The Summer of Nail Polish

What's the Double Scoop? by OPI

What’s the Double Scoop?

Monday was the official start of summer and I was thinking about what kind of summer themed blogs posts that we could do. I was sitting and browsing on my computer when a thought popped into my head...summer nail polish colours, partly because I was curious to see if there were any nice new colours that I could try and partly because I thought we could somehow make summer nail polish colours into a weekly summer blog post. I looked up two of our favorite nail polish brands, OPI and Essie, and they both have six summer colours in their summer nail polish collections! I thought that each week we could pick one of those 12 colours and do a blog post based on the name (nail polish brands always come up with cool and inventive names for their colours, at least I think so) and of course show off the colour as well. The posts will be inspired by the name of the nail polish, so we may have some very interesting blog posts summer or non-summer related. So here we go...

This week we picked OPI’s “What’s the Double Scoop?” from their Retro Summer Collection. Since we have done posts on homemade ice cream recipes before, we thought that we’d do a post on different types of ice cream scoops, ice makers, and ice cream dishes.

You can’t scoop ice cream without scoops, so here are some neat ones that we found:

 

Ice Cream Spade http://www.chefdepot.net/scoops.htm

Original Ice Cream Scoop https://www.amazon.ca/Zeroll-Original-Cream-Scoop-ounce/dp/B0002U34EW?ie=UTF8&ascsubtag=SH70&linkCode=xm2&tag=thesweeth-20

 

Wilton Ice Cream Scoop http://icecreamscoopers.blogspot.ca/2012/02/wilton-ice-cream-scoop-assorted-colors.html

 

Good Grip Ice Cream Scoop https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Grips-Trigger-Cream-Scoop/dp/B00004OCIW

 

Scoop & Stack  http://www.tastingtable.com/entry_detail/national/17468/The_Best_Ice_Cream_Scoops.htm

Smart Scoop Ice Cream Scoop http://icedteamachines.freeblog.biz/author/tpplanna

If you like making your own ice cream creations try out one of these at home ice cream makers:

 

Cuisinart Mix It In Soft Serve http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/appliances/ice-cream-maker-reviews/a23027/cuisinart-mix-it-in-soft-serve-ice-cream-maker-ice-45/

Donvier https://www.amazon.com/Donvier-837409W-1-Quart-Cream-Maker/dp/B00006484E

Nostalgia Old Fashioned Ice Cream Maker http://www.bedbathandbeyond.ca/store/category/kitchen/small-appliances/ice-cream-makers/23493/

Cuisinart Flavor Duo https://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-ICE-40BK-Flavor-Frozen-Yogurt/dp/B0000638TN

KichenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment http://www.bootic.com/kitchenaid/home-and-garden/kitchen-and-dining/kitchenaid-kica0wh-ice-cream-maker-attachment

Cuisinart Pure Indulgence https://www.amazon.ca/Cuisinart-ICE-30BCC-IndulgenceTM-Frozen-Yogurt-Ice/dp/B000XDWHIW

 

Ice Cream Ball http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/appliances/ice-cream-maker-reviews/a29037/ll-bean-uco-ice-cream-ball-quart/

 

Half Pint Soft Serve Maker http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/appliances/ice-cream-maker-reviews/a21643/hamilton-beach-half-pint-soft-serve-ice-cream-maker/

Lastly, if you are like me, you probably want fun and cute ways to serve your ice cream, so if you aren’t one for a cone, here are some ideas of ways to serve your ice cream.

 

Stainless Steel http://ice-cream.china-direct-buy.com/v/4/product_detail/9397847/Stainless_Steel_Designer_Ice_Cream_Serving_Bowls.html

Gemini Spoon and Bowl Sethttp://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/ZAK-Gemini-8-piece-Ice-Cream-Spoon-and-Bowl-Set/3241908/product.html

Children's Plastic Ice Cream Bowl and Spoon Set http://www.aliexpress.com/popular/plastic-ice-cream-bowl.html 

 

Ice Cream Cone Dishes http://www.sears.com/burton-set-of-4-large-ice-cream/p-SPM7843158027?prdNo=10&blockNo=10&blockType=G10

We found some yummy looking ice cream sandwiches you can make here and here's one of the recipes that we found that you can make with your ice cream maker. Enjoy!

KEY LIME PIE ICE CREAM SANDWICHES

Yield: 24 sandwiches

INGREDIENTS

Ice Cream

·         3 Tbsp fresh lime zest

·         3/4 cup sugar

·         1/4 cup fresh lime juice

·         2 cans (3 1/2 cups or 26 oz) full fat coconut milk

·         1/4 tsp salt

·         1 1/2 Tbsp white rum (or vodka)

Cookies

·         2 1/2 cups flour

·         1/2 cup graham flour

·         1/2 tsp salt

·         1/2 tsp baking powder

·         1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

·         1 cup dark brown sugar

·         2 large eggs

·         2 tsp vanilla extract

·         2 Tbsp dark honey

Topping

·         1 1/2 Tbsp sugar

·         1/4 tsp cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS

1.      For the ice cream, place lime zest and sugar in a food processor and pulse for 1 minute; add lime juice and process until blended. Pour mixture into a medium bowl; whisk in coconut milk, salt, and rum until smooth. Cover and chill for 4 hours in the refrigerator, then pour into frozen cylinder of ice cream maker; freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions. Spoon mixture into a freezer-safe container and place in the freezer until firm.

2.      For the cookies, whisk together flours, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Beat butter and brown sugar in a large mixer bowl at medium speed until creamy. Beat in eggs, vanilla, and honey until combined. Reduce speed to low; gradually add flour mixture and beat just until incorporated. Scrape dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a disc; wrap in plastic and chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours or up to overnight.

3.      Preheat oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper. Divide the dough into 2 sections; working with one section at a time, roll dough out to 1/4-inch thickness on a lightly floured board. Use a 2 1/4-inch fluted biscuit cutter to cut into circles. Repeat with remaining dough, re-rolling scraps as needed, until you have 48 circles.

4.      Use a wooden skewer to poke a pattern of holes on half of the circles (these will be your tops). Combine cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl and sprinkle over cookies. Chill cookies on baking sheets in the freezer for 10 minutes. Bake for 7 minutes, until cookies are slightly puffed and edges are firm. Cool for 3 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Freeze cookies in an airtight container for at least one hour.

5.      To assemble sandwiches, use a small cookie scoop to place a scoop of ice cream between two chilled cookies and press lightly. Place assembled ice cream sandwiches on a baking sheet and cover with plastic; return to the freezer for two hours. Wrap sandwiches individually in plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to 7 days. Let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes before serving.

NOTES

The rum prevents the ice cream from freezing too firmly; vodka may be substituted. 

Father's Day DIY Frames

Father’s Day is on Sunday and this week we did a little tutorial on a fun homemade gift that you can give to your dad.

You can make this as elaborate and difficult as you want; we kept it simple though.

The gift we have chosen to show you how to make is a DIY painted and decorated frame for dad. It’s really simple and fun to do. You will need to grab the following things before you make your frame. 

You will want to get a wooden frame. We bought ours at the craft store. As you can see here, we have two different shapes. They had more to choose from so you can go with whatever floats your boat or what suits your dad or picture or idea best. If you’re adventurous and have lots of time, you can make your own frame from some wood that you get a hardware store. 

You’ll also want to pick out a picture and have it printed before you make your frame. A certain picture may help out figure out the theme of your frame and how you want to decorate it.

When you are at the craft store, if that’s where you choose to get your frame, you can pick out embellishments and decorative pieces that you may want to attach to the frame and you will want to pick out some paint colours as well. 

Once you are ready to start creating your homemade frame for dad you can pull out your paint brushes and sponges, decorations/embellishments, stencils, paints etc. You should also have some newspaper set up to work on so if you spill you won’t ruin your table. You’ll also want containers of water to wash your brushes in as you go along and some paper towels are always handy. Paper plates or ice cream bucket lids are a good idea to put your paint on.

It may sound silly, but before any paining begins, make sure you know what direction you want your frame to be. It’s no fun realizing half way through that you painted a frame for a horizontal picture when the picture you actually chose was a vertical one. It’s also no fun to have a beautifully painted frame and then you realize that it is upside down.

Once you figure out frame direction, just go for it. You may want to sketch some things out first if you’re a planner and have an exact idea of what you want to do in mind, or you may just want to jump in and pick out a colour and paint. Whatever your style is, have fun and take your time.

Here is what Nicole and I came up with...

You can wrap it up for your dad by making homemade wrapping paper or a homemade gift bag. Here is our tutorial from when we made homemade wrapping paper for Christmas and here is our tutorial for when we made gift bags. You’ll want to make wrap and bags according to the size of your frame and with your own Father’s Day theme. 

 http://paperwhitecreations.blogspot.ca/2015/12/present-wrapping-and-homemade-wrapping.html

 http://paperwhitecreations.blogspot.ca/2015/04/do-it-yourself-goodiegift-bags.html

You can also add on a card. Some inspiration from Paperwhite Creations...

 

Father's Day Pizza

It’s the weekend! Father’s Day is just around the corner and we are going to help you get some crafty gift ideas and dinner ideas for dad in the next few weeks.

Today we are going to share with you some pizza ideas. I love making homemade pizza and I think that it would be a fun idea to make for your dad for Father’s Day. If you have a bread maker it makes it easier, but if not, that’s ok too. Here is my bread maker recipe for perfect pizza dough...

1 ½ cups warm water  (I warm mine in the microwave for 1 minute)

1 ½ tsp. salt 

1 tbsp. sugar

2 tbsp. butter or margarine

4 ¼ cups of flour

2tsp. yeast

Directions:

Measure the first five ingredients into the baking pan in the order listed. Sprinkle the yeast on top.

Close the lid and select the dough setting. Mine takes about 1 ½ hours. When it is completed remove and form the dough into pizza shapes or press into a pizza pan.

Brush a little bit of olive oil on the dough and then put your toppings on and bake for about 18 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Here is a recipe I found, if you don’t have a bread maker, for pretty simple pizza dough...

1 package active dry yeast

1 tsp. white sugar

1 cup warm water (110 degrees F)

2 1/2 cups bread flour

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). In a medium bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

Stir in flour, salt and oil. Beat until smooth. Let rest for 5 minutes.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll into a round. Transfer crust to a lightly greased pizza pan or baker's peel dusted with cornmeal. Spread with desired toppings and bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let baked pizza cool for 5 minutes before serving.

So the fun part is creating different pizzas. Come up with creative pizza toppings that you think your dad would like. You can make a bunch of individual pizzas or you can make big ones and divide them up into sections with different toppings or you can just have one big pizza with all of the same toppings. It is up to you. Here are some topping ideas that we came up with...

Cheese (Cheddar, Mozzarella, Feta, Ricotta, Monterey Jack, Swiss, Havarti, etc.), Peppers (red, green, yellow, orange), Chicken, Pepperoni, Ground Beef, Salami, Bacon, Shrimp, Ham, Crab, Pulled Pork, Potato, Spinach, Onions, Broccoli, Tomatoes, Mushrooms, Zucchini, Corn, Pineapple, Basil, Tomato Sauce, Cream Sauce

And here are some “types” of pizzas that you can make if you want to follow a recipe. These are just suggestions; you can look on pizza restaurant websites where they will have a list of  different types of pizzas that they offer and you can pick one and try making one of those at home!

Hawaiian (Ham and pineapple)

Breakfast Pizzas (Features breakfast foods like fried eggs and bacon)

Meatlovers (All types of meat like ground beef, salami, pepperoni, bacon)

Neapolitan (Tomato, basil, and mozzarella)

Vegetarian (Veggies like peppers, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, olives)

Deep Dish

Thin Crust

Greek (Feta, artichokes, olives)

Gourmet (Could include caviar, lobster, cray fish, dandelion greens, artichokes, eggplant, goat cheese, shrimp, oysters, scallops)

BBQ Chicken

Chicken Bacon Ranch

Seafood

Here’s a website that features some very unique and inventive “pizza flavors”

https://www.buzzfeed.com/emofly/if-it-is-pizza-i-will-eat-it?utm_term=.xk5KkPYmgR#.qclvk29GKy

Another cool thing if you want to keep with the pizza theme is making a dessert pizza for your dad. I found a few recipes for these as I have never tried one before. I have heard about them and my mom has a recipe, but I have never actually made one before. Here is a link to a cool blog with some dessert pizza recipes. The cinnamon streusel one looks so yummy!

http://www.thekitchn.com/take-a-walk-on-the-sweet-side-10-swoon-worthy-dessert-pizzas-178261