Happy Peach Ice Cream Day!! {One Day Early}

Today is a perfect day. The weather has been rather bearable, instead of scorching hot and I'm writing from the country, from Mother's back yard deck to be exact. I could sit here for hours with nothing but the sounds of nature to entertain me. Obviously, I'm kidding myself, because sooner of later I'd have to go inside to eat. ;-)

Speaking of eating, tomorrow's foodie holiday involves one of my favorite foods in the universe--peaches. It's it great that, National Peach Ice Cream Day, falls right in the middle of National Ice Cream Month? Now, I must confess that I've only become a fan of ice cream over the past few years. Prior to coming to my senses, it was never something that I remotely thought about eating. Lately, I've been enjoying quite a few fabulous flavors, and Sunday night I saw a photo from a post by the fab foodie blogger duo Kevin & Amanda that grabbed my attention--easy, no machine required ice cream. I have no problem admitting that I made that ice cream on Monday morning before my coffee started brewing.

You only need these two ingredients to get started and the rest is up to your imagination (or you can use one of the recipes from Kevin and Amanda). Just make sure your add-ins are prepped and ready to go, because the quicker you mix, the sooner you'll have ice cream.

Now, here we go. Whip 2 cups of heavy cream until stiff peaks form. I didn't bother to pull out mistress Kitchen-Aid, I used her handheld little sister with the whisk attachment. In a separate bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk with the add-ins of your choice, then fold in the whipped cream. Guess what?? You're done!! Well you do need to freeze it, but you have just made a little batch of ice cream filled with very own your hand-picked ingredients. After about six hours (or until firm), you can enjoy your ice cream.

Here's a peek at the ingredients I used to create what I'm calling Cinna-Vanilla Peaches & Cream with Pecans Ice Cream. I was kinda sad that I didn't have graham crackers to add. It truly would have been cheesecake in ice cream form, but there's always a next time.

All mixed up with nowhere to go:

Ready for the big chill:

In honor of National Ice Cream Month & National Peach Ice Cream Day, I've managed to kill two birds with one stone!! Yay me!! But there is a sad part to this story. The ice cream isn't here with me, so I only have "before eating" photos to share. My weekly plans changed and I've been out of town, but I'm eager to get back to my peachy concoction. I can tell you this, that ice cream will not be safe around me when I get home.

What are some of your favorite homemade ice cream flavors or what flavor combinations are on your list to try?

Sheila Denise

Curt's Bounty

Well, I think I've managed to turn my brother Curt into a behind-the-scenes blog monster. Now that he's actually reading my blog, his not-so-gentle nudging to convince me to include more of him in my posts has officially begun. Out of the blue, he sent me a few photos of the fruits and peppers of his labor from the country (Mother's). In efforts to be a wonderful little sister, I'm devoting this entire post to him and only him. Curt, this one's for you.

Peaches:
Blueberries:
Hot Peppers:
He really does have a green thumb...wish I did.

Sheila Denise

Georgia Peaches...One Of My Many Loves

OMG y'all!!! I just realized it's been a month since I posted. I do apologize, but I haven't had very much "home" time lately. I've got alot of making up to do.

As a peach lover, I think I need to dedicate a post to this deliciously versatile fruit. I'll continue to add peach-related photos, so check back periodically. I always anxiously await Georgia Peach Season and take a few trips to Lane's in Fort Valley, GA every year to take in the whole peach experience. My daddy, was a peach entrepreneur, so I've been exposed to "good" peaches all my life. Today, instead of traveling to Lane's, I "traveled" to my neighborhood Publix. I was pleased to see they had Lane's peaches AND they were on sale. I grabbed about 10--hopefully I won't eat them all today. I don't like super soft peaches, so I only purchase a few fairly firm ones at a time.


I was feeling rather lazy today, and decided to have a very light lunch while deciding what to have for dinner. I immediately knew it would include peaches but still wasn't sure what to eat. My go to option is often a salad and today turned out no differently. I decided to have a small, simple summer salad with arugula, peaches and goat cheese with a balsamic reduction drizzle. The bite of the arugula was a great backdrop to the sweetness of the peach and the creamy tartness of the goat cheese. The bitter-sweet notes of the balsamic reduction brought it all together beautifully. My taste buds were singing. It was absolutely delicious.


Balsamic Reduction:

1 1/2 cups balsamic vinegar
A few tablespoons to 1/4 cup brown sugar

Whisk vinegar and sugar in saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat to simmer and allow mixture to reduce and thicken.

Can be used warm, room temperature or cold. I store mine in a squeeze bottle in the fridge.

Sheila Denise