Cold, wet, cold, cold, wet! I think you all know I am talking about what winter’s been like for the lot of us. I thought a cold winter was miserable enough before I had a kid, but when you live with a little dynamo, indoor days are not much fun. I’ve been doing what I can to keep Tristan entertained, which mostly means trips to the California Academy of Sciences. If you haven’t been, it’s pretty amazing; we’ve got a membership so if you’d like to go, schedule a date with us. Our membership covers up to four adults and accompanying children under 10. Tristan is most infatuated with the fish. His two favorite stops are the Philippine reef, where he can find Dory and Nemo, and the octopus tank, where he likes to practice his sign for octopus. Unfortunately, the octopus has been “hiding” for the past four or five weeks (spoiler alert: I think it’s dead.)
We’ve also made a few trips up to Tahoe. You may have heard that Tristan and Glenn got stuck on the road for about three hours on what should have been a 30-minute ride. I am very glad I was not in the car because I probably would have been throwing the biggest tantrum. Tristan loves the snow, though, and he actually really enjoys the ride up to the mountains, especially on days when we see lots of trucks.
Tristan continues to learn new words. Highlights include “bridge,” “Ike,” and “grandma.” He has started putting together 3- and 4-word sentences. The best was when he said, “Uh-oh! Hot dog!” at breakfast the other day. For those of you who don’t know, this was the catch phrase of one of Bobby Lee’s characters on Mad TV (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=logIglT9ZgI.)
It’s been a long, cold, rainy (or snowy) winter for most of us. There have been a few brief warm spells here and there, but spring seems a long way off to most of us. I decided to usher in my own tropical heat with some tasty coconut and pineapple ice cream. Of course, booze makes everything taste better, so I added a little rum to the mix. Don’t worry; the alcohol evaporates so you don’t have to worry about any tropical hangovers.
Pina Colada Ice Cream
1 can organic coconut milk
1 ¼ c almond milk
½ c granulated sugar
½ t vanilla
½ can crushed pineapple
¾ c dark rum
2 generous pinches coriander
½ t vanilla
Place coconut milk, almond milk, and granulated sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until sugar is dissolved and coconut meat is incorporated. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla. Chill in refrigerator for about an hour.
Meanwhile, place pineapple, rum, coriander, and vanilla in a large frying pan over medium-low heat and stir well. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until pineapple darkens and almost all of the liquid is evaporated. Allow the mixture to cool in the pan.
Put coconut milk mixture in ice cream maker and prepare according to ice cream maker’s specifications. As soon as milk begins to freeze, approx. 10-15 minutes, add pineapple, and continue to mix until ice cream is solid. Transfer ice cream to a container and freeze for several hours before enjoying.
