Dark Chocolate ice cream recipe

This is for Picky, since he wants to eat this more often than I want to make it. He is buying the half and half and asking me for the recipe.

2 cups half and half
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup Hershey's Dark Cocoa powder (not hot cocoa mix)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 oz. finely chopped high quality high cacao content chocolate (I used Ghiradelli Bittersweet)

1. Heat the half and half and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat until it reaches 170 degrees, mixing occasionally. The mixture will form small bubbles along the edges, and will coat the back of a wooden spoon even if you try to scrape it off. (You can steep a vanilla bean at this point instead of using vanilla extract later).

2. Add powdered cocoa and whisk until combined. Let sit for 10 minutes to cool. (Remove vanilla bean if used, scrape seeds out and return seeds to mixture, saving or discarding bean).

3. Add chopped chocolate and vanilla extract and whisk until smooth.

4. Cool, then put in ice cream maker, and follow instructions.

Optional addition:
1/2 teaspoon orange zest or instant espresso powder in step one.

Edited to add:

OK, Picky couldn't wait for me to post this, so he added 2 cups of sugar by mistake. So, we added another pint of half and half and a pint of whole milk, and we are tripling all the other ingredients. Sheesh.

Behold, this is how much chocolate goes into a tripled version of this recipe:

Superbowl / Beatles Rock Band party menu planning!

I am menu planning for my Beatles Rock Band (Super Bowl) party. On the online invite, I called it "Football in the Front, Rock Band in the Rear". I am going to be playing rock band, but the cuisine is going to be New Orleans themed.

Here is what is on the menu:

Beignets and French Press coffee with chicory. I just got a new French press. Picky broke the four cup one, so I replaced it with a twelve cup one. Love. I am drinking more coffee lately.

Shrimp and chorizo tapas, but I am going to use Andouille sausage instead of chorizo.

Crab cake appetizers. These are from a box (gasp! no, really) My mom left them in my freezer when she came to another dinner party at my house, and I was nervous I wouldn't have enough to serve. I didn't use them then, and my mom swears they're delicious.

Dirty rice, based on a recipe from Cook's Country. I add extra pork, and am going to use pepperdew peppers in it instead of bell peppers. I am also going to use pepperdews (my new obsession) in vegetarian red beans and rice.

White salad and a broccoli cole slaw with homemade dressing

Pulled pork sammiches. I think I am going to add the liquid smoke I am buying for the vegetarian red beans and rice. I have never used it before, but I have heard good things about it.

And, last but not least, I wanted to make some chicken wings. I was racking my brain for a chicken recipe to fit the New Orleans theme, but I couldn't. Then, duh, it hit me! I will be altering this Bourbon style chicken recipe for wings.

I can't wait!!