recipe :: lavender honey ice cream

i love sweet treats, though i have tamed my sweet tooth over the years by learning to take smaller portions. lavender honey ice cream is so delicate but rich, it only takes a scoop to satisfy!

below is a mixture of two recipes i've used, one by martha stewart, the other from a mediterranean cookbook i have. an ice cream maker is not a necessary implement for this recipe.

ingredients:

3 cups heavy cream, divided

8 stems fresh English lavender (or 1/4 cup dried)

1 small piece of lemon rind

1/3 cup honey

5 large egg yolks

1/4 cup sugar (i would omit this next time; it was too sweet)

1. in a medium saucepan, combine 2 cups cream, lavender, lemon rind, and honey. bring to a gentle boil, cover, and remove from heat. let steep for 5 minutes. strain mixture, reserving milk and discarding lavender.

2. combine egg yolks (& sugar, if using) in the bowl of an electric mixer. beat on medium-high speed until very thick and pale yellow, 3 to 5 minutes. meanwhile, return milk to a medium saucepan, and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat.

3. add half the milk to egg-yolk mixture, and whisk until blended. stir mixture into remaining milk, and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.

4. remove from heat and immediately stir in remaining cup of cream. strain mixture into a chilled metal tray to cool (i use a bread pan). cover with wax paper and freeze.

oops! i said it only takes one scoop... well this is a very small bowl, calling for three very miniature scoops! :)

they make each other laugh

heron & shepherd are becoming friends. his face lights up when she's around, and as soon as she wakes up she asks, "where's my shepherd?" she leads him in play throughout the day. between their laughter and josh's songs, i am surrounded by such beautiful noises in my life.

found film

i found this old roll of undeveloped medium format film a few weeks ago. in this digital age it's been so long since i've developed film; i'd forgotten what it feels like to wait for the results. i had no idea i'd had this roll in my holga for almost three years, & that the prints i'd pick up would be of a time shared with my dad, who passed away two aprils ago...

these were taken on an early morning kayak expedition in cherry grove, south carolina--myrtle beach, site of our 2007 ramsdale family reunion. we wanted to watch the sunrise over the water, take pictures, talk. we loaded up the kayak, fixed two mugs of earl grey tea, packed our tobacco pipes & cameras, & drove to the shore. we glided out to this little island where water birds made their homes.

so sad, but so glad to see this picture of him.

the cowboys & indians

...have taken over heron's dollhouse.

dollhouse play has gotten much more exciting since these guys showed up (a party favor from her friend mae's party). she keeps telling me that this one, the chief, is jesus.

peninsula park in the evening

we live one block south of the peninsula park rose garden, and it's now in full bloom! josh's parents were in town saturday night, along with teal & alli, so we took an evening stroll through the roses.

heron was ecstatic, as it was WAY past her bedtime.

she went out in her jammies, with mr. fox in socks.

heron's birthday present

this year heron's big birthday gift from us was a tipi! i made it using instructions found here (with a few measurement adjustments). i'm still planning to decorate the outside with embroidery. we had the tipi set up in our living room for heron's rained-out birthday party, & we've had it set up in her room since then. it's pretty big, so it takes up most of her room! yesterday was a sunny day & we set it up outside on the front lawn with a quilt, legos & books. cypress, juniper & wren came over to "pay yedos" with heron. such a fun day!

(here's the tipi in her room)

handmade lovelies

at heron's baby shower we were blown away by our friends' expressions of love for us through the giving of handmade gifts. heron was given homemade clothes, bibs, and blankets, a beautiful quilt, and even a portable puppet theatre! this year for her birthday some friends made some beautiful little treasures for her, too, so i wanted to share them here.

sarah and ray made this book for heron. it is filled with pictures they took of a great blue heron they saw every day at the lake in japan. sarah wrote a story to accompany the pictures. it is beautiful!

cara gave heron this little blue rocking chair that she painted, decoupaged, & cushioned. isn't it sweet?

heron's second 2nd birthday

: heron's traditional great blue heron nest birthday cake :

: cupcakes in jars for the kids :

in the absence of many good photos from the event, here are some videos!

: heron, upon waking from her nap, discovers that she has just been given a tipi, and is about to be thrown a birthday party :

: the party, full-swing :

: she blows out her candles :

this year heron had two parties--one in seattle with family & the other here in portland with friends. the second party was a complete surprise to her. she found out 30 minutes before guests arrived that all of her friends were coming over to celebrate her birthday. our hopes of an outdoor front lawn party were dashed, but the indoor party was cozy & fun, & josh & i enjoyed watching strangers meet & become friends in our home. thanks, everybody, for making it such a special day for heron!

our two

: this morning's smiles :

strawberries & peonies

today heron, shepherd, & i joined our friend caroline & her girls lily, evie, and isla for a day of strawberry picking on sauvie island, twenty minutes outside of portland.

: most of the strawberries we took home had bites taken out :

: evie and lily show heron how it's done :

: heron is making my favorite heron face here :

: little isla ate while she picked, just like heron :

heron is TWO now

when we ask heron how old she is now, half the time she replies, "SIXTEEN!" the other half she gets it right, holding up one finger from each hand, saying, "he-won's too ye-ahs owd!"

meet the birthday girl, waiting for her birthday "tuptate"...

: cousins ezra and solomon helped open her gifts at her request :

: playing with her new birthday play-dough :

it was such a fun birthday with heron's seattle garrels family. we hosted a brunch at josh's parents house with zack & gala, ezra, solomon & caspar, & josh & alli. homemade blueberry flapjacks, strawberries with fresh whipped cream, pears with mascarpone & honey, marti's zucchini quiche, mimosas for the adults. the party lingered on into the evening, the bents even spending the night. i think it was the happiest day of heron's life so far. little does she know that she's about to be celebrated here in portland, too!

(*thanks, ella, for heron's traditional birthday crown, worn last year, too!)