I’ve got two – count ‘em – two treats for you today! Maybe even three!

I was on the web recently, looking at platform beds for my new space-age foam mattress, when I was struck by an idea for another frozen and healthy concoction (it happens that way, sometimes), and inspired by the new Flickr group,

created by Elle and Heather, I give you treat number one:

Vegan Blueberry “Ice Cream”
(makes about 1-1/2 pints)

Ingredients:

1 dry pint blueberries
1/2 cup agave nectar (divided) -or-
1/2 cup sugar (divided)
1 cup soy milk
1 cup silken tofu
1 tsp. vanilla
pinch of salt

Preparation:

Make the blueberry syrup at least one hour before preparing the base.

Wash the blueberries, removing any stems in the process. Do not dry.

To make the syrup: In small saucepan over medium heat, combine the blueberries and 1/4 cup agave nectar or sugar. Bring to a boil, and allow to cook and reduce for about 20 minutes. Remove from heat, transfer contents to a heat-proof container, and refrigerate. You should have about 2/3 cup of blueberry syrup. When the syrup is completely cooled (it doesn’t have to be cold – just room temperature is fine), make the “ice cream” base.

To make the base: In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy milk, silken tofu, remaining 1/4 cup agave nectar or sugar, vanilla, and salt. Transfer this mixture to the bowl of your ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Put the now-soft ice cream into an air-tight container and mix in the blueberry syrup. Cover and freeze – minimum an hour or two.

So, if you’re vegan, vegetarian, flexitarian, diabetic, or just want a sweet, frozen sump’n-sump’n on a hot summer day, that won’t kill your diet and might actually be >gasp!< healthy, give this a try while the blueberries are in season!

I promised you a second treat, didn’t I? I don’t think you’ll be disappointed…

I was contacted recently by CSN Stores – you know, the hugely popular web company with over 200 internet stores that carry everything from patio furniture to (my personal fave) Cookware.com? They asked if I would like to give you – my dear, dear readers – a gift certificate for $50! Think about it – $50 to spend anyway you like in any of those 200 stores! It’s like Christmas in June, isn’t it? I said, “Heck, yeah! My readers deserve a little something special!” Because I love my readers. All of my readers. So I know you won’t be mad when I tell you that only those of you with U.S. and Canadian shipping addresses can play. Sorry!

And because I love you, I’m going to give you several ways to win:

First way, go to CSN and find something you’d love to blow $50 on, come back here and leave a comment about it.

Second way, follow me on Google Friend Connect (over there in the sidebar), and leave another comment that you did.

Third way, follow me on Networked Blogs (also over there in the sidebar), and leave another comment. If you already follow me on Google Friend Connect and/or Networked Blogs, leave a comment for each one that you do.

Fourth way, tweet about this giveaway on Twitter and/or mention it on Facebook, then come here and leave the link to your tweet or mention in another comment. You can tweet and FB everyday – but only comments about tweets and mentions with links will be counted. Above all, make sure I have a good e-mail address for you – if I can’t contact you within 3 days after the end of this giveaway, I’ll choose a new winner.

Fifth way, “Like” Flamingo Musings on Facebook, and of course, come back and leave a comment that you’re a “liker” (I really hate that… What was wrong with “fan,” anyway?). Again, if you already like Flamingo Musings, please leave a comment saying that.

Winners will be selected by random.org next Sunday night, June 13, 2010 at 11:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern time. I’ll tweet, FB, and e-mail the winner shortly afterward.

Fun, right? Well, guess what? Here’s your third treat: My buddy Barbara, over at Barbara Bakes, is also giving away a CSN gift certificate this week! Double your chances of winning by visiting her, too!

One post, three treats – isn’t that a great way to start off the week?

*Disclosure: I have not been paid in any way or given any inducements of any kind to write this post or participate in this giveaway.

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A few weeks ago, Casey of TasteStopping was going to sleepaway camp – Camp Blogaway, that is – and to celebrate, she and her sponsor, Regional Best, gave away a bunch of Gourmet S’mores Kits. I can’t begin to think how many years it’s been since I made S’mores. Maybe since I was a kid in camp, myself. Mmmm…. S’mores…

The kit included Middlebury Maple Crackers from Castleton Crackers of Vermont, Chocolate Puddles from Grocer’s Daughter Chocolates of Michigan, and (the main reason I entered the contest repeatedly) handmade Marshmallows from Kitchen Witch of Pennsylvania (a/k/a, Casey!). Can I tell you that the marshmallows were to die for?

I couldn’t wait – the evening the package arrived, we had S’mores for dessert. No campfire, not even a barbecue grill (we’ve been grill-less for like, going on 2 years now, and I am seriously starting to get cranky about it. But I digress.), I settled for the broiler element on my toaster oven. Hey, desperate times call for desperate measures!

Cool, huh?

And then, we ran out of chocolate puddles. And crackers big enough to make S’mores with. Now what to do with the leftovers? Well, let’s put on our thinking caps. What goes with summer as much as – or more than – S’mores? Ice cream!

MJ was skeptical, but in the end, he conceded that this was one of the best desserts he ever put in his mouth. So will you!

S’mores Ice Cream
(makes about 1-1/2 pints)

Ingredients:

1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1/3 cup sugar (I used Florida Crystals Natural Cane Sugar)
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 Tbs. cocoa powder

Stir-ins:

About 1/2 cup Middlebury Maple Crackers (or graham crackers, if you must) broken into small pieces
6 Kitchen Witch Gourmet Marshmallows (yeah, you can use regular store-bought)
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

Preparation:

Cover your toaster oven tray with foil and spray with cooking spray. Spread the cracker pieces on the tray, place the marshmallows, side-by-side on top of the crackers, then sprinkle with chocolate chips. Broil in the toaster oven for a few minutes, until marshmallows begin to brown and get a bit gooey. Put the tray in the freezer to cool for about 20-30 minutes.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the cream, milk, sugar, vanilla, and cocoa. Pour mixture into the bowl of an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Remove the contents of the tray from freezer, and chop. Pull the marshmallows to bits if they’re not cutting cleanly.

Pour the soft-frozen ice cream into an air-tight container and fold in the “stir-ins”. Seal tightly and freeze until ready to eat – minimum one hour.

Thanks to Casey of TasteStopping and Regional Best for some of the best S’mores you’re likely to have – and the inspiration for some of the best ice cream ever!

But we’re not done yet! Casey invited each of us Gourmet S’mores Kit winners to post our “S’mores Experience” in a round-up. To see what the other 5 winners came up with, click on the graphics below:

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One day last week (I think), Elle tweets me something along the lines of “Renee! You have to check this out!!!” Seriously, there were at least 3 exclamation points. The “this” she was referring to, was a “recipe” for One-Ingredient Ice Cream on another blog, The Kitchn. Really?!? How’s that work? Every brain cell is telling you that this shouldn’t work, but it does!

Apparently, 1 cup of mashed banana contains approximately 1 gram of fat. Which ain’t much in the grand scheme of things, especially when you consider the nutritional powerhouse that is the Banana. That little trace of fat is the source of the magic.

Essentially, you peel and slice some bananas, lay them out in a single layer on a plate, and freeze them for about 2 hours. Then you run the frozen bananas through your food processor. (For step-by-step instructions with photos, see the post at The Kitchn.) At first, it just looks like a crumbly mess, and doubt sets in. But you keep going, and suddenly, that crumbly mess transforms into a creamy, rich, decadent delight, exactly the consistency of ice cream! Who knew?

Well, the mind boggles, doesn’t it? If you like bananas – and it’s still the Number 1 fruit in America, so chances are that you do – how many umpteen-thousands of add-in combinations can you come up with? Our minds raced. And as we tweeted back and forth excitedly, we sucked in Kathy of A Good Appetite, Heather of He Cooks / She Cooks, and Barbara of Vino Luci Style. At some point today or tomorrow, all 5 of us (don’t forget Elle of Elle’s New England Kitchen!), are posting some of the variations we came up with that you should try at home.

All of mine are based on 2 bananas per batch, adding the other ingredients just after they begin to get creamy in the food processor. I’m going to show you three of my favorite variations:

Coconut Macadamia: 1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut and 1/2 cup coarsely chopped salted macadamia nuts.

Chocolate Hazelnut: 3 Tbs. Nutella and 1/2 cup coarsely chopped toasted hazelnuts (This one’s my favorite!)

Kahlua Pecan: 2 Tbs. Kahlua liqueur and 1/2 cup coarsely chopped toasted pecans. (This one was MJ’s favorite)

With summer coming up (already here for some of us!), isn’t it nice to know that there’s another healthy option in the frozen treat category? Just keep in mind that the riper the bananas, the sweeter this is, so if you use some that are just ripe, you may want to add some sweetener, such as honey or agave nectar. Yes, the base-flavor is always going to be banana, but how’s that a bad thing?

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