Friday, July 9, 2010

Strawberry Ice Cream and The Things People Say

I recently bought an ice cream maker.  It is a Cuisinart model that as far as I can tell, is only sold at places like Sam's Club.  For $40 I couldn't resist, and so far I've been very happy with it.  I've also made peach frozen yogurt with it, which was delicious.  The recipe for that and this strawberry ice cream (my favorite so far) came from the recipe book that came with the ice cream maker.  Here's the recipe if you care to try it yourself:

Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream
Makes 10 1/2 cup servings
2 cups fresh ripe strawberries, stemmed and sliced
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup sugar, divided
1 cup whole milk, well chilled
2 cups heavy cream, well chilled
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract


  • In a small bowl, combine the strawberries and lemon juice with 1/2 cup of the sugar.  Allow berries to macerate in the juices for two hours.
  • Strain the strawberries, reserving the juices.  Mash or puree half the berries.
  • In a medium mixing bowl, use a hand mixer on low speed to combine the milk and remaining sugar until the sugar is dissolved, about 1-2 minutes.  Stir in the heavy cream, reserved strawberry juice, mashed berries and vanilla.
  • Turn on the ice cream maker and pour the mixture into the freezer bowl and let mix until thickened, about 25 minutes.  About 5 minutes before mixing is complete, add the reserved sliced strawberries and allow to mix in completely.  Ice cream made like this will be like soft serve when finished, so put it in the freezer if you like it firmer.  Substitute fresh peaches for peach ice cream.

On to the things people say....I took Adeline to Barnes & Noble today.  A cute little girl who couldn't have been more than 2 toddled up to Addy's stroller and smiled and waved at her.  The little girl's grandmother (I assume) comes along behind her and says "Oh are you looking at the little boy?"  Huh?  Now this isn't the first time someone has called her a little boy, and it doesn't bother me but I do wonder what makes people decide that she's a boy.  Especially when she's wearing this:

Note the white lace.  And her cute little dress has flowers embroidered around the neck and flower shaped buttons.  Not that I expect people to notice such small details, however it didn't occur to me that she might be mistaken for a boy in this outfit.  Oh well.  The last time someone thought she was a boy, she was wearing something pink.  I don't even bother to correct them anymore unless they ask me what "his" name is ;)  My sister-in-law said that when my niece was a baby, she could be decked out in pink with frills and bows in her hair and people would still tell her what a cute little boy she had.

5 comments:

Lisa @ Heaven Sent said...

Hi Jessica,
I just wanted to stop by your blog and thank you for visiting mine! And, more importantly, thank you for your prayers!

I also have to tell you that your little girl is adorable. She is at such a fun age! My friends and I have shared many stories of people mistaking our girls for boys (and vice versa). Like you said, it was usually when they were in pink or wearing a dress. (I think it's the lack of hair or something... ;)

Anyway, you are not alone and your little lady is more than beautiful!

Stephanie said...

She's definitely all girl (and such a pretty one too)!

P.S. I've always wanted an ice cream maker (even more so now that I see your strawberry ice cream recipe!). Do you think it was a good investment?

stephanie@metropolitanmama.net

Kris said...

That ice cream looks lovely. I love strawberries. Can't wait to be able to have a lot of dairy again!

And I've been told numerous times with all 3 of my girls what cute little boys they are. Half the time, I think people either don't pay attention or assume all babies are boys.

Jessica said...

Stephanie, thanks for your comments. An ice cream maker is something I've been wanting for a long time too. In my opinion, homemade ice cream tastes better than store bought, so for me it is definitely worth it. If I'm going to spend my calories on something as rich as this ice cream it better be good!

wooliegirl said...

Thank you so much for the recipe...I too just got an ice cream maker and have become an addict...always looking for new recipes to try!
And your daughter is gorgeous and very much looks like a little girl :) People do say the weirdest things sometimes.