This one's for Ted...

I don't have any new pictures of food ready, so here's something else to look at today.  This is a Sweetie Monster I made named JoJo. 

I have been neglectful of this blog for the last couple of weeks.  It started when I just didn't post for a couple of days, and it quickly snowballed into two weeks.  I've been a little distracted.  My aim is to make up for that a little bit this weekend by posting a ridiculous number of ice cream recipes along with instructions and ruminations on several savory dishes.  And then...another dry spell will come along.  How do I know this?  I know this because I am going to Greece and Italy for two weeks with my best friend, Paige.  We leave on Monday, and I'm super duper excited, as you can probably imagine.  My plan is to eat my way through the entire trip, and  I will proudly accept any weight I may gain over the next two weeks.  (Of course, we are backpacking so I will probably drop a little as I have in the past.  The point is I don't care either way.)  I'm sure there will be plenty of food excitement to share when I return, and a Greek-themed dinner party will certainly be in order some time in September, shortly followed by a Naples-themed (pizza anyone?) gathering.  But for now, I shall focus on ice cream.  

Charlie and I had an Ice Cream Social a couple of weeks ago, and it was a smashing success.  Over the course of a week I made nine different homemade ice creams and a small accompaniment for each.  Here's the menu:

• Olive Oil Gelato with Balsamic Strawberries
• Salted Caramel Ice Cream in Almond Tuile Bowls
• Mandarin Orange Ice Cream with Sesame Brittle
• Lemon Curd-Blackberry Swirl Ice Cream with Blackberry Sauce
• Cookies & Cream Ice Cream with Homemade Oreos
• Basil Ice Cream with Blueberries
• Profiteroles with Honey Lavender Ice Cream and Warmed Honey
• Lime Sherbet
• Root Beer Floats (with Jones Soda Root Beer and homemade vanilla ice cream)

We had our party on the last day of July (which is national ice cream month I've learned), and 13 of our nearest and dearest joined us.  For those of you who have been to my apartment you can probably imagine how snug we were, but that added to the fun.  I've always enjoyed seeing just how many people I can cram into my place and feed.  Floor pillows and a card table usually help a lot.

So, the fifteen of us embarked on a tasting menu of ice creams, and it was loads of fun!  Fortunately, I have a gazillion tiny bowls and saucers, so the ice cream was served in courses.  I used a melon baller to scoop the ice cream and placed three small scoops (along with the appropriate accompaniment) on a tiny dish and distributed.  Even with the tiny servings we were unable to make it through the whole menu.  We stopped after the basil, and it took some finagling to get people to stuff that last one in.  Three tiny scoops of nine types of ice cream (along with cookies, brittles, tuiles, and such) adds up to a lot of food!

There is much more to say about the ice cream party, and I have a serious collection of recipes to post, but right now I'm out of time.  I have two more days of work before my trip (and I must go so I can afford my trip), and I've got to go!  Starting tonight the ice cream recipes will begin pop up so be on the look out.