the weekend scoop

It was an early morning of extreme house cleaning; getting prepped for our first open house on our condo. We were expecting a handful of buyers and were excited about the possibilities.

The afternoon came and went and although it was somewhat successful, we felt we needed some comfort in the form of ice cream. Oh, I forgot to mention that it was also a beautiful, sunny Spring Fall day and it was just screaming for something cold and creamy.

After the open house was done and over with, we wanted to make the best of what was left of the warm day and decided to make a vanilla bean ice cream. We used a recipe from the Perfect Scoop, and as always, it was just perfect.

Vanilla Ice Cream

	2	cups heavy cream
	1	cup whole milk or half-and-half
	¾	cup sugar
	1	vanilla bean, split lengthwise
	¾	tsp. vanilla extract

Pour 1 cup of the cream into a medium saucepan and add the sugar. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod into the saucepan and add the pod to the pot. Warm over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and add the remaining cream, the half-and-half, and the vanilla extract. Chill mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, for at least eight hours or overnight. When ready to churn, remove the vanilla pod (reserve the bean for another use), then freeze in your ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

This ice cream was just what we needed. It was creamy and rich with just the perfect amount of sweetness. The vanilla specks were lovely and added that professional touch. I highly recommend this recipe to anyone that is looking for an easy yet tasty vanilla ice cream recipe.

Oh, and they say that the smell of something baking draws people into your home -- well, we fell for it and baked some chocolate chip cookies. They were soft and moist and M says that they made really good ice cream sandwiches!