Farmer's Market Trip

Onions and Potatoes in a Naomi Cleary Bowl I bought at Art Star.
Fresh Basil that made my car smell delicious on the ride home.
Asparagus and English Peas sitting in the fridge.

This morning I had to drop Michael off at the Hon Fest in Hampden, for those who do not know what a "hon" is just think big beehives, spandex leopard print, cat's eye glasses and John Waters. You'll get the picture. Since I was up and out of the house early I made a stop at the Waverly farmer's market which is on my way home from Hampden. This was my first trip there this season and oh how I missed it! I'm glad they only take cash because it helps me limit my spending, I go crazy for fresh produce:) I have a system for walking the market, I have to do a lap around first so I can see who has the best stuff and the best prices. Then I get the stuff that looks like it's going fast, like strawberries and asparagus. Followed by the heavy stuff like potatoes and squash and finally... anything that needs to stay cold like butter and cheese or delicate like lettuce. The market seemed to grow a little this year and is extending out into the main street a little so I had to walk it about 3 times to get all my goodies. Since this week also brought me a new camera lens (so excited!) I thought I'd take some pictures of my veggies to share here. I'll be cooking like crazy this week to use up all that I bought! Do you have a favorite market near you?

Nutella Ice Cream

This past Sunday we had a little BBQ to celebrate my leaving teaching (no, not yet, June 19th) and because our friend Andrew was in town from La. One of the things I made for dessert was my friend Karen's recipe for Nutella Ice Cream. It was a big hit and there was only a little bit left for an afternoon snack today. The pictures are not great due to a bit of freezer burn on the still delicious ice cream but I wanted to share anyway. You'll have to visit Karen's site and check out all her great recipes:) And I promise to post more than just food soon, but I have been cooking a lot lately and who doesn't love food?

Nutella Ice Cream

1 jar (13 ounces) Nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Using a hand or standing mixer, mix the Nutella and sugar until smooth. Add the milk and mix on low speed until the sugar is dissolved, about 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla.

Turn the ice cream machine on; pour the mixture into freezer bowl, and let mix until thickened, about 25 to 35 minutes. The ice cream will have a soft, creamy texture. If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours. Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving.

Melt in your mouth cookies

Today I spent some time in the kitchen making a batch of melt-in-your-mouth cookies so I could update my recipe card that I give out to my customers. I am trying to practice my photography skills (for a new top secret project I'm working on) and since I don't have any new work left from last weekend's show I will post my pictures of baking day until the next kiln load. Let me know what you think.
For inquiring minds, these cookies are a vintage recipe that produce a very delicate and buttery cookie. Somewhere between a shortbread and a sugar cookie? They were some of my favorite growing up and I still love them! The only problem is that all I ate today was cookies!!!