The world is a challenging place right now. There is a lot of sorrow, but also a lot of momentum and love and support for Black Life Matters. Hearts are opening. Minds are changing. Love is growing.
Maybe it doesn’t seem like it, perhaps, because there is a lot of turmoil too. A lot of sad stories being shared. A lot of violence. A lot that is hard to understand, for little people, certainly, but for big people, too. But still, love is growing.
Here’s what’s easy to understand: life has always been richer, bigger, fuller, more delicious and more worth living when we embrace what’s different than us. I don’t know about you, but a life of all vanilla all the time—well, no thank you. I want it all. I want to smash it all up together, the flavor, the heat, the love, the mystery, the wisdom and the magic of all the people of the world. Give me all the colors.
Yes, Black lives matter. They more than matter. They are worthy. They are beautiful. They deserve to thrive. And friend, we can learn and grow and experience so much more beauty and joy and brilliance when we value and honor and seek out friendship with our entire human family.
I didn’t come here today to try to make a metaphor out of ice cream, even though, without intending to, that’s what I’ve done here. I came here to find, or perhaps share a spot of joy. I set my kids up with a screen (if you didn’t watch this special from Sesame Street on Anti-racism this weekend with your kids, please DO) and came here for a minute to write about a simple and delicious, no-churn (read: cheater’s) ice cream, and this is what came out instead.
Because I guess I’m still mulling through it all, as I will be for many days and weeks ahead as we strive to do better as a family, and I strive to do better as a writer and creator of words and recipes and books. I will continue to strive to be more inclusive and more loving—as open on the outside as I feel on the inside.
Much love to all who made their way here today. All are welcome here and I hope you stay and speak up (kindly, please—I’m still learning but my email is always open to you) when I’ve said something that makes you feel anything less than valued and at home here.
XO
Sarah
RECIPE BELOW
BLACKBERRY BANANA SMASH ICE CREAM
SERVES 6 to 8
1 10-oz bag frozen blackberries or 3 cups fresh blackberries
2 whole frozen very-ripe bananas
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
one room temperature banana, SMASHED, OPTIONAL
1 half-gallon vanilla ice cream, SLIGHTLY SOFTENED
2 to 4 tablespoons seeds and stir-ins of choice, such as fennel seed, bee pollen, poppy seeds, sesame seeds or black sesame seeds
Line the bottom of an 8½ by 4½ inch (21.5 by 11 cm) loaf pan with waxed paper.
Combine the blackberries, frozen bananas and vanilla extract in a food processor or high powered blender until combine mostly pureed but still a little chunky, reserving a few blackberries for garnish if you desire.
fold in the BLACKberry puree INTO THE SOFTENED ICE CREAM, ALONG WITH AN EXTRA SMASHED BANANA (IF YOU LOVE BANANAS) AND ANY SEEDS, UNTIL MARBLED AND STREAKED. PACK INTO THE PREPARED PAN, SPRINKLE WITH ADDITIONAL SEEDS AND BLACKBERRIES. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and freeze, level, until it starts to firm up AND IS EASY TO SCOOP, about 1 hour and up to 24 HOURS.
SCOOP ONTO CONES AND SERVE.
HOW TO GET A MARBLED LOOK
FOR A DIFFERENT LOOK: FOLD THE (ROOM TEMP) SMASHED BANANA INTO THE SOFTENED VANILLA ICE CREAM. SCOOP THE BLACKBERRY MIXTURE AND VANILLA ICE CREAM IN heaping SCOOPS INTO THE PAN, alternating vanilla and BLACKBERRY, AND SPRINKLE SEEDS ON TOP. WHEN READY TO SCOOP, SLIDE THE ICE CREAM SCOOP THROUGH ALL THE LAYERS TO MARBLE IN EACH SCOOP.
GET AHEAD
THIS is just the thing to make ahead and have at the ready FOR AFTERNOON SNACKING—BUT NOT SOO FAR IN ADVANCE THAT THE BLACKBERRIES GET ICY. Make this up to a day in advance, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and THEN foil. Because of its lower fat content IN THE BLACKBERRY PORTION, freezing it any longer than 2 days can make it turn icy.
**This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.** images belong to Sarah Copeland // Nico Shinco and should not be pinned or posted without attribution. **
photos // NICO SHINCO
styling // SARAH COPELAND