CREAMY LEMON-ORANGE GELATO AND SOME RANDOM RANDOMNESS.......

"Guys don't make passes........

at girls who wear glasses".........

But who gives a S*%T!  After all, I'm blind as a bat these days, have about 30 pair of expensive tri-focal, no-lines lenses, can't wear contacts because of my stupid A.I. disease, and yet my guy thinks THIS particular pair makes me look bookishly sexy hot. After 25 plus years, why, I think I'll keep him!

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So, did I ever tell you how absolutely SPECIAL our mutt, Willie Nelson Willard, truly is? He's bow-legged, has some neurological issues with his legs, AND he's sway-backed, like a horse. For reals. He's also on Prednisone, which makes him kinda tubba-wubba, too.............

His days here on Earth are probably limited, so B.A. and I like to spoil him rotten....like with this sweet, stylin' little number I picked up on Amazon.....jealous? Thought so. It's lined with REAL wool........

If Sexy Jack the 16 year old cat ever went outside in the winter, you'd better believe he'd get one, too......

The coolest thing about this jacket? Why, the nifty pocket for Willie's I-Phone. Alll the dawgs on the block have I-Phones these days, doncha know..........

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So, for Christmas this year I decided to surprise B.A. with an ice cream maker, because there is NOTHING B.A. loves more than a big dish of good old-fashioned ice cream. Started out buying him a mid-priced number at Target, and I was so excited to whip up a batch of peppermint stick ice cream for Christmas night. Which ended in disaster--the darned thing didn't work at all. Love it when that happens.........

A few days after Christmas, I took the stupid thing back to Target and walked my sorry butt over to Macy's to do what I should have done, all along : just bite the bullet and get the KitchenAid ice cream maker attachment for my stand mixer. Which NOT ON SALE runs around $150. But here's why I love Macy's more than most things--they have a "Macy's Club" card deal that really pays off, the more you shop. So I ended up getting the contraption I really wanted for less than what I paid for that piece of crap at Target--around $50! Oh my goodness do I ever love a deal.....and, the KitchenAid version really works well.....so easy to learn to use, with only a few parts...........

The mixer comes with a few recipes....tried out their vanilla bean ice cream recipe, and it was terrific! Can't wait for summer to experiment with fresh berries, sorbets and low-fat frozen yogurts. Yesterday I tried their Creamy Lemon-Orange Gelato because B.A. loves anything with citrus, AND the recipe is super low calorie, low fat.

Around here, we have to drive to the next town over for great Gelato, and the little Gelato stand is only open in the summertime. So I am very excited to be able to make this dessert treat in my own home, any time we get a hankering! I thought the addition of whole coffee beans in this recipe was interesting, along with the lemon and orange peel......

The preparation for this recipe takes a few minutes, but the end results are more than worth the time investment--promise! To begin, scald 2 % milk with the orange and lemon peel and some coffee beans......

In a medium bowl, whisk 5 egg yolks with sugar.....

Now you will need to "temper" the eggs, which basically means that you will slowly add about half of the scalded milk mixture INTO the egg yolks, so that your eggs don't scramble!.........

Then return the yolks to saucepan with the remaining milk. Stir over low heat until mixture thickens--about 8 minutes......

Strain into a bowl, and cool in the refrigerator until chilled thoroughly. Then, just follow your ice cream maker's instructions.....I poured the chilled mix into my mixer, and in about 20 minutes had a very soft Gelato. Then, I froze for a few hours in a plastic container, and.....VOILA! Homemade Gelato that was TO. DIE. FOR.........

Here's the recipe......

KITCHENAID'S CREAMY LEMON-ORANGE GELATO

Makes about 4 1-cup servings

2 cups 2 % milk

4 strips orange peel (about 2 inches by 3 / 4 inch wide)

4 strips lemon peel (same measurement)

6 coffee beans

5 egg yolks

3 / 4 cup sugar

Scald milk with orange peel, lemon peel and coffee beans in heavy medium saucepan.

Whisk yolks and sugar in medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk half of milk mixutre into yolks. Return yolks to saucepan with remaining milk. Stir over low heat until mixture thickens slightly and leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, about 8 minutes; do not boil. Strain into medium bowl. Refrigerate until well chilled. Follow ice cream maker's instructions for freezing...transfer ice cream to airtight container and freeze for several hours to allow flavors to ripen.

TODAY I'M SO GRATEFUL FOR.....

***Our daughter, who is our hero. She has been basically solo during this settling-in period in Paris, and has been such a brave, self-sufficient and adventurous girl!

***The opportunities that our daughter has....just the other day she saw an original Monet watercolor that stretched over three ROOMS wide at a Paris museum, and she is learning to speak only French with the locals.....

***The clothes and jewelry she left behind...it's like I have a whole new wardrobe! Hee hee..........