A Parent's Cure-All and a Tablescape Thursday Celebration!!

Happy Thursday! 

         And it’s a very special Thursday- Susan at Between Naps on the Porch is celebrating 100 Tablescape Thursdays! How fabulous is that for all us dish and china lovers!

Happy 100th Susan and thank you so much for hosting this wonderful party

I actually had quite an outdoor dinner party spread planned, but somehow a few things got in the way and tonight’s table ended up being quite a simple one. It’s been a bit chaotic at Casa Bramasole lately and though we just arrived home from 3 weeks away, we are off again this weekend to the Carolina shore. House and job hunting has taken over our lives and all the decisions are taking a toll

Being a parent is my greatest joy in life, but sometimes it’s so very hard. This week has been difficult for Mr B and I as we deal with some sad children who are nervous at the thought of moving and some teenage heartbreak. My way of dealing with the hard times is to talk- a LOT (according to my kids probably too much). And of course, being Italian, coping with stress always involves food

In this case homemade ice cream!

A shady spot on the porch with a breezy fan blowing...

Blue and red for Nick

Multi and green for Timmy

And red and blue for our Allie

A comfy seat...

MUST have sprinkles....

farmer's market cherries are perfect with ice cream

And blood orange Italian soda- YUM!!

Cheery bandanas make great napkins for sometimes messy kids

Summer color and polka dots are great mood lifters

but the star of the show would have to be....

sometimes you need chocolate AND vanilla... (sorry for the blur- our camera went wonky tonight)

I adapted a chocolate ice cream recipe from A Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz. My chocoholic hubby and daughter have proclaimed it MUCH more chocolatey than store bought- exceptionally rich and creamy. Remember- the end result will depend tremendously on the quality of your ingredients- go for the GOOD chocolate! And if you want to take this over the top for a grown-up crowd, substitute some raspberry Chambord for the vanilla :)

Basic Chocolate Ice Cream

2 cups heavy cream

3 tablespoons excellent quality unsweetened cocoa

5 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

1 cup whole milk

3/4 cup sugar

pinch of salt

5 large egg whites

3/4 tsp vanilla

Heat 1 cup of cream with the cocoa, whisking thoroughly to blend. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 seconds whisking constantly. Remove from heat, add chopped chocolate, and stir till smooth. Stir in the remaining 1 cup cream. Pour into a large bowl scraping the saucepan as thoroughly as possible and set a mesh strainer on top of the bowl. Set aside. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks.

 In the same pan, warm the milk, sugar, and salt till the sugar dissolves, stirring. Pour some of the warm mixture into the egg yolks while whisking well, then pour yolk mix back into the saucepan. Stir constantly over medium heat with heatproof spatula till mixture thickens a bit and coats the spatula- no more than 175-180 degrees. Pour the custard through the strainer scraping the pan well. Stir in the vanilla and refrigerate, stirring occasionally till very cold. Freeze in your ice cream maker following the manufacturer's directions. Scrape into a covered container and put into the freezer for a few hours to firm up. Mmmmmmm.....

Join us tomorrow for Foodie Friday at Gollum's and a review of our new ice cream maker from CSN Stores- we LOVE this one!

As Always,

Buon Cibo, Buon Amici,

Pattie and Allie