Whenever I tell people I’m a vet tech, it’s always inevitable that someone will say, “I’m so jealous! I wish I could play with puppies and kittens all day!”
I always smile at their response because:
- Contrary to public belief, vet techs do not play with puppies and kittens all day.
- As a matter of fact, I actually do not see puppies and kittens all that often.
- It’s really not all rainbows and unicorns – there’s actually
quite a bita lot (I mean A LOT) of poop, pee, vomit, and blood involved on a daily basis (that’s if you’re lucky). - There’s also a lot of sadness and death that we see on a regular basis. However, at the end of the day, we love what we do and we wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.
The past few months, my coworkers and I have been taking care of a particular patient whom we have all grown attached to and fallen in love with. He stayed with us to get his medical condition under control while his loving parents dealt with some family issues themselves. They trusted us to take care of their baby boy, and we gave him all the love and attention he deserved: extra long walks, lots of ear and butt scratches, and lots of treats and cookies. He was such a happy dog that it was just too easy for us to fall in love with him. However, just earlier this week when I was about to go to bed, my coworker texted me and told me his family had ultimately decided to let him go, just a few hours after I said good-bye to him at the end of my shift.
I was devastated. I think we all were. I can’t speak for anyone else, but I realized I was attached to that boy more than I knew.
So how do we cope during times like this?
Well, some people curl up on the couch and cry into a pillow. [check]
Some people like to talk about it. [uh yeah no thank you]
Some people lay in bed and watch TV for hours on end.
Some people go for a run to temporarily forget the pain.
Some people reflect through writing. [check]
And some people sit down with a pint of ice cream and eat until they feel better. [check]
This peanut butter cup ice cream with brownie bits, to be exact.
If we took a poll of America’s favorite flavor combo, peanut butter + chocolate has got to be in the top 3. That’s why this ice cream is the epitome of comfort food. Chucks of chopped peanut butter cups and brownie bits generously sprinkled throughout the ice cream – every bite is sweet, chocolatey, decadent, chewy, and crunchy. Oooooh yeah. It’s pure heaven, I tell ya.
What’s even better is that this doesn’t require tempering of eggs, which means no risk of getting scrambled eggs! Just blend, chill, churn, freeze (and wait for what seems like eternity), and enjoy! And let me tell you right now – waiting for the ice cream to freeze overnight is pure torture!
The peanut butter ice cream base is so good that I could’ve slurped it all with a straw! I had to refrain myself from pouring it into a glass, topping it off with the mix-ins, and drinking it like a milkshake…
So go do yourselves a favor guys, and go make this right now. I promise you won’t be disappointed!
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 and 2/3 cups half-and-half
- A pinch of salt
- A dash of pure vanilla extract
- 1 heaping cup (unwrapped) mini Reese’s cups, frozen and chopped
- 1 cup roughly chopped brownie bites (optional)
- In a blender, combine the peanut butter, sugar, half-and-half, salt, and vanilla extract. Blend until smooth. Place in refrigerator and chill completely.
- Add mixture to ice cream maker and churn according to manufacture's instructions.
- Once churned, gently fold in the chopped peanut butter cups and chopped brownie bites with a spatula. Transfer to storage container and freeze overnight.
- Makes 1 quart
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