Raspberry, Cinnamon and Orange Ice Cream

I am a terrible blogger. Hoboken Cupcake has suffered some true neglect this month, which can be blamed equally on A's fatwa on desserts, my hectic job and trips to California and Rhode Island to visit friends and family. I can't believe that a month has gone by. A MONTH HAS GONE BY!!! Hooray for summer! I can't believe it is finally here. And what does summer mean? Ice cream, of course... and sorbet... but mostly ice cream! It also means that I really need to use all of the raspberries I have in my freezer. They have been there for an embarrassingly long time - embarrassing enough that I am not going to say when I put them there. Let's just say that raspberries freeze well. 

 

My ice cream maker is rapidly becoming my favorite kitchen appliance (thanks to the salpedros, who got it for us as a wedding gift... after I embarrassingly told them that it is what they should get us... nothing like telling your friends to buy you presents... I got some class). Nothing beats homemade ice cream. You can control the stuff that goes in it, raising or lowering the fat and sugar as you wish. You can also create any flavor that you can dream of - flavors like raspberry cinnamon and orange. No more standing in the freezer section searching for the perfect flavor to accompany the pie you made... instead you can make it yourself.

Like most things from scratch, ice cream does take a bit of planning. You can't just decide you want some and then enjoy it 30 minutes later. It takes a least a full day from start to finish, in order to ensure proper freezing. That being said, most recipes only require about 20-25 minutes of active time. The rest of the time is spent waiting... and waiting... and waiting some more. It is definitely worth it. 

An aside - A and I finally decided to get a fancy camera. While I don't think that I will suddenly be posting award winning photography on this blog, I do expect my photos to get much sharper and have better lighting. Alas, I didn't get a macro lens, just a DSLR, but it's about the baby steps, right? Macro lenses are expensive and I have flour to buy!

Recipe after the jump!

Hooray for Breakfast in the Garden: Orange Nutmeg Muffins

This Saturday I am not sure what got into me, but I was on a productivity mission. In the summer, a push for productivity usually means tidying up the garden. Tidying up the garden means planting new flowers (and killing perfectly good ones that I have gotten sick of. A sometimes worries that I sound a little too gleeful when digging up an old shrub), starting the herb garden and getting everything set up for summer weekends of dining outside. 

All day Saturday was spent doing our best imitation of our parents - racing through the suburban sprawl to fight the crowds at Home Depot. When I was a child, these weekends were nothing short of pure torture. The only thing worse than having to schlep to Home Depot with my parents was having to go to Sam's. Now that I am all grown up (!), Home Depot is a place of joyous possibilities. I am not kidding. I could spend hours inspecting hoses and nozzles (and this weekend I did). Light bulbs - did you know how many different kinds there are? Every time I walk into one of those big box stores and realize that I am enjoying myself, I start to feel old. 

The best part about the Saturday clean up is that it meant Sunday breakfast would be the start of our summer meals outside. I had decided early on that muffins were in order and A made a request for his favorite - orange nutmeg - which also happens to be my go-to, no fail recipe for when I want something tasty and homemade that I don't have to think about. I would love to pretend that I created this recipe on my own, but alas, it was something I stumbled across on the internet. Molly from Orangette, I have never met you, or even commented on your blog, but I want to send you a huge thank you for inventing my go-to muffin recipe. 

The addition of cinnamon takes this recipe to the next level, yielding scrumptiously moist muffins. I like to serve them with a simple fruit salad of fresh cantaloupe and strawberries, and a glass of cold-brewed ice coffee. Paired with the FT Weekend, it makes a perfect Sunday morning meal. 

Recipe after the jump!

Yeasted Banana Waffles and Gingered Orange Macarons

"We've gained weight! NO MORE DESSERTS!" were the words coming from A's lips that brought horror to my ears.

Now that the Christmas party is over and we are diving into the new year, A has decided that I shall be banned from baking desserts (with the exception of my monthly daring bakers challenges... I managed to get a pass for those). Fine. We have gained some weight. We should probably start the diet now. But no more desserts??? Can't I just make them? I don't have to eat them.

To be honest, I don't really love eating them anyway. I am sure that many bakers would agree when I claim that I like baking for the joy of seeing what I can create and the pleasure of watching others enjoy what I have created. I don't bake so that I can eat sweets every weekend. Quite the contrary - if you knew how many times I asked A if I could just throw my latest creation away so that we wouldn't have the sugary calories tempting us on the counter.

Let's see how long this ban on sweets lasts. I have already managed to get around it for this weekend as we have guests arriving from out of town. (A said I could still bake for guests, just not for us!). Next weekend is the antiques fair, and he has asked me to prepare macarons for all of the generous dealers who have set aside tickets at the front door. So I guess the moratorium starts in February?

Having out of town guests for us means a tremendous amount of advanced planning on our part - whether it is one guest or four (I should add that this is something we love doing!). I spend the weeks before pouring over recipes and restaurant reviews and concocting an itinerary around home cooked meals from a carefully selected menu, as well as a number of meals out at our favorite restaurants. As New York has no shortage of excellent restaurants, A and I usually lean heavily on brunches at home that will keep stomachs satisfied until dinner so that we can avoid expensive NYC snacks during the day.

So the menu for this weekend includes 3 brunches, and of course some sort of welcome cake to nibble on arrival. In addition to some of my go-to brunch items (quiche, scones, etc), I decided this was the perfect excuse to try a recipe I had been eying for awhile - yeasted banana bread waffles served with a fresh fruit salad. Waffles are sweet, but not dessert, right?

I originally found the recipe that I used on Seven Spoons. It caught my eye for two reasons - first, it was a recipe that could be prepped the day before, and second, it offered a new twist on an old favorite. The scent of spiced banana bread wafting through the air was enough to make this recipe worth it. The waffles themselves were delicious. Light, fluffy and not too sweet.

Finally, for our guest's wife who was left back in LA, a batch of gingered orange macarons packed for the plane.

Recipes after the jump!