Peanut Butter Nutella Fudge ice cream [Wenatchee food photography]

Peanut Butter Nutella Fudge ice cream

1. 2 cups heavy cream
2. 1 (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
3. 1/2 cup peanut butter (creamy or chunky)
4. 1/3 cup Nutella
5. 3/8 cup fudge ice cream topping

Whisk sweetened condensed milk, peanut butter and Nutella together in large bowl. Some swirling is OK, but mostly mix it. In separate bowl, whip heavy cream to stiff peaks. Gently but thoroughly fold whipped cream into sweetened condensed milk mixture. Spoon 1/3 mixture into 2-quart container. Spoon/pour 1/8 cup fudge ice cream topping onto top of mixture and use butter knife to gently swirl into ice cream mixture. Repeat layer of ice cream and layer of fudge swirl two more times. Cover and freeze at least 6 hours or until firm.

Shady Pass [Wenatchee photography]

Did you Eastern Washingtonians know there is a "pass" between the upper Entiat Valley and Twenty-Five-Mile Creek in Chelan that goes up and over those incredible mountains? Called Shady Pass, it is "rustic" to say the least (dirt, bumpy and narrow.) It felt like we were on top of the world. We intended to drive to the top, park, then hike to the summit of Crow Hill which sits almost 7,000 vertical feet directly above Lake Chelan. We were thwarted, however, by snow. In late July. Snow. July. We hiked around a bit, as much as we could (which included one gnarly hill that, at 6,800 feet, had us gasping like mad and our hearts pounding through our chests. Yes, I said gnarly. I grew up in the 80s.) Some of the views below. That water below is Lake Chelan. If you know how big Lake Chelan is, you can tell from this photo how high we were.

Raspberry Fudge Swirl ice cream [Wenatchee food photography, National ice cream month]

I found a great recipe recently for a homemade ice cream that doesn't require an ice cream maker. July is National Ice Cream month and while I have owned makers in the past, I never liked all the work/mess/effort necessary to make it myself, so this idea was too good to not try. Well, let me tell you, it's easy and delicious and very versatile, so definately give it a try. The original recipe and idea came from the wonderful Kevin and Amanda blog. The versions I came up with are Raspberry Fudge Swirl (below) and Peanut Butter Nutella Fudge.

Raspberry Fudge Swirl ice cream

1. 2 cups heavy cream
2. 1 (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
3. 1/2 pint raspberries (fresh or frozen)
4. 1/3 cup raspberry preserves
5. 3/4 cup fudge ice cream topping

Whisk sweetened condensed milk, raspberries and raspberry preserves together in large bowl. In separate bowl, whip heavy cream to stiff peaks. Gently but thoroughly fold whipped cream into sweetened condensed milk mixture. Spoon 1/3 mixture into 2-quart container. Spoon/pour 1/4 cup fudge ice cream topping onto top of mixture and use butter knife to gently swirl into ice cream mixture. Repeat layer of ice cream and layer of fudge swirl two more times. Cover and freeze at least 6 hours or until firm.

Pineapple Coconut Cream Frozen Pie [Wenatchee food photography]

I know summer has finally arrived in Wenatchee when the gauge in my car crosses the 100 mark. That day was yesterday, so last night I whipped up a little tropical, frozen, sweet deliciousness. Just a few ingredients, a few minutes and some freezer time, and you have a refreshing summer dessert ready to serve. Recipe below.

Pineapple Coconut Cream Frozen Pie:

• 1 can (14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
• 1 can (6 oz.) pineapple frozen juice concentrate
• 1/2 cup sweetned flaked coconut
• 1 tub (8 oz.) frozen whipped topping
• 1 (9 inch) graham cracker pie shell/crust

1. Whisk together sweetened condensed milk and pineapple juice concentrate.
2. Add and stir in coconut, making sure there are no clumps.
3. Fold in whipped topping.
4. Spoon into pie shell.
5. Freeze.

I haven't done this yet, but I imagine you can substitute just about any frozen juice concentrate. Try lime, pink lemonade, lemon or orange. If you do, report back :)

(Making) Red Velvet Whoopie(s) [Wenatchee food photography]

We spent the weekend in Seattle, registering my oldest daughter into the Seattle Culinary Academy where she wants to earn her AAS in Specialty Desserts and Breads. While there, we had to stop into Williams-Sonoma, OF COURSE, to, you know, "research." We ended up with a few things, demererra sugar, a beer can chicken stand (for my husband, who swears we NEED it) and a few new cookbooks. One entire book on chocolate cakes and the adorable "Whoopies!" by Susanna Tee. How can I resist an entire book of whoopie pie recipes when they all look so good and so fun? And my secret? I've never even had a Whoopie Pie--of any kind. What drew me to them is they remind me of a cupcake sandwich, which is really ideal, if you think about it. The portability that cupcakes bring to cake, whoopie pies bring to cupcakes. The frosting is in between the cake layers so you can just. eat. it. No frosting trying to go up your nose. No paper wrapper to discard. Just hold it in your meaty paw and enjoy its delicious cake and filling, bite after bite. With so many recipe choices, I needed to start somewhere, so asked my daughter what flavor she wanted and she picked Red Velvet with cream cheese filling. Uh, OK, that sounds good, let's start there.

[ETA:] My recommendation on the pan is this: I have the "whoopie pie baking sheets" and I don't think I love them. Yes, the cakes are all uniform in size, but they end up having a bit of an edge to the top of the cake (you can see it in the photo below) that they don't if you just bake them on a flat cookie sheet. Next time I plan on just using a measured cupcake scoop to keep them uniform and skip the special pan. Wish I hadn't bought two of them...