Recipe: Coconut Key Lime Pie Ice Cream

As many of you know, I am allergic to dairy. And we're talking straight up serious allergy - swollen throat, constricted airways...none of this lactose intolerant stuff. I'm hard core that way.

All delicious foods in life have a dairy base: cheese, ice cream, whipped cream, any cream based sauce. I love ice cream and always have. But my throat says otherwise. So sad for Laura. To satisfy my ice cream love, I have explored the world of coconut ice cream and have tried to find/create a great recipe for coconut ice cream. And I think this one's a winner.

You start with a delicious base of coconut and lime - which on it's own tastes fantastic. For a dash of fun flair, I attempted to swirl in ribbons of lime curd, but the final result ended less ribbony and more pockety with bursts of lime curd here and there (which I thought actually thought made it more exciting).

Ingredients

Coconut Lime Ice Cream Base

• 2 cans full fat unsweetened coconut milk (I prefer the Taste of Thai Organic kind)
• Juice and zest from 2 limes
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water

Key Lime Curd

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons lime zest
• 1 egg, beaten and set aside

Instructions

1. First focus on the ice cream base. Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and heat on medium heat, slowly stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved.
   
   


2. Once dissolved, pour in to a bowl, cover and chill in refrigerator for 4 hours, or until completely chilled. 


3. Combine sugar, butter, lime juice and zest in a double boiler (or do what I did and set a pyrex bowl inside a sauce pan filled halfway with water)
   
   
   
   
   
4. Slowly stir over medium-high heat until the butter is melts and mixture becomes syrup-like


5. Mix a tablespoon of the lime syrup into the egg and blend.


6. Reduce the stove heat to medium and  slowly whisk the egg mixture into the lime syrup


7. Heat and stir the mixture in double boiler for 20 minutes, or until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon.


8. Pour the mixture into a bowl, cover, and chill in refrigerator


9. When the ice cream base is chilled, freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.


10. Once the ice cream is finished, the lime curd should also be chilled. Spoon curd into pastry bag. Use the pastry bag (or ziploc with snipped corner) to pipe ribbons of curd and fold the lime curd into the ice cream.


11. Scoop ice cream and top with extra lime zest and toasted coconut if desired. Enjoy.

It is so delicious that I literally have to talk myself out of eating the entire batch. It's so flavorful and tropical at the same time, it's the perfect cool treat on a hot summer day.  Try it out and let me know what you think!

Fourth of July part two: Texas Rangers vs. Seattle Mariners

Scott and I love going to baseball games. The sun, the sunflower seeds and roasted peanuts, the cheering and the comebacks--we're both fans. I'll be honest, I am not a big sports enthusiast, but I do get swept in the excitement and the atmosphere when I physically attend a game.

We decided that a tradition we will do our best to uphold over the years is to attend a baseball game on the Fourth of July and end the night watching fireworks. Hopefully this is something that we can keep up even when we have kids. But can you think of a better way to celebrate America than by watching America's favorite pastime? I don't think so.

Well there we were, decked out head to toe in our Rangers gear, which is conveniently red, white, and blue. The Rangers played Seattle that day, crazy huh? I had an internal struggle on who I was really supporting - my home team or my new team. But since I was never really loyal before, I guess it doesn't really matter, especially now that I have a Texas Rangers hat.

The game was great. Couldn't be better. The Rangers and the Mariners battled it for a couple innings. The score was 2-3. In the bottom of the 7th inning, the Rangers scored 3 runs taking the lead. What a great comeback. And then they continued to defend it until the 9th. Such a great game. And if I, a girl who doesn't understand too much about sports, am saying that, it must be true!

The game ended with a fireworks show, which was pretty good. And it was so comfortable sitting in an actual seat then on the cold, wet grass. Scott and I agreed that it was one of the better shows we have seen. Maybe not absolute best, but it was up there.

All around, a great day, a great game, a great holiday. And we're proud to live in this great country.

Fourth of July part one: Dallas Farmers Market

Scott and I luckily (and gratefully!) had the Fourth of July off of work. So we spent the day celebrating America in style. We first started off in style by sleeping in, of course! After which we lazed around and after getting ready for the day, donned in red, white, and blue, we made our way to the Dallas Farmers Market.

While there, we sampled fruit, vegetables, and prepared foods from various local vendors. I was a sucker for the nectarines and peaches. I tried a sample from every vendor that was offering! One of the vendors was selling roasted sweet corn - one of my favorites! And the sweet corn was topped with butter, mayo, and cheese. I know it sounds gross (especially if you're not a mayo fan, like me) but its actually really tasty.

Oh man. I love the market. I love sweet corn. What a great start to a great day off!

Muddin'

In February, a couple guys in our church started talking about how they've always wanted to complete a Tough Mudder. They spent the past few months training with each other and getting tough. Last weekend was the actual run.

My role in all of this: run the spectator "course" which includes my own set of obstacles mostly made up of dodging camp chairs and visor-clad grandmas. But boy did I run that path. I would take pictures of the boys at one obstacle, then book it so I could meet them at the next. It was exhausting.

In total, I took almost 200 photos and videos of these guys. Check out our Mormon Mudders:

As you can tell, I was a little hesitant to get close to him. He was caked in mud and I didn't want any on me. He was so exhausted and beat up from the run. A couple hours after the run, the aches and pains started to kick in and he was having a difficult time walking. Right after the race he said that he'd never do another Tough Mudder again. But now that his muscles have healed and he's walking properly, he's thinking about signing up for another one!

Did you buy your tickets?

A few weeks ago we went to a gun show.

That's right. As part of our conversion into Texas culture there are several things we feel we must experience: the Texas State Fair (completed), a good ol' Texas Rodeo, Billy Bob's Texas, etc.

Well Scott got his Texas drivers license, our car is licensed and registered in the state of Texas and we figured it was high time that see for ourselves the true love that Texans have for the second amendment.

Man oh man was I in culture shock - and I've spent plenty of time in foreign countries. I walked in and was just amazed. I'm a girl from a tree-hugging, recycling, very liberal city.  A gun show was definitely foreign waters for me.

Scott had a blast. I'm convinced he's a cowboy at heart - he already has boots! I still have a ways to go before I'm full Texan.

Calgary Flames

Here's a pre-break in post that I was going to write and then of course, I didn't have my laptop anymore.

Scott spent a majority of his growing up years in Canada and loves hockey. He eats, breaths, and sleeps hockey. Me not being a real sports-enthusiast in general, decided I might as well watch it with him and maybe some day I'll learn to enjoy it.

I probably annoy Scott when we're watching games on tv because of all of the questions I ask. What call did the Ref just make? What is 'icing'? Why is fighting acceptable? Why are there only four people out on the ice now? etc...etc...etc.

I can officially say, I am an amateur fan. I know some of the players names, most of the ref calls, and most importantly, when I should cheer and when I should be frustrated. I'm getting pretty good at this whole hockey thing.

When we moved to Dallas, Scott's one request was that we go to a few hockey games now that we lived in a city that had a major league team. We attended the Dallas Stars opener in the beginning of January. The second game he wanted to attend was when the Flames came to Dallas.

Well that was a few weeks ago and of course we attended, dressed all in red.

We had a blast!

Unfortunately our beloved flames lost, but it was so much fun. Such a fun date night! Hockey is something definitely better enjoyed in person. I can keep up watching it on tv, thanks to the sportscasters, but I think I do a much better job in person. Or maybe I could keep up and understand because of all the previous hockey exposure.

Anyway. I'm becoming a more devoted hockey fan and Scott definitely appreciates that.

March Update

I know it's been a month since I've blogged, but granted, it's been a crazy month. I feel like I need one of those blurbs at the beginning of tv shows saying "Previously on Soxx and Rara..." just so we're all on the same page.

So this past month I have been in training at Southwest Airlines and learning so much. On average, I use about five different programs/applications to find information but I have been trained on ten or so. Tons of information. I swear everything you do in regards to flying is recorded in at least one of our systems. It's almost so detailed that if a passenger sneezes on a plane, we document it. Not really but I read so much information about flights, passengers, and all the behind the scenes stuff at the airports.

For the most part, the past month has been run-of-the-mill. I work in the morning because I'm in training and Scott has been working the 11am-8pm shift. So our days are pretty booked.

Here is our month in quick bullet points:
- A few weeks ago, we did go to a Calgary Flames game (pictures and formal  blog post to come)
- I took my first phone calls (eek!) and it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be.
- Scott spent a weekend taking a motorcycle driving class and officially got his Texas Driver's License for both vehicles and motorcycles
- We bought Scott a motorcycle and some cowboy boots.
- And our apartment was broken into.
-We attended our first gun show.

Yep. About two weeks ago we were about 20 minutes from home at Scott's eye appointment. I was holding onto Scott's phone and it rang with a blocked number on the screen. I thought it was a telemarketer and not worth answering. For some reason I answered anyway.

It was the cops.

The Dallas police officer I spoke to said that he got our number from our managers and said we needed to come right away. Our apartment door was kicked in and we needed to come and look at the crime scene.

The suspect only had just enough time to grab the first things he saw because our neighbor immediately called the cops when she heard him kicking our door, so by the time he got the door open, the cops were pulling into our complex. He grabbed Scott's new playstation and my laptop that was sitting on the couch. He ended up dropping the playstation on the cememnt walkway outside our apartment when he ran off, but my poor little laptop was no where to be seen.

We gave the laptop's serial number to the detective and checked to see if it pulled up on Apple's Find My iOS device feature, but no luck.

My tear ducts lasted until seconds after we spoke with the cops. I literally sat on the floor and all I could do was cry. Man oh man it was a rough day for me.

I told Scott that it wasn't that my laptop was stolen - I could care less about that. I was in shambles because some stranger was in our apartment. It felt violated. Any sense of security I had in that apartment was gone. I was a mess and randomly bursting into tears for the rest of the day. Scott was so supportive and was great to me.

I am happy to report that we were released from our lease and transferred to a new apartment that we abosolutely LOVE. We were moved in exactly a week from the break in, so we feel blessed and definitely see the Lord's hand in guiding us to where we need to be.

Firehose and Tacos

Well I have officially finished up my first week of work. It has been a whirlwind week, and it can only get crazier and more busy. Scott warned me that my training weeks would be like drinking from a fire hose, and he was completely right!

Scott keeps telling me that even though I am completely confused every day (sometimes even so confused that I don't even know how to formulate a question), information IS sinking into my brain and eventually it will click and I will understand all the programs I am learning.

In other news, the other day we went on an impromptu Rexburg-style date and walked to the Taco Bell by our house. We tried the new Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Taco and LOVED IT!!! I am not a fan of the Cool Ranch Doritos in chip form, but when in this taco, it's perfection. I thought that I loved the Nacho Cheese Doritos taco, but I didn't know what love was until this new one.

Fitbit

So when I was in Seattle, Audrey and Toren kept telling me about the Fitbit and how much they both love having one. Monday, I spent probably an hour researching the Fitbit, reading reviews, and watching youtube videos.

And I caved and walked to Target and bought one. Literally I walked to Target. Granted that sounds a lot more intense on the blog than in real life where the store is maybe an 8 minute walk door to door from our apartment.

I love it.

I've only had it two days, but I love it.

For those of you that haven't heard of it, Fitbit is a pedometer - and I could have bought a regular pedometer that's cheaper. What I like about the Fitbit, is it syncs with the (free) Fitbit app on my phone and with my online Fitbit account. Using the Fitbit account and my new little Fitbit Zip helps me to regulate my calorie intake based off of my physical activity.

Studies have shown that those who want to lose, or even maintain, weight have more success if they document it. And so I do. I document everything I eat and drink and based off of the news from my little Zip, it tells me how much more I can eat during the day. So it can fluctuate from day to day based off of my physical activity.

It's so cute. I love my little Zip.

A Blizzard

So let me just make this a public announcement - I am finally going to be starting a new job {cheering is acceptable}. I applied at Southwest Airlines for the same job that Scott's doing right now and I got it! His department is on a big hiring kick right now and they loved me!

I don't start until March 4th, so I decided to make the most of my very open days and go see Audrey, Toren and the little monkey again. And we had a blast. I went out there Sunday the 17th and it took over 12 hours to get there. But I was finally there and enjoyed a few wonderful days chasing Austin around and making pancake dots (of course).

I hate to sum up a really fun few days, but I'm sure Audrey would agree that running errands and watching Super Hero Squad does not a blog post make.

Oh although when I was there, Audrey and I went to this new jewelry store in the area called Charming Charlie. The store started in Houston (I live in Texas now, why haven't I heard of this?) and it's amazing. An entire store dedicated to accessories. You want shoes? They're there.  You want purses or wallets? Also there. You want all of the jewelry in all the trends? Oh yeah, also there. I was in love and also overwhelmed the second I walked into the store. And I already found where the closest one to me in Dallas is!

Anyway. This post is about the journey home. Now if any of you follow me on Instagram, you probably heard a little bit of this.

I left Thursday and took the first flight out of Seattle, which left at 6 in the morning. I know, that's gross and really early, but those flights are usually wide open and this was no exception. Every flight I was supposed to take had over 50 seats available and even though I was flying standby, it was going to be an easy trip home. The longest layover was 45 minutes, so not a bad trip at all.

Unfortunately when we were coming into St. Louis, the pilot came on saying that there was going to be some turbulence because it just started snowing. I looked out of the window and I couldn't see the ground until a few minutes before we hit the runway. We landed and pulled into our gate and I rushed down to my connecting flight because they were boarding.

And then a gate agent announced that the flight was going to be delayed.

Thirty minutes later, the gate agent said that no standby passengers tickets would be honored because so many flights were being canceled that the flight was probably going to fill up.

Thirty minutes later, the gate agent said that our flight was canceled. By this time all ticketing agents' lines were backed up with people trying to switch their tickets and get on the next flight they could. I checked the booking status online and most of the flights for the day were already full, so I was prepared to just wait it out and see if I can get on some flight - any flight - out of St. Louis.

An hour later, they announced terminal wide that all Southwest flights were canceled for the rest of the day. Awesome.

I called all the hotels in the area and managed to book one of the last available hotel rooms for the night. It was so snowy and miserable out there. The shuttle van took a very long time coming to pick me up because of the traffic and the roads.

Anyway I made it to the hotel and was able to sleep in a bed instead of an airport chair.

The next morning, I woke up and went to the airport first thing. I checked the booking status and all the flights except the very last one at 9pm were full, so I was just going in hopes that someone wouldn't show up and I would get a ticket.

I watched flight after flight take off. I waited 9 hours in the airport with no wifi, no laptop, no book, nothin'. I just sat and watched airplanes.

When I heard my name called for the 5pm flight to Dallas, I jumped and screamed because I was so happy to finally get a ticket. Two hours later, I was home and I was so happy to be there.

Stop The Maddness!

Yesterday, Scott and I started our Saturday morning by hanging out on the couch and catching up a little bit on our Hulu+ queue.  We turned on Shark Tank and halfway through the episode, we knew what our plans were. Two brothers, Peter and Yuen Yung came on the show seeking an investment for their sushi restaurant, How Do You Roll? which is like a fast food sushi place but without tasting like fast food at all.

Scott leaned to me and said wow that looks good so I responded with, well lets go! We booked the next flight to Austin and were out the door. After landing in the live music capitol, we hopped on the metro and made our way to downtown.

Look at that mid-chew grin! Clearly he enjoyed the trip.

Scott ordered two different rolls, the 3 Alarm and the Slammin' Salmon and according to him, they were both so delicious. Definitely some of the best sushi he has had. Since I'm not the biggest sushi fan, I ordered a salad (which was so delicious by the way -- their ginger sesame dressing was bliss).

We were only in Austin for 4 or 5 hours, but we had so much fun. This may become a weekend tradition where we pick a new city, fly there a day and explore new restaurants and sights.

Plant Update

Look at these little guys grow! I'm a proud Plant Mama. My little seedlings are growing more and more each day. This may not be as exciting it is for you as it is for me. The first thing I do when I wake up now is go to the kitchen to see how the plants grew in the middle of the night.

Parent's Weekend

Because Scott works at Southwest, we get some special perks. Not only do Scott and I (plus any future children) get free flights, his parents also get to fly for free. So this weekend, Mom and Dad Sorensen tried out flying standby for the first time. They made all their flights and said it wasn't that bad - which means they probably won't be home much anymore!

On Friday, the first item of the weekend agenda was to visit Southwest Headquarters to see where Scott works and tour the offices. We ate lunch in The Landing, visited where Scott's training rooms, saw where his new desk will be, visited the Marketing Department where Scott interned, and viewed the museum-like halls covered with Southwest memorabilia of the company's life.

There were several projects I had conveniently not had time to complete since moving into the apartment. So after a SWA-HQ visit, we hit Lowes and bought the supplies. Hello Laundry Shelving! It was quite the project because of the location of the shelves. The presence of our washer and dryer occasionally made it difficult to use the drill.

On Saturday we hit the pavement and walked around downtown Dallas, visiting the JFK Memorial. It was a beautiful sunny day which Mom and Dad appreciated because they could thaw out from the frozen Utah tundra. It was so interesting seeing where President Kennedy was shot and hearing all the controversy about where the shooter was, if there were multiple shooters, etc.

Today after church, we found the Katy Trail, a 3.5 mile paved walk, bike, run, and roller blading path that goes through Dallas. It was a fun way to spend a sunny 70 degree day and explore Dallas's Uptown area .

It was a fun weekend! We hate it to end but they are heading back to the chilly Salt Lake City tomorrow morning. Hopefully their trip home will be as easy as their journey here. But I'm sure they will be back soon when they can just walk on a plane and leave whenever they want.