Happiness Is. . .

We had a lovely weekend here at M Cubed.  It was not really exciting or anything (our weekends rarely are--which I just love with my heart and soul.  It makes me so happy to answer the "What are you doing this weekend?" question with "Uhhh. . .nothing."), but it was peaceful, and full of food, and friends, and husbands, and dogs, and wine, and more food. 

Oh, and the green team won the Super Bowl, which was good because a few months ago I bought a baby a hat.  

And even though it was complete torture peeling myself from the comfort of my bed on this cold, rainy morning, well, I have to remember that I've got lots to be happy about lately.

Like Justin Bieber.  I think I love him.  Not in a creepy way or anything, but he cracks me up.  And I'd be a damned liar if I didn't admit that I kind of love his hair.  Did you catch this skit on SNL a few months back?



Oh, and don't read too much into that, what with me being an educator of high schoolers and all.  Nothing is more revolting to me than a teenage boy. (Riggins from Friday Night Lights doesn't count because he's not actually in high school.  Plus, I find Coach Taylor much more handsome.)  Just thought I'd mention it. 

I also love my new cordless mouse.  Why did I wait so long to get one of these things?

And I love having two whole days that I don't have to worry about grading essays. That vicious cycle begins again tomorrow.  Shoot.

And I love this season of Big Love.

Here's some more awesomepants awesomeness from the weekend.

Phony baloney strawberry milk.  I love everything about it.

Completely destroying the kitchen to make strawberry milk cake.

 

And then forgetting about the cake and overcooking it.  Mother F.  Oh well.  Now I'm not tempted to eat cake all week at least.

More Toasted Coconut Ice Cream.

Rosemary chicken salad.  (And having ingredients separated into bowls.  Why do I love it so?)

Lizard buddy who lives out in the shed and is determined to stow away with the laundry.  (I would love him a lot more if he didn't scare the bejeezus out of me every time I saw him.)

Wrapping myself up in my new faux fur blanket from Target. ($12!)

And receiving sweet dog kisses.

Futile attempts to convince the dog that his fur fur is not enough and that he must cover himself with faux fur.

Sweet inquisitive dog face.

Father-son fetch/tug-of-war game, which is so much more fun while sitting on a chair with wheels.



What's warming your heart lately?

My New Favorite Dessert, Homemade Samoa Ice Cream

Here's a hint.

What's your favorite Girl Scout cookie?  Are you a thin-minter?  Or perhaps a tagger-along? 

Me, I'm a Samoan.

Mmmmmmmmmmmm. . .the shortbread, the caramel, the chocolate, the coconut.  Nothing's more awesomepants than biting into a Samoa.  (Or a caramel delite if you live in one of those weird places where Girl Scout cookies have lame names.) 

Or, rather, I should say that nothing was more awesomepants than biting into a Samoa.

Because I've improved it.

Because now--now there's Samoa ice cream.

And now you're going to be all, "Hey, did you know that Edy's makes a Samoa ice cream?" and I'm going to be all, "Yeah.  It sucks."  Edy's basically takes one tiny little cookie and breaks it up into 100 tiny little chunks for a half-gallon of ice cream.  Me, I like my ice cream chunkier than that. 

So, after much careful thought and consideration (sadly, much more careful thought and consideration than I've put into making any major decision for my actual life), I decided to make Toasted Coconut Ice Cream.  And then I made Creamy Caramel Sauce.

And then I made this shortbread.

And then I covered it in chocolate.

And then I figured, "Hell, why not toss on some more toasted coconut and drizzle it with chocolate?"

So I had homemade Samoas.

And then I tasted these homemade Samoas and decided that they were crap and that I didn't want them to adulterate my perfect Toasted Coconut Ice Cream. 

So I decided to throw them out.

But then I decided that first--since I'd spent a good deal of time making these not-even-good homemade Samoas--I  should make a little bowl where I combined all of the components.

So I mixed them with the ice cream, just to see if maybe it would be good all put together.  And I threw on some caramel sauce.

And then the angels sang.

And I rejoiced.

And so did Mitch.

And it really is the best thing to come out of my kitchen in a long time.  It's in the uppermost echelon of deliciousness.  I want to cry happy tears just thinking about how wonderful this stuff is.

So, if you're a Samoan, and if your heart so desires, make this.  And don't share with anybody. 

I'm not.

Creamy Caramel Sauce

Step two on my quest to make my new favorite dessert was conquering caramel sauce, so, as you can probably guess, I turned again to Sir David. 

And so what if I completely botched the first batch?  (PS--caramel is bitchy.)  I think it's bad luck to make caramel sauce correctly on the first try.  That's what I read in the Bible.  True story.

The second batch was the bee's knees.  And it is the second major component in my new favorite dessert.  (I mean, for real y'all, are you totally on the edge of your seat--OR WHAT?)

It's no surprise that it's delicious.  And creamy.  And everything that Sir David said it would be.

And it looks really cute in a mason jar.

Make some, and keep it around for two weeks.  You know you want to eat it with a spoon.

Creamy Caramel Sauce, from David Lebovitz's, The Perfect Scoop

1 cup of sugar

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large, deep, heavy duty saucepan or dutch oven, spread the sugar in an even layer.

Cook the sugar over low to medium heat, watching it carefully.

When it begins to liquefy and darken around the edges, use a heatproof spatula to very gently stir it to encourage even cooking.

Tilt the pan and stir gently until all of the sugar is melted and the caramel begins to smoke and turns a deep amber color.

Immediately remove from the heat and whisk in half of the cream, which will steam and bubble up furiously.

Carefully stir until the sugar is dissolved, then gradually whisk in the remaining cream and the salt and vanilla.

If there are any bits of hardened sugar, whisk the sauce over low heat until smooth.

(Serve warm. Keeps in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, if it lasts that long. Rewarm gently in the microwave or stirring in a saucepan over very low heat.  Also, if the sauce is too thick, you can thin it by adding a small amount of milk or additional cream.)

Happy Birthday to Mitchell!

I make no bones (HA!) about the fact that I am 100%, completely and totally in love with my Mitchell.  Any regular reader here knows that it's basically an unhealthy obsession. 

But, really?  Can you blame me?

So today we're celebrating the 7th birthday of the furry perfection who greets me at the door and snuggles with me in the big bed and on the couch, who licks my tears off of my face when I'm crying and who licks the sweat off of my legs after ellipting.  He's the best dish pre-washer this side of the Mississippi and he is the best protection against mailmen. 

But now I'll stop gushing because I need to go enjoy some post-walk snuggles with him.  (What?  75 degrees on Groundhog Day!  Looks like the universe wanted Mitchell Pancake Hedberg E-F to have a fun birthday, too!)

Here's how he's spent much of his birthday.

Refusing to wear the birthday hat I made for him.

Proving that age is only a number, bounding about the yard like a rodeo dog.

Finally acquiescing and wearing the hat.

And being rewarded with ice cream.

 Note the toasted coconut on his face.

I can't even believe that I've enjoyed seven years of this insane cuteness and my heart hasn't exploded.

Toasted Coconut Ice Cream

Alright, alright.

So, this is the first part of a three-part series that will culminate in my new favorite dessert.  (Yeah, I know I've got a penchant for hyperbole, but this dessert is at the highest level of delicious desserts, in my [not terribly] humble opinion.)

Now, I'm not even going to try to lie to you and act like this was some quick 30-minute dessert that you can whip up to take to a pot-luck.  Nope.  It's not.  It's a labor of love.  But it's also totally worth it. 

This weekend, I had a giant folder full of papers to grade, but it was beautiful outside and I had all of the windows open and I was listening to music and everything was right with the world, and I didn't want student papers to sully my perfect afternoon.  And making the house smell like toasted coconut only made that afternoon more perfect.

So here I bring you Toasted Coconut Ice Cream, again by none other than Mr. Lebovitz.  Now, I know that not everyone is BANANAS! for coconut, including Matt. (Who also doesn't like macaroni and cheese.  What's wrong with him?)  And I know that the texture of coconut can be off-putting, which is part of why this ice cream is extra awesomepants.  Matt--hater of coconut, husband who spit out my Pecan Praline Ice Cream--even liked this one.

Because, see, once you toast your coconut. . .

. . .You heat it with milk and then add vanilla bean (I used vanilla bean paste) and let it steep for an hour.

(Doesn't it kind of look like soggy cereal?) 

And then you strain the coconut, so you get all of the coconut flavor goodness without having the coconut texture. 

After that, you just take some regular ice creaming steps.  You know, eggs and sugar, more straining, heating, chilling, etc. 

But when you're done. . .OMIGOD.  I wish this blog could provide those tiny little spoons so that I could give you samples so you wouldn't just have to take my word for it.  And I wish that I wasn't going to keep all of this ice cream for myself because it's just that good. 

When you're done you'll feel, at the same time, like a kid on the last day of school, and like a grown-up relaxing in a tropical paradise.  (Which is pretty much the best way to feel, ever.)

So here's the recipe, including Levotitz's introduction, which I really liked.

Toasted Coconut Ice Cream from David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop

I’ll admit that my favorite selection from the shiny white Good Humor jalopy that cruised our neighborhood was simply called “Toasted Coconut”: vanilla ice cream on a stick, coated with lots of sugary-sweet coconut.

On the last fateful day that I’d ever see the Good Humor man, the bully next door decided to spray him with water from a hose as he slowly circled our block. He beat a hasty retreat and never came back. Being blackballed by the Good Humor man made that the worst summer of my life. I don’t know what happened to the neighborhood bully, but now that I’m an adult I can have Toasted Coconut Ice Cream whenever I want. And I do.—David Lebovitz

Ingredients

1 cup dried shredded coconut, preferably unsweetened
1 cup whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar
Big pinch of salt
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
5 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, or 1 teaspoon rum

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Spread the coconut on a baking sheet and bake for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring it frequently so it toasts evenly. Remove it from the oven when it’s nice and fragrant and golden brown.

2. In a medium saucepan, warm the milk, 1 cup of the heavy cream, sugar, and salt and add the toasted coconut. Use a paring knife and scrape all the vanilla seeds into the warm milk, then add the pod as well. Cover, remove from the heat, and let steep at room temperature for 1 hour.

3. Rewarm the coconut-infused mixture. Set a mesh strainer over another medium saucepan and strain the coconut-infused liquid through the strainer into the saucepan. Press down on the coconut very firmly with a flexible rubber spatula to extract as much of the flavor from it as possible. Remove the vanilla bean halves (rinse and reserve them for another use), and discard the coconut.

4. Pour the remaining 1 cup heavy cream into a large bowl and set the mesh strainer on top. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm coconut-infused mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

5. Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream. Mix in the vanilla or rum and stir over an ice bath until cool.

6. Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

This and That

Well, it's only Monday and my brain is pretty much fried.  Mother F.  (Oh, man, I just realized that if I ever had a kid I could get people to call me Mother F!  Yesssssssssssss!)

This cat cracks me up.

But here's what's happening.

1. Right now I smell something bad and I don't know if it is the dog or my feet.  Maybe both?  Wait, I just pulled my foot up to my nose.  It was the dog.  Sadly, that's kind of a relief.
2. I don't care that Taco Bell's beef is not 100% ground organic true beef from some sort of magical talking cow.  Was anyone out there under the impression that their tacos and crunchwraps were all-natural or good for you?  I know that I go to Taco Bell when I want cheese that's squeezed from the same thing that caulk is squeezed from, and when I want bad service from people who are too dumb and too rude to get a job anywhere else.  When I want fancy, I'll go to an actual Mexican restaurant, or to Wendy's.
3. Oh, hey!  I just had a really good idea.  Taco Bell should serve margaritas.  No?  Not a good idea?  Shoot.
4. Matt finally got the HDMI cable to work on our tv and seeing news people's faces that up close and personal is kind of freaking me out.  I think I'll just squint my eyes from now on when we watch Hardball.*
5. I made the most delicious treat this weekend, a treat that I've been plotting for months (no, seriously) and that I can't wait to share with you.  It'll have to happen in stages, because it contains that much awesomepants awesomeness.  Put on your elastic pants and get ready, friends, because this one is just that good.

Okay, well, I'm going to go watch Jeopardy! with Matt.  (Read: yell out the answers .10 seconds after he yells them out just to annoy him.  Ha!)

*Oh, and no, I'm not drunk, but I kind of wish I was.

Super Lemon Ice Cream

Grading essays makes me feel like this.

Which reminds me of this. 

Which makes me laugh and wish that they would move back to the SAV.

But, alas, I have to get papers finished and I can't make my friends stick around forever.  Boo.

What I can do is make ice cream all weekend. (Especially since I had a pretty large supply of cream and milk and produce that wasn't going to be good for too much longer.)  So I took a quick inventory of the refrigerator, and turned to Mr. Lebovitz, the god of ice creaming.

First up, Super Lemon Ice Cream.

Now, I really love lemon, which is good because you really have to love lemon to love this ice cream--especially if you are extra dumb like I am and instead of just zesting the peel of the lemon, you instead puree the entire lemon.*  Yep, then your ice cream is going to be extra lemony. 

The funny thing is that I still liked it a lot, but that's because I like things to be uber-lemony.  I think, though, that I'm going to have to swirl it with something a little sweeter if I plan to serve this people who weren't addicted to War Heads and Cry Babies as kids.** Shoot.

Also, this whole story just proves again how much I need Cassie to move back to Savannah.  She would've known that I shouldn't puree the whole lemon (just like she knew that to knead bread one need not purr and pretend to be a cat). 

Anyway, if you're salivating just thinking about all of that lemony goodness, give this one a shot.  Follow the directions for real and let me know how that one is.  I figure that if it's good even with my huge error, then it'll be great when done correctly.

Super Lemon Ice Cream (From David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop)

Makes about 1 Quart (1 Liter)

2 lemons, unsprayed
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)
2 cups half-and-half
Tiny pinch of salt

Zest the lemons directly into a food processor or blender. Add the sugar and blend until very fine. Add the lemon juice and blend until sugar is completely dissolved. Blend in the half-and-half and salt until smooth.

Chill for 1 hour, then freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker.

*Definitely didn't realize that until I stumbled upon this blog, authored by someone who is much more educated in the language of recipes than I am. 

**I told you already on here about how on my 16th birthday I ate an entire pound of Sour Patch Kids, right?  And how my tongue was bleeding, but I continued to eat them?  Yeah, I'm super smart.  Sometimes I can't even believe that I'm allowed to teach children.

Weekend Fun!

Last year I was a jealous mess when my friends and family up north were getting pounded with snow.  Then it snowed here, which satisfied me. 

This year, in what I believe is a testament to how I've worked to have a good attitude about stuff, I haven't really been jealous of other people's snow at all. 

And when I looked at our forecast for the weekend and saw that we were in for a weekend of mid-70's and sunshine, I had not an ounce of envy for those who are covered with the white stuff.

Top that with the promise of a chili dog feast with good friends, and I knew we were in for good times.

So our weekend consisted of:

Snugglin' dogs.

An IKEA rat infestation.

More dog snugglin'.

Grapefruit juice squeezin'.

Outside lunch eatin'.

Lots of ice creamin'.

Not pictured:

• Room rearrangin'.
• Phone talkin'.
• Nappin'.

And now (and seemingly until the end of time), paper gradin'. 

When I find my way out from under this stack of ninth graders' persuasive essays (my Everest!), I'll share some more fun stuff from the weekend.

Hope your weekend was just lovely!