Nutella Ice Cream

I want you to know that I am both very, very sorry and very, very NOT sorry about this.

I've made dreams come true. And it hardly takes any time at all!

So, yes, it's true - I made Nutella Ice Cream. And it is so, so simple. More than that, though, it is delicious. The ingredient list is short, which allows that wonderful chocolate hazelnut spread we all know and love to shine through.

This is a "simple" ice cream, which is made up of a base of just milk and heavy cream - no need to temper egg yolks or create any kind of custard. This recipe is a complete riff off my wildly popular and just as mouth-watering peanut butter ice cream, replacing the peanut butter with Nutella.

Look, there are no two ways around this: if you love Nutella and if you love ice cream, you are going to flip head over heels (over and over and over) when you lay your mouth on this. Part of me didn't even want to try making this at the risk that it would be this good. Then I thought...it's summer. We're hot. We want ice cream. Why deny ourselves?!

In addition to Nutella, sugar, milk, vanilla extract and heavy cream, you will need an ice cream maker before this magic can be in your life. There are lots of options out there, but I haven't had any trouble with this Cuisinart model. It's not a terribly large gadget and well worth it for homemade ice cream (in my humble opinion!)

Enough talking...we're making NUTELLA ICE CREAM!

Farmer's Market Spaghetti with Garlic Scape Pesto

Have you jumped on the farmer's market bandwagon?

Other than being a spectacular Instagram stop, these markets are the best way to get fresh, affordable, local and in-season fruits and veggies during the year. My favorite way to tackle the farmer's markets in Boston is to go take a slow stroll through each stand; rather than going with a list, I go in and simply choose whatever produce looks the best to me that day.

This recipe for Farmer's Market Spaghetti with Garlic Scape Pesto is the perfect base for any vegetables you fancy! It's fresh and light, yet fulfilling and packed with great flavor. 

My market had giant beautiful zucchinis this week, so I knew I had to come away with a few of those. I also was in love with the bunches of onions, fresh fennel, and big bundles of basil. With basil in hand, pesto was certainly in my near future. To put a fun, fresh spin on an old classic, I grabbed a few garlic scapes--that is, the bud of the flower on a garlic plant. This isn't a particularly common grocery store ingredient, but in late June and early July, farmer's markets are brimming with them! They have a softer garlic flavor and can be used in any way you might use a scallion or fresh herb...so, of course...PESTO!

Along with the pesto, I chop and dice the zucchinis, onions and fennel then saute them in a bit of butter and olive oil. Since the sauce is packed with flavor, I lightly season the veggies with some salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes for a nice kick. A little lemon juice and a generous amount of grated parmesan cheese are the cherry on top of these twirly tasty noodles--don't be shy!