Apparently I have been missing out...

You guys...

I'm obsessed with Harry Potter. Not as obsessed as Julie, but obsessed. I read the first book a few years ago and thought, "meh"--so never bothered to pick up any of the others. I've changed my tune. I was walking down Broadway the night of the release and saw all the people lined up outside of Barnes & Noble dressed up and ...I'm gonna admit...I got a little misty (it doesn't take much). How great is it that people are lined up for a book?! People of all ages sitting on the dirty New York sidewalks for hours to be the first to get their hands on a copy. So Saturday, I sat down and reread Book 1. It was enticing! It was enjoyable! What Debbie Downer crack had I been smoking before?! Then, by pure luck...I was struck with a bit of the crud...enough to keep me home from work on Monday and Tuesday...today is Thursday and I am a quarter of the way through Book 5. I have been a reading machine! Last night I watched So You Think You Can Dance (the best summer television, IMHO--did you see Neil disco?) with one eye on the television and the other on my book (I'm a multi-tasker). I needed to finish Book 4 before I went to bed. I need to get this out of my system. The space between my thumb and forefinger is sore from holding big ass books for five days.

In other news, I made the mint ice cream and I am a bit disappointed. Or maybe I like processed mint chocolate chip too much. I am not a huge fan of fresh mint as it is and the ice cream turned out quite....earthy. Like mint with a side of dirt. I'm going to have to try it again with some tweaking. I'm thinking peach is next.

Vanilla for Everyone

Apparently everyone is supposed to master a vanilla ice cream recipe....and if everyone is supposed to do it. Well, I might as well. The ice cream was incredibly easy to make. I opted for the custard version--craving something creamy and hesitant that not using eggs would make it icy. Eaten straight from the ice cream maker, the ice cream was light and flavorful. I ate more the next day and after a night in the freezer the mixture was much denser and I think I liked it even better.



The pie I made from peaches from the Green market, but apparently three pounds of fruit wasn't enough (granted, one turned out to be rotten inside and had to be thrown out and the fruit was quite finicky). I was hoping that the corner store would have frozen peaches to fill out the filling, but to no avail--so frozen blueberries did the trick. Delicious. The crust was flaky and buttery (thank you Joy of Cooking) and the fruit was still slightly tart. I was quite proud of myself.

In honor of Suzanne--I am making mint ice cream this evening. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Ice Cream Dreams

I made an impulse purchase at the beginning of the summer...


...An awesome, red ice cream maker, which I have to admit...I've only used once and with only a semi-successful result. The watermelon sorbet I attempted turned out to be quite icy and I haven't been home enough since to try again. But, inspired by the book The Perfect Scoop by David Lebowitz and this picture on Apartment Therapy, I am going to give it a go this weekend.

Any requests? Recommendations? Ice cream clearly isn't on the sugar/dairy/gluten/ fun-free diet I have been subjecting myself to for awhile, but it's summer. ...and the machine is shiny and red and begging to be used.

Oops!....I Did It Again

Oops, I did it again.
Forgot there's a blog, I've got to update.
Oh sorry, sorry.
Oops, I think it's a sign
That I procrastinate
I'm not that good at this!


Whenever I type "oops!...I did it again" (don't you type it all the time?) I have to say it in my head in the voice of Jack McFarland from Will & Grace. "Oops. I. Didit.again. I playedwithyourheart." Did y'all see that episode? He and Grace are learning the steps to the Britney video?

I digress. I am back and ready to keep you informed of...I don't know what. Since my last post I have eaten poutine in Montreal after almost dying while whitewater rafting, seen a river on fire in Providence, and spent a lot of time with family in Minnesota and Ohio. Oh! I also got a year older. Countdown to 30 begins. I am happy to be back in New York for a while before heading out again...even if it is insanely hot and stinky.

I'm serious this time. I'm going to keep updating.