Divvy Up Dining: Hello Summer- Honey Lavender Ice Cream

Sunset view from our house

It's that time of year again - where I break out the ice cream maker. We are in what seems to be an endless stretch of warm, sunny days. There is a lavender plant in our greenhouse, and I really wanted to make a dessert with it. At first I was thinking lavender shortbread, but don't really like shortbread, so why make it? Instead, I decided on honey lavender ice cream. I found a simple, six-ingredient recipe from here, but instead of using dried lavender, went for about a half a cup of the fresh stuff. I've made it twice and it's great - not too floral but a really nice complex flavor. I also made hot fudge to serve with it, and while that may sound like an unusual combo, it was quite good. I read online that not all lavender is appropriate for cooking (I don't think any are toxic but don't take my word for it), but it might not be that tasty. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out what type of lavender we had but it smelled nice and I went for it.

Also, thanks for all the sweet comments on our cat. He still hasn't returned and we are pretty sure he won't be coming home:( Good-bye Bitty Boy. Isis (our remaining cat) seems very lonely and appears to be trying to kill us - for example, by rubbing up against our feet as we are going down the stairs in the dark.

I also promised that I would share some happier stories of our adventures here. The most recent highlight for me was seeing Mumford and Sons up in Taos last Thursday. I've been moderately obsessed with this band for the past year and a half, and seeing them live was awesome. They are even better live than on their albums - great vocals, phenomenal musicians, and good energy. There wasn't a lot of dancing and special effects - it just wasn't needed because the music was so tight. And, we were outside in a park surrounded by a beautiful NM sunset after a glorious thunderstorm. What could be better?