Since the last grocery list I’ve managed to make more ice cream.

I was being serious about that sending help part. Consider this my flare gun ice cream S.O.S.

Over the weekend I made Cindy’s roasted strawberry ice cream and then I stood there at the freezer eating it fresh out of the machine. I have no regrets.

Cindy also just posted this new popsicle. I need it. Now. My frozen treat love knows no bounds. (via Hungry Girl Por Vida)

And as if that wasn’t enough I plan on making this Strawberry Buttermilk Sherbet (WHAT?!!!) and ice cream jesus David Lebovitz’ SALTED BUTTER CARAMEL ICE CREAM. Sorry ’bout it. (via my recipes and David Lebovitz)

Also one more: FRESH MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP (via Dula Notes)

Okay. I’m done.

For dinner this last week, I made this. Then I instagrammed it. It was super good. Somehow Steve found italian sausage in the fridge and we had it in the leftovers and it was super good again.  True Story. (via Shutterbean)

Izy made doughnuts. Then she made a video of her making said doughnuts and I almost punched a wall out of excitement. Maybe I ate more ice cream. Izy, please start signing your posts with xoxo, gif wizard. (via Top with Cinnamon)

Joy made this babe of a bundt cake, aka how to effortlessly impress a crowd by making a cake without making a cake. Insert Ina: “How easy is that?” (via Joy the Baker)

TRES LECHES PANCAKES. I just. I just can’t handle it. (via edible perspective)

Erika has some Michelada wings. I’ve never had a straight up Michelada before but just the thought makes me have this sour face of dislike. These wings make that sour frown turn upside down. Into a smile. These wings make me happy. (via Southern Souffle)

I’ve attempted falafel before with great disappointment. These bad boys from Minimalist Baker look like a nice place of redemption and a good way to balance out the loads of ice cream I’m consuming. (via Minimalist Baker)

For music this week I leave you with new business from Phoenix. They just released their new album last week and it excites me greatly. This is summer music at it’s finest and I can’t wait to BBQ and dance to this at the same time, all while freaking Mose out.

You guys, I have a confession: I had to dig my ice cream maker out of a box.

Like climb over boxes, find it, dust it off, almost Lord of the Rings adventure dig out my ice cream maker because I haven’t used it since we’ve moved. That means it’s been over a year since it’s been used. A WHOLE YEAR WHERE I COULD HAVE BEEN MAKING THIS SORBET.

This is the part where Sally Fields has that moment in Mrs. Doubtfire where she says “the whole time?” But instead she questions me with “A whole year? A whole year? A WHOLE YEAR?!” I’m sorry Sally Fields. I won’t do it again.

Because this sorbet, IT’S SUMMER IN A GLASS.

I became obsessed with grapefruit about a year ago when I had my first greyhound. Then I made a grapefruit mint margarita. And my face almost exploded off from the greatness. And then my obsession became even greater when I was googling grapefruit sorbet at 9 in the morning. I found this recipe and told everyone on facebook.

Then I ran upstairs wanting to shout “grapefruit sorbet for everyone!” from my bedroom window but I held it together and dug up the ice cream maker so I could throw it in the freezer.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: Billy did you try and put alcohol in your sorbet? The answer is yes. It was vodka, a la greyhound. The tricky thing with putting alcohol in frozen treats is that it doesn’t let them freeze completely if there’s too much. I couldn’t taste the 1/3 cup at all and I got no buzz from it but the consistency was a little more icy than I would have liked. That doesn’t mean I won’t try some tequila at some point in time. (plus Cindy says a Tablespoon or so helps the sorbet stay a little softer)

Another question you’re probably thinking: Billy, do I have to use fresh grapefruit? The answer is, once again, yes. I went America’s Test Kitchen on you all and used fresh juice and good quality bottled juice and there was a definite difference in fresh tasting. Plus the fresh juice is more of a grapefruit color, less grayish Voldemort skin. Use bottled juice and I’ll hunt you down and pelt you with a grapefruit. Show some respect.

And your final question: Billy, mint and grapefruit? Are you sure about that? I mean, that sounds weird. My answer to that is yes, shut your mouth, you sound weird. There’s just enough mint to say you put it in there. It’s insanely refreshing and the smell is so out of control that I shoved as much of my face that would fit in that little opening at the top of the ice cream maker while the sorbet was churning.

I imagine this tastes like what it feels like to have a giant thing of gatorade dumped on you. I bet that’s invigorating, but messy. You should probably make this instead.

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T-Minus 3 weeks until summer’s here.

Which means T-minus 3 weeks until I’m eating ice cream and carne asada all day. and then a salad every other day to balance it out. I know what I’m doing.

This past week we had two of the hottest days of the year in Humboldt county, creeping up into the 70s. That is our summer weather. When wednesday happened I busted the ice cream maker base out of storage and into the freezer.

And as of this morning we’ve made a grapefruit sorbet and a coconut ice cream. With plans to make another sorbet this week.

Send help.

Until summer officially hits and my friends and family kick it off with a graduation BBQ potluck,  I’ve got some foods to hold me over:

English muffins are one of my favorites. Megan made a whole wheat in a loaf form that require NO KNEADING. (via Take a Megabite)

My girl Cindy is over at Betty Crocker showin’ us what’s up with baked taquitos. (via Betty Crocker)

I found these graham cracker cookies a couple of days ago and I feel like I need them in my life. (via My Kitchen Addiction)

I’ve somehow just now discovered Bev Cooks and that woman is not only good at taking pictures but she is hi-lar-i-ous. She made some chicken taco stacks and I had one of those duh moments and then realized I wanted some of that. And then I realized I have a boyfriend that doesn’t appreciate Tex Mex like I do. (via Bev Cooks)

HOLY. GUACAMOLE. (via Joy the Baker & Shutterbean)

Lastly, some DIY Energy Bars. Because energy bars are expensive and I could use an extra jolt of energy almost any time of day. (via The Feed)

For music this week, I leave you with some flashback sumemry goodness. A song that I’ve played enough for Steve to ask me to stop playing it to which I replied shut your face this is my jam right now.

If there’s such thing as a rain dance then maybe there’s a summer dance that involves rolling around on roller skates in a half tee to make those 3 weeks go by faster. And I’m totally okay with that.

See those flowers? They’re dead now. I need to get some more.

Apparently a perk of working at a coffee shop is sometimes customers give you three large bunches of flowers. And a tip.

It makes up for the self entitled asshats that stroll through.

I was actually really stoked to utilize the vases that I’ve been hoarding from Target clearance sales, but now with all the flowers I realized white tulips are kind of perfection. I need to figure out where to grab those affordably. Treat yo’ self.

This past week for food has involved this buttermilk skillet cake, pizza, and pizza. I call that the almost end of the semester working late meal plan. AEOTSWLMPBRBLOLOMG.

Here’s what might happen this next week:

IRISH NACHOS. Let’s make some nachos out of potatoes and add sausage and use irish cheese. I could do one twirl and Steve will have devoured the entire pan. (via a new favorite: The Candid Apetite)

I’ve been searching forever for a legit peanut butter cookie. I think Cindy’s created that. BOOM. (via Hungry Girl Por Vida)

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but I WILL EAT ALMOST ANY PIZZA. Megan made one with cornbread crust. It says single lady but I read four bite pizza for anyone that’s not a lady. That’s me. And that should be my lunch one of these days. (via Take a Megabite)

Um, speaking of pizza, Joy and Tracy Boom Boom Pow’d some french bread pizzas. Yes please.

For breakfast I might have to eat an entire loaf of this. Espresso and banana  and chocolate?! Shut up. (via xo breakfast)

I like Thai food. I like loaded baked potatoes. Nicole combined the two of them for me. I do not like sweet potatoes, but she assured me the regular russet tastes just as good. And that peanut sauce sounds fantastic. (via Dula Notes)

Lastly, I’m also feeling this crazy fast pea pesto business. Dinner in 30 min? I might have to add that to  the AEOTSWLMPBRBOMGLOL.

For music this week I guess I kind of have old news? I love Tegan and Sara and realized I hadn’t put up any music off their new album, which is fantastic. They performed at the New Now Next awards and it made me want to go listen to this song like a thousand times. Again.

Also, total kitchen music. Make anything and listen to this song.

You guys, I have found the secret to eating cake for breakfast. It is this cake. It’s half scone, half cake, half fabulous. Three halves. Food math.

You wanna impress someone for brunch? BOOM. Cake, in a cast iron pan, that can be eaten before noon. Total crowd pleaser. Unless that crowd’s vegan.

This was the cake I needed to have that led to me buying a cast iron skillet that led me to trying to season it that led to a breakdown then a price is right redemption that led to this post.

All that trouble was definitely worth it. The only thing I did differently from Joy was not roast the strawberries because I’m incredibly impatient and needed the cake right away. I have no doubt that roasting the strawberries makes an excellent cake.

I also have no doubt that using other fruits, whatever’s in season, would make an amazing treat all throughout the year. There might be a roasted pear and chocolate combo happening based off a Smitten Kitchen scone my friend Anna made for a brunch that I still kind of have cravings for. A lot.

The consistency is a crazy combo of scone and cake and is dense and delicious. I will have a real life confession right now and say I might have undercooked the cake just a tad so pictures of single slices really didn’t happen. Real talk.

Also the consistency of the batter might make you go whaat?! but just trust me, it’ll all work out. It’ll be okay.

Just go out and buy a cast iron skillet and make this cake, okay?

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A few weeks ago I  wanted a simple buttermilk cake and a way to use up some strawberries. I remembered seeing this on Joy the Baker. I needed to have it.

That meant I also needed a cast iron skillet.

They’re actually super affordable, but I’ve just never made the leap to buy one. Until that day of needing the pan because I needed the cake. MTV True Life: I needed that cake.

I went out and bought a Lodge Logic, brought it home, and although it said it was pre-seasoned I decided to go against that and season it myself because I thought that was the badass thing to do.

FAIL.

Technically I think it was the right thing to do, but instead of going to the Lodge Pro website that has a catchy video I went to another website that I should have been able to use and had an epic fail on my hands.

Their instructions were so nice: oil it up, foil the bottom of your oven, pan upside down, bake for 45 min at 325. Seemed simple enough, but I usually appreciate instructions to have some sort of warning. The warning for these should have been in large capitals, maybe some bold: DO NOT OVER OIL YOUR CAST IRON SKILLET BECAUSE THAT BUSINESS WILL GET STICKY AND IT’S A PAIN IN THE ASS TO CLEAN THAT MESS UP.

Consider that my capital bold warning to you.

The other issue the instructions had was that 325 was definitely not hot enough and 45 min wasn’t long enough. Lose, Lose. There’s no real way to check the finish until it’s completely cooled so I had no idea what was going on until I pulled the world’s heaviest fly trap out of my oven.

When this happens, steel wool is the only option. Do not use your gentle no scratch sponge because the stickiness grabs hold of all the blue fibers and doesn’t let them go. I had a 30 min anger confusion explosion and threw it in a cupboard for a good couple weeks and waited until I didn’t want to throw it out the window and I had a free afternoon.

Shit happens (incompetent roommates, terrible instructions, satan breaking into your house and putting it in the dishwasher)  and I knew people had to re-season or restore their skillets. I told myself it’s not the end of the world, recollected thoughts, and went at it again, this time following the Lodge Pro website:

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