I’m an idea person. You know what I mean? I get really excited about new concepts and novel ways to combine things. It’s my nature. After I created this blog, I started to get bigger and better ideas about food. Through my camera lens, I saw ingredients broken down into colors and textures. Then the flavors seemed more abstract, and I learned that I could combine them like paint on an artist’s palette. Every new-to-me cooking technique is a revelation, every new kitchen gadget a new tool. I say that I won the jackpot when this little side project of mine turned into a full-fledged food blog, because food blogging suits me so well. I love that my day job lets me work from home and spend more time on this blog. Most days, it’s just me, my dog and my ideas, and I’m happy. I literally get to taste my ideas—sometimes they are good and sometimes they are bad—but they’re always satisfying. It’s all about the learning process.
I decided to write about this subject today because I was just complaining to my friend that writing these posts is the hardest part. You see, when I get excited about a recipe concept, it’s off to the races. I daydream about it, I research it, I make my grocery list, and then I go home and make it. Maybe it’s no good and it dies there. Maybe it has potential and evolves into something different, but better. Maybe I get lucky and it’s just right on the first try. I make it again while tweaking my notes and photographing the process, and then I edit the photos. All this time, I’m in the zone. I couldn’t tell you how much time I spend standing on a chair and leaning over the table with my camera like a crazy person, because I lose track of the minutes while I’m doing it.
Then comes the writing. Frankly, sometimes I don’t have anything to write about, because I’ve been hanging out with my dog and my ideas for too long. Sometimes, I want to spout off about a subject like dating in the Midwest, but I censor myself because my parents and potential boyfriends might read it (ugh). Most of the time, I’m so ready to share my latest concept that I just want to hit the “publish” button. That’s how I was feeling earlier about this fro-yo, before I chugged a cup of coffee and went on a tangent about ideas. Ideas, man! Maybe you cook for other reasons entirely. I think most people cook by necessity, or for health reasons. Some find great satisfaction in cooking for loved ones. Some, like me, enjoy the creative aspect of it. I cook because I have ideas about food, and I love sharing my ideas once I’ve figured out how to execute them. So whether you’re stopping by this blog for inspiration, a recipe for tonight’s dinner, or just to escape from your workday, I’m just glad you’re here.
I should probably talk a little about this delicious blueberry frozen yogurt. Every bite starts with the flavor of honey, followed by a bracing combination of tart lemon and tangy yogurt, and lastly, the taste of sweet summer blueberries. It’s like, whoa. Unlike a lot of homemade ice cream concoctions, this one is scoopable straight out of the freezer. That’s the magic of combining full fat goodness (i.e. yogurt) with honey (which never freezes solid) in an ice cream maker. If you have an ice cream maker, this fro-yo is totally worth the effort to make. I hope you’ll give it a shot soon.
P.s. Every time I publish an ice cream recipe, I get questions about ice cream makers. I’m a big fan of this Cuisinart ice cream maker. It’s a pretty affordable option (around $80) and yields a lot of delicious, creamy ice cream (2 quarts at a time). On the downside, you have to freeze the canister for over 24 hours before use, which takes up freezer space, and it is a little noisy while running. I also have a fancy new Breville ice cream maker, courtesy of Sur la Table. It’s nice because it has its own freezing component, so I can just pour in a chilled mixture inside and hit start. However, it is large and heavy, prohibitively expensive, and only yields 1.5 quarts ice cream. So there you have it.
