Resistance is futile; when flowers collect in vases under my roof my camera comes out and the shutter clicks like the baseball card in the bicycle wheel spokes of a pre-teen.
Flowers are an optical playground; exposure, saturation and aperture all waltz around one another, creating almost audible images. I love it. And so I share, once again, a ton of photos without purpose. 
I’ve been enjoying myself far too much in the kitchen lately, meaning my once-kicked sugar habit is now on reprieve. An ice cream maker was finally added to my arsenal of small appliances, and it’s been busy churning frozen greek vanilla bean yogurt (what a mouthful!) nearly every day.
The greek frozen yogurt I’ve been making is wonderful when fresh, but I find that it freezes hard as a rock, making it cumbersome to scoop and serve a day or so after making it. So I gave in to a more traditional ice cream recipe, and made it a little lighter. And bonus!, it includes two of my all-time favorite flavors: vanilla and strawberry.
This recipe also had the benefit of an extra taste tester since my sister-in-law is in town. After touring rainy Olympia like we should have done as residents long ago, it was nice to unwind to a little ice cream served in a soda fountain glass, garnished with a fresh strawberry.
It’s also such a delight when my husband and his sister can play with Margot in the adjacent living room while I’m busy in the kitchen. During the work week when I’m at home alone, and Margot begins to cry, I usually keep working and holler “it’s okay honeeeey!” until I can hurriedly stop what I’m doing and rush to her aide. I already sound like a terrible parent, but I still have a house to run! Okay Moms, time to reassure me that that’s a sort-of normal thing for us to do.
Vanilla Bean Strawberry Swirl Ice Cream
Ingredients
2 eggs
3 cups of 2% milk
2 cup half and half
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 Vanilla Bean – slice lengthwise and scrape caviar, discard bean
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup sugar free organic strawberry preserves
Directions
1. Using whisk attachment in mixer, beat eggs until light in color. Add sugar and beat until creamy. Add milk, half and half, salt, and vanilla bean caviar and stir well to combine.
2. Pour mixture into ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer directions. In my Cuisinart ice cream maker, it takes approximately 30 minutes to get a decent texture, but it still requires several hours freeze time to get a solid ice cream scoop.
3. Approximately five minutes before completion in ice cream maker, stir in half of the strawberry preserves.
4. Spoon ice cream out into 2 quart glass casserole dish, swirling in the remaining strawberry preserves.
5. Freeze for 2-5 additional hours, or until firm.
Notes:
In my Cuisinart ice cream maker, it takes approximately 30 minutes to get a decent texture, but it still requires several hours freeze time to get a solid scoop of ice cream. If you plan on making this ice cream for a group, or would like it ready by a certain time, I recommend giving yourself six hours to let the ice cream set.
Recipe adapted from Apple A Day: Oklahoma Farm Style Ice Cream.
The sights and sounds of Vancouver, B.C. offered a truly international experience on our Canadian Sojourn this past weekend. We took to the city by foot and spent our time hiking along water fronts, through coniferous parks, and around urban plazas. Foreign language conversations echoed off of tall buildings and blended cacophonously with the sounds of car horns and seagull caws. Peruvian Chaufa, fresh Seafood and strange new vegetables nourished our bodies. We tried fiddleheads for the first time (delicious!).
On our final night in Vancouver, we stopped into a Cathedral to listen to a performance of Gregorian Chants. The Cathedral was dimly lit and a curtain of incense smoke hung densely in the air. One monophonic chorus after another rang high into the rafters of the vaulted ceiling of the ornate Cathedral; melodious reminders that life is grand.
While the women in the chorus sang, I was overwhelmed by gratitude for the beautiful family I have and the amazing adventures we find ourselves in.
On the way home from our Canadian Sojourn, my post-vacation rumination on this sentiment was interrupted by news of a natural disaster in the community in Oklahoma we called home for many years.
I was saddened to hear the news, but tonight as I watch the story progress I’m selfishly feeling grateful that my family is healthy, safe, and in tact. The time we spent in Vancouver this weekend furthered our bond with one another, and made it difficult to stomach the news of a climbing death toll in Oklahoma.
It’s hard to believe such tragedy is ongoing while we’re safe and sound in our calm, manicured suburb following a fun-filled yet restorative vacation.
The eyes of the world are on Moore, OK as things wind down around here. We hope friends and family back home are safe and that healing begins soon for the city of Moore.
And to Vancouver, B.C., we will to see you again after our Great Alaska adventure.
Yea Yea Pueblo 