Saturday 7 January 2012

Laughter is the Best Medicine

Or Chocolate! Or ice cream. How about ice cream and chocolate together, with laughter served as a side dish? Now that would be the best medicine of all. Some of you may remember that I mentioned I got something else for Christmas, besides my ticket to the sewing retreat. I got one of these.


It seemed to me that it was time to break out the ultimate medicine.

This was our inspiration.


This was the recipe book.
Love those guys!

Surprisingly I had enough chocolate in stock.

To make Chocolate Fudge Brownie Ice Cream, first you need to make the brownies. I used the recipe supplied by the very nice Ben and Jerry. I'll tell you what. This is a win win situation here. You make brownies and you only need a cup of them chopped up to use in the ice cream. The rest is sort of like a reward for your hard work. And they are good! I didn't have the correct 9"x13" baking pan so I made some the regular way and the rest in star shapes.


OMG, I am telling you, if you can't be arsed to make your own ice cream - and I readily accept that most people would not be - make the chocolate brownies. They are sooooooo amazing!!


I am sure if you click on this photo it will get bigger and show you the recipe more clearly.
If not, and you want the recipe, let me know and I will type it all out tomorrow, or the next day.

Brownies made, with the gooey centre of the tray baked ones duly chopped up and chilled, waiting to be put into the ice cream...



... we made the ice cream mixture. It then got poured into the frozen container to be churned...



... and then we sat and watched.



Here's the really good bit. The frozen container turns, not the plastic churning blade inside. And there is a hole in the top for adding ingredients (like chopped up brownies). So you can, in complete safety, jab your finger into the gradually freezing mix and make sure it hasn't gone off in the two seconds since you last jabbed your finger in. I am sure, after hearing that, you don't want to eat ice cream in my house ever. But the novelty will wear off eventually and we will all stop jabbing our fingers in. Honestly!

Now we have a container of ice cream for desert.


In the freezer, getting firmer.
Label by Emily.

It would have been nice to do some sewing after all that but, horror of all horrors, himself bought a key board and set it up on the dining room table! I have squatter rights in there! Me!! Not him.Emily had my iPad and Helen was watching telly in the sitting room. So I took my time making dinner. I played with the carrots for the Thai curry, sad git that I am.



My life is too exciting for words!

Thank you for all those lovely comments about Helen. The new improved medication seems to be making headway where the other wasn't. She isn't exactly happy (other than when taste testing ice cream) but things are improving. Woohoo!

Susan

22 comments:

  1. Time to build a shed at the bottom of the garden as the music room I think!

    Mmmmm home made ice cream - I'd eat it as long as there was no fingers in there while I was eating it - unless they are chocolate fingers of course!

    Glad Helen is getting better! And you need some sewing time as this is turning into a cookery blog! hehe! Not that I'm complaining - just my stomach keeps rumbling....

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  2. Mum has an icecream maker - best icecream I ever made in it was Peanut Butter icecream with chocoate chips.... Wonderful!! Yours looks even nicer than the tub I've got in the fridge! Especially the brownies...mmmmm :-) Very glad Helen is starting to recover! x

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  3. Those are pretty exciting carrots! The keyboard needs a keyboard stand asap - I think a couple of sawhorses can do in a pinch- so you can have your spot back! And ice cream is always a good idea, it looks like you have the technology to make a lot more

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  4. I'm not really a fan of ice cream but I'm still sitting here drooling!

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  5. So glad to hear Helen is on the mend! I hope the recipe for Caramel Choo Choo is in that book! Plenty of time to practise before July! Jxo

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  6. Ok I think we are sisters from other mothers! My absolute favorite Ben and Jerry's ice cream is chocolate fudge brownie. I did not know they have a recipe book. I'm off to amazon to order it right now!

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  7. Loving the idea of constantly jabbing your fingers in the ice cream, but might wait till you've grown out of that phase before stopping by for a taste ;o Told you that book was good though, now try the cookie dough one...

    Giggling just a little at the carrots too - I'd take the cut out bits and flick them at himself until he finds somewhere else for his keyboard playing ;o)

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  8. oh wow, your ice cream looks delicious and I don't really like ice cream. And your brownies....yum! Really glad to hear that Helen is on the up

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  9. I am gorging on a box of fudge, and the carrot flowers are actually looking mighty tempting right now! xxx

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  10. Oh my goodness I'm nearly ready to hop the next flight to the UK just for that ice cream. LOVELY!
    Your carrots are incredibly pretty, Susan :)

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  11. Yum! Ice-cream looks lovely. Clever carrots too :)

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  12. Lol, I can't believe you made carrot flowers! They're lovely, but recover your table, the sewing lasts longer! x

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  13. I so don't need another recipe book but I am now off to find that one on Amazon or Book Depository, thanks!
    I love Ben and Jerry's ice cream, my favourite - cookie dough.
    Nice carrots!

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  14. SO glad you showed that ribbed carrot - before I notice it I was thinking 'NO WAY she cut all those little individual petals out of each carrot slice!' I was seriously considering calling some medical help for you,but maybe I should call it for me! Hope the ice-cream tasted good.

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  15. Nice carrots! I'm so pleased Helen is doing better. It must have been worrying.

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  16. home made ice cream is the best - lucky you! glad to hear helen is feeling better - ice cream defo should help!

    and well, the carrots......i picked about a kilo yesterday and couldn't be arsed preparing them for the freezer - so added home grown leeks, spring onions and zucchini's (courgettes) a little ginger and a piece of celery hiding in the fridge, and made the most divine soup...i love the vegie patch

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  17. Susan. I have that recipe book... I know EXACTLY what you mean.

    Try the heath bar (daim bar) recipe. It was my absolute favourite! Their uber unhealthy plain chocolate recipe is TO DIE FOR as well, it tastes just like the stuff in Phish food. Nom nom nom :-)

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  18. That does look pretty amazing!! I love Brownies and icecream - as you say, it`s win win. Enjoy it Susan! x

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  19. I don't mind finger germs in my ice cream - I'll be right round!! The brownies look delicious - does it have a conversion chart for cups, etc. or do I have to pull my finger out and look it up?! (And why would you measure butter with a cup?!!) The carrots looks lovely - Archie will eat the peel and scraped out ridges when he comes round to 'borrow' the ice cream maker for me!

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  20. urm can I come round for tea??! Since I'm being healthy I better leave off the ice cream and stick to those wonderful looking carrots!! ;)

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  21. Mmmmmmmmmmmm home made icecream. I dont eat icecream very often but never ever pass up home made.

    I think your carrots look darling.

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  22. Just garnish the ice cream with the carrots and call it a meal. I'm sure it would look beautiful and be very tasty.

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