Taking a Little Break (To Reboot)

 My depression and anxiety have ramped up in the past couple of weeks. This is a cycle, I know, and I know it will run its course. For now, I am just struggling to deal with the most minor things. I'm pretty sure my sarcoidosis is in cahoots with the mental issues because my brain gets even sillier at times like this.

I'm going to take a little time away from blogging. Maybe in a week or two, I will be better. I have an infusion coming up so I should definitely feel physically better after that. For now, I have been mainly avoiding people and trying not to sleep too much by browsing memes about depression and anxiety. It all makes me very tired.

When I come back, I will share some CKD-friendly recipes on my kidney blog and try to do a couple of perfume reviews here since one of my nieces sent me a couple.

Praying that all the readers are doing well. I'll leave you with some memes to make you smile a little and inspirational thoughts to make you think.

Peace

--Free

P.S.: If you suffer from anxiety and/or depression, talk to a doctor - or to anyone who can help you. There is treatment and it works. I sometimes have to have my dosage adjusted. This happens to be one of those times and I do have an appointment coming up. Whatever you do, do not think you are the only one, and do not lose hope. Do not give up and do not give in.

This is so me.

And I need to buy a sticker like this for my front door:

This. So much this:

**UPDATE** Using the Ninja Creami (3 Weeks In)

 It's been almost 4 weeks since I got this Ninja Creami. I have until the 17th of this month (August) to decide whether or not to return it. Even though I initially thought I'd definitely keep it, I did look at my budget and waffle a bit. Now I'm leaning toward keeping it. And since my scattered brain just now remembered that I have not yet posted the initial review so here you go. Now I can link to the method I use to determine whether or not to keep an appliance...

Is the Creami a Keep It or a Sleep It? I'm really, really leaning toward keeping it. I do use this think at least twice a week. And I did get it at one of the best prices of the year. So, yeah, I'm probably keeping it. The only reason I would send it back at this point is if I suddenly found something better and cheaper. (I looked at machines like this one but... I'm turning into a Ninja fan.)

In just under 4 weeks, I have made pint after pint of non- or low-dairy ice cream, sorbet, and gelato. I have only had one real dud. One of my base mixes was off somehow and my product came out like powder. All the re-spinning in the world did not help. I gave up on that one and rinsed a couple of buck's worth of ingredients down the disposal.

If you have looked into getting a Creami, you have no doubt wondered or heard about how loud the machine runs. It scared me the first time I ran it but, as I mentioned in the initial post, I keep mine on a thick cloth pad and this is what it sounds like:

I have to say that I really do enjoy being able to make gelato customized to my tastes and health needs. The first time I made one, I bypassed eggs and used cornstarch instead. It was okay. Not amazing, not bad, just okay. Then I found a recipe using eggs without any cooking. Perfect. Even minus the custard base, that gelato was pretty dang smacking, if I say so myself. One day, I will go ahead a do a custard base, just because.

Mainly, I have been using macadamia milk but I've started using cashew milk and adding some coconut cream to it in place of heavy cream. (At the end of this post, I will tell you something embarrassing.) I have to say that I prefer using cashew milk. It's much creamier and, if I whip or froth it, it get super-thick and makes for a better ice cream base. Of course, I found out a few months ago that I am slightly allergic to cashew milk. I can eat cashews until I'm broke but the milk? If I drink more than a couple of cups, it makes my skin itch. Hives? Is that what that is? Anyway. Funny that cashew nuts and store-bought cashew milk ice cream don't bother me one bit.

By the way, this is how thick cashew milk froths up for use in my coffee...

One thing I have not played around with is adding things beyond a little chocolate syrup. I keep intending to thaw some blueberries to toss in but I always forget. I do have some canned pineapple (one of the CKD-safe fruits) that I'm going to stir into the next batch of ice cream. Years ago, I heard on one of the Food Network shows about garlic ice cream. I do love me some garlic so... maybe???

So, after a few weeks, I can definitely speak on a couple of frustrations with the Creami. For one thing, it can be tricky to make the just-right batch of the base when using dairy substitutes. Even with all this practice, I still have to watch every measurement carefully to avoid getting ice crystals or a slushy result. Also, products made in the Creami melt very quickly. I am going to look into solutions for that. because I don't often have anyone to share the desserts with, I have to re-freeze leftovers. It's not horrible but it's not ideal.

Another thing is that I have to remember to date-mark my pints. It takes a minimum of 24 hours of freezing before you can run a batch in the machine. Now that I have 3 of the pint and lid sets, I keep batches in rotation. If I forget to mark them, I have no idea when I put them in so I have to leave them at least a few hours more. Anyway.

Over the past few weeks, I've remembered to take photos of some of the processes and results - missteps and all.

There was one batch that barely filled up the pint. After the fact, I realized that, once again, I'd screwed up on the measurement. I now know not to try talking on the phone while I'm measuring.

Adding a little bit of chocolate syrup was genius. I didn't add it until after the ice cream was served. The Creami can be picky about things you add when using the machine...

This was my first batch of soft serve. Soft by accident. I have no idea what I did to this base but... It was pretty tasty. My neighbor complains that I need to add more sugar and fat. Uh, girlfriend, go get your own machine and do your thing.

My first really good batch

So, yeah. I do like having this machine. In a while, after I see the dentist, I'm going to be doing soft foods for a while. So... ice cream anyone? 

This next week, I am going to try a garlic recipe that I found. I'm kind of mad that I'm so dairy-restricted. Otherwise, I'd use this lady's recipe all the damn time to make this no-churn ice cream. Her batch looks scrumptious! 

Later today, I am going to make some ice cream using cream of coconut. Why? Well, about that embarrassing thing I promised to tell... I've been using cashew milk and a tiny bit of table cream whipped to substitute for heavy cream.  I broke down though and decided to try using coconut cream (I've used coconut milk and it's delicious). When I went to the Walmart site to order the coconut cream, I saw that it was ridiculously pricey. The cheapest can (just about 14 ounces) is $4.38. For one can. So, of course, I kept scrolling. I spotted the price of $2.34 and the words "coconut" and "cream" and added a can to my cart. Well, when I opened the can, I knew I'd messed up. Here's a For Dummies tip: coconut cream and cream of coconut are two totally different things. And they are not interchangeable in recipes...

What I got

What I have

What I NEED

If my mother were here, my name for the day would be "idiot" while she "blessed my heart"...

I will get the cream of coconut and give the recipe a whirl. In the meantime, I am still loving the Creami. Mostly.

Peace

--Free

**REVIEW** Ninja Creami Ice Cream Machine

 So. I found such a good deal on this ice cream matching that I returned the Woot computer. Well, I also returned it because I think Woot had played a little loose with the discount value. It looks to me that they over-estimated the sticker price to make their discount look deeper than it actually was. I decided, no thank you, I will keep looking...

Anyway.

Talk about good timing. The Ninja Creami deal happened during Prime Day.

I use all except
 for the Lite. Lite? No thank you.

Because I have the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card, I was able to get the machine for under $140, making 6 no-interest payments. If not for that, I would not have the Creami. (My niece has the Creami but she got the 3-pint model vs the 1-pint I bought and she paid around $235. Yikes. The 1-pint I got on discount is currently $200.) Even when I bought mine with the Prime Day discount, I made up my mind to use what I call my "Keep It or Sleep It" system. It's a simple system. If, after a week or two, I find that I am not getting much use from the appliance, I return it. Very simple. 

This is what my first-week experience was with the Creami:

• Day 1 - I was still slightly med-sick when it was delivered so it just sat, boxed, in the living room for the morning. I spent half an hour that evening, unboxing it and wondering why the heck I'd bought it in the first place. I took the manual and Quick Start paperwork to bed and watched some video reviews.

• Day 2 Part 1 - The machine is big and heavy, but not as big and heavy as I'd feared. I have minimal counter space but this fits on my one near the sink. It is too heavy for me to be moving back and forth to a storage spot in the pantry or closet if I use it more than 3 times a week. If I don't use it 3 times a week or more, then I need to "sleep" it. The set-up is super easy because there is nothing to do but plug it in, and attach the blade paddle to the lid. And you don't need to do any of that until you make your ice cream base but we'll get to that.

• Day 2 Part 2 - I had to decide what I wanted to make. The big thing with the Creami is that you have to make and freeze your base mix for at least 24 hours. This isn't too bad for my niece who had 3 of the pint cups and storage lids. My machine came with a single cup/lid set. That's kind of an important difference. For my first go-round with the machine, I made a modified version of the basic ice cream recipe I saw in the recipe book and online. I can't have a lot of dairy products so I used macadamia milk, a little bit of heavy table cream, natural honey as the sweetener, cornstarch (because of this tip), and vanilla bean paste. I whipped this up, making sure to add as much air as I could, poured it into the pint, lidded it, and put it at the back of my freezer. (I wrote down the time that the mix went into the freezer.)

• Day 3 Part 1 - It was a couple of hours over the 24-hour limit before I remembered to take out the base mix. For some reason, I was really nervous to actually run the Creami for the first time. I checked and re-checked that I'd correctly (and tightly) attached the paddle/blade to the lid. I practiced inserting putting the pint and bowl together and getting them inserted into the machine. I put the mix back in the freezer and spent an hour watching more videos to make sure I understood the procedure. I spent another hour having a cup of coffee and contemplating whether or not to just send the machine back to Amazon. When the mix had been in the freezer for a total of almost 30 hours, I finally took the plunge. I inserted the bowl, turned on the power, and had a mild anxiety attack when the lights on the machine started doing their thing. I hit Ice Cream and - OH MY LORD! This thing sounds like my vacuum when I've got something stuck in the brush. It's very jarring. Thankfully, the Ice Cream process isn't long - maybe 2 minutes, tops? 

          Okay. That should be all the payback I need to dish out to my loud-assed neighbor upstairs!                   She really gets on my nerves up there, walking like she's trying to wake the dead but... I felt a                 little bad for my other neighbors. (I came up with a solution I will mention shortly.) 

           But - I had ice cream! It was a little bit slushy/icy at first so I did a Re-spin and it was much                     better-looking and it tasted amazing. I was glad that I'd added cream and vanilla paste. 

• Day 3 Part 2 - I put what was left of my first batch of ice cream into another container to keep in the freezer. I wanted to try making a sorbet. I made a mix of canned peaches (in heavy syrup), some vanilla bean paste, and about a tablespoon of honey. I pureed this with the immersion blender and put it up to freeze. 
• Day 5 - I had doctor appointments so I did not use the sorbet mix right away. When I did, it was also super-easy. Just hit the Sorbet button on the Creami and let it work. Honestly, I think my sorbet was much better than the ice cream. 

At the end of the 2 weeks, in addition to making the first ice cream and sorbet (I made that twice and shared it with one of my neighbors), I tried my hand at a gelato (without custard), and a completely dairy-free version of ice cream. 

I have to say, my least favorite thing was the dairy-free ice cream. I think ice cream needs more fat. Also, I wasn't using anything in place of the cream cheese.

So. The Creami is definitely a Keep It for me. I went back over the last several months of my Instacart and Walmart receipts to see how much I've spent on non-dairy ice cream. I also thought about the things I've had to replace my ice cream and yogurt cravings with. And I realized how few snack items I can enjoy on this specialized diet. 

This is a keeper FOR ME - however... In my opinion, there are people this might not be for. Unless you can afford even the bargain price - 

• DON'T get this if you don't have a special diet to stick to - where you need a lot of control or ingredients.
• DON'T get this if you have more than 3 people in the home who will use it enough. Even with 3 pints and lids, it's tough to satisfy every craving. That 24-hour wait is crazy. As a single person, I was able to deal with this. I can't eat a pint at a time so I made enough over a few days to freeze and nibble on daily. I went ahead and got 2 extra pints and lids ($20) and now can rotate mixes.
• DON'T get this if you aren't going to use at least 3 of the 7 functions (I'm including the ingredients "Mix In" function to the others) I am using Ice Cream, Sorbet, Gelato, and Smoothie Bowl (this one only once so far).

The pros and cons - again in my opinion:

• PRO - This is interesting: the design is a modified-for-home-use version of the $7k Pacojet used in industrial & commercial kitchens. And that info is from a pro.
• PRO - Very useful for people needing ingredient control (especially kids who can't handle sugar or who have allergies).
• PRO - SO easy to clean. I have been running my parts under warm & soapy water, doing a good rinse, and drying - all by hand. It takes maybe 5 minutes at most.
• PRO - Easy to set up and use. Even a child (depending) can be taught to use this. It's fairly safe because the blade/paddle is not exposed during use. The blade is not very sharp even when exposed for cleaning.
• PRO - It doesn't take long to learn how to substitute ingredients to achieve a good taste and texture of the frozen goodies.
• CON - The machine is loud. So loud. (I did manage to muffle the sound by quite a bit by placing the machine on a piece of thick silicone padding. I even used a thick towel after the first time and that also worked. Just make sure the machine stays level and sturdy - you know, use common sense.)
• CON - Even for a single person, having only 1 pint is pesky. You cannot set up more than one - or one type of - treat with 1 pint. I now have 3 containers so that I can have treats in rotation or just ready if I want them on the fly. (NOTE: Be careful shopping for extra pints. Go for the Ninja brand. Not all off-brand pints are for use in the machine; some are only for storage.) 
• CON - No matter how you muffle the sound of the machine, you won't want to run it at night unless you don't share walls/ceilings with neighbors.
• CON - The price. Unless your circumstances really warrant it, the price is still too high. There are $60 machines out there. I thought about getting one of the bucket-type machines but they have their own drawbacks. Still, you should do comparisons. The other machines are better for making more ice cream (I'm talking gallons) and if you have the space, they would be the better option in my opinion.

I've said this before about the Foodi and it applies to the Creami: if you are going to use this enough and if you can find a really decent discount on the price, yes, it's worth it. Personally, I would never buy something like this if not for finding a good price and no-interest financing. It's good and it's fun but, even for the ingredient control, this wouldn't be worth it on my budget otherwise.

Finally, all this buy-or-not info is just my opinion. You need to do your own research and make your own decision.

Peace

--Free

P.S.: I was writing a blog post on whether or not to keep the Creami when I realized that I had not posted this yet! So I am rush-publishing this, hoping that it doesn't need any editing. If so, mea culpa.