Hello everyone!
I’m here in Dallas spending time with friends and my parents. It’s freaking HOT (102 degrees) but I don’t care. I’m back at home, with my family and parents and having a great time. My mother’s surgery (kidney transplant) is next Tuesday and so we are just focusing on spending time together and enjoying it. Time for prayers but not time to be scared or worry.
Whenever we are back at home, I feel like we are always fixing things for my parents, eating, going out and eating more. After lunch yesterday, we spent a good part of the day fixing things and taking care of things for my dad. I so wish I could be here to help them out all the time but since I don’t live in Dallas anymore, we (the Hubs and I) just have to do as much as we can while we are here.
Last night, my dad came home from closing his restaurant and – over a glass or two of wine- gave Paul and I some advice about our upcoming move. My dad was/is always the one to sit us down and talk to us. Talk to us about the world, life, not comparing yourself to others (except when it came to studying; we had to be the top of our class), not trying to keep up with the Joneses and to live humbly.
What would we do without our parents to keep us straight?
I am so thankful for mine.
And I’m very thankful for friends. My friends have helped me keep new posts and recipes on the blog while I was on vacation and now while I am in Dallas spending time with family and friends. I’m so thankful for 
Here’s Nancy!
As you’re reading this post, my good friend Alice will be in Dallas with her family for a very important reason. Alice has written about this before on her blog so I don’t feel like I’m giving away anything too personal: her dear mum, a hardworking, loving, tough-as-nails lady who sounds an awful lot like my own mum, is getting a kidney transplant. The donor is Alice’s sister, Grace, bless her heart. I can’t imagine the selflessness and sacrifice behind that amazing, loving act. Would I give of myself in the same way for my mom? No question about it, I’d do it in a heartbeat. I’m terrified of surgery (I’ve never needed it, thank goodness) but I’d do anything for my mom.
Alice will be there as a source of love, support and most importantly, cooking for her sister and mom. This is a tight-knit family, yo – they’ve got each other’s backs. Just like I’ve got Alice’s back. When she asked if I would mind guest posting for her while she’s away, I didn’t even need to think about my answer.
I can’t believe it’s already August. Where the heck has the summer gone? When I was a kid, I’d spend each day running around with all the neighbourhood kids and I wouldn’t go home until dinnertime. It’d be torture when that damn ice cream man came driving around in his tantalizing truck full of treats because my parents couldn’t afford to give me money to buy any. I’d sit there while all my friends munched on their popsicles, fudgesicles and Oreo ice cream sandwiches (my favourite), or sucked contentedly on those giant freezies.
The Husband and I live next to a park and now that it’s summer, the ice cream man comes several times a day. Hearing those tunes really makes me nostalgic and it warms my heart to see that kids still buy the stuff. The Husband and I bought ourselves a Rocket and a fudgesicle two years ago to relive our youth. We were pretty devastated to find that they tasted terrible. I don’t know if it’s because they just tasted better before or our taste buds have changed.
You know what doesn’t taste terrible and in fact, tastes like everything that’s good and pure in the world? Homemade ice cream. That’s what I’m making for Alice today because hey, ice cream rocks, it’s summer time and nothing soothes the body and soul more than this frozen treat. The best part? You don’t need an ice cream machine. Yup. You’re welcome.
S’mores Mud Pie
Graham Cracker Crust:
Grease a pie plate. In a bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter. Press into the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Cover the crust with an even layer of mini marshmallows. Pop the plate into your oven or toaster oven and broil for about 5 minutes, only until the tops of the marshmallows become golden. Watch it carefully – you don’t want the marshmallows to burn. Set aside to cool.
Ice Cream Filling
In a bowl, mix together the condensed milk and melted chocolate. Pour that into a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer. Pour in the whipping cream and mix it together with a rubber spatula or spoon. Using the whisk attachment, whip the mixture until it forms medium firm peaks (this should take about 10 minutes).
Pour the mixture into the pie crust and place in the freezer for at least 6 hours. Take the mud pie out 10 minutes before serving. You don’t want the ice cream to start melting but it’s a bit too hard to cut into when it’s directly out of the freezer. Dip your knife into hot water for easier slicing.
Guest Post: S'mores Mud Pie from Gotta Get Baked
Ingredients
For the Graham Cracker Crust:
- 1 ½ cups of graham cracker crumbs
- ¼ cup melted butter
- Approximately 1 ½ cups of mini marshmallows
For the Ice Cream Filling:
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk 14 ounces
- 1 cup cold whipping cream I recommend increasing this to 1 1/2 cups – my final product was a bit too sweet for my taste
- 4 ounces melted dark chocolate
Instructions
For the Graham Cracker Crust:
- Grease a pie plate. In a bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter. Press into the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Cover the crust with an even layer of mini marshmallows. Pop the plate into your oven or toaster oven and broil for about 5 minutes, only until the tops of the marshmallows become golden. Watch it carefully – you don’t want the marshmallows to burn. Set aside to cool.
For the Ice Cream Filling:
- In a bowl, mix together the condensed milk and melted chocolate. Pour that into a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer. Pour in the whipping cream and mix it together with a rubber spatula or spoon. Using the whisk attachment, whip the mixture until it forms medium firm peaks (this should take about 10 minutes).
- Pour the mixture into the pie crust and place in the freezer for at least 6 hours.
- Take the mud pie out 10 minutes before serving. You don’t want the ice cream to start melting but it’s a bit too hard to cut into when it’s directly out of the freezer. Dip your knife into hot water for easier slicing.
This was so good, I ate most of it myself *cue shame face*. My only complaint was that it was a bit too sweet, which is why I might use more whipping cream the next time or a chocolate with less sugar. Otherwise, you can’t go wrong with S’mores in ice cream form.
Alice, I hope the transplant goes smoothly and that your sister and mom will recover quickly. I’m thinking about all of you and sending virtual hugs, kisses and S’mores mud pie!
