Outta Left Field Ice Cream

Welcome! A new week, a new flavor! This week has been filled with sunny days and gorgeous temperatures. I cannot tell you the amount of times I wished I was sitting on the beach watching the waves instead of the occasional glance up from my textbooks to observe the parking lot.

According to my countdown (yes I already have one going), it is only 238 days until summer break next year. Well that makes it sound so much longer, but think about it this way; the next time it gets warm, it will be summer vacation!

What’s the sport of summer? The sport that draws people in ninety degree heat to watch from so far up in the stands, they can’t see the ball? Baseball! What is more American summery than baseball? And ice cream + baseball is a total home run (see what I did there?).

This week, I had finished my first exam of the semester (in nanomaterials, oh boy). Afterwards I felt as weightless as a balloon and just couldn’t bring myself to get down to business while it was so nice out. So I made Outta Left Field ice cream. It is a caramel popcorn based ice cream with chocolate covered sunflower seeds, peanuts and more popcorn.

Originally, I had planned on this being a vanilla based ice cream. But then I thought, why not make things a little more exciting. And then bam! Caramel popcorn ice cream. It sounds weird, yes I’ll admit.

Firstly, it started with this strange sounding concoction. How does one make caramel popcorn ice cream? It starts how all good ice cream starts, with cream and milk. Then comes the popcorn. It goes straight into the milk mixture and steeps in there for an hour.

Pre-steep. Still crunchy, I checked

It gets all weird, squishy and not visually appealing, but the taste is spot on. Just like the popcorn my family would when we would go to Ocean City.

Post-steep. Kinda looks like chick peas. Sorry if that grosses you out.

Just a quick tempering and into the fridge it goes.

What seems like a few blinks ago, I would spend my cooling time reading or sunbathing. This time, I made a super fun study guide for an upcoming exam.

Isn’t this swirl like barista level cool?

At the end of the churning, I added the mix-ins. The chocolate covered sunflower seeds were what I was most excited about. They are so colorful and cute! And peanuts because, baseball means peanuts!

What I didn’t quite anticipate was the colors running from the seeds to the ice cream. So, maybe it isn’t quite the most beautiful ice cream. Maybe it looks a little like a melted bag of Halloween candy, but the taste makes up for it.

Trust me when I say, the vanilla and popcorn switch was a spot-on choice. Vanilla, as I have said and will continue to say, is a little lame. Caramel popcorn though, makes people tilt their head and say “huh?” Popcorn ice cream? Why yes, I just steep it like a cup of tea!

Yes there is ice cream under all of that popcorn

The crunch factor is near the top of the scale. I really enjoy the overall taste of all these ingredients combined. It is not too rich and not too light (like a sorbet). Just right!

Now that you are drooling (hopefully!), its time for a laugh in my fun fact. Although I am by no means sporty or athletic, I did at one time in my life play sports. Actually, sport. I played softball for two years in grade school. It was always…interesting to say the least. It was also during the “braces” period of my life, so awkward all the way around. Thank goodness that has passed; the braces not the awkwardness.

Yes, that is me. Notice that form, as well as boy’s cleats. I was a looker.

So this weekend and next week, absorb the last few summer rays and eat some caramel corn. Somehow the fall sun just doesn’t seem as strong. What’s your favorite season and why? Let me know in the comments! Until next time everyone, scoop ya later!