Cream Cheese Ice Cream Sandwiches

I'm enjoying my last few days in Minnesota. My parents and sister have been spoiling me by helping out with Riley so I can spend some time on my own. What a gift. I feel like I'll be returning to Denver feeling refreshed and ready to get back to the day-to-day business of being a stay-at-home mom, blogger and wife. It may have taken nearly 3 weeks, but vacation mode finally set in and allowed me to relax.

During my first week in Minnesota, my mom and I went to Stillwater. We enjoyed lunch outside on a sunny rooftop patio, walked around and browsed shops, and treated ourselves to a delicious ice cream sandwich. (Ice cream sandwiches conjure memories of elementary school softball games on hot August nights and anticipation of summer's end and a new school year.) The café that made the ice cream sandwiches had a DIY approach, so you could pick any ice cream and any cookie combination. We went with cream cheese ice cream sandwiched between snickerdoodle cookies. After the first bite, I knew I had to recreate the creamy, slightly tangy ice cream.

I followed through on my vow to recreate the ice cream (and of course added my own twist to it) during Riley's nap time the other day. And in the spirit of full disclosure, I used store-bought cookies rather than making my own. I'm on vacation, people!

My cream cheese ice cream is luxurious, with a slight tang similar to cheesecake and some warmth from a little cinnamon. The cookies were good, but next time I would make my own so I could have more control over the thickness and overall size. These, as you can see in the photo above, were very large and didn't showcase the ice cream the way I wanted. The good news? We have more ice cream. And 3 more days of vacation. So I can experiment with other combinations.

Homemade (mostly) ice cream sandwiches are the perfect way to celebrate these last sweet days of summer.   What ice cream/cookie combination would you like to try?

Cream Cheese Ice Cream Sandwiches

Ingredients

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 11 oz cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. In a large saucepan, heat the heavy cream and whole milk until steam begins to rise and small bubbles form around the edges (approximately 175 degrees F). Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Add it to the saucepan and stir until dissolved. Take a small amount (about 1/2 cup) of the hot liquid and whisk it into the eggs. Add the egg mixture to the pan, lower the heat and stir constantly for a minute or two.
2. Over low heat, cook the milk and egg mixture until it reaches about 160 degrees F. It should coat the back of a spoon. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and chill it in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours (you can speed up the process by first placing it in the freezer for about 30 minutes then moving it to the fridge).
3. Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer the ice cream to a freezer-safe container, cover and freeze for at least 2 hours before serving.
4. Place two cookies upside down on a work surface. Place one scoop of slightly softened ice cream in the center of one cookie. Top with the second cookie and press carefully until you have an easy to handle sandwich. Smooth the edges with an offset spatula or butter knife if you wish. Return to the freezer for half an hour before serving.

French Tartine + Bastille Day

Brad and I spent a couple of days in Paris during our honeymoon 6 years ago. On the whole, the trip was a dream. The memories we made (and the food we ate) on our honeymoon still bring a smile to my face. It was just what a honeymoon should be. We had been traipsing around Italy for 10 days, 5 of which were spent without our luggage thanks to the airline. We adored Italy, but the heat, especially in Rome, was almost unbearable. It was late June/early July and tourists were everywhere. The day we left, we were taking a train from Florence to Paris. Somehow, we got the only slow taxi driver in the entire country. He crawled at a snail’s pace through the streets, vespas zoomed past our open windows and Brad continued shouting, “Avanti! Avanti!” because our train, if it was on schedule, would be leaving the station in the next 5 minutes. For some reason, the driver just didn’t pick up on our urgency. Or maybe he just thought we were uptight Americans who needed to chill out. Which is possible.

Herb Mayonnaise :: Set the Table

We eventually made it to the train, which was running a perfect 15 minutes late, leaving us with just the right amount of time to run with our luggage to our train car and hop on just before it began chugging away from the station. Sweaty and out of breath, we settled into our car and prepared for the romantic journey from Italy to France. Earlier that day, Brad had eaten a somewhat sketchy looking sandwich from a street cart in Pisa. To make a long story short, that sandwich ruined our romantic ride. Instead of whispering sweet nothings in each other’s ears, I was nursing my new husband back to health.

French Tartine Recipe :: Set the Table

When we arrived in Paris, we were exhausted, stressed, and generally deflated from the bumps in the road...er...tracks?...that we had experienced. But when we took our first steps onto the sidewalk in Paris, I immediately felt at ease. That city just feels like home to me, despite the fact that I’ve only been there twice. My rocky high school French came back to me and I gave rough instructions to our taxi driver. She was a beautiful African woman who greeted us with a huge smile and joyfully complimented me on my French. I did not deserve complimenting, but I appreciated the sentiment.

Tartine with Hard Boiled Eggs & Herb Mayonnaise

After the hot haze of Rome and the thick crowds of tourists in Florence, we were relieved to find Paris to be relatively calm. The air was crisp and cool and we felt immediately refreshed. After stopping at our hotel room to freshen up and drop off our bags, we headed out to find lunch. We kept it simple and classic with a Croque Madame for Brad and a salad with fresh vegetables, hard boiled eggs, and a light, herby vinaigrette for me. With crisp white wine in hand and fresh baked bread perfuming the air, we sat at a table outside and people watched, as Parisians do. It was lovely.

On July 12, we left Paris. I was sad to leave but grateful for the time we were able to spend there. Had we stayed just 2 more days, we could have experienced Bastille Day in France. Bastille Day is a celebration of freedom, similar to the 4th of July in the United States. People celebrate with food, drinks, and other festivities to commemorate an important event in French history.

French Tartine for Bastille Day :: Set the Table

If you’d like to celebrate along with the French, I would recommend trying this French tartine and a glass of Chardonnay. Arrogant Frog wines sent me a bottle of their Chardonnay and their Pinot Noir, which each pair beautifully with this light but flavorful open-faced sandwich. Arrogant Frog wines are from the Languedoc region of France. The Chardonnay is light and crisp, perfect for hot summer days. The Pinot Noir is flavorful, medium bodied, and easy to drink, no matter the time of year or occasion. I’ve added both of these wines to my Wine Bar page where you can find other affordable, delicious wines to pair with your next meal.

So, enjoy a simple, classic French tartine and a glass of French wine to celebrate Bastille Day. Because freedom, regardless of whose it is, is always worth celebrating.

Arrogant Frog Wines :: Bastille Day Recipe

French TartineMakes 2 tartines

• 2 slices of bread, toasted (I use whatever bread I have around)
• 2 hard boiled eggs, sliced
• handful of grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 4 tablespoons Herb Mayonnaise (recipe below)
• salt and black pepper

Spread 2 tablespoons of the herb mayonnaise onto each slice of bread. Arrange the eggs and tomatoes on top of the mayonnaise. Spinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a glass of Arrogant Frog Chardonnay or Pinot Noir.

Herb Mayonnaise

• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
• salt & black pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

*Full disclosure: The wine was sent to me with no obligation to post. I was not paid to promote Arrogant Frog aside from receiving the bottles of wine. All opinions are my own. I never post something I don't want other people to know about!

Campari-Basil Mojito

When I was a kid, my family would go camping on Lake Superior near Split Rock Lighthouse at the beginning of July. It was so much fun. My mom would make the most elaborate camping meals: lasagna, cheesecake, spaghetti & meatballs- we were quite spoiled. We would sit around the campfire, the four of us, enjoying the quiet mystery of the trees and the quirky yet comforting smell of smoke and bug spray. (There were lots of black flies and the Minnesota State Bird, mosquitoes, buzzing around at all hours so bug spray was a must!)

Sometimes, we would time the trip so that we could drive into Duluth to see the fireworks on the 4th of July. Surprisingly, I don't remember much about the fireworks, but I remember the long line of cars we would sit in as we crawled out of the parking lot at a glacial pace. My sister and I would usually fall asleep in the backseat before we even made it to the main road.

When we lived in Japan, we always got our fireworks fix at the Obon Matsuri (read more about festivals in Japan here). The festivals were amazing with delicious food but the fireworks were spectacular. Like nothing I've ever seen. Here are a few photos of our last Obon festival:

Obon-Hanabi

Hanabi-in-Tokyo

Yukata-for-Obon-Matsuri

This year, we will be here in Denver and will stay close to home, grilling hamburgers and drinking cocktails in the backyard with our family. I'm not sure if fireworks will be a part of the festivities or not, but I do know this cocktail will be.

And before you say anything, I know. It isn't Friday. Today is Wednesday. I hope I didn't cause anyone to think they missed the 4th of July or somehow, magically, made it to Friday without even noticing the days prior. Since many of you will be taking a vacation day on Friday and will likely be celebrating Independence Day if you're here in the U.S. or just celebrating one of the first, true summer weekends elsewhere, I thought it would be appropriate to give you this cocktail recipe a little early.

Campari Cocktail Ideas

I found a recipe for a Campari mojito on Campari's website. Then I got to thinking about what an insane amount of basil I already have so early in the summer, wondering if that would suffice in place of the mint. To make a long story short, I'll make it with basil rather than mint every single time. The sweet, licorice flavor of the basil works beautifully with the bitter Campari. It also make a visually stunning cocktail perfect for serving at your 4th of July celebration. There's even a little red, white and blue happening here with my glass. SCORE.

What are you up to for this holiday week? Any fabulous fireworks displays I need to hear about?

Campari Cocktail Recipe

Campari-Basil Mojito

Ingredients

• 2 oz Campari
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 oz lime juice
• 1/4 cup basil leaves, loosely packed
• Basil leaves for garnish

Instructions

1. In the bottom of a cocktail shaker or glass, add the brown sugar, lime juice and 1/4 cup basil leaves. Muddle together with a muddler or a spoon until the sugar has mostly dissolved into the lime juice and there is a nice basil scent released from the leaves.
2. Add the Campari and stir well to combine.
3. Fill a Collins glass or other glass with crushed ice.
4. Pour the Campari-basil mixture over the ice and top with a splash of sparkling water. Serve with basil leaves for garnish.

Cocktail Friday: Sweet + Spicy Thai Cocktail

Sometimes, when I want to remind myself of all that has happened over the last few years, I look through my early posts on Tokyo Terrace. There are days when doing this makes me feel sad, mostly because I don't know when we will go back to visit and because I don't think you can ever sufficiently say goodbye to Japan once you have lived there. Despite those feelings of sadness, I also have so much love and happiness in my heart for the things that we did, the places we saw, and the people we met while living in Japan. One of the earliest experiences we had during our first year in Tokyo, which has been popping into my mind a lot lately, was making the 4 hour flight to Bangkok, Thailand. From there, we traveled north to Buriram where we worked at an orphanage for a week. It has been a few years now, but in my mind, those children will always be the sweet, young, and vibrant people we met during our time there. However, they are surely more grown up and aware of the world. I hope they are all happy and safe and well cared for.

Spicy Thai Pineapple Cocktail

We worked for long hours in stifling heat, trying to clean every nook and cranny. At lunch time, we would gather in the kitchen at several tables that had been pushed together to seat the children and our visiting group. The table was set with large platters of homemade Pad Thai and clear plastic bags filled with pineapple that were purchased at the market down the street. Along with the pineapple came packets of sugar and red pepper flakes for sprinkling on the fruit. It was simple and perfectly refreshing on those hot afternoons.

This cocktail is inspired by the pineapple we enjoyed Buriram. The combination of subtle sweetness from pineapple juice, a little tartness from lime juice, and smokey heat mixed with sweet sugar creates a beautiful summer cocktail. We always have pineapple juice in the fridge to add to smoothies, so the recipe doesn't call for fresh pineapple. However, you can make this more of a blended cocktail by putting the ingredients in a blender with fresh pineapple rather than the juice.

Thai Pineapple

However you decide to enjoy this cocktail, I know it will be a fast favorite.

If you'd rather go the mocktail route, you can simply omit the vodka and enjoy this as a lovely way to cool down on a hot day.

Sweet + Spicy Thai Pineapple Cocktail

Makes 1 cocktail

• 2 oz pineapple juice (all natural/organic, no sugar added)
• 1 1/2 oz vodka (you can also use silver tequila)
• 1 oz lime juice
• lime wedge for garnish
• club soda
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Combine the sugar and chili powder on a plate.

Using a lime wedge, line the edge of a cocktail glass with lime juice. Turn the glass upside down into the sugar/chili powder and gently turn a little to coat the rim of the glass.

Combine the pineapple juice, vodka, and lime juice in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously for 30 seconds, add a splash of club soda to the shaker and gently pour through the strainer into your prepared cocktail glass. (Adding the club soda after pouring the pineapple juice mixture into the glass resulted in lots and lots of foam. Adding it to the shaker then straining it into the cocktail glass worked much better- and less mess!) Garnish the glass with a lime wedge and a dried pepper (optional).