Ice Cream Social

Katherine and her Huz came over for dinner last night! Word on the street is I make a mean strata (and by street I mean my blog), but I had to put my casserole where my mouth is so they could be the judge.

We never fail to have good food and good times with Katherine and her Huzzy McHuzzerson, and last night was no exception. Check out the appetizer spread they brought along!

We had onion sourdough and whole wheat fig breads from Agata & Valentino (fancy!)…

…as well as a hefty tub of guh-lor-i-ous olives—the kind I always covet but never buy! Delicious.

Oh, and here’s the stupid strata.

Since I served it for dinner rather than brunch this time, I paired it with a very simple side salad. The dressing was a winner, though. I got Eat, Drink & Be Vegan for Christmas and made the Cumin-Cinnamon Vinaigrette. Highly recommendable!

Boyf and Huz have man-crushes on Ryan Reynolds (but you didn’t hear it from me), so we watched Just Friends as we dined. Katherine and I were true ladies and ate at my proper table while the guys did the manly man thing by eating off their laps in full view of their true love. (Ok, so there might not have been room for them at my little table anyway…)

And for dessert, we had yet more of the goodies Katherine brought along. Somewhere down the line, she must have gotten the idea that I like chocolate (I can’t imagine how…), so she brought a bittersweet Scharffenberger bar, homemade truffles from the Huz’s mom (!)…

…and this insane bergamot chocolate bar. We killed this one—it was amazing. The texture was almost crispy! Definitely a non-traditional chocolate. Two thumbs up.

You really have to check out Katherine’s photos of the evening. I had to pick my chin up off the floor when I saw the camera she was working with. Hopefully my envy didn’t turn me the color of my homemade mint chocolate chip ice cream.

The ice cream only turned green by accident, actually. The “chocolate chips” may or may not have in fact been mint M&M’s Premiums, courtesy of my Christmas stocking. Not only were they an extra-special addition to the ice cream, but their green coating dissolved in the ice-cream making process, turning the ice cream itself a very appropriate shade of green.

Vegan Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Ingredients:

• 2 cans coconut milk (one light, one regular)
• 1/2 cup agave nectar
• 1.5 tsp peppermint extract
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
• ~ 1 cup vegan chocolate chips (or green M&M’s, whatever chocolatey goodness suits you)

Combine all ingredients except for chocolate in your ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer instructions. Add chocolate during the last 5 minutes. Freeze in an airtight container.

If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you could blend everything except chocolate  in your blender/food processor for a minute or so, stirring in chocolate just before freezing.

And if you choose not to make this ice cream with M&M’s, don’t worry about it. Just serve yourself a bowl and stand near someone who doesn’t have any.