New Picture

So I want to refresh the look of my blog soon, but for now we have a new picture. That's me a couple weeks ago on a camping trip.

Lunar Eclipse (08-28-07)

Let's get at least one August post in here...

These pics I took last night and with my new Nikon D40 through Jesse's binoculars (which I kind of had to beg him to use). So, thanks to Jesse's kindness and my persistence I managed to get these shots...better than I thought I'd get through the simple small pair of binochs. The pictures are somewhat edited in Picasa. I mainly just clarified them a bit and did some cropping. That's not a crime, is it? Thanks for having a look!

There the eclipse is happening.

This is called "moon writing". It's an art that is harder than it may seem.

Bagpipes at the top of Half Dome

Whens the next performance!

Homemade Mint Chip Ice Cream

We made this Ice Cream for the fourth and it turned out (or churned out) exceptionally well. This recipe makes a large, family sized batch, so, unless you have a big enough ice cream maker, you might cut it down a bit. Or, if you’re having a party, make a couple batches!

We have had problems, and maybe you have too, with the ice cream freezing too hard. This recipe with this preparation froze to a really nice consistency. There is some left over in the freezer right now and it’s still quite soft.

I used almost a half pound of Trader Joe’s 72% dark chocolate. It was awesome, especially if you like chocolate. Some thought it wasn’t sweet enough and that there was too much. And then some, myself included, thought it was just right. If you're using a chunk of chocolate like I did, slice / shave it, then chop it up a bit. You should know when it is chopped to the right size...just feel it. (: After you have shaved and chopped the chocolate, you'll notice that there is a powder that as accumulated. I think it is best to sift that out...you just want chunks in the ice cream; you don't want that powder to turn it in any way brown. It was super easy to sift it out just using an ordinary plastic strainer (a sieve would probably work too).

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Makes 6 quarts

4 cups (2 pints) whipping cream
1 qt half and half
6 cups whole milk

17 egg yolks
28 oz sugar

3 tsp peppermint extract (flavorganics is what we used)
6 to 8 oz chopped dark chocolate
12 drops of green

Heat the milk ingredients to a low simmer. Meanwhile, separate the egg yolks into a medium to large sized bowl. Wisk the yokes until they have lightened in color and about doubled in volume. Add the sugar slowly to the yolks.

Scoop out some of the milk (a quarter to a third) and slowly pour it into the yolks to temper them. Be sure to be whisking the yolks while pouring the hot milk into them, it works best with two people. Now stir the tempered mixture into the rest of the hot milk. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches 170° to 175°. Turn of heat and pour into a refrigerator proof bowl with a lid. Chill the mixture for 4 hours or preferably overnight.

Churn the ice cream in your maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions and blah blah blah. Now you can either add the extract, chocolate and green in a little before the ice cream is done churning and let the ice cream maker do the work or you can stir it in yourself. We had to stir it in because we didn’t get it in the maker soon enough. And when our ice cream maker stops, it stops.

Transfer the ice cream to a container and freeze it for at least 4 hours before serving.

Life’s short. Enjoy eating ice cream. And by the way, happy Independence Day!!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe

And Happy Father's Day!

Well I haven't posted since Mother's Day and it's already Father's Day! We'll be spending the day with my Grandpa (my dad's dad). I am truly blessed to have him as my Grandpa and he (and his dad) have given me a rich, rich heritage. Though he has gone through a lot, including losing his wife when my dad was young, he has never forsaken his family or the Lord, on whom he continues to lay his faith and trust to this day. My Grandpa is a very generous man and he has a big heart for missions. He is a great example and I think he has passed on some of his vision to me. God bless you Grandpa!

I believe when they put her in the ground
I think they buried part of me
Because I've been searching, I've been looking all around
But I cannot find the heart of me, the heart of me

So I'll put my fingers in this soil upon her grave
And I will plant for her a garden
And every flower, a reminder of her face
Will grow up graceful as a pardon

And all that grows is her story told
As life unfolds here before us
The peace I've found in this broken ground
I can see her in the harvest...of all that I have sown

Long before I was covered up in gray
Before the old had bent my bones
We grew our children in the red Georgia clay
They were our garden and our home

And all that grows is our story told
As life unfolds here before us
The peace we found in that broken ground
I can see them in the harvest...of all that I have sown

And when my life is done
I pray the kingdom come
And take me to Glory
It's living inside me
It was planted like a seed
All to tell a story

I believe when they put me in the ground
There will remain a part of me
Because I've been searching, and the joy that I have found
Is living in my family...it's all that I have sown

All That I Have Sown - Bebo