Raspberry Swirl Vanilla Frozen Yogurt

A little bit melty...

Back in September I bought an ice cream maker to fuel my frozen yogurt addiction.

I made several batches early on, and even dabbled with some ice cream and frozen custard (yum!) but then winter came and frozen yogurt became a less important part of my life.

But today my friend Paige invited me over for dinner and I thought I'd dust off the old ice cream maker and make some delicious Raspberry Swirl Frozen Yogurt to bring for dessert.

The best part? It only has four ingredients! And it's quick to make! 

Raspberry Swirl Vanilla Frozen Yogurt

Ingredients:
1 container whole milk yogurt
1 package frozen raspberries
2 tsp of vanilla extract
10 tbsp of sugar (I used raw turbinado sugar, but feel free to use white sugar)

Notes:
Alternatively, you can buy vanilla flavored yogurt, but I've found that the vanilla flavor isn't as strong when you freeze it. But if you use vanilla flavored yogurt, you can omit the sugar from the yogurt mixture.
Also, you can omit the sugar from the raspberries, but I highly recommend adding it to the yogurt (if you're using plain yogurt), as it helps balance the natural tang.

Directions:
Before you start, if you have an ice cream maker with a bowl you have to freeze, make sure it's completely frozen (freeze for 12-24 hours). Open the container of yogurt and mix it up to soften a bit. Stir in 6 tbsp of sugar and vanilla extract put back in the fridge.

Combine frozen raspberries and 4 tbsp of sugar in a medium saucepan on medium/high heat. When the raspberries are melted, reduce heat to low and simmer until reduced and almost jam-like (you want a compote consistency). Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Freeze yogurt and sugar mixture according to ice cream maker directions. Right before it's completely frozen (about 20 minutes, depending on the machine), remove the cover and slowly pour in raspberry mixture, letting the frozen yogurt swirl in the machine a few times before turning it off. Be careful not to overmix or you'll end up with raspberry flavored frozen yogurt instead of vanilla frozen yogurt with raspberry swirls--which might be just as delicious, but not what we're going for here!

Spoon the frozen yogurt into a container and freeze until firm (but don't forget to spoon a little bit into a bowl for taste testing before you put it back in the freezer!)

Enjoy your tasty homemade (and healthy!) dessert! 

Cashmere Coat Refashion

Remember when I showed you the 100% cashmere vintage coat I bought for $20?

Well, I finally got around to finishing my refashioning of it. 

After shortening it over a foot, chopping the sleeves in half, flaring them, using the part I cut off the bottom to make a giant Scottish Widow hood, adding two button holes and changing the buttons, and putting in a new Kate Spade-esque lining...

...this is what I came up with: 

Not too shabby, eh?

Valentine's Day Massacre Party

Last night my roommates and I had our Valentines Day Massacre Party. 

The original idea was just a 1920s Prohibition Era Party, but when we planned to have it so close to Valentine's Day, we thought making the Bugs Moran vs. Al Capone Valentine's Day mobster massacre part of our theme was a great idea.

We got all dressed up in our 1920s finest---flapper dresses and head pieces, pearls and cigarette holders, champagne and an attitude, with the boys in three piece suits and fedoras---and we took all sorts of photos (mugshots and more) and had a night of 1920s revelry.

 

It was a smashing success!

And I was extra proud of this party--not just because everyone dressed up and looked amazing--but because I made my dress and headpiece!

I couldn't find anything I liked in stores, so I used some black jersey and black lace I had on hand to make a backless tiered scallops lace tank dress. And armed with my glue gun I put together a head piece from from trimmings found in the garment district.

I love costume parties!

Fill In The Blank Friday on Saturday

1.   If money wasn't an issue, the first thing I'd cross of my life list is    traveling to every country in the world. Some of them more than once .

2.    Garlic in guacamole    is something I like that other people think is weird.  I know it's not supposed to go in it--and I don't usually put it in--but every once in a while it adds a little bit of kick!

3.  If my life were a movie right now, the title would be     "How to do Thirty Hours of Stuff in a Twenty-Four Hour Day." Not a very exciting movie, but that pretty much sums up how busy I feel these days! 

4.  Three things I am looking forward to this month are     the 1920s Prohibition Era Valentine's Day Massacre Costume Party my roommates and I are having next weekend  ,   working up to 11 miles on my training runs   and    possibly going home for a weekend to see my mom, and my little brother, who I haven't seen since Thanksgiving!

5.  My favorite song to sing in the shower is  none. I'm not a big shower singer .

6.  If I found out that the production of    Zico Coconut Water     was ending this month, I'd go out and buy as much as I could tomorrow.

7.  One thing I'll never grow tired of is    listening to Jazz  .

Sneak Peek

I have a little upcoming repurposing project in progress that I've been wanting to share with you, 

but it's not quite ready yet. 

This is the before:

A vintage 100% cashmere coat (do they even make those anymore?) in perfect condition that I picked up at a thrift shop for $20. 

The style is, of course, atrocious. 

And the size enormous. 

But I'm doing something fun with it...

...which I think you'll like!

Hint: It's très Kate Spade. 

Stay tuned! 

Polka Dot Chiffon

I recently ordered some adorable navy and white polka dot chiffon from a cute little Etsy shop, 

Sew What's New

They even sent me a bag of assorted buttons as a little treat! 

How sweet!

I had the idea of making a flowy summer dress or skirt.

But now that I've gotten it, I can't decide what to make with it! 

Do you have any fun patterns than work well with chiffon?

I'll take any suggestions you have! 

The Little Things That Brighten My Day

I'm not sure there's anything better than sunlight-colored flowers sitting in the sunlight.

And with the 57 degrees it was here today in New York, 

maybe these little guys will be sprouting up sooner than expected somewhere other than a glass in my room!

What are the little things that brighten your day?

Joyeux Anniversaire!

Yesterday was my 27th Birthday. 

I am officially in my late twenties. But I'm not too worried about it. 

As I told my roommates in a moment of tipsy optimism the night before, the reason I love birthdays (and I always have) is because each year of my life is better than the one before, so birthdays represent the end of something great, and the beginning of something even better!

My roommates and me, cramming ourselves into the hallway for a photo.

My roommates and I hosted a fancy little affair at our apartment, with drinks, hors d'oeuvres, and a smattering of all my favorite people in New York. 

I can't think of a better way to have rung in the beginning of my 28th year of life. 

Thank you everyone for being in my life and making it that much more amazing! 

Lemon Almond Meltaways

Today in Cambridge it's 9 degrees, but it feels like -6, according to weather.com.

I think it feels like -50, but I'm no meteorologist.

I had these grand plans to go for a run, but after deciding that I didn't want to freeze my lungs, I decided to bake instead.

I've had my eye on a recipe for lemon meltaways, but my mom loves almond cookies, so I decided to to both in one cookie!

Lemon Almond Meltaways

(Adapted from Lemon Meltaways)

Ingredients

1 cup flour

1 cup almond meal

2 Tbls (14g) cornstarch

1/4 tsp salt

12 Tbls (170g) butter, room temp

1 2/3 c confectioners' sugar, (260g) divided

Grated zest of 2 lemons

Freshly squeezed lemon juice from 2 lemons

1 Tbls pure vanilla extract

Directions

Zest and juice two lemons.

If you don't have almond meal, you can grind almonds in a food processor until they are grainy but not completely powdery. 

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, almond meal, and salt. Set aside. 

Almond Meal

Flour

Cornstarch

In another bowl, cream the butter and 1 cup sugar until fluffy. 

Add zest, juice, and vanilla, then beat until fluffy.

Sift half of the dry ingredients over the butter and mix until combined. Sift over the second half and mix until just combined. 

Divide the prepared dough into 2 or 3 parts and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 1 to 2 hours until thoroughly chilled. Meanwhile, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

After chilling, roll out one portion of the dough to a thickness of 1/4" - 1/8" on a lightly-floured surface. (Note: I didn't have time to refrigerate it for 2 hours, so I put it in the freezer half an hour and then rolled out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper so that it wouldn't stick). 

Using a small cutter (about 1"), cut out as many rounds as possible and transfer to the lined sheets. Re-roll scraps and place cut-outs in the freezer for at least 1 hour before baking. 

Preheat oven to 350F and place remaining 2/3 c  sugar in a large plastic bag. Bake cookies, spaced 1" apart, until just barely golden, 10-15 minutes. 

Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool slightly, 8-10 minutes, then drop the cookies into the sugar-filled bag and shake to coat (Note: I dusted the powdered sugar onto the cookies on a plate).

Store baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. 

Bon Appetit!