Holy crap, yes another ice cream recipe! This one comes just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday. It's inspired by my love for pumpkin pie and my complete distaste for pie crust. Not all pie crust, just bad pie crust, but let's face it - good pie crust is hard to come by. I made this for a work pot luck and received rave reviews. This awesome autumn treat will satisfy your thanksgiving-dessert-craving taste buds any time of the year!
Makes about 1 qt.
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup organic dark brown sugar
1/4 cup organic sugar
1/2 tsp good real vanilla
15 oz can puree'd pumpkin
1 tsp pampered chef 'cinnamon plus' spice mix (you can use pumpkin pie spice, but add a little extra cinnamon)
Put pumpkin in a mesh strainer over a bowl to drain. One can should drain off about 2 oz of liquid before being added to the cooled sweetened cream mixture.
Heat cream and sugar over medium heat. Stir constantly to dissolve sugar, heat until sweetened cream is steaming, but not boiling. Stir in vanilla. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
Beat pumpkin into cream mixture with an electric mixer (I use my awesome kitchen aid!) for about 3 minutes. The texture gets nice and creamy and thick. Chill this for at least 3 hours before putting it in your ice cream making device. I use my super awesome kitchen aid ice cream making bowl to get the ice cream nice and fluffy and frozen.
Enjoy!
{ps... because i'm a total foodie, i served this with real maple syrup to drizzle over top. i know, i'm a total sicko.}
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Really Excellent and Quick Fake-Baked Beans
I seriously just tried this as a total experiment and cannot believe how well this turned out. This version of baked beans is vegetarian friendly, but bacon could easily be added for even smokier flavor. This was so quick to whip up! I'll never buy canned baked beans again. Sorry Bush's!
Ingredients:
1 14oz can white beans (cannellini, white northern) drained, not rinsed
1 14oz can black beans, drained & rinsed
2 tbsp olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tbsp mustard (I used spicy brown, but dijon or plain yellow are probably fine)
2 tbsp REAL maple syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar
salt & pepper to taste
Heat olive oil over medium in a 2-quart saucepan. Add garlic & onions and cook until soft. Season with salt & pepper. Once the garlic & onions are nice and soft add beans, ketchup, mustard, syrup, & sugar. Stir until combined and simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes.
That's it! The entire thing is really that easy. Next time I'll try this with bacon added and report back. I'm trying to find a way to experiment with turkey bacon, this might be a good candidate!
Enjoy!
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Better than Campbell's Tomato Soup
This soup was the result of an experiment trying to make pasta sauce out of tomatoes from our garden. We had SO MANY that I had to figure out a lot of creative ways to prepare them. I love this recipe because you can throw just about anything in the pot and it's going to taste good. Canned tomatoes can be used instead of fresh with excellent results. Also, this soup keeps really well in the fridge for eating all week long!
1 onion (any variety)
4-6 cloves garlic (I really love garlic, so adjust to your own taste)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp crushed red pepper
8-12 good sized garden maters, peeled and seeded
14 oz can tomato sauce
2 cups chicken stock
Handful of fresh basil
salt & pepper to taste
Heat olive oil in large pot over medium heat. Chop onions and garlic and add to pot. Sprinkle in red pepper. Cook this until the onions are tender. Add chopped maters, stir everything together and heat the tomatoes through. Stir in tomato sauce and heat to simmer. Add chicken stock and continue to simmer for about 30 minutes. Remove pot from heat and allow to cool a bit before putting soup into a blender. Blend until smooth. Just before serving, stir in some basil ribbons.
1 onion (any variety)
4-6 cloves garlic (I really love garlic, so adjust to your own taste)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp crushed red pepper
8-12 good sized garden maters, peeled and seeded
14 oz can tomato sauce
2 cups chicken stock
Handful of fresh basil
salt & pepper to taste
Heat olive oil in large pot over medium heat. Chop onions and garlic and add to pot. Sprinkle in red pepper. Cook this until the onions are tender. Add chopped maters, stir everything together and heat the tomatoes through. Stir in tomato sauce and heat to simmer. Add chicken stock and continue to simmer for about 30 minutes. Remove pot from heat and allow to cool a bit before putting soup into a blender. Blend until smooth. Just before serving, stir in some basil ribbons.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Pineapple Toasted Coconut Ice Cream
Yes, another delicious homemade ice cream recipe I've tried in my Kitchen Aid ice cream maker. This one was inspired by one of my favorite cocktails - the Pina Colada! I read an article recently that talked about the new rage in summer drinks being the "Mocktail" and that got me to thinking about how to make a pineappley delicious version of my favorite cocktail as ice cream treat.
Ingredients:
1 2/3 cup sugar
1 2/3 cup 1% milk
5 egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla
1 2/3 cup half & half
20 oz can pineapple, drained
1 cup toasted coconut flakes* (toasting instructions below)
Puree the drained pineapple in a food processor or blender, set this aside.
Slowly dissolve sugar into milk over low heat stirring constantly. Bring this close to a boil and remove from heat. In a separate bowl, beat up the egg yolks a bit before SLOWLY adding the hot mixture to the eggs, constantly whisking. Add this back to the warm pan and place back over a low heat, stir constantly until mixture thickens slightly. Remove from heat and allow to cool down until it's not steaming.
Whisk half & half into cooled mixture. Stir in 1 2/3 cups pineapple puree and vanilla. Cover and chill for 2 hours minimum. I recommend at least 4 hours for best results in the Kitchen Aid device.
Toast the coconut: Heat a skillet over medium-low heat. Distribute coconut in an even layer in skillet. Periodically stir coconut for even toasting. If you are awesome and know the trick to flipping things by flicking the pan like a fancy chef, do that :) Cool the coconut completely.
Put the chilled ice cream base into the Kitchen Aid ice cream bowl, and let your mixer do the rest of the work. I let mine go for about 30 minutes for soft serve consistency. Stir the coconut in at the very end. Put ice cream into storage container and freeze for a few hours. (But if you are anything like me, only about half of that ice cream will ever see the inside of the freezer!)
Enjoy!
9-16-2008: Update - I used this same recipe and substituted 2 cups mashed banana for the pineapple and left out the toasted coconut. It was AWESOME! Next time I'm going to add roasted sliced almonds for texture.
Ingredients:
1 2/3 cup sugar
1 2/3 cup 1% milk
5 egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla
1 2/3 cup half & half
20 oz can pineapple, drained
1 cup toasted coconut flakes* (toasting instructions below)
Puree the drained pineapple in a food processor or blender, set this aside.
Slowly dissolve sugar into milk over low heat stirring constantly. Bring this close to a boil and remove from heat. In a separate bowl, beat up the egg yolks a bit before SLOWLY adding the hot mixture to the eggs, constantly whisking. Add this back to the warm pan and place back over a low heat, stir constantly until mixture thickens slightly. Remove from heat and allow to cool down until it's not steaming.
Whisk half & half into cooled mixture. Stir in 1 2/3 cups pineapple puree and vanilla. Cover and chill for 2 hours minimum. I recommend at least 4 hours for best results in the Kitchen Aid device.
Toast the coconut: Heat a skillet over medium-low heat. Distribute coconut in an even layer in skillet. Periodically stir coconut for even toasting. If you are awesome and know the trick to flipping things by flicking the pan like a fancy chef, do that :) Cool the coconut completely.
Put the chilled ice cream base into the Kitchen Aid ice cream bowl, and let your mixer do the rest of the work. I let mine go for about 30 minutes for soft serve consistency. Stir the coconut in at the very end. Put ice cream into storage container and freeze for a few hours. (But if you are anything like me, only about half of that ice cream will ever see the inside of the freezer!)
Enjoy!
9-16-2008: Update - I used this same recipe and substituted 2 cups mashed banana for the pineapple and left out the toasted coconut. It was AWESOME! Next time I'm going to add roasted sliced almonds for texture.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Homemade Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream!!!
I recently received a Kitchen Aid Ice Cream Maker from my husband. Might be the best gift ever! I always say that, his gifts are ever thoughtful and fun :-) Anyway, so far all my experiments with this new tool have been a smashing success, including this first recipe I've perfected for delicious peanut-buttery yumminess! This recipe is sized for the Kitchen Aid Ice Cream Maker bowl.
4 large eggs plus one egg yolk
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
3/4 cups heavy cream
1-1/2 cups milk
1 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 tbsp vanilla
20-25 minature peanut butter cups, quartered
Begin to heat milk in medium saucepan over med-low heat.
Beat eggs and sugar until thick and creamy. Set these aside until milk is hot but not yet boiling. Very slowly pour hot milk into egg mixture while beating vigorously. Add warm mixture immediately back to warm saucepan and continue to heat over med-low, stirring continuously until mixture is thickened. Do not allow mixture to boil.
Remove from heat and immediately mix in peanut butter with a whisk. Once smooth, allow mixture to cool for about 15 minutes. Stir in condensed milk, cream, & vanilla. Refrigerate mixture for at least 5 hours. (I find that with the Kitchen Aid accessory, the colder the ice cream base is when it is put into the freezy bowl, the better the texture of the ice cream.)
Once sufficiently chilled pour mixture into the Kitchen Aid ice cream making bowl and let 'er rip!. Once ice cream is at a soft serve consistency stir in the peanut butter cup pieces. Place in air tight container and freeze for a few hours to achieve optimal scooping texture.
Enjoy!
4 large eggs plus one egg yolk
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
3/4 cups heavy cream
1-1/2 cups milk
1 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 tbsp vanilla
20-25 minature peanut butter cups, quartered
Begin to heat milk in medium saucepan over med-low heat.
Beat eggs and sugar until thick and creamy. Set these aside until milk is hot but not yet boiling. Very slowly pour hot milk into egg mixture while beating vigorously. Add warm mixture immediately back to warm saucepan and continue to heat over med-low, stirring continuously until mixture is thickened. Do not allow mixture to boil.
Remove from heat and immediately mix in peanut butter with a whisk. Once smooth, allow mixture to cool for about 15 minutes. Stir in condensed milk, cream, & vanilla. Refrigerate mixture for at least 5 hours. (I find that with the Kitchen Aid accessory, the colder the ice cream base is when it is put into the freezy bowl, the better the texture of the ice cream.)
Once sufficiently chilled pour mixture into the Kitchen Aid ice cream making bowl and let 'er rip!. Once ice cream is at a soft serve consistency stir in the peanut butter cup pieces. Place in air tight container and freeze for a few hours to achieve optimal scooping texture.
Enjoy!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Simple Homemade French Fries
I cannot believe how easy it is to make french fries at home that are healthy and delicious. I was inspired to try this by Rachel Ray. One of her episodes involved some potato wedges and it brought on an urge to try homemade french fries myself. My favorite potato to use is a yukon gold, but I've used plain old idaho and red skinned taters with completely satisfying results.
ingredients:
-taters
-olive oil
-any variety of steak/grill seasoning, alternatively salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, etc.
- paprika
Preheat oven to 450. It's very important that the oven be at temperature when the fries go in so that they get nice and crispy.
Slice taters into discs about 1/2" thick, then slice again cross-ways to make french fry shapes. Prepare baking sheet by spraying with non-stick spray or rubbing with olive oil. Line up fries on the sheet. Use a silicon pastry brush to lightly brush the fries with olive oil. Sprinkle grill seasoning evenly over fries, and then dust them with the paprika.
Bake fries for 25 minutes.
That's all there is to it. I couldn't believe how many fries came out of one potato! I'm interested to hear anyone else's awesome homemade french fry recipes!
Fun twists:
--Cut the potatoes into discs instead of traditional french fry shapes
--Grate up some fresh parmesan cheese and sprinkle over fries after other spices are added
ingredients:
-taters
-olive oil
-any variety of steak/grill seasoning, alternatively salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, etc.
- paprika
Preheat oven to 450. It's very important that the oven be at temperature when the fries go in so that they get nice and crispy.
Slice taters into discs about 1/2" thick, then slice again cross-ways to make french fry shapes. Prepare baking sheet by spraying with non-stick spray or rubbing with olive oil. Line up fries on the sheet. Use a silicon pastry brush to lightly brush the fries with olive oil. Sprinkle grill seasoning evenly over fries, and then dust them with the paprika.
Bake fries for 25 minutes.
That's all there is to it. I couldn't believe how many fries came out of one potato! I'm interested to hear anyone else's awesome homemade french fry recipes!
Fun twists:
--Cut the potatoes into discs instead of traditional french fry shapes
--Grate up some fresh parmesan cheese and sprinkle over fries after other spices are added
Friday, June 20, 2008
Goat Cheese and Brown Rice
This recipe was inspired by a dish I tried on my honeymoon down in Charleston, South Carolina at a wonderful restaurant called Circa 1886. The goat cheese rice served there was made from a special kind of rice that I cannot find in my hometown, but I've managed to make a version that I can enjoy, and that always reminds me of the lovely days spent down south with my honey :)
Serves 3-4
Ingredients:
1 cup brown rice
1 small can (14oz) chicken stock/broth, optional (use water instead)
6 oz goat cheese, any flavor
salt, pepper to taste
Add rice and broth to quart-size pan. Bring to boil, reduce heat immediately to low. Cover & cook rice for about 30 minutes. Remove cover, add goat cheese. Break it up a little if you aren't using crumbles. Stir the goat cheese in a little and recover. Cook for another 10-15 minutes until rice is tender. Remove from heat, stir to evenly distribute the goat cheese, add salt and pepper as you prefer.
I love to use lots of fresh cracked black pepper on top of each serving. The spice of the pepper is a nice contrast to the creamy goat cheese.
Enjoy!
Serves 3-4
Ingredients:
1 cup brown rice
1 small can (14oz) chicken stock/broth, optional (use water instead)
6 oz goat cheese, any flavor
salt, pepper to taste
Add rice and broth to quart-size pan. Bring to boil, reduce heat immediately to low. Cover & cook rice for about 30 minutes. Remove cover, add goat cheese. Break it up a little if you aren't using crumbles. Stir the goat cheese in a little and recover. Cook for another 10-15 minutes until rice is tender. Remove from heat, stir to evenly distribute the goat cheese, add salt and pepper as you prefer.
I love to use lots of fresh cracked black pepper on top of each serving. The spice of the pepper is a nice contrast to the creamy goat cheese.
Enjoy!
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