Let me ask you a question: How do you use Facebook? {Because, I'm assuming that you have an account just like everyone and their grandma.}
Do you use it to connect with family and friends? Do you post sparingly... or are you an oversharer? Are you taking advantage of all that album space, or do you share a photo every now and again?
I'm trying to decide how I want to use my Facebook page for The Kitchen Prep because, frankly, it's been a while since I gave it any effort at all. You sort of lose your enthusiasm when you see that the post you've carefully crafted has only been seen by a handful of your supposed viewing audience. Whomp, whomp.
Meanwhile, everyone's all "Follow me on Snapchat!", "Check out my Periscope account!" "Have you seen what's happening on Meerkat?"... and I'm just over here trying to grow extra thumbs so I can keep up with the 3 billion {okay, 4} social media accounts I already have.
So I figured I should just come out and ask you what you think. I mean, if you're like me, you probably already have enough to juggle Facebook-wise: people who cannot stop taking quizzes to tell you which Disney princess they're most like, what their birth order means in the grand scheme of life or who is their true Facebook soulmate. People testing their IQ, grammatical abilities and historical knowledge. Folks who are so darn curious about their future that they have to summon the magical powers of the internet to tell them how many kids they'll have, who they will marry or when they will croak.
You may already have enough to look at between cat memes, inspirational quotes or clickbait articles that reveal what happens when "This girl makes herself a PB&J sandwich, but you won't believe what she discovers when she takes a bite!!!"
If you're a mom, you probably have your fair share of posts to scroll through including {but not limited to} the latest recalls and safety warnings, posts from the hundreds of mommy groups people have added you to, articles for/against/supporting/criticizing/condoning/condemning anything and everything related to child rearing, and of course, the latest piece of information to add to your mom-guilt inventory.
If you're a professional of any kind, you might be agonizing over that friend request from a client, coworker or competitor that will open the Pandora's box of information that you may not want to know about them -- or worse, letting them see things you may not necessarily want to share with folks you're not super close with. {Though I have nothing to hide, I'm still on the fence about accepting friend requests from people who know me only through my blog. Anyone with me on this?}
And then there are the invites from club promoters {no}, friends who want you to play mindless online games {double no}, sporting events {do I LOOK like I'm in shape to run a 5K??}, essential oil parties, jewelry trunk shows, multi-level marketing schemes.... agggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!! It's enough to drive a person to hit "Delete Account" and forget about the whole thing!
Of course, some of this I say in jest {if you are my "friend" and you do any of the above things, please don't take this personally. If you bugged me that much I would've already "defriended" you.}, but some of this is too true.
Instagram has become my social media sweetheart, where I share a 50/50 mixture of business and personal photos. There's a different vibe over there and I like it. I've considered sharing the same type of stuff on my Facebook and seeing how that goes, but again, Facebook already seems a little "clogged" and I don't want to add to that mess.
So... what do you think? What types of things do you like to see from the blogs you follow on Facebook? Would you rather I keep it all "Here's the latest recipe!" or should I add in some daily activities, events and the occasional bit of my real life? Let me know!
While you mull that over, let me just share what really counts -- this ice cream. Because, you guys... holy moly. So good.
I have been on a serious homemade ice cream-making kick lately and not to toot my own horn, but every batch is better than the last. So far I've made Espresso Brownie Chunk, Cinnamon Dulce de Leche Snickerdoodle, and now this Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream.
Hello lover.
Though I normally make ice cream with a traditional custard base {meaning eggs, a stovetop and the whole nine yards} this one actually doesn't require any cooking OR eggs, which basically means there's less time between the moment you decide to make it and the second you get to shovel it into your face. You will thank me.
I adapted this recipe from one I found in this No-Churn Ice Cream cookbook that was sent to me... except I churned it because I like to make things difficult. Ha. You can totally try to make it without churning as it is recommended in the cookbook, but if you have an ice cream maker let that puppy do all the work.
Then you can scoop yourself a giant bowl of ice cream and sit in front of Facebook to wonder why you're on there to begin with. ;)
Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
Adapted from No-Churn Ice Cream: Over 100 Simply Delicious No-Machine Frozen Treats
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup half and half {or whole milk}
1/2 of a 13 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk {not evaporated milk}
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup strawberry jam
2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup finely diced strawberries
1 sleeve graham crackers {about 8 crackers}, crushed
1. In a large bowl, whisk together heavy cream, half and half {or milk}, condensed milk, vanilla and salt.
2. In another bowl, beat together strawberry jam and softened cream cheese with a hand mixer until smooth. Slowly add a few tablespoons of the cream mixture and begin to beat and incorporate liquid a bit at a time {doing this slowly will help keep the mixture from becoming lumpy}; continue to add the liquid until fully incorporated.
3. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer's directions. You'll want to get to a soft-serve consistency. Before finishing churning, toss in the diced strawberries to incorporate them into the mixture.
4. Scoop half of the ice cream into a freezer-safe container. Sprinkle about half of the crushed graham crackers over the ice cream. Scoop the rest of the ice cream into the container and top with the remainder of the crumbs.
Freeze for about 4-6 hours or until the desired scooping consistency is reached.
Disclosure: A copy of No-Churn Ice Cream was sent to me for review. As always, the opinions here are all my own!
