Hogwarts at Home: Butterbeer Ice Cream

When we first planned out our "Universal at Home" day, Thatkid requested that we do an entire separate day for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  In fact, he requested we basically just do a Harry Potter themed day.  He's just finished the series, and would have been in San Francisco seeing Cursed Child if not for the pandemic.  These seemed like a very easy compromise.  Especially since we have so much leftover from his birthday party last year.

So Saturday morning we headed to Hogwarts.  First we made a quick stop at Diagon Alley to pick up some wands.  The fact that they already have 11 wands between the two of them notwithstanding.  Thatkid really wanted to make another wand, and I still have a whole mess of the extra long chopsticks.

So they got to design their own wands, which I created with some mom-magic (and hot glue) and then they got to paint them.

We did make use of the Wizarding World at Universal Studios to help explore.  Like taking the Hogwarts express from Diagon Alley to Hogsmede, and visiting Gringotts, Hagrid, and taking a Forbidden Journey with Harry Potter.

I also set up some classes for them.  Like potions.  We did a lot of "magical" chemistry and the "Exploding Elixer" was a HUGE success.

I ordered some Harry Potter training wands for Charms class.  The wands come with a spell book and electronically test you on spells - letting you know with lights and sounds if you get the spell right.  Both boys spent some time learning their spells.

There is also a setting for playing "wizard tag" which works a little like laser tag, with the wands interacting with each other.  We're hoping that this cuts down on the boys actually hitting each other with wands on their frequent wizard duels. 

I set up a much smaller Quidditch field than I did for the party.  Which was much easier to deal with, and a lot of fun.

For lunch I made Mrs. Weasley's famous corned beef sandwiches, with a little something off the trolley to go with it - chocolate frogs, jelly slugs, Bertie Bott's every flavor beans, and butterbeer.

After lunch and nap, we took in some shows from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

And had a dance party to the music of Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees.

I made some simple pub fare a la the 3 Broomsticks for dinner - some vegetable barley soup and some pumpkin juice.

Followed with some amazingly delicious butterbeer ice cream.

We ended the evening with watching the Nighttime Lights at Hogwarts show.

The butterbeer ice cream isn't exactly canon, but it's something we were going to try for the first time on our trip to Universal Studios, so I thought it would be a good time to try a copy-cat recipe.  But there really isn't one.  Instead there are a lot of no churn recipes.  But I have an ice cream maker, so I wanted a churn one.  I found this recipe from Feast of Starlight which used the ice cream maker, a cream soda reduction in the base, and layered the butterscotch to make a swirl.  Which sounded like a great jumping off point.  But I'm lucky enough to have butterbeer soda easily available at several local stores/markets so I wanted to use that instead.  If you don't, or prefer a milder flavor, head over to her blog.  This recipe also calls for homemade butterscotch, which is my favorite ice cream topping, so I was happy to make it.  However, if you want to cut corners or save time, commercially made/purchased butterscotch syrup would work just fine.  I played with the recipe a little, adding more butterbeer/butterscotch flavor than she had initially done to give it a REALLY rich, butterscotch taste.  It was a fantastic way to end our day.  

Butterbeer Ice Cream

1 bottle butterbeer soda (or any butterscotch soda)

3.5 cups heavy cream (divided)

1 cup milk

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt (divided)

5 egg yolks

2 tsp vanilla extract (divided)

2 Tbsp butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1. Bring soda to a boil over medium-high heat in a small saucepan.  Lower heat to medium-low and continue to cook until the soda is reduced to 1/2 a cup. Let cool.
2. In a larger saucepan over medium heat combine 3 cups of the cream, milk, and cooled soda reduction.  Bring to a simmer.
3. Whisk the yolks in an electric mixer until pale yellow.  
4. Slowly add the sugar.  
5. Add 1/4 tsp salt and 1 tsp vanilla and continue mixing until just combined.
6. Temper the eggs by stirring in 1/4 cup of the simmering cream mixture.
7. Add the tempered eggs to the saucepan and continue to stir until the mixture is thick enough to coat a spoon.
8. Strain the mixture into a bowl and let cool overnight in the fridge.
9. When you're ready to process the ice cream, make the butterscotch.  Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.  
10. Slowly sprinkle about 1 Tbsp of the brown sugar over the melted butter and let cook without stirring until it melts.
11. Begin stirring as you sprinkle in the remaining brown sugar until all the sugar is melted.  
12. Slowly add the remaining cream and continue stirring for 5-6 minutes until it thickens.  Remove from heat.
13. Stir in the remaining vanilla and salt, then let cool until it's room temperature.
14. Stir 3 Tbsp of the butterscotch into your ice cream base and process according to your ice cream maker's instructions.
15. When transferring ice cream into the container, layer the butterscotch between layers of ice cream and swirl with a knife.  Freeze until it's your desired consistency. 

Lavender Love: Honey Lavender Plum Ice Cream

Last year I attended a yoga retreat at Keys Creek Lavender Fields and it was amazing.  So when I heard that Saerin was going to be doing it again, I was very interested.

But life is busy, and it was the day before Thatbaby (and therefore my) birthday and I kept putting off signing up.  

This has been a really rough year for me mentally and emotionally and Thatboy really encouraged me to sign up and make the time for myself, to center and regroup.  And so, I got up early the morning of the retreat, made a batch of cupcakes to frost when I got home, and headed out to the lavender farm.

I had a much harder time focusing this year and didn't find the same sense of peace as last year, but that was definitely on me.  Sometimes we're wound so tight, it takes a lot more to loosen the knots. The scenery remained beautiful, the weather was perfect, and Saerin is a fantastic instructor.  Her yoga is very woman-centered, aiming for the parts of the body that affect us the most, and positions that listen to how our bodies work.

There was a lovely lunch laid out for us after the yoga, and then it was time for our tour of the farm.

Last year the retreat was at the end of June, and most of the lavender was already harvested or at the end of the season.  This year, in early June, we got to see all the different varieties that grow at the farm.  What was most intriguing for me were the varieties that weren't the typical lavender color you expect.

Like the Spanish Lavender - which is a really vibrant shade of pink.

Sweet Lavender was up and down the hillside.  This is a pretty familiar variety to most of us.

French Lavender - which is the typical variety you might find growing in...my backyard...and front yard.

Pukehou Lavender, a New Zealand Variety which is bright purple.

Winter Bee Lavender, which is short and round, like a little bumblebee.

And Yellow Lavender, which is, well, yellow.  It also has a less flowery smell.  More citrusy, or herbal.  I really liked it.

We also got to see the distillery in action.  This little baby converts those lavender flowers into lavender oil.

As we took the tour, our knowledgeable tour guide grabbed cuttings from many of the different varieties and passed them out.  After the tour, we spent the rest of the afternoon poolside, wrapping the cuttings to make lavender bundles.

Even if the retreat wasn't the reset that I was hoping it would be, it was a welcome break from the day to day.   And the setting never fails to make me happy. In an attempt to recreate it, I've been trying to use more lavender in my day to day life.  I made a littlelavender spray that I've been using on our pillows and the kids pillows, as well as for those pesky mosquito bites we've been getting.  Did you know lavender oil stops the itching?  I brought home some lavender sleep balm.  And of course, using lavender in drinks and desserts.  After having some amazing Salt and Straw lavender ice cream last year, I knew I wanted to attempt to make my own.  But right now, I just can't bring myself to make ice cream without fruit in it.  It's Summer for goodness sakes!  My initial plan was lavender ice cream, swirled with a blueberry syrup.  But Thatkid suggested plums instead.  Goodness knows we have no shortage of plums.  We eat them like crazy!

Although Thatkid is the one who made the plum suggestion, he actually was not a fan of this ice cream.  I get it, it's kind of a grown up flavor.  The overwhelming flavor is honey.  Not surprising given that it's in both the base and the plum syrup.  But the lavender adds a nice floral taste, which is I think where we lost the kids.  The plums?  Well they aren't necessary and you're welcome to skip them, but like I said, we're plum crazy over here and I really like what they bring to the dish.

Honey Lavender Plum Ice Cream

2 cups milk

1/4 cup lavender

1/2 cup honey (divided)

5 egg yolks

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup heavy cream

3 plums, peeled, pitted, and chopped

1 Tbsp water

1. Combine milk, lavender, and 1/3 cup of honey in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Heat until almost boiling, then cover and remove from heat.  
2. Let sit for 5 minutes.  Strain the mixture through a mesh sieve, reserving the milk and discarding the solids.
3.  Beat egg yolks and sugar in an electric mixer on medium high speed until pale and creamy.
4. Add half of the milk to the egg yolks and whisk until blended.
5. Add remaining milk and then pour the entire egg/milk mixture back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
6.  Remove from heat and stir in cream.
7. Strain again through the sieve and into a bowl set into an ice-water bath.  Let cool completely.  (or place in refrigerator until cold)
8. Place cold milk mixture into an ice cream maker and process according to instructions.
9. While the ice cream is processing, combing the plums, water, and remaining honey in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Cook until the plums fall apart, stirring occasionally to keep the plums from burning.   Let cool for 5 minutes.
10.  Once the ice cream has reached a semi-solid state (think the consistency of soft serve) pour the plum syrup into the ice cream maker.  Continue to process the ice cream until it reaches the desired consistency. 

Summer Theater Fun: Peach and cherry ice cream

We started the summer theater season a little early this year, while the boys were still in school, because that's when Charlie and the Chocolate Factory came to town. 

And to really fit with the theme, we took the boys to Sugar Factory before hand and loaded them up with their very own version of the chocolate factory - milkshakes loaded with chocolate and candy.

The very next night we went to see our own little performer.  His very first play, he entertained us all with his stunning performance as Big Bertha Lee in the first grade's production of "The Three Nanny Goats Gruff."

Thatboy and I also took in some shows of our own - at our neighborhood theater as well as heading out to see Puffs in it's first California production.

There's no summer theater without hitting our favorite outdoor venues for picnics and musicals.  This summer we saw Matilda, which was phenomenal.

And we saw Wizard of Oz, which is always a favorite in our house.

And when I found out that a local children's theater was doing James and the Giant Peach?  Well we hit that up too. 

Which was the inspiration for this peach ice cream.  Well that and the fact that I bought these amazing smelling peaches, that tasted only "alright."  It was disappointing.  But alright peaches are great for baked goods, which was my plan.  Until Thatkid suggested ice cream instead.  And those cherries?  They're more than alright.  So they had to go in too.  Stone fruits all go together so well.  

Peach and Cherry Ice Cream

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups heavy cream

2 cups half and half

2 peaches, peeled and diced

1 cup cherries, pitted and chopped

1.  Combined eggs, sugar, salt, cream and half and half in a saucepan over medium low heat.   Use a candy thermometer and cook until the mixture is 160 degrees.
2. Remove from the heat and stir in the peaches and cherries.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.
3. Pour the cold mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to your maker.

Mommy Mondays: Dinosaurs and Ice Cream, a Roaring 3rd Birthday Party

This year Thatbaby wanted his birthday party at the local children's museum.  They had several themes to choose from, which included activities at the museum.  Thatbaby picked the fossil dig - so a dinosaur party seemed to fit well with that.

His other request for the party was ice cream.  And inspired by one of his favorite books, I decided to incorporate that into the theme. 

Guests were greeted upon arrival with a reminder of that theme - dinosaurs and ice cream cones dotted the entry way.

The outdoor space where the party was held didn't really have walls, so I made use of a lot of hanging decorations in the open spaces.  Lanterns and hanging ice cream cones were strung along the sides.

The tables featured dinosaurs enjoying their own ice cream sundaes.

Dinosaurs ate ice cream on the kid's water bottles, and their lunches were packed in little dinosaur lunch boxes.  Inside were dinosaur shaped turkey sandwiches, "dinosaur eggs" (grapes) and cheese crackers marked with dinosaur footprints.

Of course there was food for the adults too.

And the dessert table held cupcakes, ice cream cone shaped rice krispie treats,

Bone-shaped meringues

Dinosaur head cake pops

And of course, what would an ice cream and dinosaur party be without an ice cream sundae bar.  With bone shaped sprinkles, dinosaur shaped sprinkles, gummy dinosaurs, and dinosaur eggs,

And the fossil dig was a lot of fun for the kids.  They started with the kids on the edges of a sand pit with trowels, digging for fossils.

They found claws and dinosaur teeth.

They then moved into the sand pit and began carefully brushing the much larger dinosaur fossil buried there.

We let the kids dig into their goody bags early.  They were filled with toy dinosaurs, dinosaur and ice cream erasers, dinosaur and ice cream tatoos, a dino claw excavation kit, and the hit of the party - ice cream cone poppers.

Because we had the party at the museum, the kids also had access to all the regular museum activities.  And most of the dinosaurs found their way to the water table for a little swim.

Thatbaby had such a great time with his friends, playing and eating ice cream.  Another party down!