In case you did not see this, live it, taste it or experience it live. (for any number of reasons ;)

Don went crazy celebrating my birthday this year.

He asked me what I wanted and I said that all that mattered was that I didn’t have to plan anything!

And then he and Madeline decided that we’d have to have a treat of some sort. (Though later, Madeline insisted that we have cake. Its not a birthday without cake)

(that’s my new t shirt with the chemical equation for chocolate on it

So Don did some heavy research and tried to track down my favorite ice cream of all time. Haagen Dazs’ Macadamia Nut Brittle. It has been taken off the market for 5 years. So… he decided to make it. And he wasn’t about to mess around. It had to be the creamiest, the richest, the best. It had to be precisely what I remembered from Haagen Dazs.

He then asked me if we were going to HAVE something for my birthday, and it would be awesome but it would be more awesome if it was slightly dangerous, which method would I want him to pursue. 

and of course I chose danger.

So, thanks the the sleuth work of my brother in law, Carl, it became about acquiring some heavy chemicals, a stand mixer, organic farm creams and premium flavorings and toppings and a recipe for ice cream that includes not just milk and sugar but heavy cream and egg yolks too- And a few hours of mixing, cooking, blending soaking and measuring on Don’s part. Here is a bottle of the ice cream mix- being finished off:

It was a dream come true. And, as promised, I didn’t plan a THING.

In fact, I had no idea what was happening, even after I opened package after package of ice cream ingredients, a stand mixer, and a 60lb (Doer) of Liquid Nitrogen!

Heres the footage:

Friends and family members came to add toppings (like 100% cacao from venezuela) to the ice cream, an audience for the big show and lots of laughter and fun.

And of course, there was a rich chocolate cake with the chemical element abbreviation for liquid nitrogen spelled out on it too. I wonder what the folks in the whole foods bakery thought of that request?!

Thank you for making this day so unforgettable, my love.