Lemon Blueberry Ice Cream Sandwiches

I kind of have a slight obsession with summer food. I'm talking fruity popsicles, grilled vegetables on the BBQ, corn on the cob slathered with olive oil and sea salt and finally,  ice cream - especially ice cream sandwiches!

The classic (and delicious) ice cream sandwich has a sweet vanilla filling, sandwiched between two thin, light chocolate cookie layers, but the recipe I made last week has the refreshing flavors of lemon and blueberry. These refreshing summer flavors are sandwiched between two cookie layers, making it a classic and balanced summer treat.

I was inspired by this recipe I found on Tracy's blog, Shutterbean. I'm usually the one who bakes cookies or cakes, you know, the simple stuff. But I asked myself, what could be so difficult about an ice cream sandwich? Honestly, they were pretty easy to make. Sure, a little time consuming but the delicious taste made up for it. 

You start off with a blueberry compote: blueberries, lemon, sugar, water. Easy peasy, lemon squeezie! And the lemon zest, don't forget that because it's packed with flavor!

 

Next up is the sandwich component. It's very similar to a regular chocolate chip cookie recipe (minus the chocolate chips), and just as delicious. 

 

While the cookie tray is cooling, it's time to start on the ice cream!

 

Here we have a softened vanilla ice cream with a zesty lemon flavor, thanks to the juice and lots of zest! Once the blueberry compote has chilled (this should take about an hour), stir it into the ice cream. Don't stir too much or you won't get that pretty marbled effect - you'll just have purple ice cream. 

Since my bars were cooked in one pan (instead of two for two layers), I had to improvise and set the sandwiches in mini loaf pans, lined with plastic wrap to avoid an ice cream mess. Perfect fit. After they have hardened up in the freezer, they're ready to be eaten!

If they're frozen for at least an hour, they will cut very well. They won't fall apart on you either (word of advice from yours truly). 

Lemon Blueberry Ice Cream Sandwiches

- Makes 12, I made 5 jumbo sandwiches - 

- found on Shutterbean - adapted from Gourmet Magazine - 

For lemon ice cream:

• 2 pint premium vanilla ice cream
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
  
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

For blueberry compote:

• 1 cup blueberries
• 1/8 cup sugar
• 2 (3-by 2 1/2-inch) strips lemon zest
  
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

For sandwich layers:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Make lemon ice cream: 
Let ice cream sit out for 10-15 minutes at room temperature, until it reaches the consistency of soft serve. Transfer ice cream to a large bowl and stir in lemon zest and juice. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and freeze while making compote and sandwich layers.

Make blueberry compote:
Cook blueberries, sugar, and zest in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat, thoroughly crushing blueberries with a potato masher, until juices are released and sugar has dissolved, about 2 minutes.

Stir together lemon juice and cornstarch, then stir into blueberry mixture. Boil, stirring, 1 minute (mixture will thicken).

Transfer blueberry compote to a bowl and chill until cold, about 1 hour. Discard lemon zest.

Make sandwich layers while compote chills:
Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle. Butter baking pans and line with foil, leaving a 1-inch overhang on each side, then butter foil.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Beat together butter and brown sugar in another bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla. At low speed, add flour mixture in 2 batches, mixing until just combined.

Divide batter between baking pans and spread into thin, even layers with offset spatula. Bake until golden-brown but still tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool completely in pans, about 30 minutes.

Assemble sandwiches: 
Dollop tablespoons of blueberry compote all over ice cream, then swirl it gently through ice cream with a spoon. Spoon all of ice cream over 1 sandwich layer (in pan) and spread evenly using clean offset spatula. Invert second sandwich layer over ice cream, pressing gently to form an even sandwich. Wrap baking pan in plastic wrap and freeze until firm, at least 3 hours.

Transfer sandwich to a cutting board using overhang. Trim edges if desired, then cut into 12 pieces.

Is that not one of the prettiest ice cream sandwiches you've seen? I love the marbled ice cream look, and the blueberry and lemon together are a match made in ice cream heaven. 

Q: What are your favorite summer treats? I love cookie dough ice cream, grapefruit/citrus sorbet and smoothies!

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The Homies Hoodie

Happy Friday! As the weekend approaches, I always look forward to relaxing and lounging around in comfortable apparel. Hoodies or big sweatshirts are the ultimate comfort piece, although as summer days keep getting hotter (even though it's technically spring), big/baggy sweatshirts do not become your first choice in the blistering heat - now that wouldn't be too realistic, would it? However, sometimes we get cooler days too, lingering with a rain drops and refreshing winds, which makes the rainy weather a great opportunity for comfortable and thicker clothing (and big knits are great for these days, too)!

If there is a hoodie that you are in love with, you can certainly make it work one way or another. My way involves pairing it with shorts and cute sneakers to go with the casual vibe. Lately my go-to pair of footwear has been my Converse sneakers.

Let's talk about the Homies hoodie. As far as I know, the 'HOMIES' is a play on Hermes - clever, right? It's been spotted on Rihanna, Miley Cyrus, Jourdan Dunn and Khloe Kardashian, each lady helping the line gain popularity overnight. If you follow some Tumblr fashion blogs, I'm sure you've seen it many times. They are available on Brian Lichtenberg's website with many phrases to choose from, such as FELINE - MEOW (a play on Celine), BURRRR SO ICEY! (a play on Burberry) and BUCCI (a play on Gucci). 

If I purchase another piece from this line, I'll pick the Feline fitted baseball cap, or the Homies orange beanie - both hats great for bad hair days!

[credit // Rihanna // Miley Cyrus // Jourdan Dunn]

- what she wore -

sweater: 'HOMIES' sweatshirt from brian lichtenberg 

shorts: american eagle outfitters (similar here // here -- love these!)

bag: toxik (similar here // here)

shoes: converse

Q: What are your thoughts on this line? Are you interested in what fashion brands celebrities are wearing?  Usually, I'm only interested in handbags or high heels, but the spin on popular, high fashion brands is what caught my eye!

Have a lovely weekend!
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David's Tea - Summer Edition

 Oh, David's Tea... why are you so addicting? It's been almost 7 months since I last did some tea shopping and my stash was seriously depleted [last haul blogged here]. Most of the teas were winter flavors, so my spring/summer palette was craving something new and different. I always find my taste buds craving different foods/drinks when the seasons change. Does anyone else feel that way? I'm talking about the corn on the cob, grilled peppers, mango salsa, pink lemonade... yum!

 

Instead of doing a haul post with pictures, I recorded a video and uploaded it onto my Youtube for you guys to watch. The video is above this text, but if that does not work for you, click here for the youtube link. I go over the ingredients and product descriptions in the video. I'd love it if you would check it out and let me know your thoughts!

Products Purchased (if you click the links, you'll find more information on the website):

Chocolate Chili Chai // Stormy Night // White Peony // Le Digestif // Pink Lemonade // Honeybush Lemon Ginger // Japanese Sencha // 3 metal tins for storage with labels

I'll be doing reviews on these teas over the next few weeks, so stay tuned for that post! I also want to create a delicious pink lemonade recipe using the pink lemonade tea. I don't think I've ever made homemade lemonade before, so this should be fun.

Obligatory tea drinking picture above, with a very cute tea cup, might I add!

Q: What are your favorite summer beverages?

- watch the video here -

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To dress up... or to not?

Do you ever have those days when you feel like dressing up for no reason? Too many days go by, when I come home from work exhausted, run down and ready to collapse in a perfectly made bed, ready for another short, 6 hour sleep - why can't I just sleep in? It's summertime, isn't it?! I definitely do not dress up on those after-work days, but on certain days off, I love to do something different. 

Once in a while, I spy old clothes in my closet that have been neglected for too long, such as this over sized pleather pleated skirt. I didn't want to go too fancy with this look (yep, I think this skirt is on the fancy side!), so I paired it with a simple knit sweater with many holes that help me keep my body at an A-OK temperature during the hot days.

High pony tails have become a must for me. They're easy, cute and a great way to keep hair out of my hot, sweaty, summer face. Ew? I still think a high pony tail can be incorporated into a 'fancy' look, even if it is done in less then 30 seconds. I'm just realizing my hair looks ombre in these pictures, but I've never dyed it. Interesting...

sweater: urban outfitters - similar here // here

skirt: american apparel - similar here // here 

necklace: michaels  - similar here // here

nails: mint candy apple (essie)

Q: What do you like to do to dress up fancy? Or half-fancy?