Peppermint Ice Cream [Wenatchee food photography]

My husband doesn't have a big sweet tooth and so his birthday came and went this past weekend with nary a cake or candle. But then Monday night he asked if I would make him homemade peppermint ice cream and, of course, I could not say no. I was curious if this recipe, which is so easy with only 3 ingredients, could be as good as he was wanting. His family used to own a Bresler's ice cream shop and his favorite ice cream was Peppermint so I knew he would be a good judge on its flavor. I made and froze it last night and tonight, after an old school dinner of pork chops, mashed potatoes and green beans (he cooks!), we finally got to dessert. His verdict is that it is "reallllly gooooood!" I'll take it.

Peppermint ice cream

1. 2 cups heavy cream
2. 1 (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
3. 1 package Starlight mints or candy canes, crushed
4. Red food coloring, if desired

Whisk sweetened condensed milk and crushed peppermints together in large bowl. Add 6-10 drops red food coloring, if desired. In separate bowl, whip heavy cream to stiff peaks. Gently but thoroughly fold whipped cream into sweetened condensed milk mixture. Spread into 2-qt. plasticware container with lid. Cover and freeze at least 6 hours or until firm.

Thea [Wenatchee boudoir photography]

A quick little sneak peek for Thea. In rapid fashion she is planning her wedding, a visit to to her fiance's Army graduation and their impending move only 4 days after the wedding. When someone has this much to orchestrate all by themselves, it's a good thing they're such a little dynamo like miss Thea. Her soon-to-be husband is a very lucky man (and after seeing these photos, her album is going to be a very special gift!) Congratulations Thea and Cam!

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.