Buttered Almond Ice Cream

You know your weekend won't be serene when your daughter goes to her best friend's house to sleep over on Thursday night, then calls at 11:30PM and says, "The wheel came off my car in the Waffle House parking lot." Yes, she said that. Of course, I couldn't remain sane without AAA, so she called the tow truck and had the car taken to one of my favorite repair shops. A miracle occurred, and Bobby had time Friday morning; the front ball joints were replaced before noon that day. At under $250, I felt lucky. Of course, the rest of the weekend was spent with her whirling around me trying to get everything packed to return to WVU, Thor, knowing something was up, was whirling around, and the house was a circus. So, I did what any sane person would do: I sewed and made ice cream.

This dress, and one of identical fabric except that the background is dark olive. And I look like crap in this picture, because it was about 4AM - sorry.

I also made an A-line skirt of the same fabric as the dress above. The olive skirt is cut but not sewn.

But you really want my ice cream. I promise.

BUTTERED ALMOND ICE CREAM

2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup slivered almonds
3-1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
1 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp almond extract

Melt the butter on a cookie sheet, then stir the almonds into it. Toast the almonds at 325 for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes or so, until they're nicely toasted. Set the sheet aside to let the almonds cool. Meanwhile, combine the milk, cream, and brown sugar. Beat vigorously with a whisk until well combined, then stir in the almond extract. Pour into your ice cream maker, and process according to the manufacturer's directions. A minute or 2 before the ice cream is ready, add the almonds and butter. Just scrape the whole thing off the sheet into the ice cream machine. When the processing's finished, put it in the freezer until you're ready to eat it. Or, if you just adore the smell of almond extract, set a little aside to enjoy right away.

I also made an orange sauce for this. Actually, it was for an applesauce snack cake, but who's counting? 1/2 cup brown sugar stirred with 1 tsp cornstarch and 1/2 cup orange juice, then microwaved until it thickens, less than 3 minutes. My dearly beloved greatly enjoyed it.

Sadly, we're out of both ice cream and sauce. Something else will have to appear soon. And as long as all remains calm in my little corner of the world, I'll be back tomorrow! Hope you all had wonderful weekends, and no one else lost a wheel from their cars!