The house fills with flies as people run in and out and gallons of lemonade, tea, cokes, and other beverages are consumed. The only requirement is that guests bring food to share and control their children.

Seems fair to me.  I am not a fan of uncontrolled children. People assume because I have 8 kids I LOVE children. Not true. I like kids all right but I have no tolerance level for undisciplined, uncontrollable, disrespectful kids. They all seem to end up working at the local grocery stores but that is a whole ‘nother story.

Anyway, if you are looking for something a bit different to serve this Fourth of July take a look at this. Coffee coke float,with just a quick glug of Kahlua for some pizzaz. You can leave the Kahlua out if you want but it is just awesome with it.  Serve it in old fashioned ice cream parlor style shake glasses and top with a mound of whipped cream.

Coffee Coke Float

• 2/3 cup half and half (light) cream
• 2 1/2 cups espresso, or strong coffee, cold
• 4 scoops coffee ice cream
• 1 -2 liter bottle of Coke
• 1/2 cup Kahlua if desired
• 4 frosted glasses

Mix the cream and the cold coffee

Add 2 tbs Kahlua to each glass

Place a scoop of the ice cream in each of four glasses

Half fill each glass with the coffee then fill up the rest of the way with Coke.

Serves 4

Image;Wikipedia

Post from: Kettle and Cup

Curt Jones, a microbiologist figured out a way to flash freeze ice cream in a unique way.  The ice cream froze in BB sized pellets and was an instant hit at the local malls.  I would know this  because any time we went to the mall my kids clamored for these things.  Well, times changes everything and Dippin’ Dots is not such a hot  (or cold) commodity any more.  In fact business has been frozen, so to speak.

The dots are frozen at 320 degrees below 0 using liquid nitrogen.  This allows them to be perfectly creamy with no ice crystals, very cold, and intensely flavored.  But at $7 a pop who can afford them?

So the company is trying to market flash frozen coffee in the dot form.  Somewhat like a frappaccino the coffee dots would appeal to an older, more mature, and financially capable crowd- the kids that were addicted to the dots twenty years ago.

So, are you going to try them?

Image:Dippin Dots

Post from: Kettle and Cup

See that? That is goat’s milk. Gallons of raw, organic, healthy goat’s milk milked by yours truly in the wee hours of the morning. O.k…well not wee hours. More like 8:00, or uh… 9:00…maybe even 10:00. I admit it ..I get out there when I can.

What are you going to do with that much milk?

Ice Cream. Seriously. Copious amounts of ice cream. It doesn’t take us long to go through a gallon of the stuff.

Remember that we are a family of coffee and tea drinkers. Earl Grey makes a fabulous ice cream. In fact I have so many variations on the stuff it isn’t funny. Earl Grey chocolate, Earl Grey, lavender and vanilla bean… Earl Grey with candied orange, Earl Grey chocolate chip….

So use your imagination. If you are really using goats milk and it is raw and fresh then you do not need the half and half. However if you are using anything else do not skimp on the cream. It is what makes the difference, I promise.

Earl Grey Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

• 3 cups whole milk

• 3 c half and half
• 2 vanilla beans. split
• 8 Earl Grey tea bags
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 12 egg yolks
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 5 cups heavy cream lightly whipped

Put the milk, half and half, vanilla bean, and sugar in a pot. Bring almost to a boil and remove from heat. Stir well and put in 1/2 c loose leaf Earl Grey tea. You can steep it in a cheesecloth if you like. Leave for a good half hour to let the tea steep. Strain out the tea leaves. You can do this by pouring through a tea mesh, or gold coffee filter, or even cheese cloth. Scrape the inside flesh and seeds from the vanilla beans into the milk mixture.

Mix the egg yolks with the remaining sugar until light. Add a little of the milk mixture to the eggs and then whisk in the egg mixture to the milk. Return to medium heat and cook, stirring, until mixture thickens.

Remove from heat and cool. Fold in whipped cream thoroughly. Chill.

Freeze in large capacity ice cream maker according to instructions and then allow to ripen in the freezer for at least 12 hours before serving.

Makes: Approximately a gallon.

Image: Marye Audet 

Post from: Kettle and Cup