Cute Cats & Ice Cream

Did you know I have a page on my ice cream recipes website about animals eating ice cream? I had been looking at YouTube videos a while ago and could not believe how many videos people had uploaded of their pets eating ice cream. From cats and dogs to horses, rabbits and even lizards! So I revisited a few of them today. The cats were particularly interesting as they had such a focused, yet deft way of devouring their favorite sweet treat! This first one shows a cat eating ice cream from the bottom of its owner's ice cream cone. The second shows a cat eating ice cream in a more delicate way.

My mind then turned to what has to be the cutest kitten I have ever seen - Chloe who belongs to my dear friend Mary in London. A bengal kitten discovering the fun of a wicker basket for the first time is a joy to behold. The basket had contained locally made foods that I had taken as a present for Mary but Chloe decided it was to be her new toy basket!

Here is the video clip I took of Chloe in her basket. I dare you not to smile when you watch it.

NOTE: Chloe has not (as yet) eaten ice cream ... but she certainly looked on with interest that day as she watched myself and Mary eating Eton Messs with vanilla ice cream in the pub!

Ice Cream With A Medieval Twist

My two 'hobbies' in life are making ice cream and medieval castle history. The subjects may seem disparate at first glance but in fact it's suprising how often the two cross over. Don't believe me? I'll give you a recent instance ....

I had just enjoyed a late lunch at a Tea Room near Hadrian's Wall and on my way out visited their farm shop. My eyes gravitated to an ice cream freezer in the corner where locally made ice cream was being advertised. Having already eaten but unable to resist the temptation, I opted to buy a small tub of the vanilla ice cream on offer.

I left the Tea Room to take a walk to the historic, medieval Lanercost Priory next door. The sun was setting and I began to eat my ice cream as I walked and looked around this historic place. Lanercost was already familiar to me, having previously read a lot about its history. King Edward I of England had stayed here on his way to Scotland in 1306/07, Robert The Bruce subsequently came and ransacked the priory and before both of them there had been William Wallace, one of the greatest of medieval heroes, who had also paid a visit. In more recent times, members of the pre-Raphaelite brotherhood had also been here - William Morris and Sir Edward Burne-Jones, the latter having created 3 of the priory's beautiful stained glass windows.

This was tangible history - a real place where real people had played out part of their historic lives. The memory still abides, as does the taste of that vanilla ice cream!

1959 - A Good Year For Ice Cream & Wedding Songs

Ice cream is a wonderful treat and when it comes to a special celebration, it usually figures in there somewhere.

Talking of special celebrations, maybe today is such an occasion for you. If not, then share with me in a special anniversary celebration .... the 52nd wedding anniversary of Brian and Pam, a couple I've known for a long time who share a great love of all things good in life.

They married in 1959 and honeymooned in London. The world was such a different place then - no-one had ever heard of Ben & Jerry's and it was only in that year in fact that the sale of frozen ice cream cones became possible when an Italian ice cream maker found a way of insulating a waffle cone against becoming soggy from the ice cream by coating the inside of the cone with oil, sugar and chocolate.

Apart from that wonderful invention, 1959 was a particularly good year for music with releases from the likes of Frank Sinatra, Brook Benton, Elvis, Paul Anka and Frankie Avalon. One song released in 1959 was particularly appropriate for Brian and Pam - sung by Andy Williams (my Dad's favourite singer) and here it is again today ....

"The Hawaiian Wedding Song"

Happy Anniversary!

Dog Ice Cream Recipes

First of all, let me say that I have never developed an ice cream recipe for dogs - so don't get the wrong idea about this blog post! So why the title? Well, I study the visitor statistics of my ice cream recipes website and also my ice cream blog and occasionally I see new trends emerging, some of which are fascinating.

The latest trend is the increasing number of times people have found my site or blog using the keyword search 'dog ice cream recipes'. I was amazed but when I did a Google search for the term, 2 of my pages were in the top 10!

This blog post about Cesar Millan's favourite ice cream
This web page in which I refer to YouTube videos of pets eating ice cream

In some small way I am sorry that my pages didn't offer what the people were looking for but I think I'd prefer to live with a tiny trace of guilt rather than actually develop dog ice cream recipes. As my dear father used to remind me .... you have to know where to draw the line!

A Loving Cup Of Ice Cream For Valentine's Day

If romance is in the air for you this Valentine's Day, then you'll be looking for a way to impress your loved one. You might send a card, buy them a special present or take them out to the cinema or a restaurant.

For some, however, the preferred option will be to stay home and enjoy a romantic evening in with a home-cooked meal, a nice bottle of wine and an indulgent dessert. A creamy, rich, homemade ice cream is the answer - such as this sumptuous Butter Pecan ice cream. The taste can make you go weak at the knees but serve it in a single dish with two spoons and that's what I call sharing a 'loving cup'!

My ice cream blog has been going for 4 years now which makes this my fourth Valentine Ice Cream post. If you missed the other 3 posts here's the link - Valentine Ice Cream.

PS. Butter Pecan is reported to be Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan's favorite ice cream!

Ice Cream Recipes on Facebook

If you love ice cream and are a member of Facebook then this is for you ....
I now have a Facebook Ice Cream Recipes page to compliment this ice cream blog.

Please check it out and I hope you'll tick the 'Like It' button!
The more the merrier please :)

If your passion for ice cream is a great as mine then there should be a 'meeting of minds' here and I look forward to reading your questions or comments on this new and exciting ice cream Facebook page. Ice cream is a passion to be shared with the world!

Vendée Ice Cream - Vive Glaces Maison!

French ice cream or "Glaces Maison" was something I discovered last year when visiting the Vendée .

Every ice cream parlour we visited had something exceptional to offer in their range of homemade ice cream. They had the most amazing range of colors and flavors - including electric blue Smurf ice cream!

Why am I talking about this now?

Well, I saw a tv travel show the other day that featured the part of France that we visited and they focused on the locally produced food. They mentioned the local meats, breads and cheeses but they forgot the ice cream! So to redress the balance here is a page listing some of my previous ice cream blog posts explaining why French ice cream is so fabulous .... Glaces Maison

PS. If you ever go to the Vendée be sure to visit the fabulous donjon at Bazoges-en-Pareds. It's like travelling back in time!