Tag: kitchen

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Peanut Butter Ice Cream Disaster: A Messy Experiment

L.M. Hosler

I bought a Pampered Chef ice cream maker a few years ago.

I usually get it out every fall to make peach ice cream. I am still experimenting with different types of ice cream recipes. I made black cherry last year. This year I wanted to make peanut butter ice cream. There’s a little market nearby that sells hand dipped ice creams. Peanut butter with its big chunks of peanut butter became one of my favorites.

So today I got everything ready. Ice cream freezer tub frozen in the freezer overnight. Simple recipe:

  • 2 cups of heavy whipping cream
  • 1 cup of milk
  • 1/2 cup of sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla flavoring
  • 3/4 cup of peanut butter melted in microwave

Mix the cream, milk, sugar and vanilla and put in refrigerator for twenty minutes. Then put the beaters in the frozen ice cream tub. Pour the cream mixture down the spout of the ice cream tub.

What could go wrong? Everything went wrong.

First I left the cream mixture in the freezer too long. Thought I could hurry the process along but I forgot and left the mixture in the freezer too long. I put it directly in the ice cream tub instead of using the spout. Big mistake. The mixture started freezing as soon as it went in the tub. Then I couldn’t get the mixer blades in the already getting hard ice cream. That required getting the ice cream out of the tub so I could get the mixer blades in the tub. The only problem was the tub was so frozen the ice cream wouldn’t let loose. And the tub was slowly getting warmer.

Finally got all the mixture out of the tub with some big hard clumps of already hardened ice cream. Now I tried to pour it back in the tub. I thought a funnel might help. It didn’t. In fact, the funnel got backed up with the hard clumps, fell over and the mixture went all over the floor. I had just scrubbed that floor.

In the meantime, spoons and bowls are leaking mixture everywhere. What a mess.

I got the ice cream started and added the peanut butter. Ice cream finished. Now it’s like milkshake quality. I don’t think you add the melted peanut butter till the ice cream is almost finished. But I don’t know because I was experimenting.

I put the ice cream in containers to put in the freezer. Wouldn’t you know that one of those containers would tip over and spill in the freezer.

Done for the day except for cleaning up the mess in the kitchen and scrubbing the floor again. And enjoying the ice cream later.

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The Heart of the Home: Designing a Dream Kitchen

L.M. Hosler

My ideal home would be very much like my home that I presently own. I love my home. It’s a large four bedroom home with a wrap around porch. And I really enjoy that porch. In the mornings, I can spend time reading on the shaded side. In the evenings, I can move to the other side to enjoy the shade. It’s old, over one hundred years old now. I love older homes. They have character that new homes lack. They bring back memories of growing up in a home akin to the one I now live in.

Of course, my home isn’t perfect and being an older home needs some repairs. But it is large and spacious and has everything I need. Still, I would make some changes to make it ideal.

Changes I would make

I would like to have a bathroom downstairs and move my laundry upstairs from the basement. I know there will come a time when stairs become a problem. My upstairs needs painting and some updating, ceiling fans would be nice. I would also add bigger mini splits for air conditioning upstairs. I would like to update the bathroom upstairs. But too many modern changes would lose the old house charm.

The Kitchen

They say the kitchen is the heart of the home and I believe that to be true. The kitchen is large but can use some modifications. A large modern kitchen mixed with an open design into the dining area would be nice. Opening the wall into the dining room, a counter looking into the dining area would work. When I first moved into this home, the kitchen was nothing but a huge room with a single sink. Thanks to my sons, we have modernized the kitchen. I now have two sinks, counter space, and a dishwasher. Opening up that wall into the dining area would be nice addition.

Family in the kitchen praying before eating

Family

An ideal home would include family gatherings like the gatherings which I grew up with. The family would get together regularly to enjoy meals, cookouts and family fun. The children would be out in the evening catching fireflies. The adults would enjoy sitting on the porch with some wine or coffee sharing news and stories of the past. This is what my parents did when I was a child. Someday, hopefully my home will truly be idealistic.

Daily writing prompt
What does your ideal home look like?
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