Curlify - Make all your quote characters curly

Blogger’s web-based composer is a simple to use interface for creating blog entries. It’s got a basic word processor interface and includes formatting options like bold, italic, number lists, bulleted lists, etc. Unlike most modern word processors, the composer only inserts straight quotes rather than the fancier curly quotes. What’s the difference, you may ask?

Straight quotes are the two generic vertical quotation marks located near the return key: the straight single quote ( ' ) and the straight double quote ( " ).

Curly quotes are the quotation marks used in good typography. There are four curly quote characters: the opening single quote ( ‘ ), the closing single quote ( ’ ), the opening double quote (  “  ), and the closing double quote (  ”  ).

Low Carb Chocolate Philadelphia-style Ice Cream Base

Chocolate ice cream is probably the most varied of all the popular flavors. Googling for recipes yields wildly different ratios of cocoa, chocolate, and milkfat. Back when I first read the Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book, I was surprised to see there were two different formulas provided. Ben used lots of melted chocolate and zero cocoa while Jerry used a combination of cocoa and chocolate. (I’ve always preferred using a combination of the two.) The technique I use for melding the cocoa, cream and chocolate together is from “The Perfect Scoop” by David Lebovitz. It’s basically the same method for making a ganache: Heat the cream, sugar, and cocoa until it begins to boil, remove from heat, and stir in chopped chocolate.

Low Carb Zabaglione Gelato

This is another low carb conversion from The Perfect Scoop book by David Lebovitz. This ice cream is based on an Italian custard that uses Marsala wine and sugar for flavoring.

True zabaglione—a foamy custard of egg yolks, wine, and sugar—is often made to order in Italian restaurants. Moments after the waiter takes your order, you’ll hear the frenetic “clang-clack-clang” of the whisk hitting the copper bowl in the kitchen. Once it’s reached a billowy peak, it’s heaped into a glass quickly but not necessarily neatly (speed trumps presentation with zabaglione) and served straight up and warm. In season, you’ll often find sliced strawberries buried underneath all that delicious froth. Zabaglione Gelato captures the taste of a true zabaglione in a cool scoop of ice cream without the last-minute flurry of activity, and it’s just as good served with lots of juicy strawberries.