following Michael Pollan

I really enjoy Michael Pollan's books (In Defense of Food is an absolute must-read). When Food Rules came out, I was struck by his rule about junk food: eat it only if you make it yourself. I liked this point; homemade junk food doesn't use a lot of the preservatives and really nasty ingredients, plus who wants to eat french fries every day if it takes an hour to make them? (Although I do make an awesome oven fry if I say so myself).

Anyway, when I proposed to Neil that we adopt this rule, he thought it was a great plan.

Little did I know.

For Valentine's Day, he got me an ice-cream maker, which I thought was incredibly thoughtful, since I love ice cream, but didn't like the cost of the non-dairy alternatives. It just barely arrived on Thursday (shipping took forever!)

On Friday night, he made coconut-milk ice cream flavored with cocoa and studded with chocolate chips and coconut flakes. It was heavenly.

On Saturday night, he made strawberry sorbet. Also heavenly.

On Sunday night, I took one look at the gleam in his eye and said, "Please--I can't handle any more ice cream!" Disappointed, he said he would give the ice cream maker a rest for the night.

An hour later he emerged from the kitchen with a ball of shimmering orange candy between his hands, which he was expertly folding and stretching. Another half-hour, and he'd covered the kitchen table with a glistening array of orange-flavored hard candies, dusted with powdered sugar.

I must say, this isn't at all atypical of Neil--he is the acknowledged dessert master in our house and will spend hours or even days (remember that lime cheesecake with lime curd?) working on these sweet little fancies.

I think, when we are old, we will open up a little bakery and sweet shop together.