When it comes to babies and kitties, Workman tends to knock it out of the park. Mix those two ingredients together in real life, and the combined cuteness just might explode your brain. Here, a true masterpiece of overwhelming proportions:

Take that, Michelangelo…

In April, my mom came across some quick and easy sorbet recipes she wanted to try, and purchased an ice cream maker. Her plan was to make a mango sorbet early on Easter morning, and serve it fresh and delicious that afternoon at our Easter brunch. But after an hour of processing in the ice cream maker, the result was more like an icy smoothie than a rich sorbet. We wound up serving yogurt with warm fruit compote instead. The alternate dessert was good, but we were disappointed that our attempt at using the ice cream maker hadn’t worked out.

This Memorial Day weekend we were determined to make a successful dessert with our new machine, so I brought Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home along for my visit, to see if we’d have better luck with Jeni Britton Bauer’s innovative and fail-proof methods.

My parents have lots of mint in their garden, so it seemed like a no-brainer to make Backyard Mint Ice Cream. We gathered a large handful of mint in the morning and, after washing and drying it, roughly tore the leaves and cold-soaked them in the ice cream base overnight. Jeni says that tearing the mint bruises the leaves and opens the oil pockets, releasing a minty scent into the cream.

The following afternoon we got the rest of the ingredients ready:

• 2 cups of whole milk
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 ½ ounces (3 tablespoons) cream cheese, softened
• 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 ¼ cups heavy cream
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup

To prep, we mixed two tablespoons of the whole milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry. (Note: We used Lactaid whole milk, and had very successful results, texture and lactose intolerance-wise.) In a medium bowl, we whisked cream cheese and salt until smooth. Finally, we put lots of ice and some water into a very large bowl. We set the three bowls aside for use later.

Then, we combined the remaining milk, the cream, sugar, and corn syrup in a 4-quart saucepan, and brought the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. After it had boiled for 4 minutes, we removed the pan from the heat and gradually whisked in the cornstarch slurry. Then we brought the mixture back to a boil and cooked it, stirring with a heatproof spatula. After about one minute, when the mixture was slightly thickened, we removed the pan from the heat, and gradually whisked the hot milk mixture into the bowl with the cream cheese. When the mixture was smooth, we took the frozen mint out of the ice cream base and added it to the bowl.

We then poured the minty milk mixture into a one-gallon Ziploc freezer bag, sealed it, and submerged it in an ice bath. We let it sit for about thirty minutes to fully cool.

After about thirty minutes in the bath, Jeni says to refrigerate the bag for 4 to 12 hours to allow the flavors to steep. We had to get to a dinner, and wanted the ice cream to be ready for dessert, so we only let the mint steep for 3 hours.

To strain out the mint, we poured the milky mint mixture through cheesecloth and into the ice cream maker’s frozen canister. We turned on the ice cream maker and let it begin to spin.

Since we guessed that the mint flavor would be subtle because we weren’t letting it steep as long as was recommended, we decided to put dark chocolate freckles into the ice cream from the Buckeye State Ice Cream Recipe, to add a little extra something-something. To do this, we melted 4 ounces of chopped chocolate (55% to 70% cocoa) in a double broiler. Then we took it off the heat to let it cool until it was tepid but still fluid.

When the ice cream was thick and creamy and just about finished, we drizzled the melted chocolate slowly through the opening in the top of the ice cream machine and allowed it to solidify and break up in the ice cream for about two minutes.

When the ice cream was finished, we packed it into a storage container, pressed a sheet of parchment directly against the surface, and sealed it with an airtight lid. We froze the ice cream in the coldest part of our freezer until it was firm (about 4 hours).

After dinner, we invited our friends over to try the results, crossing our fingers that we wouldn’t have another incident of homemade dessert gone awry.

And we didn’t!

The ice cream was such a hit (a subtle hint of mint with bites of rich dark chocolate) that we decided to make Jeni’s Baked Rhubarb Frozen Yogurt the very next day. The result was equally delicious.

—Emily

(Anatomy of a book publishing ninja move, in two parts.)

Part 1. Imprint States Problem. 

Algonquin publishes important, conversation-altering AND policy-changing book about the effects of “nature-deficit disorder” on our children.

Part 2. Imprint Responds with Solutions.*

Workman publishes bible of good-old-fashioned play; sweet, gorgeous book full of outdoor activities for grannies and their green-thumbed visitors; creepily (Bugs) and gorgeously (Butterflies) visual field guides for twee explorers.

*These events are not actually connected and the timeline makes positively no sense. We’re just naturally wholesome.

And we like calling ourselves ninjas.

Paper Made! author Kayte Terry is on tour! Know how I know? Because I went to the launch event at powerHouse Arena in Brooklyn a couple weeks back to kick off the festivities. So I have proof–photographic proof! She’s already on the road, so check the schedule to see when she’s bringing her scissors to a city near you. And, if you missed her in NYC, don’t worry, she’s coming back to bookend the tour in the weeks ahead (stay tuned for details).

Here are some highlights from the Etsy-partnered (yay Etsy!) event at powerHouse. The crowds eagerly began folding “Do Me a Favor Box” origami keepsakes.

They folded and glued, and folded again…

The walls were decorated with the Paper Made! “Kirigami Wall Flower” decorations (naturally) and the “O Happy Day” banner.

…While folks who weren’t folding flocked to the floors and benches to snip their own Kirigami flowers.

More pretty things on display.

Some party-goers curled up with a copy of the book to determine which project they would make next at home!

But wait, there’s more action upstairs! Folks were invited to play dress-up with the “Paper Party Props” (flapper headbands, oversized neckties, pirate hats, beards, and more made from newspapers and construction paper) at the Workman photo booth.

Because lo and behold, it turns out there were plenty of pirates and flappers just waiting for the right costume accessory to make them feel complete!

And at the end of the evening, when scissor snippings gracefully littered the floors and benches, Kayte signed the last of her books, and…

…we all rushed home to see if the photos by Workman photo star Melissa Lucier had been uploaded yet to the Workman Flickr page or the Workman Facebook! Click through for more, but in the meantime, here’s a sampling of the fun:

Editor and author with the “Broke for Baroque Frames” (see, I can’t stop thinking about the book, even when it’s all finished!).

Distinguished, otherwise clean-shaven fellows in paper beards!

Paper pals…

Paper Pirates…

Paper love…

Paper party…

PAPER MADE!!!

Happy crafting with love from Kayte! We hope you catch up with her on the road! And if you’re just following along from your computers at home, here’s Kayte’s “Modern Fete Silhouette” cardboard chandelier project to get you started.

What To Expect When You’re Expecting, the movie, opens today! So says the poster at the end of my block…

…As well as the poster in the subway station, and the movie theater marquee in my neighborhood…

…And even the poster in the Workman lobby!

It’s based only loosely on the book (as in, it’s the movie inspired by the title) — hey, what were you expecting, a documentary? Although a Q&A-with-Heidi-Murkoff plot line might be more in keeping with the tone of the pages of “America’s Pregnancy Bible,” it wouldn’t take full advantage of the impressively assembled ensemble cast: Chris Rock, Anna Kendrick, Cameron Diaz, Chace Crawford, Brooklyn Decker, Dennis Quaid, Jennifer Lopez….

And though the movie is a work of fiction (as opposed to the nonfiction book), some elements in the movie are startlingly accurate. See below, true story: The Park Slope Papa Brigade!

And that’s all for the premiere edition of Reel-Things-that-Happen-in-Real-Life.

What do these three books have in common? (Besides being published by Workman…)

They were all spotted (by moi) over a period of 2 days last week on the New York City subway system!

Leaving work, riding the F train from West 4th street, the young lady sitting next to me was reading Can I Wear My Nose Ring to the Interview?* by Ellen Gordon Reeves (*hard to spot since the “vintage” copy below has since been re-jacketed — check out that smashing the new green cover above!). Ooh, and all those post-it notes on the pages! Good luck, subway-riding-lady — we hope you get the job!

Many of you have sent in reports from all over the city after seeing Missed Connections artist Sophie Blackall‘s poster art on several train lines. This shot was also on the F train, when it came above ground at the closed-for-renovations Smith & 9th Street stop.

And on the Manhattan-bound D train the next morning, the doors opened to let passengers on and off at Grand Street, and this was the view! The What to Expect When You’re Expecting movie (inspired by Heidi Murkoff’s pregnancy bible) is “due” May 18.

And what else mama-related is just around the corner? Oh, right: Happy Mother’s Day to all you mamas out there!

Have you spotted any Workman books in your recent travels? In window displays at your favorite neighborhood bookstore, at an airport kiosk, in a contented reader’s hands on a morning commute? Post your photos to our Facebook page!

The last weekend in April saw Workmanites at events of all kinds, from a crafter’s wedding paradise at the Etsy wedding expo to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Sakura Matsuri, a Japanese cultural celebration. But the other big event of the weekend was the USA Science and Engineering Festival, a free event for families and kids to get up close and personal with real examples of science at work. I was lucky enough to represent Workman—and all of our awesome science books—at the two-day celebration, and I’m excited to share the details with you now!

The adventure began on Friday morning, when Maggie, John, and I hit the road in our amazing custom Brain Quest minivan!! This year marks Brain Quest’s 20th anniversary, and we’ve teamed up with Chrysler to give away over $25,000 in scholarship money and other prizes through the Brain Quest College Tuition Sweepstakes. Be sure to enter online!

Maggie and John are ready to hit the road in style.

It’s a long drive from New York City to Washington, D.C., but we came prepared: In addition to Brain Quest for the Car and Natan Last’s crossword puzzle book Word., we also brought a copy of All-American Car-I-Oke—and busted out a car-rocking rendition of “Proud Mary.”

Maggie bringing down the house---er, car.

When we arrived at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, we pulled the van into our booth, which was decked out with some truly amazing signage, made by our great studio team.

Brain Quest has never looked better.

After a good night’s sleep, we got up bright and early to greet the crowds! Thousands of eager science enthusiasts flocked to the convention center to get some hands-on scientific action. As you could probably guess, a huge part of our weekend was about Brain Quest. Lots of kids stopped by the booth to be quizzed on math and science topics from their grade levels. And we unveiled the brand new free Brain Quest app for iPad, iPhone, and Nook!

Jessica quizzes some Girl Scouts/future Marie Curies, while two others play with the new Brain Quest app for iPad (right).

Plus, just in case you think we were too easy on the Brain Questers, Selina fired questions at kids while they hula hooped.

"I'll take the physical challenge!"

We also had the distinct pleasure of hosting not one but two Workman authors in our booth. The first was Sean Connolly, author of The Book of Potentially Catastrophic Science and The Book of Totally Irresponsible Science. Sean performed experiments from those two books as well as from his most recent endeavor, The Book of Perfectly Perilous Math. Below, Sean Connolly demonstrates some of the more surprising principles of sound waves to young science buffs.

Stop, hey, what's that sound?

And did you ever hear the story of the inventor of chess, who asked only that his only reward for inventing such a spectacular game be a piece of rice for the first square of the board, two for the next, four for the next, and so on, doubling the amount for each square? Below, Sean uses a real chess board to show that the reward wasn’t as measly as you might think.

Scientists of all ages are amazed by Sean's math skills.

Also in attendance was Allen Kurzweil, author and inventor of Potato Chip Science, a book and kit that includes everything you need to complete 30 science experiments involving potatoes and potato chips. Allen showed us how to turn an ordinary potato into a mind-blowing display of Boyle’s Law, which states that volume and pressure are inversely related. In other words, as pressure increases, volume decreases (and vice versa). In other other words, load a chunk of raw potato into either end of a patented Potato Propulsion Pipe, apply pressure, and BAM! Potato goes flying! Science!!

A budding rocket scientist loads his Potato Propulsion Pipe.

No one can resist a mad scientist who advocates launching veggies in the air.

The USA Science and Engineering Festival was a truly wonderful experience, and I’m so glad I got to be a part of it. Seeing all those kids learning about the way science affects their everyday lives proved something I’ve been pretty sure of all along: It’s FUN to be smart!

—Avery, who got to stand about 50 yards from her childhood hero Bill Nye the Science Guy. BILL! BILL! BILL! BILL!

Last weekend was FULL of Workman author events! There was a crew dispatched to Washington, D.C. to the USA Science and Engineering Festival (#scifest) to celebrate BrainQuest‘s 20th anniversary. In the fray, too, were authors Sean Connolly and Allen Kurzweil, conducting totally irresponsible, potentially catastrophic, and otherwise potato-related science experiments. Back in Brooklyn, the Godfather of Sudoku himself, Maki Kaji, was tending to the crowds that flocked to the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens to see the cherry blossoms and celebrate Sakura Matsuri. More on all those events in the coming days, but in the meantime, we hopped a train into Manhattan where author Kayte Terry (the creative brain behind this amazing chandelier) demonstrated a project from her new book at Etsy’s first ever wedding expo!

More than 700 visitors (mostly brides-to-be, their grooms, moms, and bridal brigades) came through the intimate space festooned in handmade goodness. There were baked treats, signature cocktails, letterpress stationery, gowns, neckties, shoes, head pieces, and other keepsakes, and in the midst of it all, Kayte (the only craft star in attendance with a make-and-take activity!) helped guests fold paper favor boxes from scavenged decorative papers (old book pages, vintage maps, magazine clippings, scrapbook bits, etc.).

Did you catch that paper fascinator in Kayte’s hair? Perfect for the Paper Made! bride… (also found on page 126 in the book!).

So many adorable brides….

So many favor boxes…wrangle those bridesmaids together for a pre-wedding paper folding extravaganza!

This happy duo happen to be getting hitched on my 5-year anniversary!

So much paper folding, so many sparkling ring fingers!

Some stunning save-the-date cards on display…

Cake toppers, anyone?

All the ribbon and trim decor was subtle and fairy tale-like — so dreamy!

One of our editorial assistants was totally crushing on this dress; I’m feeling smitten with this Fantastic Mr. Fox-inspired neckwear.

And it’s nice to know that some wedding decor can last well after the honeymoon — that bridge poster print hangs in my baby’s nursery! And a lasting sentiment to honor the day…

If you missed the Etsy event last weekend, COME THIS MONDAY May 7, 2012 to PowerHouse Arena in DUMBO, Brooklyn,where Kayte will be launching her book officially with more paper crafting make-and-takes, a photo booth, some bubbly concoctions (will they be served in paper cups?), books for sale, books for signing, and more!

Today is Star Wars Day—May the fourth be with you!

If you couldn’t guess, I’ll tell you that we here at Workman are HUGE Star Wars fans. Exhibit A: Fandex. Exhibit B: Scanimation. (Don’t those sound like words from the Lucasverse?)

That’s why we’re extremely excited to offer you a tiny sneak peek at the next Star Wars project we have lined up, to be released this fall! No details yet, but here’s a behind-the-scenes shot to pique your curiosity.

Designer Phil takes a break to pose for the blog.

Watch this space for more details about our latest project to come out of the Star Wars universe!

“Poetry, like love, is something we never truly say goodbye to.”

-Robert Browning

I just made that quote up, but I’m sure Bobby Browning would agree. National Poetry Month may be officially over, but our appreciation for poetry cannot be curbed because of a silly date on a calendar. To extend your poetry fix, check out this fantastic GalleyCat interview with The Anthology of Really Important Modern Poetry authors Kathryn & Ross Petras.