Green Tea Coconut Ice Cream

It's the time of year for New Year's resolutions. If you're like I am, five days into the new year and I've already tossed my resolutions to the wayside. I almost tried to follow them. I had a bad cold, my couch felt oh so lovely, and the cupboards were stuffed with leftover Christmas candy. It was too easy to pretend I hadn't made them in the first place. Excuses, as opposed to resolutions, are surprisingly easy to make.

Last year, after studiously making my resolutions, I actually followed them. I did eat healthier over the past year, choosing apple slices over potato chips and finding a way to keep my food groups more balanced. I took a photography class, but I think I taught myself more in the end. I found my place working in a bakery (and I certainly didn't stop baking). After reflections over last year's resolutions, I give myself an A+.

This year, however, not so much.

I always feel that if I don't start following my new resolutions exactly on the first day of the new year, I never will. And sadly, more often than not, this is true. Last year is the only year I've successfully managed to both follow and keep my resolutions. Perhaps it's not too late to make a set of January 5th resolutions?

This year I resolve to eat healthier. Not just swap apple slices in for potato chips, but choose healthier grains (quinoa, brown rice, whole wheat pasta) over their white, bleached counterparts. I want to eat less salt and less processed foods without losing any of the flavor. I want to want to choose the healthier option instead of begrudgingly accept it.

Also, I hope to keep some room in that new diet for dessert. No diet is complete without dessert.

I want to learn how to cook. This resolution may sound silly to you (after all, I do run a food blog), but the truth is that I have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to using the stove top instead of the oven. I can't cook meat properly (dry chicken anyone?), sauces are a foreign concept to me, and I am absolutely useless when it comes to using spices. Except for a few delicious favorites, most of what I invent in the kitchen isn't worth revisiting. If I'm going to keep my resolution to eat healthier, learning to cook comes hand in hand.

Since I do believe we are all allowed a "fun" resolution, this year I would like to learn French. Though I lived in Quebec for 6 months, I never quite picked up the language, instead reverting to English whenever possible. As a result, the French language has become a bit elusive for me. French is something I wanted to learn ever since I've moved back home, but haven't had the time until now. How else am I going to understand the French cookbooks I bought?

To start off the new year, I thought a new and more unusual recipe would be fitting. Though green tea ice cream is popular in Japan and parts of Asia, it's uncommon in the United States. I paired my green tea ice cream with a bit of coconut to make it more familiar and topped it with toasted almonds to round out the flavors. It's different, it's exciting, and I am in love with the pure, green tea color.

Green tea powder (or matcha powder) can be tricky to find unless you know where to look. Living in the heart of the Midwest, it took me a solid year to track it down. Asian supermarkets will be your best bet and health food stores often carry it. I found my green tea powder at a local tea shop. Like always, if all these options fail, matcha powder is always available on the internet. Green tea powder is great for baking, making green tea lattes, or brewing a simple, but elegant cup of tea.

Green Tea Coconut Ice Cream is fresh, tasting vividly of green tea with just a hint of coconut. The recipe is easy to follow (simply blend all the ingredients together in a blender), but it does require an ice cream maker to give the ice cream that sought after, smooth quality. I topped my ice cream with toasted almonds and I strongly recommend you do the same. Toasted almonds and green tea complement each other in a very unexpected, but delicious way.

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Pumpkin Spice Latte Cheesecake

When I wake up in the morning to a cool house, all I want to do is wrap myself up in blankets with a warm drink in my hands. Over the past few weeks, I've had my fair share of Pumpkin Spice Lattes. In fact, I love my homemade version of this coffee house favorite so much that family and friends have asked me to whip up a batch here and there simply because I couldn't stop talking about it. If you made one of these yourself—without those $5 bills to knock you down—I think you'll find the very same words coming out of your mouth.

The words simply can't be stopped.

So, when my mother informed me a couple weeks ago that she was inviting over 20 of her closest friends for a little wine and cheese party, those darn pumpkin spice lattes popped into my head first. What can I say? I have lattes on the brain. Nevertheless, I put that thought aside and worked out a menu. As it so happens (and this should come as no surprise to you), I think in the language of desserts so the wine and cheese party quickly turned into one for wine and cheese(cake).

Yet, I couldn't get those pumpkin spice latte thoughts out of my head. Pumpkin cheesecake had found a place on the menu, but who was to say I couldn't turn that into something more? When I stumbled across this recipe from Sprinkle Bakes, I was instantly sold.

I made a few desserts for that evening, but this Pumpkin Spice Latte Cheesecake stood out as the clear winner (and I don't think it was the wine talking). My mother and I loved it so much, we hoarded the leftovers and kept them all to ourselves.

This cheesecake is really a great occasion dessert (think holidays and special evenings). It can't help but impress those who take a bite (plus, it's surprisingly light, which is something everyone can love).

This Pumpkin Spice Latte Cheesecake combines two great delights—your favorite autumn coffee house drink and cheesecake. This cheesecake honestly tastes like a pumpkin spice latte, with deliciously strong flavors. The cheesecake crust is made from almonds spiced with cinnamon. A rich, but surprisingly light cheesecake filling is poured on top before it heads into the oven. The pumpkin spice flavor is prevalent when the first bite hits your tongue, followed by subtle tones of espresso. I think the most gorgeous part of this cheesecake is the representation. This is a perfect holiday or weekend treat.

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S'mores Ice Cream Sundae

S'mores belong in summer territory. There's just something about the heat of a long day, the glow of a warm bonfire, and a fragrant summer breeze that can't be replicated in the kitchen. Believe me, I've tried. Maybe the secret to the summer s'more lies in burnt marshmallow ashes. Perhaps it is in the slow, patient roasting of an exquisitely golden marshmallow over an open flame. Whatever the reason may be, I know that summer holds this secret deep within, keeping her lips sealed from me.

I've had my fair share of winter s'mores, but they never seem to come close—there is always something inherently lacking. The graham crackers are less crisp. The chocolate is always too sweet. And those microwaved marshmallows, those poor marshmallows, couldn't be any more inferior to their fire-toasted cousin. Winter s'mores can only daydream of breezy summer evenings, where the stars glow faintly and stories are shared by those sitting together around a flickering fire.

Nevertheless, I do like to experiment with s'mores flavors in the kitchen. Perhaps one day I'll crack summer's secret s'mores code, but until then, I can enjoy these unique flavors in interesting ways year round.

I cannot claim the delicious inspiration for this S'mores Sundae. The credit rightfully belongs to Frances at The Foodess Files. Frances sent me a wonderful email, taunting me with an absolutely sinful description of this sundae. I was immediately smitten. As soon as I had a spare moment, I rushed to the store and purchased the ingredients. I simply couldn't settle for a description of these S'mores Sundaes—I needed the real deal in my hands (or rather, my mouth) as soon as possible.

I used large marshmallows for this sundae since I mysteriously had 3 large bags of them sitting in the cupboard, but I wouldn't recommend using them for this particular sundae. The large marshmallows were too much for one bite, even when cut in half. I recommend using mini marshmallows or, if you happen to have a ridiculous number of large marshmallows lying around the house like I do, simply cut them into fourths with a pair of kitchen shears before toasting.

This S'mores Sundae is the perfect accompaniment to the swell of summer heat. The Honey Cinnamon Ice Cream tastes just like a cinnamon graham cracker, making a cool and refreshing base to this nontraditional s'more. The ice cream is then topped with oven-toasted marshmallows and drizzled in a homemade chocolate sauce. The chocolate sauce sets when it comes into contact with the ice cream, but melts into a delicious mess the moment it hits the tongue. For those of you who love s'mores, consider this my taunt to you. Now the question becomes, can you settle with a simple description of this sundae or, like me, will you suddenly be beckoned to the kitchen?

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