Le dessert

Every once in a while, we like to pretend that it's actually summer here (even though most days it's still cold and rainy and I have to wear a sweatshirt to walk the dogs), and the best way to enjoy summer is, of course, with ice cream. I love all kinds of ice cream and I love to make sorbets and gelatos at home, but there has always been a special place in my heart for Drumsticks. The chocolate covered tops, the caramel cores, the little plug of chocolate at the bottom of the cone... Mmmmm. The problem is, I could never share this love of Drumsticks with my favorite person and partner in ice cream eating because Ben does not eat nuts. Ever. He just doesn't like them in any form. And if you're tempted to ask, "Not even _____ (pistachios, peanut butter, almonds, etc)?" The answer is no. No nuts. So Drumsticks in every form are out of the question because they are always covered in peanuts.

So imagine my delight when I found this, a recipe on one of my favorite blogs for homemeade drumsticks. That's ingenious! Such a simple idea! Why hadn't we thought of it? Even better, our local grocery store actually sold sugar cones for a brief period of time! (Because of course the commissary doesn't have them.) We stocked up while we could, and have been working on perfecting our drumstick making techniques this summer. We made them again a couple nights ago, and I think we're getting pretty good. Allow me to share with you the magic of ice cream and chocolate from the Morrison kitchen.

First, we found a delicious ice cream flavor, no boring vanilla for our cones! And improvised a way to keep the cones upright for freezing periods in between steps. Little glasses work well, but we've also cut out holes in a cardboard box to serve as a cone-holder. We like using the glasses because we can easily move them around and work with one cone while sticking the others in the freezer if needed. Before scooping I spooned a tiny bit of melted chocolate into the bottom of each cone to act as a plug and then stuck them in the freezer for a few minutes to let it set. Then, Ben got to scoopin'.

After scooping the ice cream, we make holes in each one for a caramel center. The caramel is, in our opinion, the very best part of the drumstick.

Next, the carmelling! I feel like a mad scientist with my syringe of caramel deliciousness. The squeezable bottles of caramel topping work just as well, but aren't nearly as exciting.


After that step the cones need to go in the freezer for a few hours to harden so they don't melt and drip and fall apart during our next step. While they are chilling, we assemble our toppings: chocolate for dipping, and white chocolate, butterscotch chips, rainbow sprinkles, and chocolate espresso beans as substitutes for the dreaded peanuts. We've also used crushed Oreos in the past and they were pretty delicious, too.

When the cones are good and frozen, we dip...

And add toppings...

And voilà! Homemade drumsticks! With better ice cream, better chocolate, and tastier toppings than the original! Yum!

Now quit reading our blog and go eat some ice cream!

Little updates (now with pictures!)

It's been more or less quiet in the Morrison house lately. For those who didn't know, Ben had a two week trip back to Chicago for work purposes recently. I didn't say much about it on here because he chose to be sneaky and not tell his family about the trip until he drove down to McLeansboro on Friday night and showed up on their doorstep. Needless to say, they were very surprised and very happy to see him. I was back here in the Netherlands, very pregnant and very jealous. But also very happy that he got to go because a trip where he got to see his best friend and his family was exactly what he's been needing lately.

As for news from the Netherlands, just a few small updates. First, as of this week we finally have the nursery all organized. The baby clothes are washed and put away, as are the sheets, blankets, hats, bibs, washcloths, etc etc etc. We bought an shelf for bathroom baby stuff and a small wardrobe for the stroller, diaper bags, toys, etc downstairs (since we don't have the luxury of built-in closets around here). We spent many hours Ikea shopping, assembling, and organizing, and we are happy to report that when the baby comes we will be "ready".

The finished nursery!


Our other news may shock some of you a little. For dinner one night this week, I made a stir fry. It was absolutely delicious. I found a really yummy sweet chili and soy stir fry sauce at our local grocery store, so I tried it out with scallions, snow peas, portabella mushrooms... and tofu. Now, the tofu isn't a crazy thing for me. I'm a tree hugging hippie like that. But the shocker is this: Ben not only ate it, but he really enjoyed it. In fact when I asked if he liked it enough so that I could use up the rest of the tofu on dinner the next night, he said sure. What?! So really, our current big news is not the impending birth of our first child, but the impending addition of tofu to our regular meals. The only way I could be more excited is if he suddenly agreed to start eating hazelnuts.

And for anyone who is counting/curious, I'm 38 weeks along, 2 weeks from the due date. So we probably won't have too many exciting stories or anecdotes for a little while. This weekend we're just going to enjoy some simple pleasures like going to Starbucks and our favorite tapas restaurant, maybe catching a movie and sleeping in. Just savoring one of the last quiet adult weekends we'll have for a while. Next weekend is Ben's birthday and, provided we don't have an early baby arrival, we probably do a repeat. Dinner, coffee, relax. We might even go to brunch if we're feeling crazy. And we are currently accepting applications for houseguests/babysitters so that we can plan another dinner out sometime before we move back to the U.S. Any takers?

Added photo bonus! Me, 38 weeks, ready for a night out! Wooo!

Quick Baby Update

Saw the doctor this week. I'll be going enough in the next few weeks that I feel like they should engrave my name on one of the waiting room chairs. The baby is still happy and healthy and growing like a champ.

And I got an ultrasound which showed his very chubby head.


He's looking like a real baby now! And in one week, I'll technically be full term and he'll be cleared for landing. However, my due date isn't for another 4 weeks, and he's been pretty cozy in there and we're not expecting him any time early.

Just a quick update for the baby watchers out there!