Yesterday Nate called and asked me if I would go to the store and get some ingredients to make chocolate chip walnut cookies with him. It was an unusual request because, while I adore baking, Nate has never really asked to bake anything with me. Cooking, yes, but baking...not so much. "Why babe?" I asked. "Because I want to do something different with you tonight."
That was enough for me. I decided to pick up provisions for ice cream too. We have an ice cream maker but have never actually made ice cream from scratch.

Quality time ensued...

"Can I mix it now?"
"No you can't mix it with all the flour in it. You have to use the wooden spoon."
"Why?"
"Could you imagine what it would look like to put those spinning beaters in this bowl of flour? POOF! (I then begin miming an epic flour explosion with my hands and face.) Is this your first time baking?"
"No, I baked with my mom when I was little."
"Was your favorite part mixing with the beaters?"
"No, she wouldn't let me do it."
"Why?"
"Because I always made a big mess."
"Makes sense."

"Did you like the ice cream and the cookies?" I asked.
"They were my second favorite." He replied.
"Which one was your second favorite?"
"Both... My favorite part of the night was just spending time with you."

We thought we'd share the ice cream recipe because it was really fantastic. It is from the show Everyday Italian by Cutie McCuteface, Giada De Laurentiis.

Ingredients:
2 c. whole milk
1 c. heavy cream
3/4 c. sugar
4 egg yolks
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. Nutella

1. In a saucepan combine the milk, cream, and 1/2 cup sugar over medium heat. Cook until the sugar dissolves, (about 5 minutes).

2. In a medium bowl beat the egg yolks with the remaining 1/2 cup sugar using an electric mixer until the eggs have become thick and pale yellow (about 4 minutes).

3. Pour 1/2 cup of the warm milk and cream mixture into the egg mixture and stir. Add this mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over very low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture becomes thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, (about 7 to 10 minutes).

4. Place a strainer over a medium bowl and pour the warm custard mixture through the strainer. Stir in the vanilla and Nutella until it dissolves. Chill mixture completely before pouring into an ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions to freeze. (You cam make it without an ice cream maker. Just pour the mix into a container and freeze 6-8 hours, stirring every few hours.)



Love and desserts,
Becka & Nate

Hello loves! It's Friday and Nate and I couldn't be more excited! We get to see Nate's family this weekend to celebrate his Dad's 60th birthday and he's been talking about it all week. He loves getting to go home to St. Augustine and see his parents, sister, and nephews more than anything. I know part of him wishes he lived closer to them so he could see them all the time, especially the boys. He loves his nephews so much and would literally quit his job and stay at home playing xbox and volleyball with them all day, every day if he could. He's gonna be such a cute dad one day. I digress...

It's Friday and I'm excited to bring you volume 2 of Five Senses Friday. (I'm really starting to like these). Basically, 5 Senses Friday is just a summary of the best things from the day or the week. I jumped on the bandwagon after seeing it on Modish, who got the idea from Abby Try Again. ;)

touching:
The bubbly blanket separating the lava hot laptop from the skin of my legs. This is day 2 of working in the living room. After 3 14-hour days in the office I needed a change of space. Sue me. (No don't actually, I don't want to deal with that crap.)

seeing:
An overnight bag, open but unpacked. New clothes, shoes, and accessories (What? Target had a big sale. Don't judge me.) are making it hard to decide what to pack. It kind of like when you go grocery shopping when you're hungry and then you get home and can't decide what to eat because just want to eat everything.

tasting:
Corn risotto with fresh grated parmesan cheese and melted goat cheese. Eating in season is something I'm trying to get better at, which means that I can't just limit our veggie intake to zucchini in our pasta. The other day Publix had this corn risotto recipe as a sample (since their corn section overfloweth.) and Nate and I loved it. I've added a few of my own personal touches (hello cheese!) And yes, you may all now begin to refer to me as the "domestic goddess" because this stuff is that good.

Fresh Corn Risotto with Parm and Goat Cheese
4 ears fresh corn
1 32 oz box organic veggie broth
1 c. arborio rice
1 c. diced onions
2 tbs. unsalted butter
1/2 tsp. dried basil
2 tbs. fresh grated parmesan
1/8 c. crumbled goat cheese
Salt + pepper

1. Remove the husks and silks from the corn. Slice downward to cut off the corn kernels. Place the corn in a large microwavable bowl along with the veggie broth, onions, rice, butter, and basil
2. Cover and cook 10 minutes. Stir.
3. Cook 10-15 more minutes, until rice and veggies are tender.
4. Stir in cheeses and salt and pepper to taste. The rice will thicken as it stands. Serve warm.

hearing:
The documentary The Business of Being Born playing via Netflix on the TV while I work. It's amazing. Every woman should watch it. It was really interesting. Nate watched it with me and we just kept looking at each other and musing, "I didn't know that. Oh my gosh, that looks so peaceful! That makes sense." And no, I'm not pregnant.

smelling:
Coffee. I just started a new pot and the warm scent is filling the space. "2nd pot?" you ask? Why yes, it is. Because the new Italian Sweet Cream creamer we got is just that good.

Happy Friday everyone! Happy weekend! Best wishes to all the photographers out there capturing weddings this weekend and to the brides and grooms saying the big "I DO". We'll be thinking fond thoughts of you while we relax with our family and play Killer Uno! (That's totally a lie. The thinking about work part, not the Uno part.)

Leave us a little note to see when we get back to the office! :)

Love and weekends,
Becka & Nate