Refreshment & Curiosity for February 2024

February 2, 2024

Happy Ground Hog’s Day! Punxsutawney Phil has predicted an early spring this year. The pollen coating my car is confirming that prediction. (sneeze!)

Happy Birthday, Aunt Kitten! There’s Only One You with Aunt Kitten has been out in the world for a year now. Paperback books are available (here) on Amazon for $12.99, Kindle for $1.99.

Tomorrow is the first Saturday of February and that means… National Ice Cream for Breakfast Day! There is still time to prepare – see below for some ideas.

Aunt Kitten/Tree Frog Update

The rhyming draft of the new Aunt Kitten/Tree Frog book is almost completed. The next stage will be sharing the draft with some readers for honest feedback and suggestions. To be one of these readers, just hit reply to this email. I’ll put you on the list and send you a copy in the next week or so.

Sneek peek: The refrain for this book is currently:

Some things will fizzle or drizzle or flop.
That is OK, keep on going, don’t stop.

Ice Cream for Breakfast!

Are you ready to eat ice cream for breakfast tomorrow? I have the first Saturday of February marked on my calendar each year so that we don’t miss it. There are many creative ways to celebrate. A local ice cream shop may be open early and encourage you to come in PJs.

Gregg and I have made cinnamon rolls and put ice cream in the center for a HUGE ice cream sandwich. We’ve also eaten ice cream in a bowl with cinnamon toast on the side. This year we plan to make Brown Sugar and Cinnamon ice cream. (My changes to this recipe are: 1 Tbsp cinnamon, 2 cups heavy cream, 2 cups milk.)

A sweet neighbor (who loves our Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream the best), just brought me some Trader Joe’s croissants. One box is almond, the other is chocolate. They are frozen and need to sit out on the counter overnight to rise. Then bake in the morning. Thank you, Kimberly!

She also brought me a copy of her favorite cinnamon rolls on steroids recipe, Cinnamon Rolls with Heavy Cream.

Ladybug is spending the night with us. She likes the cinnamon toast idea, paired with Publix Santa’s White Christmas – a coffee flavored ice cream. Yum!

Ice Cream Recipes

Here are some homemade ice cream recipes that I’ve made and could work well for breakfast. (Although, is there really a flavor that would NOT work? Just say’n.)

• Easy Strawberry Ice Cream
• Nutella Swirl Ice Cream
• Vegan Vanilla Faux Ice Cream
• Chocolate Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
• Mocha Madness Ice Cream
• Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream (add baked pie shell pieces to it after frozen!)
• Brown Sugar and Cinnamon ice cream. (my changes: 1 Tbsp cinnamon, 2 cups heavy cream, 2 cups milk)
• Fig Ice Cream

If you celebrate National Ice Cream for Breakfast Day – whether homemade or store bought, I’d LOVE to hear about it! Hit reply OR click on this email to go to the newsletter on my website. At the bottom of the post, you can leave a comment – and even a picture if you want!

Let’s Celebrate together! 🍨
-Kristin Emily Friend

PS – Facebook and Instagram Update

Facebook friends, heads up: I’ve deactivated my Kristin Emily Friend Author page. You can still find me at my personal page, Kristin Abell Friend. My Instagram account is still active, although I’m not posting much on either of those accounts. Gregg tags me in his Facebook posts, so there is more activity on that account than Instagram.

🐾