Finally got around to making this over the weekend using the Almond Dream recipe that Michael posted. It was perfect. The flavor was bright, clean and creamy with nothing cloying about it...just like I remember. I eliminated the egg yolk & just used extra cornstarch, I also froze the mix on a sheet pan, then broke it up & pulverized it in the food processor. This resulted in a crunchier texture and a SUPER COLD Italian ice. Not so good for 20 degree nights in NY but it will be perfect for the summer. Making it this way also resulted in an extremely low fat & not to sweet but amazingly satisfying dessert. Unfortunately after eating it my tongue was so numb I was speaking as if I had just had it pierced! It was a riot, none of us could speak properly. Now all I need to do is to figure out the "right" way to incorporate the almond slivers into it and I will have succesfully duplicated the elusive Lily with Almonds. This recipe is a must try if you like Italian ices. It couldn't be easier & you don't even need an ice cream maker (I just didn't feel like dragging it out). Even my 4 year old ate it and pronounced it "delicious". OK, he pronounced it more like "derocus" because his tongue was so numb but he still enjoyed it. I'll probably try my hand at making almond milk eventually but for now the ALmond Dream works perfectly. Thank you all so much! Nina

I prefer to store flour, sugar, etc. in the pantry, cabinet or closet... my favorite things to keep those in are actually olllld Schwan's ice cream buckets! They have to be at least 15 years old, and might be as much as 20. I need to get a couple of nice canisters for DH's coffee, coffee filters, and sweetener packets because I detest the look of the boxes and coffee can just sitting out on the counter, but we're not overendowed with counter space (most of it is peninsula, which is no good for putting things on) so I prefer to keep canisters and such to a minimum. cattknap said: "I have never seen a recipe that instructed you to "spoon" your flour into the measuring cup....in fact I can't recall ever seeing a cooking show, reading a recipe, or attending or teaching (I teach) cooking classes where anyone spooned in the flour." Hate to contradict you, but most of my cookbooks instruct exactly that, including an obscure little oddity called "The Joy of Cooking". :-) Usually it says in the book's introductory or supplementary material rather than in the recipe itself whether the recipes in the book are written to use the spoon-in, sift-before-measuring, or dip-and-sweep (or worse, dip-tap-and-sweep!) methods. When I attended culinary school, we were taught in both the cooking and baking sections that if you're not measuring flour by weight (by far the most accurate way), you should stir/fluff/shake up the flour in the container and use the scoop that you should ideally be keeping in the container to fill the measuring cup. The difference can actually be more than 1 tablespoon, it can be up to a full ounce (that's a lot!) which can really make a mess of a recipe. The talking heads on cooking shows botch a great many things up, so I certainly wouldn't consider how they do things as gospel! squirrelheaven said: "I was just thinking how beautiful and scrumptuous coffee beans would look in one of those glass canisters." If you have the space to spend on a display-only item, why not get some cheapo coffee beans (whole-bean Chock Full O' Nuts or something like that) to put in a pretty glass canister but not use, and keep your good coffee in a cabinet away from the light? You could put a strip of tape with "not for use" written on it over the mouth of the jar under the lid so no one would use the stale coffee beans!

Here's an interesting one that I haven't yet tried, but we almost finished up the chocolate sorbet tonight, so I think this one might be up very soon! I found the main ingredient up in the Sonoma area (wine country) in Northern CA. This brand has a sweet, lovely taste. If you can't find it in your town, they do ship! They're a small family company too. Verjus Mint Sorbet Verjus is the tart, unfermented juice of unripe wine grapes. Verjus (pronounced Vair-Zhoo) literally means "green juice." It is an elegant and delicate alternative to both vinegar and lemon juice in cook. Because this sorbet is made from verjus, it goes well with wine. Check out Ice Cream, Sorbet, Granita, & Gelato Recipes for more recipe ideas. ________________________________________ 1 cup sugar 2 cups water 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves 1 1/2 cups Verjus* 2 tablespoons vodka * Verjus is found in specialty or wine stores. To learn more about Verjus, check out my web page HERE. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, water, and mint leaves. Stir until mixture comes to a boil and sugar is dissolved; reduce heat to low and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat; place a fine strainer over a large bowl and pour syrup mixture through (straining out the mint leaves). Add verjus and vodka to the strained syrup mixture; stir until thoroughly blended. Let mixture cool to room temperature. NOTE: The vodka (or any other type of alcohol) is the secret to a soft sorbet. Alcohol itself does not freeze and adding a little bit keeps the sorbet from doing the same. Vodka is excellent to use because it doesn't affect the taste. Ice Cream Maker - Transfer mixture to ice cream maker, process according to manufacturer's instructions. Freezer Method - Pour into container, cover, and place mixture in the freezer. When it is semi-solid, mash it up with a fork and refreeze again. When frozen, place in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Cover and refreeze until serving time. NOTE: Can be prepared 3 days in advance. Cover and keep frozen. Makes 8 to 10 servings. Here is a link that might be useful: My Verjus choice

Live in an old country home, where one thing we do have is storage. I actually have three units in kitchen. First one is a walk in (messy) Next one is a built in that is in front of the walk in, there was glass in doors but the mess i keep it in i just painted blackboard paint and make my grocery list as needed. and this one i keep pizza and cookie pans in top and bottom is 30" deep and pulls all the way out.