One time, when I was in elementary school, a kid told me to shut up on the playground. My big brother, Joey, heard it and chased them up a tree.
Another time, when we were little, one of our cousins punched me. Joey promptly started wailing on him, shouting "don't you hurt my sister." Mom literally had to peel him off the poor guy.
Oh and this other time in high school. He was minding his own business, peacefully watching TV in the living room. I was on the phone trying to comfort a friend whose parents were screaming in the background. The second we hung up, I dropped the brave front, marched downstairs, b-lined to Joey, and burst into tears. I will never forget the startled look on his face; he immediately shot up and hugged me.
Then there are the countless times he has listened to me vent; managed to make me laugh; and been the only person to truly understand the circus going on inside my head. The poor guy! I used get on my tip toes to reach our parent's bathroom sink and put water in my bangs because I wanted to have jet black hair, just like his.
In short. He's pretty freaking awesome.
The least I could do is make him an awesome cake. Happy Birthday Josinho!
This cake is SINFUL. The crust is made of chocolate waffers, mashed up. You can use any 2 flavor of ice cream; I went with vanilla and chocolate. Since he loves peanut butter, the middle layer is chopped, chocolate covered peanuts. Topping it all off is hot fudge with a bit of peanut butter stirred in. I repeat... SINFUL. I cannot wait to make it in the summer with fruity flavors and fruit in the middle.
*I couldn't find chocolate covered peanuts at the grocery store, so I made them. (Here's a great tutorial if you're a visual person). Spread unsalted peanuts (I used about 3/4 cup) on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Broil in the oven for a few minutes, until they are lightly browned and fragrant, dump into a medium sized bowl. Place the cookie sheet and parchment paper to the side. Melt about 1/2 cup of milk chocolate chips in the microwave; stir in a tablespoon of creamy peanut butter. Pour over unsalted peanuts and mix until they're entirely coated. Take the already lined cookie sheet and scoop the peanut mixture by the spoon full onto the sheet. Place in freezer until they firm up, about 30 minutes. Once they're completely dry, throw them in a food processor and coarsely chop.
Chocolate Peanut Ice Cream Cake
from Better Homes and Gardens magazine, 20122 cups finely crushed chocolate wafer cookies (about 38 cookies)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 quart ice cream (I used vanilla)
1 1/2 cups chocolate covered peanuts* (see above)
1 quart other ice cream (I used chocolate)
chocolate covered or plain peanuts, chopped to garnish (optional)
12 ounce jar hot fudge ice cream topping
3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
Preheat oven to 350.
For crust, in a medium bowl combine
crushed cookies and sugar. Drizzle with melted butter, toss gently to
coat. Press mixture evenly onto bottom and 1 to 2 inches up side of a
9x3 inch springform pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until crust is set.
Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Freeze for 30 minutes.
In a large bowl, stir ice cream with a
wooden spoon until softened. Spread softened ice cream on frozen crust.
Sprinkle with the 1 1/2 cups chocolate covered peanuts. Cover and
freeze about 1 hour or until firm.
In another large bowl stir other ice cream with a wooden spoon until softened. Spread on top of layers of
in pan. Cover and freeze for about 4 hours.
Using a knife, loosen crust from
side of pan; remove side of pan. Let ice cream cake stand at room
temperature for 20-25 minutes to soften slightly.
To serve, cut ice cream cake into wedges and top with Chocolate and Peanut Butter Sauce. If desired,
sprinkle with additional chocolate covered peanuts.
