Lavender Honey Ice Cream

Back in December, I hit the movies with my mother-in-law. And we saw "It's Complicated."


The biggest thing that stood out for me was that the main character made Lavender-Honey ice cream.

I filed it away in my brain, thinking "that sounds exotic and exciting." Especially since I've never tasted Lavender before.

And then on Wednesday, I was flipping through something and saw recipes for frozen yogurt. And I wanted to try making yogurt, so I jumped in with both feet. I worked like a crazy fool making yogurt Wednesday night, then I turned around and used it all in the ice cream.



Recipe (this is all approxomate, though):
1/4 -1/2 c. honey
1 tsp of lavender (I got this from the local health food store)
a dash of milk

I put the above ingredients on the stove and warmed them until the honey was smooth, then let it cook for 3-5 minutes. No boiling. Just getting warm.

Then I let it sit for about 5-10 minutes, for the lavender flavor to really soak in.

Next, I strained the mixture, keeping the milk/honey, but discarding the lavender flower bits.


Then, put into an ice cream maker and whisk in the following:

2.5 cups yogurt (I used the homemade stuff, but strained it so it was really thick and creamy). You could use plain yogurt or Greek yogurt, just stay away from anything with flavor in it.
1 c. heavy whipping cream
1/3 c. 2% milk
1/3 c. sugar

Mix as your instructions say so .... mine was for about 20-40 minutes, then into the freezer for a few hours.


I mentioned this in the social networking sphere yesterday, and people were clamoring for the recipe, so enjoy! Like I said, I combined several different recipes ... so I truly feel like I can say "I made this recipe" ... because I took inspiration from several sources, but did my own thing with it. And it didn't totally fall flat!

Cat nap ... again

The kitty is now obsessed with sleeping on the dining room chairs. While they're pushed under the table.

Strange.

Social Tea :)

I posted the details of our fun, social tea HERE ... and now for the social aspect.


We had a perfect turnout! And of course, fun hats were a must for tea-party attendees, big and small!


And finger sandwiches, too.


Seriously. Does it get ANY cuter than this!?!??!?!? :)


Mom made friends with Miss Susie's mom during Kristine's wedding. And it was awesome that she came to our social party. :)


I've never seen G be so shy before.


Snuggly.


Susie's sister-in-law, Katerina, shows her daughter how the tea ball works.


And tons of laughter, of course! :)

Taking the backroads

Erik and I took the backroads on the way back from KC a few weeks ago .... and there was this divine sunset. So I grabbed a photo through the window while the car was in motion. Not the bestest, but you get the idea.

Deacon Jeremy's First Blessing

After Deacon Jeremy's ordination, we had a little social gathering at my parents' house .... and the big D gave his blessing.

Hang in there for Fr. Ben's comment at the end. It's priceless!

Strawberry patch update

Overall, it's been a successful year for strawberries at our house! Just look at our beauties! :)


Plenty of ripe berries.



And baby berries, too!

The most difficult thing is you have to keep picking them .... every day. It's not like tomatoes where you'll get 3 one day and then wait a few days before getting more.

Plus, weeds overtook my garden for about 3 weeks, so I'm just getting to where I can see everything, strawberries included!


Also a strong start for the zucchini. They're big and beautiful now, and we're waiting on them to start producing ... because we can't wait to grill 'em up!


Oh, how I love thee, homegrown strawberries!

Composting Chip bags

Erik brought this home last month ... a bag that you can stick in the compost pile!!!!!


Check it OUT! Seriously, I'm NOT a dork for thinking this is ultra-cool. I swear!!!!


But the bag IS loud.

For more info about the bag, CLICK HERE.

My only wish is that I could actually EAT Sun Chips! Because I'd totally buy the brand b/c of the bag. But they have sugar or yeast in their chips (probably sugar), so alas ... no Sun Chips for me!

Enough's enough!

So I've been using our personal blog to test stuff for the Heartland blog .... but I think I'm done now.

I've tweaked our personal blog here ... and I think I'm done tinkering with it ... so enjoy. :)

And if you are curious, you may cruise over to the Heartland blog HERE to view the changes.

Royals game

A little rain cloud seems to be following us around. We've been to 2 baseball games this summer and they have BOTH had rain delay. Sheesh!

Mid-May, we went to KC to catch a Royals game with the entire fam/extended fam. We were jazzed .... until we arrived and it was rainy and cold.


Erik was dressed more warmly than I. Smart cookie. I had to bum stuff off anyone who felt sorry for me!


The last time I saw a flag this big was when I was photographing the 9/11 anniversary in 2002. It was at Yankee stadium, so it was cool to see this. Even if it was freezing.


A little closer.

Splish splash

Mid-June, we went to Hays so Erik could get some golf in.


While Erik golfed the last 9 holes, I took my goddaughter to the pool. :)

The sun was BRIGHT, so getting a photo of us wasn't really working. Oh well!