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The Basics: Vanilla Ice Cream
There's nothing like fresh-churned homemade ice cream. It's cool, but melts in your mouth, creamy and smooth, and when compared to a grocery store variety, has a richer, cleaner, more pure taste. To make ice cream you need an ice cream maker and a little skill, but most of all, it requires patience.
Come Party With Me: Independence Day — Dessert
While one could easily serve red, white, and blue parfaits at a 4th of July party, I prefer to give guests a more all-American dessert — in the form of a crowd-pleasing cupcake. When I saw these adorably patriotic cupcakes in the current issue of Martha Stewart Living, I knew they would be on the menu at my Independence Day celebration.
The vanilla cake batter is dotted with fresh blueberries before being baked.
Come Party With Me: Father's Day — Dessert
While planning a Father's Day menu, the most important thing to do is ask dad what he wants. The day will be more special if you involve him in the process. Since my dad is a fan of no-fuss classic cuisine, I originally thought to serve him homemade vanilla ice cream with chocolate fudge sauce for dessert.
Taste Test: Sprinkles Vanilla Cupcake Mix
Last week I got my hands on a container of Sprinkles vanilla cupcake mix ($14). The LA-based bakery boosts a celebrity following and is famous for its rich cupcakes topped with swirled frosting and signature modern dot. Currently, there are six bakeries sprinkled throughout the Western United States, but thanks to Williams-Sonoma, you can experience the sweetness of Sprinkles in the comfort of your kitchen.
Do You Cook With Vanilla Beans?
At the Food Fête party this week after the Fancy Foods Show, a representative from Nielsen-Massey Vanillas handed me a kit sealed with a vanilla bean. She suggested that if I didn't want to cook with it, I could take advantage of its pleasant fragrance.
"Oh, don't worry — I'll cook with it," I reassured her.
Come Party With Me: Boy's Birthday — Drinks
Both kids and moms love lemonade. It's sweet tart taste is pleasing to a child's palette and it's pale yellow color won't stain, making mom happy. For a boy's birthday party on Alcatraz pack two coolers.
Happy Hour: Vanilla Rum Colas
I've been carrying around a ripped-out page of Martha Stewart Living — with a recipe for vanilla rum colas — since the September issue of the magazine came out. I finally got to mixing the drinks this weekend because they were the perfect cocktail to pair with Oscars!
The recipe is a simple classic — basically it's a rum and coke — with a twist.
Valentine's Day Beauty, Part III: Alluring Fragrances
Welcome to my third installation of Valentine's Day beauty products. Not only is it important to have the perfect pout and sultry bedroom eyes on February 14th, but it's also important to smell good. According to research, men associate the smell of vanilla and cinnamon with love.
Reader Recipe: Homemade Vanilla Extract
Great vanilla extract is made from fresh vanilla beans and can be rather expensive. Sometimes the quality isn't what you expect, and sometimes the flavor is too weak, or too strong. However lucky for us, TeamSugar member Twinkle has shared her recipe for homemade vanilla extract.
Nostalgic Dessert: Homemade Creamsicles
When I was little and heard the familiar jingle of the approaching ice cream truck, I could not contain my excitement for the orange and vanilla creamsicle popsicles. These were my mother's favorite and so were naturally mine as well. I recently remembered summer afternoons spent enjoying creamsicles, and a desire to recreate the sweet treat has been growing inside me ever since.
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