seven more years: savannah buttermint ice cream

buttermint ice cream

It’s been one of those weeks and it’s nice to have a cloudy Sunday morning to reflect back on things. There was a bit of big news: we bought a car. Now, for most people, it’s kind of a no-brainer to have a car. But I’ve never owned or really even wanted a car. We live pretty much in the centre of things and I love exploring on foot, by bike or even by bus. But now we own a 2005 silver little hatchback and it’s like our world has opened up exponentially. We can, at the drop of a hat, head out into the mountains for a hike or cross the border to visit friends. Freedom and cars always seemed like such an advertising ploy or a teenage fantasy, but it’s true! I didn’t think I’d be so much in love with the idea of car ownership, but I’m smitten. While I do have my license, I actually haven’t driven in 20 years, so I’ll need a bit of practice to brush up and get over my fears. After biking through traffic and scowling at cars who don’t pay attention to cyclists, I’ve got quite a bit of fear to get over. Baby steps and parking lot practice, here I come!

Then came Valentine’s Day and if you didn’t know it already, I’m a sucker for love. I don’t care that it’s a greeting card holiday one bit. I love pinks and reds and flowers (though tulips over roses, please). And I love fussing over my husband. I always make a card from scratch and this year I even made a little 8 song mix over at 8tracks that you are more than welcome to listen to. But it was our dinner that night that was so fantastic and perfect. There was a perfectly seasoned steak that I cooked in the oven at very low heat (200F) for 10 minutes per side before searing on the stove. Perfect medium-rare insides and a lovely crust outside. Yum. Oven roasted herbed potatoes that were crisp on the outside and soft and perfect inside. A raw mixed vegetable asian slaw and steamed brussels sprouts completed our plate. But it was dessert that gilded the lily.

buttermint ice cream

My favorite brownie recipe plus a small scoop of buttermint ice cream put the biggest smile on Cornelius’ face. The thing is, I had spied the ice cream recipe quite a while ago on the kitchn, but I was put off by the addition of butter extract. Butter extract, really?? It sounded gross and I’m generally against single-use tools and ingredients. So I had pretty much made up my mind that I’d be giving this recipe a pass. But when I found myself in the baking section of my favorite kitchen shop the day before Valentine’s Day, I grabbed the little bottle of butter extract and that was it, buttermint ice cream, here I come.

buttermint ice cream

The original recipe calls for turmeric to stain the ice cream yellow which sounded all fine and good. Except that I was making this for Valentine’s Day and I was jonesing for pink. Plus, it makes sense as it recalls the pastel buttermint candies that I loved as a kid with their pale pinks, greens and yellows. The recipe itself is super simple and I like that it doesn’t contain eggs. It does require a bit of cream cheese which adds to the creamy texture. It’s a good trick – the ice cream didn’t get rock hard after spending a couple days in the freezer which is a good thing. Another discovery was drizzling melted white chocolate (I used Callebault…the good stuff here) while the ice cream churned, adding thin shards of crispy chocolate ribbons throughout. Incredible! And because I was already preheating the oven at a low temperature (200F), I decided to melt the chocolate in a small cast iron pan in the oven. The chocolate melted perfectly and quickly….no fussing with a double boiler! Genius!

Yup, I’ll be making this again. Tinted pale green for St. Patrick’s Day? Why not!

happy birthday everybody likes sandwiches!

One more thing, today is this blog’s 7th birthday. Seven years of Everybody Likes Sandwiches! Not bad run, I think. I’ve learned a lot of new things here in this public space – about cooking and myself. Here’s to seven more years! Anyway, thank you so much for reading and commenting and sending me emails. I don’t think my life would be quite so awesome without this space for me to vent and share. I’m grateful.

elsewhere: Earlier this week at Poppytalk, I baked up a big dish of comfort. Creamy mac and cheese with cauliflower and chard. Delicious and simple. Go check out the recipe!

buttermint ice cream

41 comments to “seven more years: savannah buttermint ice cream”

  1. 1
    vanillasugarblog   February 19, 2012 at 3:47 pm

    seeing that i am an ice cream junkie, i will be printing this out STAT.
    happy seven years girl!
    love you and love your creations!

  2. 2
    Tricia   February 19, 2012 at 4:06 pm

    7 years! You go! And ice cream to boot! My kind of party! Love the no eggs bit too – always makes me a teeny bit twitchy, because not so secretely, I have issues.

  3. 3
    Elena   February 19, 2012 at 4:11 pm

    wow, seven years! that is ancient in blog-years 😉
    big congrats and keep up the good work. you are an inspiration!

  4. 4
    Joanne (Bijoux)   February 19, 2012 at 4:17 pm

    This buttermint ice cream sounds delicious. I recall those pastel buttermint candies from my childhood, and I too, loved them. Butter extract, as unusual as it may sound, is used a lot in the baking industry. I still need to find me some. First, congratulations again on your new car! Second, congratulations on reaching your 7 years in blogging & yes, please make it 7 more…or 8 even 🙂

  5. 5
    Joss   February 19, 2012 at 5:09 pm

    A Happy 7 years and many more to you 🙂
    I also love Valentines day…I just love, love!

  6. 6
    Jacqui   February 19, 2012 at 5:18 pm

    Congrats on 7 years!! I love that you’ve never owned a car! If it wasn’t for my constant need to head to the ocean or mountains, I wouldn’t really need one either. Have fun 🙂

  7. 7
    Jessica @ Quirky Bookworm   February 19, 2012 at 7:58 pm

    1. That ice cream sounds DELICIOUS!
    2. Congrats on the car! How fun.
    3. Happy Anniversary! Seven years is a REALLY long time in the blogosphere. 🙂

  8. 8
    renee@sweetsugarbean   February 19, 2012 at 8:22 pm

    Happy 7 Years! Can’t wait to see what the next 7 will bring. Enjoy your new wheels!

  9. 9
    Kasey   February 19, 2012 at 8:47 pm

    I bought my 1st car (aside from the years of hand-me-downs) last year because I needed it to commute to my new job and I felt exactly the way you did! Living in San Francisco for years, I had gotten accustomed to being car-less, but having a car totally shrank time and space for me. It’s like you say; the world opened up. Happy 7 year blog-o-versary! That’s a huge feat and I must say, this buttermint ice cream sure feels like the right way to celebrate. Hurrah!

  10. 10
    Papelera   February 19, 2012 at 9:57 pm

    Ohhh we love your blog… and we follow it.

  11. 11
    Amanda @ Once Upon a Recipe   February 19, 2012 at 10:07 pm

    Congratulations are in order – for the car and for the blogiversary! I only came across your blog about a year ago, but I guarantee that I will be following along for the next 7 years! Keep up the great work!

  12. 12
    tea_austen   February 19, 2012 at 10:08 pm

    You are adorable, as are your outrageously cute spoons. I am so glad you started your blog seven years ago, so I could stumble on it one day and become friends!
    And a car? whoo hoo! Does this mean I’ll get to see you more often? (though I think it’s my turn to come north, yes?:-). xox

  13. 13
    tea_austen   February 19, 2012 at 10:09 pm

    PS. I’m a tulip girl too. Totally.

  14. 14
    Tandy   February 20, 2012 at 12:11 am

    popped in to say hello from Celi’s blog! Congrats on 7 years, that is a big achievement 🙂

  15. 15
    Joanne   February 20, 2012 at 3:33 am

    The way you felt about owning a car is the way I felt about learning to drive. I resisted for YEARS until my family convinced me otherwise…and now I love it. Wouldn’t give it up for the world.

    I’ve never actually heard of buttermint before but it sounds delicious! I’m glad the extract purchase was worth it.

    Happy SEVEN years! Wow, what a feat!

  16. 16
    kickpleat   February 20, 2012 at 8:51 am

    Aw thanks so much, vanillasugarblog for popping by!

    Tricia, thank you! Yes, I think I do tend to prefer eggless ice creams best. Issues or not!

    Haha, thanks Elena!

    Bijoux – thank you for following along all these years!! Now I’m curious to discover other uses for butter extract. If you have any ideas, let me know.

    Thanks Joss, what’s not to love?

    Jacqui, we always would rent or borrow a car for trips and it never seemed like a big deal, but seriously, now that we own, I’m beyond chuffed. Yay trips!!

    Jessica, thank you!!! Ha, it does seem like ages in the blog world. Hope I’ll be here for much longer than that 🙂

    Thank you, renee@sweetsugarbean!

    Yes!!! Kasey, you totally get it. I love that – shrinking time & space. So true. Thanks!

    Papelera, thanks!

    Amanda @ Once Upon a Recipe, thanks for discovering this blog and for staying awhile.

    Aw Tea, you are the adorable one! And yes, a trip to Seattle should be in the works soon. I’ll keep you posted! And you are welcome anytime, seriously!

    Thanks for stopping by Tandy!

    Joanne, I just have to jump back into the driving saddle! I’m nervous but it will be fine, I’m sure. Thanks!

  17. 17
    martina   February 20, 2012 at 9:40 am

    just found your blog recently, but am loving it. super easy to follow recipes, and very tasty too. by the way where did you get those spoons they are so adorable!

  18. 18
    Peggy   February 20, 2012 at 10:03 am

    Congratulations on the car purchase!! I have to admit we have never lived any place where we could live without a car, in fact up until 2 years ago we had to drive 1 hour (one way) to go to town for ALL purchases (alaska). So now a 4 mile drive to the grocery store is pure heaven!!

    Okay… now for the big question. I am searching for an ice cream maker (mine died) and was hoping you could recommend one. If you prefer you can e-mail your response, I understand the whole produce endorsement business so….

    Thanks I really appreciate any input you can offer! (I am waiting to try out this recipe once I have the new machine!)

  19. 19
    Karen   February 20, 2012 at 1:10 pm

    happy 7 years!! 🙂 thanks so much for all the inspiration and yummy recipes. i love butter mints, but never thought about them as an ice cream flavour — a must-try for sure! in fact, the first thing i made from your blog was ice cream — the cherry buttermilk sherbet. delicious, as i’m sure this one is as well.

  20. 20
    NicoleD   February 20, 2012 at 1:35 pm

    Congrats on 7 years! This buttermint ice cream sounds incredible and I love that’s it’s pink. What a great dinner you two had 🙂

  21. 21
    kickpleat   February 20, 2012 at 6:06 pm

    Martina, thank you so much for stopping by and commenting! The spoons are cute – & they were a gift from a friend who spotted them in a thrift shop! A good find, for sure.

    Peggy, I have a 1.5 qt Cuisinart ice cream maker and I like it. It’s red & affordable on Amazon. I’m sure there are much better versions but I got mine at a garage sale for a steal! I think it’s totally worth it!

    Thank you Karen! Oooh, that cherry sherbet is soo good. A great one to try 🙂

    NicoleD, thanks it was a fantastic meal and I had so much fun putting it together!

  22. 22
    Nessa   February 20, 2012 at 6:29 pm

    7 years! Congrats!

    This might be my first comment – but I wonder over here all the time to drool and occasionally I actually make something. I love new recipes – but bad about making them. You almost always change my mind.

  23. 23
    Keen on Food   February 21, 2012 at 3:16 am

    Hey, 7 yrs! Keep up the good work! Your’s is one of the few blogs I still follow and get inspiration from.

    Careful driving in Van too. I’ve lived and driven in many places, Turkey, Greece, Spain, London, India and I have to say nowhere are the drivers worse…

  24. 24
    aebell   February 21, 2012 at 3:28 am

    Congrats on 7 years! I also live in YVR and was curious as to where you found the butter extract – was that at the Gourmet Warehouse?

    I have been interested in trying out one of Jeni’s ice cream recipes – this is additional motivation.

  25. 25
    Dramatic Pancake   February 21, 2012 at 10:47 am

    Wow, congrats on 7 years – that’s amazing! I don’t think there could be a better way to celebrate than this icecream. Even the name, Buttermint…just makes me hungry thinking about it 🙂

  26. 26
    hag   February 21, 2012 at 11:07 am

    Happy 7th Anniversary! Did I ever tell you that I own that little cookbook with the sandwich recipe…I just love the little drawings!
    Congrats on the car too, I bet that makes things much easier, and it is not like you will use it everyday.
    I love peppermint ice cream and the colour just takes me back to when I was a kid! yum!

  27. 27
    kickpleat   February 21, 2012 at 11:19 am

    Nessa, thanks so much for commenting & saying hi!

    Keen, oh really? Good to note. No wonder there were so many “rebuilt” car statuses when we were looking to buy.

    aebell, I did find it at the Gourmet Warehouse! Yes, try one of her recipes, I was really happy with this one.

    Thanks DP! I know, it seems part of the draw is the name. How can you go wrong?

    Hag, I think you might have told me & in fact, I think you made me a button ages ago with that little girl! It’s a cute little book. I guess having a car means some berry picking in our future? I hope so!

  28. 28
    Ashley   February 21, 2012 at 12:41 pm

    Yaey congrats on 7 years of blogging! I’ve never heard of buttermint ice cream but it sounds really interesting with the white chocolate, butter flavour and mint hmm.

  29. 29
    whitney   February 21, 2012 at 1:13 pm

    Happy seven years! I’m convinced that Jeni’s book makes the best home-made ice cream ever. Every recipe I’ve made out of that book has been great!

  30. 30
    Joanne (Bijoux)   February 21, 2012 at 1:17 pm

    kickpleat, You can use the butter extract instead of vanilla extract in sponge cakes and butter cookies if you want to increase the butter aroma. I think it would also be great in a salted caramel sauce for ice cream or a sticky pudding. I’m getting so hungry just thinking about it.

  31. 31
    Eileen   February 21, 2012 at 4:11 pm

    Intriguing–I would also never have thought to use butter extract for such a thing, but if it can make ice cream actually take on the characteristics of butter mints, I may have to try it. Happy blogiversary to you as well!

  32. 32
    Dmarie   February 21, 2012 at 6:47 pm

    oh, my, totally craving this ice cream now!!

  33. 33
    kickpleat   February 21, 2012 at 8:18 pm

    Ashley, it’s really really good! Thanks!

    Thanks Whitney, I’m totally going to try more recipes from the book. Everyone raves about it – how can ice cream be a bad thing?

    Good to know, Bijoux!! I’ll totally try it with some vegan cookies and baking. Awesome idea.

    Thanks Eileen! Who knew about butter extract and it really replicates the taste well. I loved it.

    Thanks Dmarie!

  34. 34
    becky   February 22, 2012 at 6:27 am

    happy birthday els and awesome hair jeanette… you havent aged in 20 years!

  35. 35
    JShep   February 22, 2012 at 8:07 pm

    Congratulations on 7 years! I just started frequenting your blog in November but it is among my favorites. Frankly, it was your blog title that got me here because I too like sandwiches.

  36. 36
    Dana   February 22, 2012 at 9:19 pm

    So many things to congratulate you on here! First, a true amazing accomplishment – 7 years. You are an inspiration as always. And a car! I remember moving back from London and feeling so incredibly liberated that I could just get in the car and go to the grocery store. It’s the little things. And, amazing ice cream. My dad used to sit and suck on those yellow stained buttermint candies so this post brought back a lot of memories for me. I can’t wait to try this – with the white chocolate addition of course.

  37. 37
    Jen   March 1, 2012 at 5:09 pm

    Congratulations on 7 years Jeannette! Thank you for the endless inspiration. We’ve had many-a-tasty meals thanks to you. And congrats on the car too! I’m excited about the day we’ll have a vehicle too (despite my fervent cyclist pride & not-so-fervent inner environmentalist).

    xo

  38. 38
    kickpleat   March 6, 2012 at 9:22 pm

    Aw thanks so much, becky!!! Proof 🙂

    JShep, thanks so much for stopping by.

    Dana, I hope you do give it a try, it’s a good one and thanks for sharing your memories!

    Thanks Jen for the props!! I’ve still got my cyclist pride!!!!

  39. 39
    Kate   April 5, 2012 at 5:47 pm

    Ooh! This ice cream sounds dreamy and your ice cream spoons are the CUTEST.

  40. 40
    kickpleat   April 12, 2012 at 12:20 pm

    Oh, thanks so much Kate for liking my spoons…I love ’em a whole lot too!

  41. 41
    Paige   May 1, 2012 at 1:35 pm

    Lucky me! I live in Jeni’s hometown, but does that keep me from making my own ice cream? Um…no! Try Jeni’s roasted strawberry buttermilk when strawberries are in season, and her pustachio is stuff of legend–it’s already on the Father’s Day menu for 2012!
    Happy Blogoversary. I’ve been a fan since year 1!

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