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

I am lucky enough to still have four living grandparents. This is something I’ve never taken for granted, because not only were they great for playing board games and serving me second helpings of dessert when I was a kid, but they always were and continue to be excellent storytellers. Not only that, but their own personal histories are so varied and interesting.

Unsurprisingly, given their generation, my grandparents’ early lives were touched by war in ways larger than I can imagine. My paternal grandmother, for example, lost her first husband in World War II. While she was home raising their two children by herself, her future second husband—my dad’s dad—was training Navy pilots for combat overseas. Ten years later, when the war was over and Europe was struggling to rebuild, my maternal grandfather was stationed in France, where he claims to have done little more than play baseball with his fellow recruits (though I have a feeling this may be an embellishment for the sake of the story).

Whether you have an uncle who fought overseas or a grandmother who grew a victory garden at home, chances are you know someone whose life has been directly impacted by war. This Memorial Day, take the time to honor those who gave their lives for our country by listening to the stories of those who are around to tell them. Below are some questions to help get your conversation started. If you want you can even break out a notepad, tape recorder, or video camera and preserve the stories for future generations.

• If you joined the military by choice, why? What did you hope to achieve by enlisting, and how did your family respond? If you were drafted, how did you feel about having to go into the service?
• When you left home, what were your good-byes like?
• Where did you go for basic training? What was the hardest part? What friendships do you remember from that time?
• What were some of the greatest challenges you encountered overall?
• What was your experience of combat? What helped you get through it? What have been the effects on you and on your family?
• What changes did you feel in yourself as you went through these experiences?
• What was military food like? Describe a typical meal. Is there anything you won’t eat now because of your years in the service?
• Who were your friends? What did you do together when you weren’t on the front lines? Have you stayed friends?
• What were the hardest physical challenges? How did you cope?
• Were you ever wounded? How did your injury happen, and how and where were you cared for afterward?
• Were any of your friends wounded or killed in combat? How did those losses affect you in the field? How do they affect you now?
• Who inspired you during your service? How?
• How has your military experience shaped the person you are today?

For more about interviewing friends and loved ones, pick up a copy of The Oral History Workshop by Cynthia Hart with Lisa Samson.

Memorial Day is the unofficial start of grilling season for many–the long weekend and warm weather being the perfect excuse to fire up the grill. Check out these samples from How to Grill, The Barbecue! Bible, and the brand new Planet Barbecue! for delicious recipes perfect for your grill’s seasonal debut–and don’t forget, all three are great gifts for Father’s Day!