Ice Cream for Breakfast Day Tomorrow!

Get out your ice cream makers and churn up some ice cream or go out and get a carton so you will be ready for tomorrow morning, because I'm betting a lot of your favorite ice cream shops will not be open in time for breakfast!*

However, they should be...Tomorrow is "Ice Cream For Breakfast Day." Thank you to Marsha for the heads up about this one!

Man, am I excited. When my sisters and were younger, we usually had ice cream cake for our birthdays and as a special treat, the day after, we got to have the cake for breakfast.

Not only that, sometimes sleepovers at Grandma and Grandpa's resulted in ice cream for breakfast and a game of Po-ke-no, complete with puppytoes. It's almost as if this holiday was made for grandparents and grandchildren everywhere! (Turns out it was a grandma who named this day, Florence Rappaport...)

Anywho, I am not 100% I get the concept as the website is (sorry, but...) a complete mess, but the story (from the website) goes like this:

Once upon a time there was a little girl named Ruth and a little boy named Joe. Ruth and Joe grew up in the back of beyond in New York state where it was very very cold. Every winter between New Year's Eve and Passover, life in up-state New York got extremely boring, so their parents invented a holiday to brighten up the dreary days of winter. It was called Ice Cream For Breakfast Day. This was a wonderful holiday for children and parents alike because to celebrate you had to eat ice cream for breakfast on the first Saturday in February.

Well, Ruth and Joe grew up and went away to a university. They made many friends and taught them all about Ice Cream For Breakfast Day. After college Ruth had a roomate named Barry to whom she also told about this tradition. Many years later, Barry met Itzah C. Kret in Washington, D.C. and converted him into an Ice Cream For Breakfast Day observer.

Nobody has kept precise track but through word of mouth ICFBD has been celebrated in many homes, states and countries all over the world. Some people give parties with musical instruments, others simply celebrate with family members. There is no right or wrong so long as you follow the 3 plus 1 simple Ice Cream for Breakfast Day Rules

(1) Eat ice cream
(2) for breakfast
(3) on the first Saturday in February
(4) spread the word

The rest is up to you!

One who is interested in reading more can also check out the Ice Cream for Breakfast Blog but don't be expecting a better explanation.

Though I am not quite sure I understand all of it, I think I get the gist and will be happy to be celebrating tomorrow morning.

I'm thinking David Lebovitz's Candied Bacon Ice Cream sounds like a perfect breakfast ice cream...really, it's wonderful.

*However, you Seattle-dwellers are in luck -- Molly Moon's will be serving what seems to be a scrumptious "Ice Cream for Breakfast" of oatmeal and ice cream from 9am-1pm...

Spice Dish Saturday {January}: Chocolate-Almond Sorbet

We are so spoiled to have Spice Dish and her wonderful recipes, since I haven't made ice cream in quite a while. Thanks, Spice Dish! What a treat your recipes are!

This is a post-holiday gorge-fest recipe. It not only uses leftover chocolate from your Christmas stocking but is on the lighter for all those resolution makers.

Chocolate-Almond Sorbet
2 cups of cold water
1 1/8 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
8 oz semisweet chocolate (chopped or chips)
Small pinch of kosher salt
1/2 tsp Amaretto
1/2 cup toasted almonds

Whisk together 1 cup of the water, the sugar, the cocoa powder and salt together in a saucepan. Bring it to a boil and whisk it for about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and whisk in the chocolate until it is melted completely. Add the Amaretto and remaining cup of water. Use an immersion blender (a standing one will work fine too) and blend the mixture completely. Chill completely. Once chilled freeze in your ice cream maker. Just before serving, top with the almonds for a great crunch!

Thanks again, Spice Dish! We ♥ you!

Postin'. Should be packin'.

So I realized I never drew a winner for drawing from the submissions of the best places to get ice cream.

Congrats to Ice Cream Forum! I used random.org to pick a winner. Ice Cream Forum will win a copy of Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book to be mailed in the new year, because as I mentioned, I should be packing, not posting! (I leave for Arizona in 13 hours...well, that is, if the storm allows!)

I promise I will begin to set up the ice cream guide soon, as well!

Spice Dish Saturday {December}: Bourbon-Gingerbread Ice Cream

My apologies on the delay in posting this recipe. EB of Spice Dish was so great in getting it to us and I have been a Scoopalicious slacker. My apologies. As an artist, the holiday season is completely crazy for me! But I promise I will be back and better than ever!

Bourbon-Gingerbread Ice Cream

3 cups half & half
5 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground clove
3 tbs bourbon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup broken gingerbread cake or ½ cup gingerbread cookie pieces

Warm 2 cups of the ½ & ½ , sugar, and salt in a saucepan. Pour the remaining ½ & ½ into a large bowl and put a mesh strainer over the bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yolks. Slowly add some of the warmed mixture into the yolks and whisk vigorously. Slowly combine the two mixtures until completely combined, then return the mixture to the saucepan.

Constantly stir the mixture as it warms over medium heat. Scrape the bottom and sides of the pan, until the mixture coats your spoon. Pour the cooked mixture through the strainer, into the remaining ½ & ½. Mix in the spices, bourbon, and vanilla. Cool over ice.

Chill the batter completely! Once it is chilled through, churn it in your ice cream maker according to the instructions. 5 minutes before it is finished add your gingerbread. Let finish freezing in the freezer.

Thanks, EB! You rock! Happy holidays to all and to all a good scoop!

Photo by DNAMichaud on Flickr.

Happy Thanksgiving - Pumpkin Ice Cream Recipe

Its been a slow fall here at Scoopalicious as Bethany geared up for her awesome Open Studios Holiday Sale (if you didn't know she is not only an amazing ice cream maker but an amazing artist too!) and myself, well life with new baby and full time job, oh and lack of sleep, makes it hard to motivate but enough excuses, we promise the new year will bring lots of ice cream happiness!

One thing that hasn't slowed down though is our love for ice cream and this time of year anything Pumpkin is a good thing. I recently had to bribe (yes, bribe!) my four year old with the promise of ice cream if she'd just go in "one" more store with Mommy. Little did she know I was dying to go back to one of our favorite homemade ice cream shops to see if they had Pumpkin Ice Cream so the bribe was actually my own selfish thoughts but she really didn't need to know that. Results...one happy kid (scoop choice=Birthday Cake) and one happy Mom who not only got her shopping done but fabulous ice cream (see pic) too!


So in case you are looking to make some ice cream to go with that yummy pie here are a couple recipes to try...


STEP BY STEP Pumpkin Ice Cream Recipe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFMvuD-7KZE

Pumpkin Ice Cream Recipe

2 cups heavy cream
6 egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
2/3 cup puréed pumpkin
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Heat 1 1/3 cups of the cream over medium-high heat. Remove from heat when edges start to bubble.

In a separate bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, corn syrup, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a metal mixing bowl. Gradually pour the hot cream into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Pour egg mixture back into the pan and cook over low-med heat stirring constantly with a rubber spatula until mixture is thick enough to coat back of the spatula.

Pour custard through a sieve into a bowl. Add pumpkin, vanilla, and remaining 2/3 cup of cream, and whisk until blended. Cool over an ice bath. Refrigerate custard for about 4 hours. Transfer custard to an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's directions.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!