We finally had a belated birthday party for the hubs this past weekend. The recipe for a great party for Pat? Good friends and lots of really good food. My man knows how to eat.

The menu ended up evolving into some surf and turf. I picked up some steaks and our friends came over early to cook the most amazing paella. The rest of the menu?

Cheese Platter: Sliced wheat baguette, brie, Havarti with dill, smoked Cheddar, pepper jack, red grapes and walnuts.
Mixed greens salad with avocado and a homemade balsamic vinaigrette
Rosemary Olive Oil Bread
Grilled New York Steaks with an Onion-Blue Cheese sauce
Paella with chicken, sausage, clams, and shrimp
Red Wine Sangria with Citrus fruits and green apple
Pizookie with Homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

A pizookie is the creation of one of our most favorite pizza and beer spots. It’s basically a humongous cookie that comes out to you warm from the oven and topped with scoops of vanilla ice cream.

We re-created it and I was ambitious enough to whip up some homemade vanilla ice cream to top it off. It was worth it. Pat has already asked me multiple times to make it again.

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, adapted from Alton Brown

2 cups half and half
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar (minus 2 tablespoons, 3 when using on top of a sugary dessert)
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

Prepare ice cream maker according to instructions. For mine, this involves placing the freezer bowl into the freezer the night before.

Combine all the ingredients into a medium saucepan and put over medium heat. Bring the mixture to just below a simmer, stirring every once in a while. Right when it hits the very low simmer mark, turn off the heat and let the mixture sit and cool for a few minutes.

Remove the vanilla bean pod and pour into a lidded container to store in the refrigerator overnight. While you’re sleeping, the flavors mix and marry and become delightful.

When you’re ready to serve, pour into ice cream making and churn for about 20 minutes, or according to your maker’s instructions. The finished product will be soft. If you’d like a harder consistency, place in the freezer for an hour or two longer before serving.