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Archive for July, 2010

Heat Wave

Posted in Musings, tagged on July 26, 2010| Leave a Comment »

“We’re having a heat wave,
A tropical heat wave,
The temperature’s rising,
It isn’t surprising…”

From Irving Berlin

Word of the Week: Heat Wave

heat wave

–noun

1.

an air mass of high temperature covering an extended area and moving relatively slowly.
2.

a period of abnormally hot and usually humid weather.
3.
a convenient excuse for lethargy, inactivity, downright laziness and indulging in ice cream
(I added that third one, I don’t know what Webster’s is thinking leaving it out!)
It is toasty warm here today, just like it was yesterday, and the day before. The breeze is hot, the air somewhat stifling and the sun beats down relentlessly.  Wow! Summer has finally arrived!
Since I’m able to mostly go from air conditioned house to air conditioned car to air conditioned buildings, I am not feeling the pain that many others do when it is warm. For me, it is a great excuse to be lazy, sit next to the AC and eat ice cream. Yep, I turn into a complete and total slug when it gets this hot.
Hubby has had to fend for himself the last couple days because 1. I have no working stove or dishwasher and 2. It is just too hot to care. When he mentions food, I point toward the freezer and offer to share my ice cream, knowing he is not a fan of the cold, creamy confection.  His loss, my gain. Hah!
But my new stove is due to arrive today and then I will be forced to abandon my post by the AC and actually test it out.
Wish me luck,
The Slug

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Mandi’s Vanilla Ice Cream Base

Posted in Easy Recipes, tagged , , on July 23, 2010| 4 Comments »

Today, I have a very special guest blogger. Mandi Konen is a baker extraordinaire. She is a Pastry Chef at The Marc Restaurant in the historic Marcus Whitman Hotel  in Walla Walla, WA. Today she is sharing a great recipe for a vanilla ice cream base. Enjoy!

Ice Cream!

Ice cream can be traced all the way back to the 4th century B.C.  Roman emperor Nero (A.D. 37-68) ordered ice to be brought down from the mountains and mixed with fruit toppings.  King Tang (A.D. 618-97) of Shang, China had a method of creating ice and milk mixtures.  Ice Cream was more than likely  brought over from Europe.  After the dessert was imported to the United States it was served by several famous Americans, including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.  The first ice cream parlor in the United States was opened in New York City in 1776.  American colonists were the first to use the term “ice cream” which came from the phrase “iced cream” but later shortened to ice cream.

Since ice cream uses such few ingredients it is important to use premium ingredients to ensure the best frozen treats!

Vanilla Ice Cream Base

2 c.              Half and Half
1.5 c.            Heavy Cream
1 ea.            Vanilla Bean, split in half lengthwise and seeds scraped
8 ea.            Egg Yolks, Large
.75 c.            Sugar, granulated
.25 tsp.        Salt

In a heavy saucepan combine half and half, vanilla bean and heavy cream.  Over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, bring the mixture until barely comes to a simmer (approximately 5 minutes), also known as scalding.  Meanwhile in a heatproof bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and salt until mixture lightens and doubles in volume, approximately 2 minutes.

Once the cream has been scalded (it will have a distinct odor difference once it has been scalded from when it was cold).  Slowly begin whisking the scalded cream into the egg mixture until smooth.  This technique is known as tempering and prevents the egg yolks from curdling under instant heat.  Pour the egg-cream mixture back into the saucepan, while whisking constantly return to medium heat.  Using a spoon, stir until the mixture forms a custard thick enough to coat the back of the spoon (nappe thickness), about 1-2 minutes.  Do not let it boil!

Meanwhile set up an ice bath (a larger bowl than the one holding the ice cream base filled with ice and a little bit of water) and place the smaller bowl with the ice cream base in it to stop the cooking process.  Pour the ice cream base through a fine mesh sieve (chinois) into a clean bowl or storage container.  Stir the custard until cool in the ice bath, cover and chill for at least 4 hours, up to 3 days.

Pour the ice cream base into an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  Other ingredients such as fresh fruit, nuts, etc. can be added at this time as well!  Spoon the ice cream into a freezer safe container, cover and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.

I hope you have enjoyed this recipe and if you have any questions regarding the process, feel free to email me at pastry@marcuswhitmanhotel.com

Thanks!

Mandi

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Synergy

Posted in Entertaining at Home, Success Tips, tagged , , on July 22, 2010| Leave a Comment »

I absolutely promise this is the last post I’ll make (at least this week) about the Willow House Conference. Really, I promise!

But I had to share this thought about synergy. Have you ever been in a group that is excited about something and you can just feel the energy in the air? It’s pretty amazing, isn’t it?

Websters defines synergy as “the interaction of two or more agents or forces so that their combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects.”

Do you have any idea how much synergy is created by a group of 1,500 people (98% of them sleep-deprived, caffeine loaded, excited beyond reason women)? A whole lot. So much, in fact, if you could capture it, you could power a small city.

These women (and few men) were so pumped up, so thrilled, so anxious to jump into the new business model announced last week, the room wasn’t enough to keep it contained. It spilled out in text messages, in phone calls, and onto the poor sales people and waitstaff with the misfortune of working within walking distance of the conference center.

It was awesome! Not only do I love seeing that excitement, I love being in the midst of it all and feeling the energy. It is like having the ability to take your worn-down battery and plug it into the energizer bunny. Wow! You are recharged and ready to go faster, better and longer than you’ve ever gone before.

Synergy is a fabulous thing. If you’ve never experienced it, I highly encourage you to get yourself into the place you can.

My thanks to Bill and Robin Shaw and all the staff at Willow House for making the event possible. For giving us stepping stones to reach for the stars and a road map for the journey ahead. For being visionaries, for being innovative and for believing in us! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Shanna

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Be Joyful

Posted in Referrals, Success Tips, tagged , on July 21, 2010| Leave a Comment »

My Wednesday Shout-Out goes out today to someone I don’t know. I can’t even tell you her name. But she really does deserve a pat on the back.

Sunday when I was traveling back from Milwaukee, I had a connecting flight in Denver. While sitting and waiting for the plane to board, I had the opportunity to watch the airline employee who was working our gate. Now, I don’t know about you, but usually the words I’d use to describe a gate agent would be abrupt, detached, disinterested, and quite often rude.

But this employee was smiling. She was beaming and laughing. Even when less than polite travelers got in her face and started making demands. She held onto her good attitude like it was a lifeline.  She might have been faking it, but I don’t think so. It was too genuine.

So the lesson I learned from her is this: be joyful where you are at, no matter what you are doing, or what goes on around you. Be joyful.

Go on, try it today.

Be joyful!

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