Apple Pie Ice Cream with Cinnamon Pie Crust Crisps

Sometimes life doesn't go at all the way you hoped. Even the best laid plans go awry. That's been the case around here this summer. We were counting down the days until the kids got out of school so that we could do some traveling, attend a few taekwondo tournaments, go to the pool and just generally enjoy our summer. Unfortunately, the universe had other plans.

Physical therapy including heat and electro stimulation.

The trouble started with my eldest son. He'd been participating at a taekwondo workshop and the next morning woke up with sharp pain in his neck and between his shoulders. He's been dealing with muscle spasms and a severely strained trapezius muscle for the past 6 weeks now. There has been countless doctor visits, some rather strong pain medicine and physical therapy 3 times each week since the injury occurred. Not the way you want to spend your summer, for sure.

Very sad little girl at the hospital after an ambulance ride.

So, we'd just gotten settled into the routine of doctor and physical therapy visits with the teen when my middle child fell while she was playing on her scooter. One of the other kids in the neighborhood got in her path as she was coming down an incline and she tried to stop so she wouldn't hit him. She fell in just the right way that she broke both her tibia and fibula.

X-ray taken after reduction and casting.

1 week in the cast and she was at least starting to smile again.

She was lucky in the no surgery was needed. If she was going to have a broken leg, she had a "good" break. It should heal without any issues and leave her with no side effects. More than anything it's a waiting game. It's frustrating for her, of course, but we're thankful that it wasn't much worse. In 3 weeks she will see her doctor again and hopefully will be rid of the cast for the last bit of her summer before school starts again. If the cast can't come off yet, there is a possibility she will move on to a below the knee cast... that alone would be a huge improvement. We're hopeful but taking one day at a time.

All of this has kept me very busy, that goes without saying. I've wanted to come here and post this or that many times over the past month, but it's just hasn't happened. My world always revolves around my family, but these days that's taken on a little different meaning. We've been spending a lot of time playing board games, watching movies, doing crafts and eating foods that soothe the soul. Seeking comfort and solace in the form of homey family dinners and cozy evenings spend tucked in together.

We've been making lots of ice cream with all this super hot weather we've had. It's quick and easy with an ice cream maker and something the whole family can get involved in. We've made quite a few different flavor combinations over the past few weeks but today I'm bringing you the one that everyone in my family enjoyed the most. Apple pie ice cream with cinnamon pie crust crisps! The ice cream on it's own is delicious, but please don't pass up making the crisps to go along side. They add so much to the dessert. There is just something amazing about crisp pie crust paired with creamy ice cream... it's always been my favorite part of having pie and ice cream together!

Creamy comfort in a bowl.

Apple Pie Ice Cream

Ingredients:

• For the apple mixture:
• 4 Granny Smith apples peeled, cored and diced into 1/2 inch
• cubes
• 4 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• Pinch salt
• For the vanilla ice cream base:
• 1 1/2 Cups whole milk
• 3/4 Cup granulated sugar
• 3 Cups heavy cream
• 2 Tablespoons good quality pure vanilla extract

Method:

1: In a saucepan over medium heat combine diced apples and

butter until apples are well coated.

2: Add brown sugar, a pinch of salt and cinnamon to apples

and cook until the apples become just tender and the brown sugar and butter

form a sauce that will coat the back of a spoon. About 10-15 minutes.

3: Remove from heat, transfer apple mixture to a bowl and

set aside to cool completely.

4: In a mixing bowl, combine the milk and granulated sugar

until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla extract. Pour

this mixture into the ice cream machine and churn according to manufacturer's

directions.

5: Add the completely cooled apple mixture to the ice cream

during the last 5 minutes of churning.

6: Serve immediately or freeze.

Yield: Approximately 2 Quarts

Cinnamon Pie Crust Crisps

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 Cup unsalted butter, chilled and diced

1/2 Cup ice water

1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/2 Cup granulated sugar

Method:

1: In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in butter

until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

2: Stir in water, a tablespoon at a time, until mixture

forms a ball.

3: Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

4: Roll pie dough out into a 1/4 inch flat, cut into 2 flats

to make the dough easier to work with.

5: Mix cinnamon into sugar in a small bowl.

6: Sprinkle cinnamon sugar generously over pie dough flats.

7: Roll dough tightly into logs, as you could a jelly roll.

8: With a sharp knife cut the roll into 1 inch pieces.

9: Turn each piece so that it lies with the cinnamon sugar

swirl up and flatten with the palm of your hand so that the crisp is about 1/4

inch thick.

10: Place on a parchment covered baking sheet.

11: Bake in a preheated 425* oven for 10-12 minutes until

golden brown.

12: Serve with Apple Pie Ice Cream and enjoy!

Makes 24-30 crisps

These little crisps are amazing with a cup of coffee too.