Over the weekend, my dad threw a little BBQ. Actually, he called it a slider degustation. Fancy menu brochure and all.
What's a slider degustation you ask? Well, a degustation is the "careful, appreciative tasting of various foods" and well, you likely know what a slider is. You know, a little burger? Any little sandwich, really. And in addition to little burgers, my dad made fried oyster po' boys.
My sister brought the appetizer, which was her award-winning pesto hummus (really, she won a hummus-off contest at work). It was out of this world and I'm definitely going to have her do a guest post soon. You need to try this.
My dad invited his friends Steve and Kelly over and our neighbors Joan and Jim also stopped by to say hi.
We sipped on some gewurztraminer with our appetizer.
It was perfectly dry and a great way to start the evening.
It would also appear that Sam Adams sponsored the event.
The boys manned the grill.
And we lamented over the fact that it was quite chilly (and rainy) outside. The BBQ was more of an indoor event due to the icky weather. But it was nice to step into the cool evening mist when the kitchen got warm.
The little burgers were adorable.
As were the fried oysters. I don't get to enjoy oysters of the fried variety very often as I most usually eat them raw when I do eat them. These were fried in cornmeal, which added a nice crunch.
I obviously made a po' boy with my fried oysters.
My mom made homemade potato chips:
And Steve and Kelly brought these beautiful greens complete with edible flowers. I've had nasturtiums before, but these flowers had an amazingly sweet kick to them, rather than the usual peppery taste I'm accustomed to. I'd totally eat a whole garden of these. I kind of think edible flowers should be involved in every salad.
After dinner, we enjoyed ice cream sandwiches, courtesy of moi. My dad asked me to make them, remembering my Valentine's Day ice cream sandwiches. Well, this time I decided instead of buying the ice cream, I'd make my own. But then in true Susie "I try to do way too much" fashion (I swear over-extending myself will be the death of me), I decided to make two kinds of ice cream. And two kinds of cookies. FYI making two kinds of ice cream in less than 24 hours with one ice cream attachment for your Kitchen Aid is not a good idea. But still, I did it.
My dad suggested Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia ice cream and when I realized Ben and Jerry had the recipe in their cookbook, I knew I had to try it. I changed a few things (like adding more cherries and chocolate, duh), but it tasted almost just like the store bought stuff!
Cherry Garcia Ice Cream (makes a little more than a quart):
Adapted from Ben & Jerry's
Print the recipe!
• 2 large eggs
• ¾ C sugar
• 2 C heavy or whipping cream
• 1 C milk
• ½ C fresh bing cherries, pitted and halved or quartered
• ½ C small dark chocolate chunks/shavings
Make sure your cherries are all chopped up. I love the nice big chunks of cherries in Cherry Garica, but if you don't, you can chop them smaller.
Chop or shave your chocolate, too. I shaved mine, but left lots of nice chunks. Place the ingredients in separate bowls and stick them in the freezer.
Whisk the two eggs in a large mixing bowl, until light and frothy, 1-2 minutes.
Then mix in the sugar a little at a time, while continuing to whisk until it's all blended.
Pour the cream and the milk into the mixture and whisk until blended.
Now, follow the manufacturer's instructions for your ice cream machine. I recommend chilling the mixture for at least 2-3 hours before processing in your ice cream maker. My fatal flaw here was that my ice cream bowl hadn't been in my freezer long enough (I ALWAYS keep it in my freezer, but took it out a few weeks ago to fit a bunch of leftovers in and didn't return it... And didn't realize it until I started ice cream making).
Because my bowl wasn't chilled enough (I guess 4 hours in the freezer isn't even close to 15), my ice cream took forever to firm up. Once it started thickening, I just added the chocolate and cherries and poured it in a container to freezer overnight.
I took it out every so often to stir it. And it actually came out pretty good.
It was slightly icy, but not horrible at all. And furthermore, it tasted just like Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia. This will definitely be a new go-to flavor of mine.
Next up, I decided to go for something with peanut butter. Because peanut butter, chocolate, and ice cream is one of the all-time greatest combinations. This recipe is pretty much exactly the same as the one above, except with peanut butter and peanut butter cups, instead of cherries and chocolate.
Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream (makes a little over a quart):
Adapted from Ben & Jerry's
Print the recipe!
• 2 large eggs
• ¾ C sugar
• 2 C whipping cream
• 1 C milk
• ⅓ C smooth peanut butter
• 8 Reese's peanut butter cups, chopped into large bites
But you must hurry and work quickly or else this will happen:
And since you only bought an 8-pack of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, you need every bit of that peanut buttery chocolate. Next time I'll buy double.
First chop your Reese's cups and put them in the freezer.
Whisk your two eggs in a large bowl until light and frothy, 1-2 minutes.
Then whisk in the sugar a little at a time, while continuing to whisk until it's all blended.
Pour the cream and the milk into the mixture and whisk until blended.
Pour one cup of the mixture into a separate bowl and whisk peanut butter into that mixture until smooth. Then pour the peanut butter mixture back into the cream mixture. Whisk everything together.
Follow the manufacturer's instructions for your ice cream machine.
This time I let my cream mixture chill a bit and made sure my ice cream bowl got 13 hours in the freezer and that seemed to make much creamier (less icy) ice cream. It was pretty much perfection.
I made the same chocolate cookies I made for my Valentine's Day ice cream sandwiches.
And also made a vanilla variation.
And we ended our meal with various combinations of ice cream sandwiches.
Of course, there was plenty of ice cream left over and I fell into Cherry Garcia heaven.
Speaking of, if you're in the Boston area, did you know J.P. Licks still makes Cherry Garciaparra ice cream in honor of Nomar Garciaparra. I still love that no matter where Nomar was playing baseball, we still think of him as a member of the Red Sox. He was just a true sport.
So, what was my favorite flavor of ice cream? Well, peanut butter anything will always be my one true love. But there's something about Cherry Garica (and I honestly don't usually like fruit in my desserts) that makes me swoon. And this did it for me.
This is only the start of what is sure to be a very full ice cream season. Anybody know where I can buy heavy cream in bulk? It's so freaking expensive and I go through so much of it in the summer. I did head to Demoulas (Market Basket) while I was at my parents' this weekend and while I spent a fortune, I majorly stocked up and spent a whole lot less than I would have at Stop and Shop in the city. Demoulas is my favorite.
Is there anything better than having a fully stocked fridge and pantry (and freezer with ice cream)? It pretty much guarantees your week isn't going to be all that bad.
OK now, what kind of ice cream should I tackle next? Really, my very favorite Ben and Jerry's ice cream is Phish Food. But that would require making all those pesky (but delicious!) dark chocolate fish. Hmmm.
What's your favorite flavor of Ben and Jerry's?
[Sues]
Liz @ Blog is the New Black says
DROOL, DROOL, DROOL!
d.liff @ yelleBELLYboo says
I really need to pull it together and learn how to make ice cream! I bought the white chocolate cocoa I need to make Strawberry White Chocolate ice cream - but now I guess it will have to wait until I get back from visiting my folks up in your part of the country! They just built a new Market Basket where they live and it's SO much cheaper than my Giant in DC (it's the southern name for Stop & Shop) as well!! Plus its HUGE!
Erica says
Wow! What a fun get together! Your sisters hummus does look fabulous. I think she needs to start a blog too ;). I'd love to see a guest post! The picture of the guys manning the grill is hilarious. And your ice cream sandwiches? drool for sure! I so want an ice cream maker! bahhh! 😉 Favorite flavor of B&Js? Its been so long- I used to like phish food
Nicole says
Oh my! What a fantastic bbq. Love the brochures and all of the great food! I have a weakness for Cherry Garcia, too. I tried it one summer when we were in Tahoe and I've loved it ever since. The picture of the Reese's pb nibblets is adorable.
Shannon says
wow, what an awesome party! and i used to love the chocolate cherry garcia, so sad when it went to the graveyard. i would love some of that hummus too 🙂
kitchenbelle says
Oh my gosh, what a fun party! I love that there were even printed menus!
Cooking with Coley says
I don't know what looks best - the mini burgers, the potato chips, the hummus, the ice cream... you sure have a family of chefs!
Michelle says
My favorite flavor is Cherry Garcia! I also went to Market Basket this weekend...and saved a bundle!
Kelly says
That looks fantastic. Do you have the kitchenaid ice cream maker attachment? I used to have that and I have to admit that I was NOT at all thrilled with the results. It was really finicky and didn't always seem to firm up, especially if I tried to make ice cream when it was warm in the kitchen and worst of all, it finally broke and leaked blue cooling liquid all over my freezer. 🙁 I've been saving up my CC reward points to get a new one and have been reading up to see what it makes sense to buy next...
emily @ the happy home says
*so* happy to hear i'm not the only person who stores their ice cream attachment in the freezer 😉 the PB ice cream looks soooo good-- and yes, i've had cherry garciaparra!
Sharon says
I promise you...this is, hands down, the BEST ice cream you'll ever have...both the PB cup and the Cherry Garcia were fantastic and the accompanied cookies made this the PERFECT sandwich! You must try this recipe!! It does not disappoint!
peachkins says
First off, I'll be waiting for the pesto hummus recipe and second, you have AMAZING ice cream recipes!!!!
Bianca @ Confessions of a Chocoholic says
What a feast!! Everything looks delectable. Hmmm it is very tough to pick a favorite Ben & Jerry's flavor. Mine would have to be half-baked!
Jeannie says
These delicious looking ice creams made me wish I have an icecream maker too! So yum! I think I would prefer the Cherry Garcia since cherries are my favorite stone fruit:)
Pam says
The oyster sandwich has me drooling and the ice cream looks amazing - especially the cherry garcia!
Kerstin says
A slider party is such a cute idea! And I really want that ice cream sandwich - yum!!
Liz @ iheartvegetables says
Wow that's like the classiest cookout ever!!! I'm so impressed. Those homemade chips look delicious and I want to try that hummus!
Mary says
Now you folks know how to have a BBQ. Everything looks perfect. I'm really impressed and more than a bit envious. I hope you had a great day. Blessings...Mary
Leo says
Wow, you and the folks sure know how to party! Congratulations on the article. You did a great job. Also, you look fantastic Susie.
Daisy says
Phish Food was always a favorite of mine. you could totally make chocolate fishies! what a fun family party, your Dad seems pretty awesome. and this is super random, but my family used to have those exact same green stem wine glasses! haha.
Lauren at Keep It Sweet says
What a fun idea for a party! That peanut butter cup ice cream looks amazing.
Katie says
yummm... i need to make peanut butter cup ice cream!!!
Sarah says
Did you guys change to partial feed? No worries if you are looking for clickthroughs, but if it was an accidental change, would you mind switching it back? I LOVE your blog, but usually find myself unsubscribing to partial feeds pretty quickly.
Sues says
@Sarah Yes, it was accidental! We were trying to fix some RSS issues and for some reason, the feeds turned to partial. Hopefully it will be back to normal when we put up a new post later today... I hate partial feeds 😡
brandi says
I love that he made his own menu 🙂 And the ice creams look so good!
my favorite B&J flavor is a tie between coffee coffee buzz buzz and 7 layer bar. yum. ooh, and oatmeal cookie!
briarrose says
Everything looks delicious. The menu just tickled me to no end...what a great gathering. 🙂
Two kinds of ice cream...you are my hero!
queena lewis says
Ben and Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie is my fave!
Jill says
Hey ladies - I love your blog - been reading for a couple of years now!
I bought the Ben & Jerry's cookbook for my hubby because we received an ice cream maker (cuisinart) as a wedding present.
Sues - a question for you - were you concerned about making the ice cream using raw eggs? We realized that the cookbook was published in 1987 before the brouhaha of the issues of eating raw eggs. We still attempted the cookie dough recipe, which was excellent, but we were still a little skeeved out about the raw eggs - what's your take?
Sues says
@Jill- I definitely thought about this and did a little research... I learned that only 1 in 30,000 eggs contains salmonella and that this risk is even lower with organic eggs. And as long as you have a healthy immune system, you *should* be fine. Since the ice cream only contained 2 eggs (for about 8 servings), I wasn't very worried. Of course, everyone feels differently about eating raw eggs and everyone should make their own personal decision. I wouldn't eat a raw egg alone (ew!) and I probably wouldn't make this ice cream if it called for 8 eggs, like some do. I'd also always make sure to keep the eggs cold and pop the ice cream directly into the freezer when done mixing.
I've made ice creams without eggs before and I'm pretty sure you can make the very same recipes in the Ben & Jerry cookbook WITHOUT eggs ; they might just not be as creamy. I've also seen ice creams where the eggs are cooked first. Anyway, I hope that helps 🙂 I usually make caesar salad dressing with a raw egg, too!
Sues says
@Kelly- Yes, I have the Kitchenaid ice cream attachment. It's the only ice cream maker I've ever used so I don't hate it, but do find the fact that the bowl has to freeze for 15 hours to be quite annoying. I can't believe yours leaked blue cooling liquid! Gross! I'm definitely interested to hear which one you end up buying and how you like it!
Audrey Ellen @ My Scene and Herd says
I love how cooking/experimenting with food is such a family affair! Sounds like a great party.
Megan says
What an adorable bbq! I mean slide degustation. 🙂 Cherry Garcia has been on my to-make list for such a long time. I really need to tackle it soon! Looks delish!
Lsa says
What a great party theme! Favorite B&J (so many to choose from):
Mint chocolate cookie and karmal sutra were my favorites but I am really into these new temporary flavors they have now esp carrot cake and fair goodness cake. Fair goodness cake may be the best icecream ever.
Amy says
Costco sells heavy cream and it is not in a huge container. I think it is a regular size carton. I don't remember the price off the top of my head but I remember thinking their price was a lot cheaper than the price I paid at Stop & Shop.
Lauren @ Sassy Molassy says
Okay, so those sliders and chips look A-MAZING! PS- just wanted to say that my google reader just dumped in like your past 20 posts. No wonder I hadn't been seeing many We Are Not Martha posts lately...
Joanne says
I saw you tweet about the slider degustation and thought it sounded so INCREDIBLY fun! Everything looks delicious!
Oh man, I need to hop on the ice cream making bandwagon. I'm in love!
Barbara says
Absolutely drooling over those oyster po boys!!
And the sliders look fabulous too. If you weren't on enough of a roll, you ended with two super ice creams! Wow.
Jenn's Food Journey says
Phish Food is my favorite too!!! I mean how could you not love it right? Great, now I want a big bowl of that!! 🙂
Everything looks wonderful... I want one of everything, please!
veron says
those ice cream sandwiches look delish!
Susan says
Wow! What a wonderful array of food! Everything looks delicious and I love to try a fried oyster po' boy. I have a hard time eating raw oysters but I love Oysters Rockefeller. Love the dueling grill boys 😉
Beth @ DiningAndDishing says
i am impressed with all of your contributions! what a great BBQ event. i LOVE ben and jerrys - probably the midnight snack flavor the best lately :).
Chris says
Just ate the last of the ice cream... Oops!
Sharlene says
Phish Food is my favorite B&J ice cream too. But I'll pretty much go for any of their flavors. I'm making another ice cream cake this weekend and haven't decided on the flavors yet. These look like fine candidates!
Sinea Pies says
Those fried oysters look amazingly good. We used to have a little place here in Rochester NY called the "Clam Shack" and fried oysters were a specialty. How I miss that place!
Kristen says
Another Phish Food fan here. Though I could see how making that would be troublesome. This looks delish! It was nice to meet you last night at the BCAE class - thanks for all your thoughts and insights, and for your friendly feedback. Boston is really a friendly blogging town - I love it!
Juliana says
Wow, this is a very nu\ice BBQ...how fancy have the menu printed 🙂
Thanks for sharing all the pictures...enjoyed them very much.
Have a wonderful week !
Eileen says
Wow. That's it. I need to get an ice cream maker. Like, now.
Abby says
I'll definitely save that Cherry Garcia recipe. I'm a Mission to Marzipan fan, but my husband has some sort of miniature breakdown every time we get to the ice cream isle at the supermarket. Oh no, they still don't have Cherry Garcia. I'll never have Cherry Garcia again. My life is meaningless without Cherry Garcia...
Sheesh.
Sarah says
Thanks for switching back to full feed!! 😀