30 before 30: Make Ice Cream--Nectarine Ice Cream

I'm attempting to complete a list of 30 things before I turn 30 in September, and I've got my hands full!  You can read the rest of my 30 things here.

When I was a kid, my parents would make ice cream.  Vanilla, chocolate mint and berry flavors are what come to mind when I recall that homemade goodness.  I still remember how the mint ice cream would melt in your mouth, but the chocolate chips wouldn't, so I'd move them aside while I enjoyed the mint ice cream.  About half the time I'd go back to eat the chocolate chips.

It has been a couple years now that I've put "make ice cream" on my list of summer to dos, and finally, it has been done!  And it turned out just like my Mom's.  There is a whole ton of it in the freezer that I'm ignoring because it's not "sweet sunday," anymore.  Seriously, it was about time I put a regulator on the sweets business, and keeping it to one day of indulgence works for me. 

NECTARINE ICE CREAM

4 eggs

4 c. whipping cream

2-1/2 c. sugar

2-1/2 Tbsp. vanilla

6 c. half & half

1 pureed nectarine

To add:

3 finely diced nectarines

Beat eggs lightly; mix all ingredients well. Pour into 1 gallon ice cream freezer.  Mix and freeze for 20 minutes (follow your ice cream maker's directions).  During the last five minutes, add the three finely diced nectarines.  Complete mixing. 
Note: This is my Mom's vanilla recipe with fresh fruit.  You can change this recipe up by using the top 5 ingredients as the vanilla base and adding in flavors, candy bar bits and fruit to your liking.

Now, I want to try other flavors!

What's your favorite ice cream flavor?

My favorites are mint chocolate chip and peanut butter chocolate.

Good old fashioned strawberry usually hits the spot, too.

Treasure Seeking at the Barn House

On Saturday, I told Husband while he worked on a "project" truck in the shop, that I needed to get out more.  As much as I like my time at home, in the quiet of the country, with our many projects--I need to get out.  We need to get out.  Especially while the skies are blue and the temperature is comfortable.  We Washingtonians, have far too many days out of the year that'll keep almost anyone wanting to stay cuddled on the couch with a cup of tea.

So we went.  The kids and I drove down to Camas Days where a parade was happening.  To my happiness, the kids agreed that treasure seeking and garage sales were way more exciting than a parade, so we kept driving.  I may or may not have encouraged this with talk of a special drink along the way.

We headed out to Battleground, Washington, where a little bird told me the Barn House event was taking place.  Boy was it!  I could hardly believe the extent of the event--cars piling up, live music, food and outside vintage dealers galore.  Everything was so gorgeously put together and inspiring.

I came home with a large chicken wire frame,

that Husband asked politely how much I paid for?

I can't wait to fill it up with beautiful remnants and photographs.

We also meandered through one more vintage show on the corner of a country road, that I'd been wanting to visit for some time, along with a handful of garage sales, while drinking lemonade and sharing a snicker doodle cookie.  The country is my favorite place to garage sale, and it was a perfect way to spend the afternoon.

I just kept wishing that my sisters were there with me.  How I miss them.

My Summer Wish For You (+ Reunion Pics)

My wish for each of you this summer, is one week, disconnected from it all...

tucked away in a cabin, lake house, pop-up trailer or tent, with books, card games, a swimsuit and a good comfy chair--preferably one that carries like a backpack, so you can take it wherever your heart leads with hands-free for your camera. 
Oh, and a boat is nice, too!

And meet your sisters and the rest of your family there, if you can. 

They'll make the unplugged occasion, complete. 

 My sisters Amber, Tammy and I.

This is as about as crazy as I get on the water. 
And I was too afraid to go over the wake!

Brooklynn's first attempt at knee boarding!

Cousins

We took a beautiful walk through the Ross Cedars of the Kootenai National Forest. 

Some say these trees rival the great sequoias of Northern California.
Some are 400+ years old, with a diameter measuring 8 feet!

My brother, Marc, standing in a hallowed out tree.

The Davis Grand kids--Missoula, Montana 2012

Love this family of mine.  I'm so blessed to have them in my life!

Want to see my trip's instagram photos?  Click here.

30 before 30: take a road trip (in instragram photos)

We drove, we played and we drove.

I tend to forget how much I love road trips.  Especially the ones to Montana, where the mountains and trees are unbelievable,

and where sweet family meets us on the other end.

I've returned refreshed and inspired.

A friend asked about my trip and I remember saying,

it's nice to be reminded of where you come from--you know, the very people who've been solid in my upbringing.  They've seen me through it all--childhood, the rough teenage years, married life and having children... Even though there are hundreds of miles between most of us, when we gather together, we hardly miss a beat. 

road trips :: they're good for the soul.

Weekend Crawfish Boil

We had a very sunny and hot weekend, and opted to spend as much of it as we could down at the river.  It was so nice to be able to relax in my chair with my feet in the water!  And it's a good feeling to have a suntan, too!  The kiddos had a great time "swimming," or river crawling, along the shallow bank, and stayed busy for hours. 

As we were getting ready to head to the river on Saturday, Husband said, "you know I'm going to need my crawfish gear, right?"  I did not know going to the river meant crawfish hunt.  But this is the same man who has headed up many a hunt, contrapted metal crawfish traps out of spools of wire and dropped them down the side of river walls into the current, had said traps stolen off the river, cooked up crawfish boils for friends, looked into crawfish farming, and the same man who knows all the words to Boondocks, and could fool folks into thinking he sings in a country band.  

Then off he went for his goggles and his sun hat. 

The crawfish Husband and his friend caught averaged 3-5 inches,

and once you boil them, they turn reddish-orange, just like lobster.

And they taste somewhere between lobster and crab, except their meat is in much smaller portions as you would imagine.

Nothing screams summer like a crawfish boil!

the heat is on

Summer is in full effect here in the great northwest!  Hoorah!  We're staying busy in the yard--making lots of headway, while basking in the sun.  We've also been picnicing on our patio table as much as we can, and are crossing our fingers our garden grows.  We're craving a good camping trip, and the 4th of July was a blast--pictures soon.  I hope yours was too!

This afternoon, we've got our keens on and are heading out to dip in the river. 

There's nothing like northwest summers!