Gosh, it feels like forever since I actually posted a recipe on this blog! The scary thing is that I have A LOT of them to post! With the New Foodie Blogroll launch over, I have accumulated a lot of recipes and photos of dishes I have been preparing this summer, that I haven’t had time to post (and scarily enough, posts I had written right before the wedding, that I still have to post Bad, bad, blogger!).

DISCLAIMER: So be forewarned that some of the upcoming posts aren’t going to be seasonal for most of my lovely readers. I see that there are Autumnal posts all over the blogosphere, and although the weather is a little less humid here, we are still very much in the throes of summertime, here in Florida! (OH HOW I MISS THE FALL!!!)

We are going to be heading to New England for our annual trip in October and my goal is to post all my backlog before then. So that when I come back, I have all fresh material!

So before this gets too out of date, here are the lovely ice cream recipes for you that I promised over a week ago! *blush*

Here are the next two installments of the Ice Cream Diaries…

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Lemon-Ricotta Ice Cream

I had some leftover ricotta cheese in the fridge and I had seen Laurie from Dalla Mia Cucina make a Ricotta and Rum Gelato and I thought – there you go! That’s what I want to do with my leftover ricotta! I had about a cup left, so I decided to fill in the rest with whole milk and Greek yogurt.

A while back I had made some lemon-ricotta muffins that I found on Rosa’s Yum Yums that were awesome so I decided that I wanted to make lemon-ricotta ice cream. Also I have been trying to find a solution to the super hard ice cream texture that most of our ice cream has (to the point that we have to take it out of the freezer 40 minutes before we want to eat it!!!), and since I know vodka doesn’t freeze, I put a nice shot of vanilla vodka into the mix. Just for texture purposes! It worked really well! So now I know the trick to making softer ice cream! ;)

Click through for recipe and for the Mango-Organe Sorbetto….AND the MEME!

Lemon-Ricotta Ice Cream

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup part skim ricotta cheese
1 cup Greek yogurt
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1 TBS vanilla extract
1/2 cup raw sugar
rind from one lemon
1 shot of vanilla vodka

METHOD:

In a large mixing bowl blend ricotta, yogurt, milk and sugar until well blended. Add vanilla and lemon rind and mix for another minute. Stir in the vanilla vodka. Pour mixture into the bowl of your ice cream maker and follow the manufacturers directions. My ice cream maker calls for a churning time of 25 minutes. This time I let it go for about 40.

Mango-Orange Sorbetto
(sorry no picture)

Our friends Erin and Chris from The Olive Notes were having a potluck dinner at their house in which the theme was Foods made with Alcohol. Immediately I knew what I wanted to make! I had a few mangoes in the fridge and I knew how well this experiment of mine was going with making ice cream with booze, so I decided to spread the wealth! :) This is super refreshing and great for those last days of summer! The perfect adult slushie!

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 half mangoes
pinch of salt
3 cups water
1/4 cup agave nectar
2 0z. vanilla vodka
1/2 cup pure Valencia OJ

METHOD:

Puree the mango with the sugar in a food processor. In a large bowl combine the water and agave and add the mango puree. Stir in vodka and orange juice. Pour mixture into the bowl of your ice cream maker and follow the manufacturers directions.

MEME

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Okay, my friend Alex, from Just Cook It! tagged me for a 6 random facts meme and awarded me with the ‘Brilliante Blog Award’ (among a few others) ages ago. So today I am getting the chance to do it and give you all six random facts about me! :)

1) I have two favorite authors: Tom Robbins and Anne Rice
2) My favorite cartoon as a child was The Smurfs
3) I have a weakness for French fries and milkshakes
4) I love thunderstorms
5) I hate cooked celery
6) I love hiking in birch tree forests