straw-melon ice cream
There are many things I Heart. Ice Cream from fresh fruits. Family. Creative Expression.
shopping w/ my brother franz + nik, forever sleeping at parties, dave chapelle, us cuz', w/ mos def, me, franz + nik years ago, we sistas
Recently the genius Dave Chapelle had my real-life cousin open with her show, I Heart Lola. Nikki frequently opens for him, but this is the first time she did her one-women show about losing our Lola's to dementia. Lola means Grandma in Tagalog. Really it was about her Lola, but the story is the same.
Our Grandma Estrella was brilliant & crazy as long as we knew her. Our Dad's moms were lovely & domestic & fed us ice cream. And they totally lost it while we were adults. It sounds harsh to say that, but it's just true. We both wish we could scoop up our lola's & serve them sweet treats 24/7. Mine is gone now, & I so miss her, but laughing helps. It always helps.
I cried & giggled through the show, but laughed hard going home. Back stage a very sweet Mos Def was gracious with me while I said silly things like, "I know you, don't I?" "Are you from San Francisco?" "No, New Orleans, ever been?" I had no idea who he was. Mega-star that he is. I thought for sure we used to hang as teenagers.
Fair Warning :: You can work in the entertainment industry, but if your home is media-free, you are in for some embarrassing moments.
Nikki inspired this recipe. Marvel at her city-charm in Mickey-D commercial & I Heart Lola trailer below.
Straw-Melon Ice Cream
8 small strawberries
1 large sweet melon that's soft at the ends
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup raw honey
4 T powdered organic sugar
Blend all. Pour into ice cream maker. For fun with the littles, save a few bits of strawberries & cut circles out of a thin melon slice. Let them decorate & take pics of their desert.
We are so lucky to live in a part of the world with so many fruit trees, good soil & and access to organic dairy. I wish I could tell you what kind of melon this is, but I can't. My 10 year-old friend Oliver & I were sharing seeds as I set up our soil trays & I didn't think to label which plants went where. So our garden has been a complete surprise this past season. All I know was that this was a big-a** neon yellow melon with a mango-like flavor. I am all about hard ice cream with a bit of milk to make crystals while D & the boys crave gelato with it's frozen milk-shake consistency. Even with other melons, this recipe makes a cloud-fluffy cream that is somehow icey and really smooth & creamy. It makes for a nice family walk around the block.
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i heart nicole maxali. join me at her show this month!!
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