Homemade Blueberry Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

My big splurge for the Summer was a Cuisinart Instant Frozen Yogurt, Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker. I know it isn't very pricy, but for a non-essential, it's more than I would usually spend. Anyhow, it just arrived yesterday evening (heralded with much excitement — I'm sure the delivery guy thought we were nuts), and we decided that first thing this morning we'd take her out for her maiden ice cream-making voyage.

A little note before the "soupy" pictures put you off: Since this was our first attempt with our new machine it seems that we did not let it chill long enough (that and it's 101ºF with humidity out right now) and we ended up with more of an ice cream shake than solid ice cream (it still tasted good though).

Sooo... Since we still had a bag of freshly picked blueberries that we gathered on our trip last weekend, we decided to make Blueberry Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (I followed the recipe video here).

With just a bit of pouring, whisking, and vanilla bean scraping we had our mix going. Ten minutes later it was almost frozen and was ready to have the fresh blueberries added. Only a few minutes later we had Blueberry Ice Cream!

(I'm meeelllltiiinnnng!)

After the initial taste I decided that the blueberry flavor I had been hoping for just wasn't there so I decided to make a blueberry sauce to swirl into the finished ice cream. I had never done this before (so there is probably a better way to do it) but in a small saucepan over med-high heat I boiled about 1/2 cup fresh blueberries, 1/8 cup of sugar, 1 Tablespoon of water, and 1/4 teaspoon of lemon zest. I let them bubble for around three minutes, mashing the blueberries carefully with the back of a spoon. I then strained the mixture through a very fine sieve and placed the now smooth sauce into an ice bath to chill quickly. Once cold (about 10 minutes) I drizzled a little bit into my ice cream and stirred it around once or twice (I think I might have over mixed mine) and then placed the whole thing back in the freezer until I was ready to serve it.

(I was inspired by Sweet Paul to place cupcake liners underneath my bowls. Cute, right?!)

To make the blueberry syrup for the topping I reheated the remaining smooth sauce and added in cornstarch to thicken (dissolve 1 teaspoon of cornstarch in 1 teaspoon of water and stir into sauce - bring to boil while stirring until thickened). Serve with fresh blueberries, blueberry syrup or just gobble up a scoopful on a yummy gluten free ice cream cone (our newest gf find).

Bonus: You can find these cute wooden spoons at craft stores. I just wrote on the ends of mine with a Uni-ball Pen and Prismacolor Colored Pencils. Easy-peasy! xo Ez

Props: Porcelain Berry Basket in white from Anthropologie (purchased in store) | cupcake liners from Bake it Pretty | White Bowls from Target (purchased in store) | Wooden Spoons from Michael's (purchased in store) | Uniball Pen from Office Depot (purchased in store) | Prismacolor Colored Pencils - found in many craft stores or online.

Today I Love: Odette New York - Minerva Divinus Collection

You may have already spotted glimpses of Odette NY's new Minerva Divinus Collection floating around the web (I first caught site of it on Sweet Fine Day), but yesterday was the first time I'd seen every piece in its full glory. Jennifer has truly outdone herself this time around (though admittedly, I think that every time she creates a new collection). Skip on over and see it all for yourself right now. You'll probably fall in love too! xo Ez

Inspiration Daily: Rose + Raspberry

Credit for these beauties belongs to: 1. cups 'n pegs, 2. Slow day, 3. Untitled, 4. DSC01044

From Wares to Wear: Make my Pillow into an Outfit

I thought it would be fun today to try my hand at creating a fashion look using a home decor item as my inspiration. This isn't the first time I've done this of course, but for some reason it ended up being much more challenging than I expected this time around. I would have loved to get more of the blue and pink from the pillow into the final look, but here's what I came up with for better or worse. Are you ever inspired to put together outfits based off of decor in your home or elsewhere? What decor item would you most love to see turned into a wearable look right now? Leave me a link and maybe you will inspire my next fashion post. xo Ez

Svenskt Tenn Cotton Pillow - Svenskt Tenn  | Roloson Ring - Aldo | Simple Hinge Closure Clutch in 10 Colors - My Afternoon Tea | Novella Dress - Madewell | Braided Chain Belt - Gap | Nine West "Stylin" Heels - Zappos |

Today I Love: Wiissa - Photography + Videos

Wilson and Vanessa of Wiissa photography and videos, had me instantly glued to the computer screen yesterday when I first discovered their amazing body of work. I love the pure unedited nature of their photographs...with their dreamy graininess and gorgeous tones. If you're up for a healthy dose of visual inspiration (and who isn't really), then head on over to one (or all) of their sites to soak it all in. Flickr | Website | Vimeo.

All images ©Wiissa - Posted here with permission.