Yummy things

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Yummy things
Random musings on happenings in my kitchen and my life, in Durham, NC


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About me
Hi! I'm Lindsey.

I'm a health educator, like to run at a slow, but steady pace, teach group fitness classes, and do my best to keep up with my family that's spread across the country. In the midst all of that, playing in the kitchen is one of my favorite stress relievers and creative outlets, so this blog chronicles some of my favorite cooking and baking adventures, but in the process it also tells the story of the rest of my life.

Like many people in the Triangle area, I'm a transplant. After spending the first 21 years of my life in the midwest, I've been settled in North Carolina for seven years. One of the things I love most about the area is the diversity of local farms, farmers' markets, and great food, so I follow lots of local food happenings, but I also keep up with my fair share of Midwestern favorites.

If you like what you find here, feel free to drop me a note and email Yummy things. I'd love to hear from all of you out there!
Mon Jul 4

HBHEs and babies

This summer is rushing by.  As soon as we got back from our vacation, I headed off on my first overnight trip without Hazel.  After successfully negotiating that, the holiday weekend was upon us.  And then, this weekend we’ll be traveling again for a cousin’s wedding.  With all this fun, it may be tricky to keep up with posting photos of everything on the blog!  But we had a blast vacationing friends the other week, so here are some highlights of our time in western Maryland (full sets of photos on my Flickr stream and Dan’s).

We rented a house, big enough to hold 7 HBHEs, 6 spouses, and 7 kiddos.

The house had a great lawn, and it was right on Deep Creek Lake, so we had some nice time chilling outside, especially since the weather was much cooler than the sweltering temps in NC.

We were also very close to two different state parks so we ventured out on three hikes during the week.


The very baby friendly portion of hike #1


Family photo along the water during hike #2


Consulting the map to figure out how much ground we could cover in hike #3

Deep Creek State Park had a nice little beach, where Hazel was able to enjoy her first time in the sand. 

And Dan and I even got a nice date night, while the rest of the gang took care of Hazel. (Thanks y’all!) 



The view from our outdoor seats at Mountain State Brewing Co.

For the rest of the vacation, each family was in charge of dinner for the whole group for one night.  We did dinner on Father’s Day, so I gave Dan the pick of what to make, and we whipped up two homemade pizzas.  Also, since Dan was enjoying his first Father’s Day in the company of several other dads, several of us worked together to make a delicious ice cream cake.  It’s totally indulgent, and wonderfully delicious. It would have been a great thing for me to have posted before the 4th so that you could have enjoyed it at your cookout!  But if you find yourself looking for a sweet treat for a different summer celebration, this is a classic one to try.

Oreo ice cream cake

Ingredients:
Chocolate cake, 1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream, Oreos, hot fudge, Cool Whip

In advance:

- Make Smitten Kitchen’s everyday chocolate cake and allow it time to cool. Slice domed top off cake (and save for snacking).  Then slice remaining cake in half horizontally. 
- Crush one row of Oreos. 
- Set ice cream out of the freezer to soften. 

To assemble:

- Spray loaf pan with cooking spray.
- Spread crushed Oreos across the bottom of the loaf pan.
- Spread half of ice cream over Oreos. 
- Coat ice cream with a layer of hot fudge. 
- Place 1 slice of cake on top of hot fudge.
- Fill remainder of loaf pan with ice cream.
- Press other slice of cake on top of ice cream.

Freeze ice cream cake for at least 1 hour before serving. 

To serve:

- Dip loaf pan into a baking dish filled with warm water for 1 minute to slightly melt ice cream. 
- Run knife along sides of loaf pan to release cake.
- Flip loaf pan onto serving platter, so that chocolate cake is on the bottom. 
- Top cake with Cool Whip, and drizzle with hot fudge.