(Or, On Not Running and Stuff)
Now is the winter of our smug content
Turned abhorrent summer by this desert sun;
And all the rain that lour's on the Northwest
Is in the deep cockles of our hearts dreamt of.
Now are our brows crowned with execrable sweat;
Our leather seats covered with beach towels;
Our fiery sidewalks used to fry up breakfasts,
Scorching steering wheels driven with oven mitts.
Sweat-tainted clothes ousted one-starched threads;
And now, instead of heading out to play
To fill the air with joyful intonations,
We hunker lamely in a curtained hallway
Under the tempering blades of ceiling fans.
But I, that am not shaped for staying put,
Nor made to linger under roofs, looking out;
I, that am aptly shod, and want nothing more
To run along a carp-laden canal;
I, that am curtailed of this activity,
Cheated of pastime by loathsome injury,
Wounded afflicts, sent before my time
Into the PT's world, rife with hip pain,
And that so lame and achy each waking hour
My dog barks at me as I halt her run;
Why, I, in this weak, fragile state of health,
Have no delight to pass away the time
Without to spy my shadow in the sun
And abandon my damn'd discomfiture:
And therefore, since I cannot prove a runner,
To entertain these long, feverous days,
I am determined to prove a swimmer
And hate the parching hours of these days.
Plots have I laid, exertions ambitious,
By desp'rate suspicions, brainstorms, and dreams,
To set my bothersome him and myself
In joyful reunion with each other:
And if my PT be as good and deft
As I am bruised, marred, and decrepit,
This plan should my hip surely be healed up,
Hoping a green light she gives, and run
On the canal this sportswoman shall go.
Heal hip, down to my bones: pool,
Here I come.
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Friday, June 20, 2014
Physical Therapy - Week 7
This week, Stephanie had me start doing my bridge exercises using an exercise ball, and she added static lunges.
This takes my routine to almost two hours.
Especially when you include the part where I throw myself on the floor and dramatically cry, "It's soooooo hard!"
Tuesday I woke up with an extremely tight left quad. It was sore enough that it was uncomfortable to walk, so I modified my home PT, omitting any weights and doing fewer reps per set and skipping both the lunges and the squats, as they were both painful, not just uncomfortable, to attempt.. When it wasn't feeling much better on Wednesday, I was able to re-add the weights, but I still didn't do the squats or lunges.
When the pain didn't abate in the evening, I took a heating pad to it. Using a heating pad when it's over 100° outside isn't the most fun activity I can think of, but it helped me relax a little bit so I could go to sleep. My hip was also still pretty sore, so even though I tend to ice it after I'm finished with my exercises, the heating pad felt good on that as well.
Of course I brought all this up to Stephanie on Thursday, and she said that while she didn't like that my quad was painful for that long, she wasn't surprised that I was sore, since we hadn't worked too much with the quad, so adding the lunges should have had an effect. But since I was still pretty tight - she did some myofascial work during my Astym® treatment to try to loosen me up - she reduced my lunges to one set of ten on each side, and I'll work my way up.
It took me until this week to have the brilliant idea to actually write down what's going on each day in my running journal. I mean, hey, I'm not logging any miles, so it's not like there's no room. My hope is that if I can take notes each day, I can actually see myself progress - and feel like I'm making progress.
I know I'm making progress; I can tell that I'm stronger than I was when I started PT in May. But I still don't feel stronger, since I'm still constantly sore and uncomfortable, which means I still can't run or cycle, which in turn means I'm still frustrated and this close to going stir crazy.
My next goal, then, is to be able to do two sets of the lunges by my next update. I have a week. Let's get to it.
This takes my routine to almost two hours.
Especially when you include the part where I throw myself on the floor and dramatically cry, "It's soooooo hard!"
Tuesday I woke up with an extremely tight left quad. It was sore enough that it was uncomfortable to walk, so I modified my home PT, omitting any weights and doing fewer reps per set and skipping both the lunges and the squats, as they were both painful, not just uncomfortable, to attempt.. When it wasn't feeling much better on Wednesday, I was able to re-add the weights, but I still didn't do the squats or lunges.
When the pain didn't abate in the evening, I took a heating pad to it. Using a heating pad when it's over 100° outside isn't the most fun activity I can think of, but it helped me relax a little bit so I could go to sleep. My hip was also still pretty sore, so even though I tend to ice it after I'm finished with my exercises, the heating pad felt good on that as well.
Of course I brought all this up to Stephanie on Thursday, and she said that while she didn't like that my quad was painful for that long, she wasn't surprised that I was sore, since we hadn't worked too much with the quad, so adding the lunges should have had an effect. But since I was still pretty tight - she did some myofascial work during my Astym® treatment to try to loosen me up - she reduced my lunges to one set of ten on each side, and I'll work my way up.
It took me until this week to have the brilliant idea to actually write down what's going on each day in my running journal. I mean, hey, I'm not logging any miles, so it's not like there's no room. My hope is that if I can take notes each day, I can actually see myself progress - and feel like I'm making progress.
I know I'm making progress; I can tell that I'm stronger than I was when I started PT in May. But I still don't feel stronger, since I'm still constantly sore and uncomfortable, which means I still can't run or cycle, which in turn means I'm still frustrated and this close to going stir crazy.
My next goal, then, is to be able to do two sets of the lunges by my next update. I have a week. Let's get to it.
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
#Reverb14 · June Prompt · Staycationing
#reverb14 is an opportunity for participants to reflect throughout 2014. Each month, the Reverb team will post a new prompt. Join and write, or simply join and read.
June Prompt: It's summer time, and the livin' is easy. Tell us about where you are RIGHT NOW. Tell us about your summer time at home. Does "home" mean heading out of town for the season? Does it mean an extended staycation? What does summer at home mean to you?
Even though I work from home, it's nice to have a few weeks (4, to be exact) during which I don't have to open my work computer. I'd be a big fat liar if I said that I wasn't completely burned out at the end of this school year and needed a break like nobody's business. After over a decade in the education world, I'm starting to wonder what's next more and more.
My vacation started this week. So far, I've made ice cream, marshmallows, chocolate-sweet potato muffins (in which I forgot an ingredient, but they turned out pretty good anyway), chocolate-sweet potato-banana bread, strawberry-rhubarb-apple empanadas (aka hand pies), and I'm planning to try a slow cooker cinnamon roll recipe a friend shared with me this weekend. I'm working on a baby blanket that will hopefully be done by said baby's first birthday (oops). I am attempting to clear off the dining room table so we can actually eat a family meal at it, but since Husband was gone for a class all last week, total neatness has been…..not A Number One Priority.
I've also been working hard on my PT and trying to get back in the routine of walking Zooey, who was left to her own devices last week when Husband was gone; HRH doesn't get up early enough to go in the morning, and I won't leave a 5YO home alone. Once she's at school, it's too hot for Zooey's paws. In order to give her the opportunity to get that extra energy out in a positive, non-destructive way, I sent her to doggie daycare for a day last week, and she was OMGSOHAPPY about that.
But this morning, I just wanted to sit and do nothing. I'm not going to have many opportunities to do Nothing while I'm on break; I still have my summer session class, which is….not my favorite, but it will fill the bill. I had hoped to do as much work during my own break as possible, but my professor only posts one week's worth of readings/assignments at a time, so that doesn't seem likely (he said he likes to make sure we are all engaged in a similar direction at the same time or….something like that).
And if my own class weren't enough to keep me busy, I've scheduled Lots of Things for HRH to keep her busy before she begins kindergarten. Right now, she's taking swim lessons every day for two weeks (this is on top of her regular weekly lessons, so at the end of this week, she'll have had 12 lessons over the two week period). She's also taking two summer classes at her dance school - the next level of ballet to make sure she's ready for it and musical theatre, which combines all of her favorite things: singing, dancing, and being overly dramatic. On Thursday, she'll go from school to swim to ballet. I've promised her we can go out to dinner and that she can have whatever she wants, since she'll be exhausted. I'm hoping that in a few weeks she can do ballet camp, which will mean ballet two hours every day for the week.
Yes, that's a lot, but since we can't just go outside to play during the summer months, both HRH and I need activities that can keep her busy so that we don't revert to "just watch a movie while I wash the dishes." We all need our down time, but I don't need to train her to be a couch potato, either. We have been discussing how much she loves to swim, and she said to me, "It's too bad that some people don't like to exercise."
I won't let her become someone who doesn't like to exercise.
There are some mornings that have been cool enough to warrant an early trip to the park down the street, which we tend to finish off with a splash in the kiddie pool I bought for Zooey. The city recently put up a ramada over the playground equipment, so it's actually pleasant in the shade. We have one rule for how long we stay: when the water is nearly gone, we head home. HRH is extremely dedicated to following this rule and pays careful attention to her water consumption, although the promise of banana bread, muffins, or other tasty treats as a return snack probably doesn't hurt, either.
But our summer will also include a trip up to Michigan to see family and get out of the heat. I'm excited that we can actually go outside and play in the park when we want, and we've got plenty of activities to keep her (and us) busy, although we're planning for a few days of (almost) nothing but R&R on Lake Michigan. My mother-in-law got the extra bike tuned up, so I'm hoping that Stephanie gives me permission to go for a ride or two while we're up there, but I'll settle for going for hikes or walks if I have to. I finally feel like I am getting stronger (more on that in my weekly PT update), and I don't want to undo almost two months of hard work.
I guess the short version of this post could have been, "what's a vacation?"
June Prompt: It's summer time, and the livin' is easy. Tell us about where you are RIGHT NOW. Tell us about your summer time at home. Does "home" mean heading out of town for the season? Does it mean an extended staycation? What does summer at home mean to you?
Even though I work from home, it's nice to have a few weeks (4, to be exact) during which I don't have to open my work computer. I'd be a big fat liar if I said that I wasn't completely burned out at the end of this school year and needed a break like nobody's business. After over a decade in the education world, I'm starting to wonder what's next more and more.
My vacation started this week. So far, I've made ice cream, marshmallows, chocolate-sweet potato muffins (in which I forgot an ingredient, but they turned out pretty good anyway), chocolate-sweet potato-banana bread, strawberry-rhubarb-apple empanadas (aka hand pies), and I'm planning to try a slow cooker cinnamon roll recipe a friend shared with me this weekend. I'm working on a baby blanket that will hopefully be done by said baby's first birthday (oops). I am attempting to clear off the dining room table so we can actually eat a family meal at it, but since Husband was gone for a class all last week, total neatness has been…..not A Number One Priority.
 |
| Guess which one was the sacrificial "taste test" empanada? |
 |
| A rare snap of a peaceful coonhound, post-walk |
And if my own class weren't enough to keep me busy, I've scheduled Lots of Things for HRH to keep her busy before she begins kindergarten. Right now, she's taking swim lessons every day for two weeks (this is on top of her regular weekly lessons, so at the end of this week, she'll have had 12 lessons over the two week period). She's also taking two summer classes at her dance school - the next level of ballet to make sure she's ready for it and musical theatre, which combines all of her favorite things: singing, dancing, and being overly dramatic. On Thursday, she'll go from school to swim to ballet. I've promised her we can go out to dinner and that she can have whatever she wants, since she'll be exhausted. I'm hoping that in a few weeks she can do ballet camp, which will mean ballet two hours every day for the week.
Yes, that's a lot, but since we can't just go outside to play during the summer months, both HRH and I need activities that can keep her busy so that we don't revert to "just watch a movie while I wash the dishes." We all need our down time, but I don't need to train her to be a couch potato, either. We have been discussing how much she loves to swim, and she said to me, "It's too bad that some people don't like to exercise."
I won't let her become someone who doesn't like to exercise.
There are some mornings that have been cool enough to warrant an early trip to the park down the street, which we tend to finish off with a splash in the kiddie pool I bought for Zooey. The city recently put up a ramada over the playground equipment, so it's actually pleasant in the shade. We have one rule for how long we stay: when the water is nearly gone, we head home. HRH is extremely dedicated to following this rule and pays careful attention to her water consumption, although the promise of banana bread, muffins, or other tasty treats as a return snack probably doesn't hurt, either.
I guess the short version of this post could have been, "what's a vacation?"
Friday, June 13, 2014
Physical Therapy - Week 6
I'm six weeks in. At this point, I need to head back to the ortho to see what he thinks of my progress, so I'll be scheduling that appointment before the end of the day.
I think in a previous post I mentioned that Stephanie wants me to be at 80%. Basically, that means I can still be sore after doing my exercises, but I should go through my day fairly pain-free.
Right now, she's giving me a 65%. Mayyyyyyybe 70%, but really, I'm achy a LOT of the time.
Like all this week.
For now, she's not adding any new exercises again until my soreness abates somewhat. In the last few weeks we've added quite a few, so she's letting me "get used" to the quantity of exercise I'm charged doing on a daily basis.
I'm still amazed at the humbling effect of PT. Some of the "exercises" seem little more than minor movements, and they can be OMGSOHARD. One of my newer exercises, the T-bend (at least that's what I think it's called), isn't much more than me leaning forward while standing on only one foot, but doing it properly required effort and concentration. Thankfully, Casey, one of the trainers, gave me this advice: "think of it like you have two lasers pointing out from your hips; you want to point those lasers toward the ground."
Aside from the fact that I spent the rest of that exercise going "PEW! PEW!" and quite possibly concerning other patients, it was great advice. It gave me a visual to apply when I'm at home, and it even made the exercise a wee bit more fun.
I just wish there was a way to make V-sits more fun.
At this rate, I'm hoping to hit 75% by the end of June, but I really need to be more dedicated to doing my exercises every day, regardless of the soreness. I'm officially on vacation as of 5PM tonight, so I won't have work as an excuse for the next several weeks.
In that time, I'm going to look at how I can convert my desk to a standing one, as sitting all day is not helping any of my body, especially my hip. I don't plan to buy a standing desk (unless we win Powerball, but then I can quit and won't need a desk anyway), but I have some ideas on how I can Macgyver what I currently have in order to be able to stand and sit throughout the day.
Do you have a standing desk? What are your tips for not sitting so much through the day?
I think in a previous post I mentioned that Stephanie wants me to be at 80%. Basically, that means I can still be sore after doing my exercises, but I should go through my day fairly pain-free.
Right now, she's giving me a 65%. Mayyyyyyybe 70%, but really, I'm achy a LOT of the time.
Like all this week.
For now, she's not adding any new exercises again until my soreness abates somewhat. In the last few weeks we've added quite a few, so she's letting me "get used" to the quantity of exercise I'm charged doing on a daily basis.
I'm still amazed at the humbling effect of PT. Some of the "exercises" seem little more than minor movements, and they can be OMGSOHARD. One of my newer exercises, the T-bend (at least that's what I think it's called), isn't much more than me leaning forward while standing on only one foot, but doing it properly required effort and concentration. Thankfully, Casey, one of the trainers, gave me this advice: "think of it like you have two lasers pointing out from your hips; you want to point those lasers toward the ground."
Aside from the fact that I spent the rest of that exercise going "PEW! PEW!" and quite possibly concerning other patients, it was great advice. It gave me a visual to apply when I'm at home, and it even made the exercise a wee bit more fun.
I just wish there was a way to make V-sits more fun.
At this rate, I'm hoping to hit 75% by the end of June, but I really need to be more dedicated to doing my exercises every day, regardless of the soreness. I'm officially on vacation as of 5PM tonight, so I won't have work as an excuse for the next several weeks.
In that time, I'm going to look at how I can convert my desk to a standing one, as sitting all day is not helping any of my body, especially my hip. I don't plan to buy a standing desk (unless we win Powerball, but then I can quit and won't need a desk anyway), but I have some ideas on how I can Macgyver what I currently have in order to be able to stand and sit throughout the day.
Do you have a standing desk? What are your tips for not sitting so much through the day?
Friday, June 6, 2014
Physical Therapy - Week 5
This week began with HRH waking us up at 5AM after having thrown up in her bed. After an hour of holding her hair back while she prayed to the porcelain gods, I knew I wasn't getting to PT. I wasn't able to reschedule, either, so I was only able to go once.
The good news is that the bruising from the Astym® was nearly gone by Thursday.
The bad news is that it's back after a fresh battering.
Today, I am sore and tired. I also had my monthly chiropractor adjustment, so while I am walking a little taller again, I'm just spent. It takes me over an hour to complete all my exercises at home (almost 2 if HRH is up and is inclined to "need" something in between my sets), and since I didn't get a great deal of sleep all week (hello, summer class), I'm considering skipping some of the routine in favor of getting to bed before 11PM.
Next week is the six-week mark, which is the extent to which my ortho prescribed treatment, so I have to call his office and go in to see him, although I have scheduled out PT appointments for the rest of June.
I know that six weeks is a completely arbitrary time period, but I'm hoping for good news, either from Stephanie or my ortho. I'm not looking to be at 100%, as I know that's not realistic, but some sort of progress will be encouraging. I've gotten to another point at which I just.want.to.run. Last week, I carpooled with a co-worker to a meeting, and we passed SO many runners and cyclists on the way there and back. I was shocked at my envy toward all of them, even though in the afternoon, they were out there in the already brutal Arizona sun. For the last week, then, I've been having a bit of a pity party, so some good news will surely refocus me on the positives rather than the can'ts.
The good news is that the bruising from the Astym® was nearly gone by Thursday.
The bad news is that it's back after a fresh battering.
Today, I am sore and tired. I also had my monthly chiropractor adjustment, so while I am walking a little taller again, I'm just spent. It takes me over an hour to complete all my exercises at home (almost 2 if HRH is up and is inclined to "need" something in between my sets), and since I didn't get a great deal of sleep all week (hello, summer class), I'm considering skipping some of the routine in favor of getting to bed before 11PM.
Next week is the six-week mark, which is the extent to which my ortho prescribed treatment, so I have to call his office and go in to see him, although I have scheduled out PT appointments for the rest of June.
I know that six weeks is a completely arbitrary time period, but I'm hoping for good news, either from Stephanie or my ortho. I'm not looking to be at 100%, as I know that's not realistic, but some sort of progress will be encouraging. I've gotten to another point at which I just.want.to.run. Last week, I carpooled with a co-worker to a meeting, and we passed SO many runners and cyclists on the way there and back. I was shocked at my envy toward all of them, even though in the afternoon, they were out there in the already brutal Arizona sun. For the last week, then, I've been having a bit of a pity party, so some good news will surely refocus me on the positives rather than the can'ts.
Friday, May 30, 2014
Physical Therapy - Weeks 3 & 4
Most of my PT sessions are scheduled with Stephanie, but she was out of town twice over these last two weeks, so I've had "subs."
Now, I'm not saying that I'm comfortable with Stephanie, because the second I say that, she's going to add a new, excruciating exercise to my routine. But at the same time, I'm glad things got shaken up before I did start getting too comfortable.
So last week, I also worked with Heidi, who is also a fellow runner (both she and Stephanie were in a triathlon a few weekends ago) as well as a pilates instructor. If I so much as tried to use a different muscle group during my exercises, she swooped down and made sure I was behaving.
And then she strapped me to the table.
Seriously. I was, for the first time in my life, forcibly attached to a horizontal surface by means of an extra long seat belt.
And all I had to do was pay a $10 copay.
Since the hip is a large joint, the seat belt was necessitated so that I could stay in "position" for Heidi to work on my hip in order to help alleviate the impingement that's happening. Plus I could stop doing clams and just lay there (insert TWSS joke).
This week, Bryan also got to torture me, continuing to work on the impingement before allowing me to do my own exercises.
Between the impingement work and the fact that Stephanie gave me some new exercises AND added weights to a few existing ones, I'm tired today.
Seriously, adding a single pound weight to two exercises and then doing squats at the end of everything left me wanting to lay myself spread eagle on the floor to pass out.
And did I mention that I'm doing V-sits? Because those are truly the worst. By the end of each once (I have to do 3 for 30 seconds each), my entire body is shaking.
Yes, it's good - I'm getting some great ab work in, but oh my goodness, it's so dang hard!
Physical therapy is humbling if nothing else.
I'm trying to be good and do my exercises every night, but over the long weekend, it just didn't happen. I finally had the opportunity to get into the kitchen and make a lot of things, but since that meant I was on my feet most of the weekend, by the evenings, when I usually get to do my exercises, I was toast.
That being said, being on my feet for the majority of three days certainly left my legs tired enough as it is, although I know it's no excuse for following orders.
This weekend, I'll step up. I'm missing running and cycling but also know I must be patient in order to avoid injury like this in the future. For now, we're shooting for me being at 80%.
I've never so badly wanted to have a B.
Now, I'm not saying that I'm comfortable with Stephanie, because the second I say that, she's going to add a new, excruciating exercise to my routine. But at the same time, I'm glad things got shaken up before I did start getting too comfortable.
So last week, I also worked with Heidi, who is also a fellow runner (both she and Stephanie were in a triathlon a few weekends ago) as well as a pilates instructor. If I so much as tried to use a different muscle group during my exercises, she swooped down and made sure I was behaving.
And then she strapped me to the table.
Seriously. I was, for the first time in my life, forcibly attached to a horizontal surface by means of an extra long seat belt.
And all I had to do was pay a $10 copay.
Since the hip is a large joint, the seat belt was necessitated so that I could stay in "position" for Heidi to work on my hip in order to help alleviate the impingement that's happening. Plus I could stop doing clams and just lay there (insert TWSS joke).
This week, Bryan also got to torture me, continuing to work on the impingement before allowing me to do my own exercises.
Between the impingement work and the fact that Stephanie gave me some new exercises AND added weights to a few existing ones, I'm tired today.
Seriously, adding a single pound weight to two exercises and then doing squats at the end of everything left me wanting to lay myself spread eagle on the floor to pass out.
And did I mention that I'm doing V-sits? Because those are truly the worst. By the end of each once (I have to do 3 for 30 seconds each), my entire body is shaking.
Yes, it's good - I'm getting some great ab work in, but oh my goodness, it's so dang hard!
Physical therapy is humbling if nothing else.
I'm trying to be good and do my exercises every night, but over the long weekend, it just didn't happen. I finally had the opportunity to get into the kitchen and make a lot of things, but since that meant I was on my feet most of the weekend, by the evenings, when I usually get to do my exercises, I was toast.
That being said, being on my feet for the majority of three days certainly left my legs tired enough as it is, although I know it's no excuse for following orders.
This weekend, I'll step up. I'm missing running and cycling but also know I must be patient in order to avoid injury like this in the future. For now, we're shooting for me being at 80%.
I've never so badly wanted to have a B.
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Horchata Ice Cream with Mocha Mallow Swirl for Ice Cream Tuesday: Marshmallow Madness
The first time I had horchata, I was teaching at one of the Catholic schools in downtown Phoenix. My students couldn't believe that I'd lived in Arizona for so many years without having had it, although my previous life in Washington gave me a pass for my first 18 years of life. So one morning, a student braved a uniform summons to bring me freshly made horchata.
It was one of those life-changing moments.
Since then, I had rarely found a place that had GOOD horchata.
It's amazing how one, life-changing experience can make an Anglo so picky about a Latin American drink, really.
So you can imagine my delight when, upon arrival to our OKMH weekend in Houston, Jeanne's Husband, The Complete Package (TCP), had made horchata to go along with the Mexican feast that we devoured.
Even though there were seven of us, we tried to drink it sparingly to make it last.
Then, Sunday morning, I couldn't stand it anymore.
"I'm putting horchata in my coffee."
And that was that.
Horchata has been constantly on my mind ever since I got back from Houston. There are certainly places here that make good horchata, but whenever we go out, I usually stay in my "safe" zone (read: iced tea and/or beer) for choice beverages.
And since it's getting hot, a milk-based drink doesn't always sound the most refreshing.
But you know what does?
Ice cream.
The OKMH girls and I have enjoyed doing our theme weeks, and an Ice Cream Week was on deck for….some day. I'm not sure how the discussion began, but we latched on to the idea of having marshmallows in our ice cream and bringing Jenni from Pastry Chef Online, who is not only a magician when it comes to sweet treats but has also recently begun a weekly ice cream posting on her blog.
Kirsten promptly took the idea to Jenni, who thought it was a whiz bang idea. She brought in many more friends who love ice cream and marshmallows, and voilà - here we are.
Now, since horchata goes so well with coffee, it was clear that a coffee marshmallow creme was the perfect pairing for this Ice Cream Tuesday.
I'll be honest with you, though. This recipe nearly didn't happen. The date snuck up on me, as I'm wrapping up my school year with my own students and only recently submitted my own final exams. Then there were the Mallow Disasters. DisasterS - as in more than one. Disaster One was a marshmallow creme that fell. Disaster Two was a batch of marshmallows that…I don't even know how to describe the utter failure of it, really. But for the record, marshmallows can separate, and it's neither pretty nor tasty.
Thankfully, Kirsten saved the day (again). She reminded me that she has a marshmallow creme recipe and that I need to actually refrigerate homemade mallow creme so it doesn't fall apart, so Attempt Number Three went According to Plan.
Between Disaster Two and Attempt Three, I decided that the color was going to be a bit lacking, as the ice cream and mallows/mallow creme were basically the same tan color, so I found a homemade chocolate syrup recipe to which I added coffee.
The end result was perfect. While the horchata is sweet, it's not overly sweet, so the addition of the mallow creme and mocha syrup adds just enough sweetness to make it toothsome without making it also tooth-decaying.
Horchata Ice Cream with Mocha Mallow Swirl
modified from Jenni Field's Maple Buttermilk Pecan Ice Cream
For the Ice Cream:
For the Mocha Syrup:
I used this recipe from Kitchen Treaty for chocolate syrup but used dark cocoa powder (Hershey's makes a Special Dark that I like) and two packets of Starbucks Via instant coffee powder (French roast) in my measurement for the cocoa powder. You can make this in advance and stir it into just about everything you can imagine, but make sure you leave some for the ice cream.
For the Ice Cream:
Note - horchata takes some time to prepare, so if you want to have this ice cream ready for Saturday evening, start the horchata process Wednesday or Thursday, and make the ice cream base Friday. It's a long wait but not very time consuming (lots of "chill overnight" steps), but it's so worth it.
In large pot, combine 1 quart horchata, salt, egg yolks, and cornstarch. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly.
*If you would prefer a sweeter end result, you could add 1/4-1/3 cup brown sugar, but really, I don't think it's necessary once everything is put together
Boil for ten seconds, and then immediately strain through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl.
Add the remaining 2 cups horchata, which you can just bring right out of the fridge when you need it. Whisk to combine completely.
Cool over an ice bath (I use a larger bowl filled with ice water), and then cover and transfer to the refrigerator to cool overnight. If you don't have a ton of horizontal room in your fridge for the bowl, use two quart jars.
Once completely cooled, add to your ice cream maker and churn according to directions.
**Horchata is made with different kinds of milk, so this ice cream won't be as thick and creamy as other ice creams that are made with half and half or heavy cream (although that's not to say that it's not at all creamy). If you plan to make it only for ice cream purposes, you may want to use half and half instead of the whole milk in TCP's recipe, but I'm not sure I want to drink it that way; it's thick enough as a beverage. You could also use half-horchata, half cream for the custard mixture, although that would make the horchata flavor a bit more subtle (which I guess would be OK). Since it will have a lower fat content than most ice creams, it will freeze a little harder. That's not a big deal here in Arizona, but you may want to take some measures to ensure a more scoopable texture in your area.
For the Marshmallow Creme:
I used Kirsten's marshmallow creme recipe, adding one packet of the Starbucks Via instant coffee powder to the egg whites.
I highly recommend making this while the ice cream is churning, as you'll have plenty of time, and you can begin to assemble immediately after the creme is finished.
To Assemble:
Once the ice cream is at a soft serve consistency, drizzle a few tablespoons of the mocha syrup onto the bottom of a freezer-safe container. Add a few dollops of the mallow creme (I suppose you could use a piping bag, but I'd already made enough of a mess). Cover with ice cream. Repeat the process until you've used up all the ice cream. Press down plastic wrap onto the ice cream, cover with the lid, and freeze for at least 6 hours.
To Serve:
Now, you could sneak a few spoonfuls of this ice cream straight from the freezer (What? Like that's NEVER occurred to you….), and that would be delicious.
But to combat the heat of summer, which is already upon us here in Arizona, I highly recommend that you scoop it into a bowl, ladle a little more mocha syrup, and then slap a big ol' spoonful (or two) of mallow creme on top before calling it a dessert.
Now, like I said, Jenni enlisted several friends to participate in today's Ice Cream Tuesday, so if you like to choose your ice cream from those places that have more than 30 flavors, take some time to peruse all of the recipes we have to offer before you start churning on your own:
It was one of those life-changing moments.
Since then, I had rarely found a place that had GOOD horchata.
It's amazing how one, life-changing experience can make an Anglo so picky about a Latin American drink, really.
So you can imagine my delight when, upon arrival to our OKMH weekend in Houston, Jeanne's Husband, The Complete Package (TCP), had made horchata to go along with the Mexican feast that we devoured.
Even though there were seven of us, we tried to drink it sparingly to make it last.
Then, Sunday morning, I couldn't stand it anymore.
"I'm putting horchata in my coffee."
And that was that.
Horchata has been constantly on my mind ever since I got back from Houston. There are certainly places here that make good horchata, but whenever we go out, I usually stay in my "safe" zone (read: iced tea and/or beer) for choice beverages.
And since it's getting hot, a milk-based drink doesn't always sound the most refreshing.
But you know what does?
Ice cream.
The OKMH girls and I have enjoyed doing our theme weeks, and an Ice Cream Week was on deck for….some day. I'm not sure how the discussion began, but we latched on to the idea of having marshmallows in our ice cream and bringing Jenni from Pastry Chef Online, who is not only a magician when it comes to sweet treats but has also recently begun a weekly ice cream posting on her blog.
Kirsten promptly took the idea to Jenni, who thought it was a whiz bang idea. She brought in many more friends who love ice cream and marshmallows, and voilà - here we are.
Now, since horchata goes so well with coffee, it was clear that a coffee marshmallow creme was the perfect pairing for this Ice Cream Tuesday.
I'll be honest with you, though. This recipe nearly didn't happen. The date snuck up on me, as I'm wrapping up my school year with my own students and only recently submitted my own final exams. Then there were the Mallow Disasters. DisasterS - as in more than one. Disaster One was a marshmallow creme that fell. Disaster Two was a batch of marshmallows that…I don't even know how to describe the utter failure of it, really. But for the record, marshmallows can separate, and it's neither pretty nor tasty.
Thankfully, Kirsten saved the day (again). She reminded me that she has a marshmallow creme recipe and that I need to actually refrigerate homemade mallow creme so it doesn't fall apart, so Attempt Number Three went According to Plan.
Between Disaster Two and Attempt Three, I decided that the color was going to be a bit lacking, as the ice cream and mallows/mallow creme were basically the same tan color, so I found a homemade chocolate syrup recipe to which I added coffee.
The end result was perfect. While the horchata is sweet, it's not overly sweet, so the addition of the mallow creme and mocha syrup adds just enough sweetness to make it toothsome without making it also tooth-decaying.
Horchata Ice Cream with Mocha Mallow Swirl
modified from Jenni Field's Maple Buttermilk Pecan Ice Cream
For the Ice Cream:
- 1 quart plus 2 cold cups of TCP's horchata, divided
- 1/2 tsp salt (I use Real Salt)
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- Coffee marshmallow creme (see below)
- Mocha syrup (see below)
For the Mocha Syrup:
I used this recipe from Kitchen Treaty for chocolate syrup but used dark cocoa powder (Hershey's makes a Special Dark that I like) and two packets of Starbucks Via instant coffee powder (French roast) in my measurement for the cocoa powder. You can make this in advance and stir it into just about everything you can imagine, but make sure you leave some for the ice cream.
For the Ice Cream:
Note - horchata takes some time to prepare, so if you want to have this ice cream ready for Saturday evening, start the horchata process Wednesday or Thursday, and make the ice cream base Friday. It's a long wait but not very time consuming (lots of "chill overnight" steps), but it's so worth it.
In large pot, combine 1 quart horchata, salt, egg yolks, and cornstarch. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly.
*If you would prefer a sweeter end result, you could add 1/4-1/3 cup brown sugar, but really, I don't think it's necessary once everything is put together
Boil for ten seconds, and then immediately strain through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl.
Add the remaining 2 cups horchata, which you can just bring right out of the fridge when you need it. Whisk to combine completely.
Cool over an ice bath (I use a larger bowl filled with ice water), and then cover and transfer to the refrigerator to cool overnight. If you don't have a ton of horizontal room in your fridge for the bowl, use two quart jars.
Once completely cooled, add to your ice cream maker and churn according to directions.
**Horchata is made with different kinds of milk, so this ice cream won't be as thick and creamy as other ice creams that are made with half and half or heavy cream (although that's not to say that it's not at all creamy). If you plan to make it only for ice cream purposes, you may want to use half and half instead of the whole milk in TCP's recipe, but I'm not sure I want to drink it that way; it's thick enough as a beverage. You could also use half-horchata, half cream for the custard mixture, although that would make the horchata flavor a bit more subtle (which I guess would be OK). Since it will have a lower fat content than most ice creams, it will freeze a little harder. That's not a big deal here in Arizona, but you may want to take some measures to ensure a more scoopable texture in your area.
For the Marshmallow Creme:
I used Kirsten's marshmallow creme recipe, adding one packet of the Starbucks Via instant coffee powder to the egg whites.
I highly recommend making this while the ice cream is churning, as you'll have plenty of time, and you can begin to assemble immediately after the creme is finished.
To Assemble:
Once the ice cream is at a soft serve consistency, drizzle a few tablespoons of the mocha syrup onto the bottom of a freezer-safe container. Add a few dollops of the mallow creme (I suppose you could use a piping bag, but I'd already made enough of a mess). Cover with ice cream. Repeat the process until you've used up all the ice cream. Press down plastic wrap onto the ice cream, cover with the lid, and freeze for at least 6 hours.
To Serve:
Now, you could sneak a few spoonfuls of this ice cream straight from the freezer (What? Like that's NEVER occurred to you….), and that would be delicious.
But to combat the heat of summer, which is already upon us here in Arizona, I highly recommend that you scoop it into a bowl, ladle a little more mocha syrup, and then slap a big ol' spoonful (or two) of mallow creme on top before calling it a dessert.
Now, like I said, Jenni enlisted several friends to participate in today's Ice Cream Tuesday, so if you like to choose your ice cream from those places that have more than 30 flavors, take some time to peruse all of the recipes we have to offer before you start churning on your own:
- Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream with Key Lime Mallow Swirl (Pastry Chef Online)
- Frozen Coconut S'mores Bars (Pint Sized Baker)
- Strawberry Ice Cream with Mallow Swirl and Toasted Walnuts (Try Anything Once)
- Fudge Topped Marshmallow Ice Cream (That Skinny Chick Can Bake)
- Kahlua Marshmallow Sauce (Desserts Required)
- No-Churn Amaretto Ice Cream with Almond Marshmallows (Food Lust People Love)
- Traverse City Cherry Cordial Frozen Yogurt (Comfortably Domestic)
- Strawberry Marshmallow Ice Cream (Cookistry)
- Blackberry Cheesecake Swirl Ice Cream (Inside NanaBread's Head)
- Bourbon Cherry Ice Cream with Bourbon Soaked Cherries and Marshmallow Fluff (NY Foodgasm)
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