Holiday Entertaining -- The Easy Way

Greetings from chilly Cape Cod MA. My faithful co-blogger Lucy is under the weather, and we're hoping she'll be well in time for Santa to arrive and give her the case of Milk Bone dog biscuits she's been begging for. But she has given me permission to blog on my own -- just this once -- as long as I focus on food, her favorite subject. So here goes.

I'm not one of the cozy writers who sprinkles recipes throughout her books, mainly because I'm not the world's greatest cook. But in my first Baby Boomer mystery, Retirement Can Be Murder, I couldn't resist putting one in. It seemed to work well into the plot, plus it's the easiest one I've ever found. It was given to me by an elderly family member who, sadly, is no longer with us. With the holidays closing in fast, which usually means expected and -- alas --unexpected company, in the spirit of the season, I'm going to share it with you. It's for -- drum roll please -- ice cream bread. Yes, you read that right. Ice cream bread. Not ice cream cake. Not ice cream soda, sundae, cone, or anything else that sounds remotely familiar. And it's as easy as (forgive me for this, but I couldn't resist) pie.

Here's the recipe: one pint of ice cream, softened. Your flavor choice, but butter pecan works really well. Be sure to use REAL ice cream. None of that low-fat stuff. The second ingredient is one and a half cups of self-rising flour. The self-rising part is VERY important. Mix the two ingredients together in a bowl. I usually add the flour to the ice cream a little at a time so it doesn't get lumpy. Be sure it is mixed throughly. Then spoon the batter into a greased and floured 8x4 inch loaf pan. Bake in pre-heated 350 degree oven 40-45 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. That's it! This two-ingredient bread is good any time of day. It can be served as a dessert (topped with more ice cream, whipped cream, or other sauce), or toasted and served with cream cheese for breakfast or a snack. Be sure to wrap the bread tightly after it's cooled if you're not going to serve it right away as it dries out quickly.

I've gotten lots of e-mails from readers who've tried this recipe and have been amazed at how good it is. Our local daily paper here on Cape Cod heard about the recipe, contacted me, and is starting a contest this week to pick the recipe for my second book. This one should be an appetizer or hors' d'oeuvres, to fit into the the plot. The contest ends December 31. I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

Hmm. It just occurred to me that I may have to taste all the entries personally to pick the winner. Oh, well. As long as I don't have to actually make them!