I am a heavy user of the local weather app. Out of sheer necessity. In January and February in these parts, you never know if it will be 40F or 70F on any given day, and you need some predictive guidance on what to wear.
Last weekend, though, I wasn't paying attention to the weather app on a lazy Saturday morning and something magical happened. We looked out of the window and saw fat snowflakes drifting down. Oh, we have ice storms every now and then, but the last time I remember actual white fluffy snow falling in our town was over 6 years ago. The kids whooped with delight. Our toddler was seeing snow for the first time and could not believe his eyes. The magical winter wonderland lasted for a few hours, then the snow melted as rapidly as it fell.
I made a simple Neapolitan ice cream cake for the work lunch with three flavors of ice cream and some crushed cookies in between the layers for added crunch and texture.
My bundt pan, purchased straight from the Nordicware factory in Minneapolis, is one of my prized kitchen possessions but I rarely need cakes that serve 16 people so it isn't often pressed into use.
Our daughter's school hosted an art show- every student chose one piece of work to display. Desserts were passed around at the show. I took the opportunity to use the pan and contributed a lemon bliss bundt cake. The recipe from King Arthur flour is a keeper and one I've made many times before. It yielded a beautiful big cake that my daughter lovingly glazed with lemon-sugar. Because of the sturdy and tight crumb, I was able to cut about 26 neat and skinny slices from this chonker of a cake.
One rainy evening, some of our son's friends and their parents came over for an impromptu play date. We picked up some pies from our favorite pizzeria to feed the crowd. There was lots of pizza left over and that is how I discovered so late in life that store-bought pizza freezes beautifully. The following week, I was able to thaw it out and reheat it in the oven to crispy perfection, and then eat it in a favorite way, as pizza croutons in a big arugula salad.
In early January our Duncan got post-surgery X-rays and got the all-clear from his surgeon to break free from his living room confinement and resume some of his old life again, going on walks and such. The mad running in the dog park is still contraindicated and he'll likely never get to do that kind of thing again, sadly. He has clear signs of arthritis and we are managing it with medications and TLC.
These pictures were taken on an unusually warm and sunny day when he flopped down in the front yard after a walk and just wanted to sit there amid a big pillow of fallen leaves and soak up the sun rays.
Tell me how February is turning out for you!
Last weekend, though, I wasn't paying attention to the weather app on a lazy Saturday morning and something magical happened. We looked out of the window and saw fat snowflakes drifting down. Oh, we have ice storms every now and then, but the last time I remember actual white fluffy snow falling in our town was over 6 years ago. The kids whooped with delight. Our toddler was seeing snow for the first time and could not believe his eyes. The magical winter wonderland lasted for a few hours, then the snow melted as rapidly as it fell.
* * *
Ice cream might be more of a summer treat than something one craves in winter, but we were celebrating at work in January and my coworkers dropped not-too-subtle hints for ice cream cake. I was only too happy to oblige because with ice cream cake, you can produce crowd-pleasing results with the very minimum of work and sit back and accept compliments. It can be assembled ahead of time, which helps for mid-week things.I made a simple Neapolitan ice cream cake for the work lunch with three flavors of ice cream and some crushed cookies in between the layers for added crunch and texture.
- Buy 3 pints of ice cream- I chose the three classic flavors of vanilla, strawberry and chocolate, but any compatible flavors will do. Non-dairy frozen desserts will work just as well as conventional dairy ice cream.
- Set out the ice cream on the counter to soften.
- Crush a few oreo cookies in a bowl. I used gluten-free chocolate sandwich cookies (one of my coworkers is gluten-intolerant) and the advantage of using gluten-free cookies is they are very crumbly. Bad for eating out of hand but good for crushing into crumbs with your bare hands.
- Line a loaf pan with plastic wrap. Let it overhang.
- As the vanilla ice cream softens, tip it into a bowl, mash it into a soft serve and layer in the pan. Top with a layer of cookie crumbs. Set in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
- Repeat the ice cream and cookie crumb layering with the other two flavors.
- Freeze until needed, then turn out into a platter and slice.
- Serves 10 or so.
My bundt pan, purchased straight from the Nordicware factory in Minneapolis, is one of my prized kitchen possessions but I rarely need cakes that serve 16 people so it isn't often pressed into use.Our daughter's school hosted an art show- every student chose one piece of work to display. Desserts were passed around at the show. I took the opportunity to use the pan and contributed a lemon bliss bundt cake. The recipe from King Arthur flour is a keeper and one I've made many times before. It yielded a beautiful big cake that my daughter lovingly glazed with lemon-sugar. Because of the sturdy and tight crumb, I was able to cut about 26 neat and skinny slices from this chonker of a cake.
* * *
One rainy evening, some of our son's friends and their parents came over for an impromptu play date. We picked up some pies from our favorite pizzeria to feed the crowd. There was lots of pizza left over and that is how I discovered so late in life that store-bought pizza freezes beautifully. The following week, I was able to thaw it out and reheat it in the oven to crispy perfection, and then eat it in a favorite way, as pizza croutons in a big arugula salad.
* * *
In early January our Duncan got post-surgery X-rays and got the all-clear from his surgeon to break free from his living room confinement and resume some of his old life again, going on walks and such. The mad running in the dog park is still contraindicated and he'll likely never get to do that kind of thing again, sadly. He has clear signs of arthritis and we are managing it with medications and TLC.
These pictures were taken on an unusually warm and sunny day when he flopped down in the front yard after a walk and just wanted to sit there amid a big pillow of fallen leaves and soak up the sun rays.
Tell me how February is turning out for you!
Hi Nupur,
ReplyDeleteI cannot wait to try the ice cream cake and the cassata! I have never tried this before and your recipe and explanation makes it so tempting!
If you try the recipe, let me know if you liked them! :)
DeleteIn Kerala right now, enjoying February with my family. It's been a beautiful vacation thus far.
ReplyDeleteLakshmi- How was Kerala? I hope you had a wonderful trip. Are you safely back now? So many travel plans are up in smoke.
DeleteFeb is over before I could even register anything! Work life is hectic for both hubby and I simultaneously. Our days are pretty much just get the basics for survival and day to day done and forget the rest! That cake is looking so regal!
ReplyDeleteNeha- I have that EXACT same thing going on in my life where weeks are passing by in a blur. I'm just able to do my job, feed my kids, all the hundred other household details and crash in bed. Well the viral scare has now enforced a change in routine...
DeleteSounds like an interesting time - I would have been excited about the snow too - I keep my eye on the weather to see just how hot it will be but it did not predict all the rain we have had this week. I love the sound of pizza croutons in salad. I have a small bundt tin but still haven't found the right recipe for it - must look harder. Glad you found a good occasion for yours. And glad Duncan is outside even if not quite in the good health of his youth!
ReplyDeleteJohanna- I adore bundt tins; they don't get as much use as the regular old rectangular and square tins though, at least in my kitchen. I hope all is well in Australia.
DeleteSnow is gorgeous when it melts in a few hours! You probably know this having lived in the MidWest. We are expecting 10 inches of snow here tomorrow...yikes! I made the cassata cake from your recipe a couple of weeks back and my family said it was the best thing i had ever made!
ReplyDeleteSangeetha- YES, I can now afford to be romantic about fresh snow because there's no shoveling and piles of dirty snow and all that good stuff. Having lived through many snowy months in NY and MO, I do not miss those huge snowstorms. Hope the weather has taken a turn for the better where you are. Thanks for trying the cassata recipe and how wonderful that your family loved it! That made my day :)
Deletedear nupur,
ReplyDeleteSo thrilled to see Duncan up and about. I was wondering about him and checking to see if you'd updated on his status. Lovely photos of him too.
I was wondering if you would be ok(if u aren't already that is) with giving Duncan a dropper or half of good quality fish oil in his food every day or even every other day with his food. You see the thing is our border collie Tara in her last year also became a tad arthritic and this helped her ease up on that front quite a bit. I know you are a vegetarian family so if this offends you in anyway my apologies. You can get a bottle if you decide to at your local farmer's market or even whole foods/online etc. The other thing we did do was give her a little chicken broth every other day with food. Costco keeps two bottles for 8.99 bucks I think. It's good quality and is full of healthy gelatin for their joints. Anyhoo, please give Duncan a hug from me and my hopes and prayers he lives a very healthy and playful life. He's a cutie.
Deepa
Thanks Deepa. I will try the fish oil, thanks for all your tips. Yes, I am very worried about this sweet dog who is clearly struggling with joint issues. I appreciate your concern so much!
DeleteI need to make the ice cream cake. It looks so yummy. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteLet me know if the recipe works for you!
DeleteSuch a delightful post, as always. Best of all is that Duncan's various pleasures are back in their rightful place in his life. I mix some turmeric (warmed through with a bit of milk, or cooked along with egg or meat) with my labrador retriever Roger's food, and it seems to help with stiffness and keeps him moving smoothly. That, and a spoonful of fish oil every day. His vets approve of this :)
ReplyDeleteDear Kamini- Our poor Duncan, he continues to enjoy life but is clearly facing joint issues and it makes me just so sad. I appreciate your tips very much and will be trying them out!
Delete