice cream, but even after all the potential disasters, it came out great! Unlike most of the ice creams I’ve made in the past, it’s smooth and creamy, not at all grainy or icy in texture. And it’s perfectly vanilla flavored. Not bland and not too overpowering. Drizzle some chocolate sauce or caramel over top. Serve it up with a piece of pie. Eat it straight out of the container. I’m definitely making this one again! Hurry up, warmer weather!

Peanut Butter Ice Cream

Although we went through a bit of a cool down this past week, we’re right back up to scorching temperatures again. Needless to say, it’s been one hot summer. Last year, there were only 5 days where temperatures soared to over 90 degrees. 5 days for the entire summer. This year, we’ve already at least 20 and we still have a little under a month of official summer left! The heat has trapped me inside, not allowing me to sit out and enjoy my patio even once this summer, because the second I step outside, I’m already sweating. And I hate sweating. So I cranked up the AC and broke out my ice cream maker to whip up something to help keep me cool—some delicious Peanut Butter Ice Cream.

Strawberry Buttermilk Ice Cream

Strawberry Buttermilk Ice Cream
Adapted from Deliciously Golden
Makes 11 ½-cup servings

2 cups sliced strawberries
1 tablespoon sugar
2 ½ cups low-fat buttermilk½ cup strawberry puree
½ cup sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
zest of 1 lemon plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice

*Note: This actually made too much to fit into my ice cream maker, so next time, I might cut the buttermilk down to possibly 1 to 1 1/2 cups, and maybe add a bit more sweetened condensed milk (bring it up to a cup, maybe more) to give it a sweeter taste. (It was a bit too tangy for my liking.) I also didn't have a lemon to zest, so I did without, and just used bottled lemon juice.

1. Combine sliced berries and sugar in a small bowl and let sit, stirring occasionally until the sugar has begun to dissolve and the fruit is juicy.

2. Meanwhile, whisk buttermilk and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl. Pour into the canister of an ice cream maker. Freeze according to manufacturer’s directions. During the last 5 minutes of freezing, add the sliced berries. If necessary, place the ice cream in the freezer to firm up before serving.

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It's starting to feel more and more like summer. Everywhere you look things are vibrant and colorful, from green leaves to the splash of bright flowers being planted in gardens. The weather is getting warmer as the days get longer. Pools are filled and open, and soon the smell of suntan lotion will mingle with the aromas of fresh cut grass and barbecue in the air. It's summertime that always makes me yearn for a porch swing, a good book, and a tall glass of ice cold lemonade. It makes me nostalgic for childhood: playing baseball in the backyard, running carefree through the sprinklers, and riding my bike through the neighborhood. I love almost everything about summer. The only thing I can't stand--the heat. That's why you usually won't find me lounging around the pool. (And the fact that I fry like bacon in the sun, I hate swimming, and I don't want to subject innocent people to the sight of me in a bathing suit... but mostly the heat.) I'm usually the one hanging out in the shade, with my SPF 50 sunblock, enjoying the best part of summer--a great big bowl of ice cream.

This past weekend was Memorial Day Weekend: the unofficial start of summer. I think it's finally safe to put away my winter coat! (Although this is Ohio--a state known for her schizophrenic weather patterns. When an Ohioan says "wait five minutes, and it'll change," we're not joking.) To celebrate, I'm sure most of us fired up the grill. Boyfriend and I? We went to the Utica Ice Cream Festival about 40 minutes outside of town. Utica is home to the Velvet Ice Cream Factory. Mmm.. Both of us were off for the holiday, so we packed up, slathered on sunscreen, and hit the road for some tasty frozen treats! Honestly, other than the factory and a couple booths selling ice cream cones, a fantastic hot fudge sundae cake, and root beer floats, there really wasn't a lot of ice cream related things at the festival. But the whole festival/fair atmosphere, combined with the beautiful sunny day, screamed "SUMMER!" to me, so I was content. I was even inspired to present to you my first frozen dessert of the season! Strawberry Buttermilk Ice Cream!

I actually made this a few weeks ago, with what was left of my strawberries and strawberry puree from my Neapolitan Cupcakes, but I kept putting off writing about it. Between posts about Cupcake Camp and it's creations, and my IronCupcake: Earth entry, it kept getting pushed back. But finally! With summer so close at hand, it seems like the perfect time to share this incredibly easy treat! It took all of 35 minutes from start to finish to create this perfect refreshing snack--15 minutes of prep time, and 20 to churn! (And a good 8-10 minutes of that prep time was devoted to slicing strawberries and wrestling my ice cream maker off the top shelf. So really--5 minutes to put things together.)

It's really just a one bowl recipe. Whisk together buttermilk, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, lemon juice, and strawberry puree, and there you have it. Pour right into an ice cream maker, and you're on your way! Within the last 5 minutes of mixing, throw in your sliced strawberries, let it mix, and you're ready to serve! It'll still be sort of soft, so if you like your ice cream a little more frozen, or you're not serving it immediately, pack it into a bowl with a tight fitting lid and pop it into the freezer to firm up. I press plastic wrap right onto the top of the ice cream, so it doesn't get those nasty freezer burn ice crystals on top.

I fell in love with this flavor combination at a local ice cream shop. If you're anywhere near Columbus, you've GOT to try Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams. It's amazing. I don't think I've ever tried a flavor that I didn't think was good. When I thought about how I was going to use up my leftover strawberries and puree from my cupcakes, the first thing I thought of was Jeni's Strawberry Buttermilk. I knew I probably couldn't find the actual recipe, but as long as I got the essence of it, I would be happy. I think this one did an alright job. My only complaint about this recipe was that it was too tangy from the buttermilk. It almost overpowered the strawberry flavor. It made too much to fit the whole batch into my ice cream maker at once, so I did half of it at a time. I'm glad I did, because after tasting the first batch, I was able to add more sweetened condensed milk to the 2nd batch to even out the flavors. That batch came out tasting really good!

This was so easy to make, and turned out to be really good! Not quite Jeni's, but then again, nothing ever will be. The standard is set too high. But it's definitely worth making. So if you find yourself in need of a cool, refreshing treat this summer, grab a bowl and come join me under the shade tree.