Things To Do For Two

Cost – Using items you probably already have in your kitchen, it’s free!

Have you ever had a craving for ice cream while spending an evening at home, only to find your empty freezer staring back at you? Well, if you have a few basic food items in your cupboards, and 10 minutes to spare, you can make homemade ice cream.

SHE SAID:

To me, ice cream is a major food group. I will indulge in its creamy goodness any time of the year, rain or shine, heat or cold. It can be a costly comfort food when you go for the good stuff, so I was really excited when I found out I could make it in a bag for a fraction of the cost.

The process was easy enough, with just 5 items needed from the kitchen. A special note to those of you who have never frozen ice before (I’m looking at you, love bug), it actually takes longer than half an hour. Perhaps our half frozen ice cubes played a factor in the crumbly consistency of our final product. That, or the fact that we used 1% milk instead of whole milk. Either way, the end result was hardly worth the 10 minutes of intense, frigid shaking. Winter gloves are highly recommended.

Though the final product would make Ben and Jerry shudder, I didn’t really care because we didn’t waste a bunch of time and money trying it out. We may even try it again with some whole milk and fully frozen ice cubes.

HE SAID:

There are two major issues that come up for us a lot when we decide to spend an evening at home.

1. The need to do something, but not knowing what to do.

2. The need for snack food…RIGHT NOW!

Making homemade ice cream solves both of those problems at the same time. It gives you something to do without requiring much preparation time, as well as it provides snack food in the end.

Making homemade ice cream should be easy, even for those (like myself) who are a little less savvy in the kitchen. You simply combine milk, sugar, vanilla extract, and any other items you want to add for special flavours (i.e. chocolate chips) into a sealable plastic bag. You then place that bag into a bigger bag filled with ice cubes and salt. Seal the second bag and shake it like a polaroid picture! Wait….is it still cool to use that expression? Seriously, you need to shake it for a good ten minutes. You’ll notice the ice cream starts to harden around the five minute mark.

I was amused but slightly disappointed in how our ice cream turned out. It ended up looking like frozen popcorn. The flavour was surprisingly good, but definitely not up to par with the more expensive stuff you can get at the grocery store. It sort of tasted like a more watered down version of normal vanilla ice cream.

Though I wasn’t totally satisfied with our icy creation, it was a blast. It was fast, easy to make, and very cheap. For those reasons, I can forgive it for not tasting rich and creamy. I’m still impressed though at just how simple it is to make something that closely resembles ice cream. Who knew shaking milk, sugar, and vanilla against some ice cubes would turn into this little treat? It’s SCIENCE!

If you’re at home tonight and are looking for something fun to try, this might be up your alley. Don’t expect the world’s best ice cream to emerge from that plastic bag, but be proud of your cold creation. If you’ve ever made homemade ice cream before, or if you decide to make it after reading this, we’d love to hear about it. Send us an email, or leave a comment and tell us what you think!

How To Make Homemade Ice Cream:

Place 2 trays of ice cubes & 6 tbsp of salt in a large plastic bag

In a smaller bag mix:

1/2 cup of milk

1 1/2 – 2 tbsp of sugar

1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

Place the smaller bag inside the bigger bag, seal it tight and shake well for 10 minutes.

SHE SAID:

I’d be lying if I said I buy only locally grown and organic food, drive my bike to work every day and wear nothing but cotton. I have tried to be the perfect steward of the earth and after a week of super eco-consciousness and smelling like a pole cat (does anyone know of a good aluminum free deodorant?) decided my sanity was worth more than worrying about a piece of trashed paper towel going in the compost. Since then I decided I would simply try my best and take baby steps. So, I carpool, buy organic and local food when I can, and use non-toxic cleaning products (mainly so Himmery doesn’t croak when sipping from the porcelain).

The Earth Hour Date was one of those baby steps towards becoming more “green”. I love how easy it was. I didn’t have to read any labels for weird chemical names or calculate my ecological footprint (although I did anyway and I need 3.3 earths – yikes!). I just had to turn out the lights.

At first it took some getting used to actually using our brains to think of a new form of entertainment. We decided to play Clue, a game I had never played before and ended up winning! Just sayin’.

I tend to love peace and quiet. A lot. It was so nice to eliminate all of the noise in our lives and enjoy a quiet night together. Whether you’re looking to sustain the earth or just your relationship this is the perfect date for both!

HE SAID:

With Earth Hour being on Saturday, March 27th, and Earth Day next month, we thought it was the perfect time to shut off all the lights and have a date by candlelight.

We started by going to a nearby fruit & vegetable shop that specializes in locally grown food and picked out a few items to include in our dinner. I read somewhere that using a barbeque was more eco-friendly than using a stove. I have no idea if that’s actually true or not, but that’s what we did for our electricity free evening at home. Along with our hamburgers (topped with maple mustard from Sugar Moon Farm), I tried something new by putting carrots and green beans wrapped in tin foil on the barbeque. It all turned out great, despite the fact that I’m just learning how to cook foods that don’t have the initials K.D.

After dinner, we lit some candles in the living room as it was beginning to get dark. We then realized that we hadn’t thought ahead very well. We were planning to play cards, or a board game, but neglected to get either one before shutting off the lights. What followed was a dangerous and frantic search through a dark closet, lit candles in hand, for said deck of cards or board game.

Our board game of choice was Clue. I’m sure if I say I’ve never played Clue before, someone will tell me I played it as a child and just forget (I’m looking at you, Mom). So instead I will simply say that it’s been long enough since I last played that I totally forget everything about it. After we read through all the rules and set up the board, we had a very enjoyable evening solving a murder by the flickering light of the candles.

It was really quite easy to have a fun date at home without using any electricity. I do have two tips for those who want to try this out. First, if you plan on making or eating food as part of your evening, it might be a good idea to time it so that you aren’t cooking in the dark. Second, make sure you have any games you want to play, books you want to read, or any other activity ready to go before it gets dark. It will save you some frustration as well as cut down on the chances of accidentally burning down your house.

Regardless of where you come down on the issues surrounding the environment, there’s no denying that it’s a good thing to take care of the earth. If you’re wondering what kind of impact your life is having on the environment, check out the carbon footprint calculator. It might be all the motivation you need to have an eco-friendly date night.

For the locals: Check out Second Nature, a website with lots of great information about improving the way we live and our impact on the environment in Nova Scotia.

Welcome to our very first Movie Monday. The idea behind it is simple. We want to help you with those movie date nights where you feel overwhelmed by all the choices out there. At least once a month we’ll recommend a movie that we think fits the bill for an enjoyable evening at home. As always, let us know what you think of Movie Monday, and of the movies we recommend. Enjoy!

SHE SAID:

Spanglish is one of the few movies that I can watch once a month and never grow sick of. I love the plot, the characters, the actors, and the ending. It’s not an easy movie to classify because while it’s funny, it’s not a comedy and while it has dramatic moments, it’s definitely not an intense movie. It’s simply a breath of fresh air.

Some may be drawn to it for Adam Sandler, but be warned, it is not your typical Adam Sandler movie. I don’t think that’s a bad thing, though. I personally think this is Adam Sandler’s best movie. It was refreshing to see him in a more low key role where he doesn’t dominate the screen.

I think the thing I love most about Spanglish is its message. It provides quite the perspective on modern America and the busy lives we lead. It forces you to re-examine your priorities and urges you to hold close those you love.

This is the perfect movie to watch on a lazy Sunday afternoon with the curtains drawn and a fondue at your side. Oh, and your husband too!

HE SAID:

At first glance, Spanglish didn’t seem like the type of movie I would enjoy. If you were to pass by the DVD at your local movie store, you might tag it as a cookie cutter romantic comedy. Thankfully that assumption is quite far from the truth.

Spanglish is about a woman named Flor who comes from Mexico to America with her daughter in hopes of a better life. She ends up being a housekeeper for a very well off family. The movie centres around her struggle to adapt to living in America without abandoning her own cultural upbringing and values.

Some of my favourite movies are simply about normal people in slightly abnormal situations. So I think the best compliment I can give Spanglish is that everything in the movie seemed real. I was pulled in by the characters, even the one I didn’t like, and was made to believe in what was going on.

I only have one complaint about this movie. Tea Leoni’s character is like fingernails on a chalkboard throughout the whole movie to me. She is over the top, obnoxious, and irritating, which is a stark contrast to Adam Sandler’s calm, cool, and collected character. In the end I think that balance between the two characters helps make the movie special, but if the rest of the movie wasn’t so good, her character would have the potential to ruin it for me.

Spanglish covers a lot of ground. It’s funny, heart warming, and tear inducing at various times. Though it runs longer than your typical hour and a half movie (131 min.) it is worth taking the time to watch. So next time you’re looking for a movie to enjoy at home with that special someone (or even by yourself), check out Spanglish.