Double Berry Ice Cream Pie

This month is national ice cream month and I knew I had to make ice cream. I love ice cream, but it doesn't love me back. I know...it's not fair! I was browsing through the July/August Eating Well Magazine and came across this easy recipe for ice cream pie. It gave a master recipe and then five different flavor combinations. I would recommend making it only a day before you need the pie and not letting it sit in the freezer for an extended amount of time. I found that a couple days after, it started turning icy.

2 cups coarsely crumbled graham crackers
3 Tbsp canola oil
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt
2 cups blueberries and raspberries, pureed

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Process the graham cracker crumbs in a food processor until they are finely crushed. Add the oil and then process until the oil is combined. Lightly coat a pie pan with nonstick cooking spray and then press down the crumbs with the back of a spoon onto the bottom and sides of a pie pan. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes and then allow to cool completely before adding the filling.

Using a handheld mixer, whip the heavy cream until it starts to thicken. Add in the sugar and whip until stiff peaks form. Fold in the yogurt and pureed berries. Pour the mixture into the cooled crust and then cover with a piece of plastic wrap. Place in the freezer for at least 5 hours. Allow the pie to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes until it has slightly softened before slicing.

Source : Eating Well Magazine, July/August 2014

Creamy Pineapple Sorbet

I love making homemade ice cream, there's just something about it that makes it so much better than what you can buy in the store. Granted, I wouldn't have started making it myself if I didn't have an ice cream maker, but I'm so glad that I went out and finally bought one a couple years ago!

I found myself with a container of pineapple that needed to be eat eaten or it was going to go bad. I searched around for a recipe to use it up and stumbled across this recipe. It was perfect! I also had a little bit of whipping cream left over from another recipe. The kids are loving this sweet, frozen treat! Plus...I love that I can just eat a spoonful and it satisfies my sweet tooth!

2 cups of fresh pineapple chunks

6 Tbsp sugar

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup whipping cream

1 tsp lemon juice

In a blender, combine the pineapple, sugar and water. Process until the mixture is smooth and there are no chunks. Add in the cream and lemon juice. Pulse a few times to combine. Place the mixture into the refrigerator for at least an hour. 

When ready to make the sorbet, pour the mixture into your frozen ice cream bowl and process according to instructions of the ice cream machine. Once ready, transfer to a freezer safe container and allow to freeze for at least 2 hours before serving. Dig in and enjoy! 

Source: I Wash...You Dry

Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream

I know during these cold months, ice cream isn't the first thing that comes to mind to make...but sometimes it's nice to step outside of the box. My husband is a big fan of peanut butter cups and I happened to pick up a bag of the minis during my last trip to Target. They were on clearance in the Valentine's Day section, so I figured why not.

After I came home I knew I wanted to make ice cream with them, but was just going to do vanilla bean and add them in, but then it hit me to find a recipe that had peanut butter ice cream. I found the perfect recipe and this ice cream was amazing! If I buy peanut butter cup ice cream from the grocery store, the peanut butter flavor is subtle - not with this recipe! You could taste the peanut butter in every spoonful and my husband asked that when I make it next time to leave out the peanut butter cups.  I know it's not the healthiest version, but after the crazy busy week I've had, it was nice to sit down with a small bowl and indulge.

1 1/4 cups smooth peanut butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chopped peanut butter cups

In a medium bowl, mix the peanut butter and sugar with a hand mixer until the sugar is incorporated into the peanut butter. Add the milk and mix on low. Allow time for the sugar to dissolve into the milk before moving on to the next (no one likes ice crystals in their ice cream). Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla extract.

Using your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions, process the ice cream until it has thickened. Pour in the chopped peanut butter cups when there's only a few minutes left in the process. Remove from the ice cream maker and place into freezer safe containers. Freeze for several hours to have a soft-serve consistency or longer for a more firm ice cream.

Try not to eat all of it in one sitting! :)

Source: Recipe Girl 

Rocky Road Ice Cream

I was away over the weekend in Nashville for my business' leadership summit - it was an amazing time! I met so many great people, learned so much more about Rodan + Fields and ate some amazing food. I enjoyed the most delicious shrimp and grits one night for dinner.....amazing! I also picked up some nasty cold while I was there, so this week has been all about chicken noodle soup and grilled cheese. I feel horrible and hope to kick this bug soon. Pity party for one here!

I made a batch of rocky road ice cream before I left for Nashville so my husband would have a little snack at night to indulge in after taking care of the kids all weekend. Needless to say, he enjoyed it since it was gone when I got back on Sunday! I did get to taste-test a small bowl before I left. It was delicious, the perfect amount of chocolate and of course, I added extra marshmallows and pecans. 

2 cups heavy cream

3/4 cup skim milk

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 Tbsp vanilla

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans

1 cup mini marshmallows

In a medium bowl with a spout, whisk together the cream, milk, both sugars and cocoa powder for 2 minutes until the sugar is dissolved. 

Using an ice cream, make the ice cream according to the instructions. Once the ice cream has finished churning, fold in the pecans and marshmallows. Transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze for at least 1 to 2 hours until the ice cream has harden.

Scoop a big bowl and enjoy! 

Source: Our Best Bites

Strawberry Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream

I'm so excited to make ice cream again! I don't know why but I only seem to make it in the summertime. I need to do it more often since it's so much better than store bought ice cream. I bought ice cream containers from Sweet Bliss Containers and I have to say I will never go back to storing ice cream any other way! The little vents in the lids make them airtight and you don't get the ice crystals on top.

I used local strawberries and the strawberry flavor is amazing and the chocolate chunks add a little bit of crunch and a different type of sweetness.

3 cups ripe strawberries, cleaned and hulled
1 cup light cream
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chocolate chunks, chopped

In a food processor, puree the strawberries until they are chopped and to the desired size. I pureed mine until there were a few little chunks because I didn't want big chunks of strawberries in the ice cream.

In a large bowl, combine the strawberries with the other ingredients except the chocolate chunks. Place into the refrigerator for at least an hour. Using an ice cream making, make the ice cream according to the manufacturer's instructions. When there's about 5 minutes left in the ice cream process, add the chocolate chunks.

Transfer to a container and place in the freezer to fully freeze. When it's ready, dig in!

Adapted from: Shannon's Kitchen Creations

The Secret Recipe Club - Nutella Gelato

It’s that time again…The Secret Recipe Club!!! This is my fifth month participating and I’m really enjoying it. Each month, I’m challenged to narrow it down to one recipe and this month’s blog was challenging. This is the second time I’ve been assigned a blog that focused on vegan eating. I think someone’s trying to tell me something! Trust me, we eat vegetables, I just don’t blog about it that often since I usually just steam some fresh veggies and I’m sure you all know about steaming veggies.
 

Here’s my previous SRC recipes:

• French Toast Casserole
• Turkey Macaroni Skillet
• Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake
• Honey Balsamic Chicken Thighs with CranberryWild Rice

So back to the SRC – this month’s assignment was from Baking & Biking. Sarah is the foodie behind this blog. We have lots of things in common – both of us are “at-home” cooks who learned to cook by growing up in the kitchen with our moms and then experimenting on our own while in college. Sarah has lots of great smoothie recipes but since my blender is on the fritz, I had to skip trying one of them. Instead I opted for her recipe for Nutella Gelato Shake. I figured you can’t go wrong with Nutella and gelato – plus I hadn’t make ice cream in over a month and it was due time I make a batch. Sarah added butterscotch chips and toffee bits to her gelato, but I opted for semi-sweet chocolate chips. The gelato is so creamy and rich – perfect for when you’re craving a sweet treat!

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup skim milk
3/4 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup Nutella
Pinch of salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips


In a saucepan, combine the milk, cream and 1/2 cup of the sugar over medium heat. Cook until the sugar dissolves.

In a medium bowl, add the egg yolks and the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar. Using a hand mixer, beat the mixture until the eggs have been thick and pale yellow in color. It takes about 4-5 minutes.

Pour 1/2 cup of the warm milk mixture into the whipped egg yolks. Stir and then add this mixture to the saucepan. Cook over very low heat; stirring constantly, until the mixture becomes thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.


Stir in the vanilla, Nutella and salt until it is completely dissolved. Transfer the mixture to bowl with a spout. Chill the mixture completely before pouring it into your ice cream maker. Follow the instructions for your ice cream maker to freeze the mixture. Add the chocolate chips (or other add-ins) about 10 minutes before the gelato is done. Freeze until the mixture firms up.


Want to be part of The Secret Recipe Club? Join here!

Peach Sour Cream Ice Cream

I love peaches! We're lucky to have an amazing orchard close to our house that supplies us with most of the fruit we eat year round. I bought a quart of peaches at the Farmers Market last week and I knew I wanted to make ice cream with them. My husband always tells me how much he loved eating Breyer's peach ice cream growing up.

I thought about making just a traditional vanilla bean ice cream, but wanted something different. Many of the recipes I came across were egg based and I was not in the mood to make my kitchen any hotter than already was with our heat wave. I sometimes wish we had central air, but then I think about the work it would be to install it in our 110 year house.

So back to the ice cream...we all loved the tangy the sour cream added and the peach flavor was so intense. I'll definitely be making this again!

1 lb peaches, skins removed and cubed
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup skim milk
1 cup lowfat sour cream

In a small bowl, add the peaches and sprinkle with sugar. Stir to combine and refrigerate for at least an hour. Stir occasionally to dissolve the sugar.

In a blender, add the peach-sugar mixture and the remaining ingredients. Puree until smooth. Chill in the refrigerator. Add the chilled mixture to your ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer's instructions.

Source: One Ordinary Day

Chocolate Ice Cream

I scream, you scream....we all scream for ice cream! July is National Ice Cream month and I'm planning to make a variety of ice cream over the last 2 weeks of the month. I made a batch of chocolate ice cream the other day and it was delicious. So perfect, creamy and full of flavor. I need to hide the container in the freeze to make sure Madeline doesn't see it, otherwise she'll want to eat the last serving!

3/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
pinch of salt
1 cup milk (I used skim and it turned out fine)
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 Tbps vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, whisk together the cocoa, sugars and salt. Add the milk and using a hand mixer on low speed, beat to combine until all ingredients are dissolved. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours or overnight.

Using your ice cream maker, follow the manufacturers' instructions to make.

Source: Cuisinart Recipe booklet

Bananas-Foster Ice Cream

After making the banana chocolate chip cake the other day, I still had more ripe bananas to use up and what better way than making Banana Fosters ice cream! Yes, roasted bananas ice cream. It’s so delicious and what’s even better, I topped a piece of the warm cake with some of the ice cream. HEAVEN! I am so loving my ice cream maker and can’t wait to make my next batch. I think I’m going to need to buy a chest freezer to be able to make more than one variety at a time.

3 medium sized ripe bananas, peeled
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 ½ cups whole milk
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
1 ½ tsp lemon juice
¼ tsp coarse salt.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice bananas into ½ inch pieces. In a 2 quart casserole dish, add the sliced bananas, brown sugar and butter pieces. Bake for 40 minutes, stirring once, until the bananas are browned and cooked through.

Pour the roasted bananas and syrup into a blender. Add the milk, granulated sugar, vanilla, lemon juice and salt. Puree until smooth.

Chill the mixture for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight in the refrigerator. Following the instructions from your ice cream maker, add the chilled mixture and watch your ice cream come together!

Source: Brown-Eyed Baker


Recipe made by: Quick, Easy, Cheap & Healthy

Butter Pecan Ice Cream

Ice cream!!! I didn't waste anytime breaking in my new ice cream maker! I bought the Cuisinart ICE-21 model. Just a quick wash, dry and into the freezer the bowl went.  Butter pecan ice cream is my husband's favorite and since I had some fresh pecans, I knew this was the first recipe I'd attempt. It was so easy, Madeline even helped me until she was bored with just watching the ice cream go round and round. It's delicous, so smooth and creamy. Of course I had to add extra pecans in it. :)

4 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 cup pecans

1 tsp salt

1 cup whole milk

3/4 cup sugar

pinch of salt

2 cups heavy cream

1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

In a medium skillet, melt the butter. Add the pecans and 1 tsp of salt. Cook over medium-low heat until pecans are toasted and golden, stirring frequently. It takes approximately 6-8 minutes until they are completed toasted. Remove from heat and place pecans on a paper towel lined plate to soak up the excess butter. Allow them to completely cool and then chop into small pieces (about the size of chocolate chips).

In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, sugar and pinch of salt until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla. cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours or overnight.

Once you're ready to make the ice cream, remove the bowl from the freezer. Place the mixing paddle in the bowl and put the lid on. Turn on the ice cream maker and pour the mixture into the frozen freezer bowl. Mix until the mixture is thick, about 15 to 20 minutes. Five minutes before the mixing is complete, add the chopped pecans and mix to incorporate the pecans evenly.

At this point, the ice cream will be a soft, creamy consistency. If you like harder ice cream, place it in an airtight container and place it into the freezer to firm up.

Source: Cuisinart Recipe Booklet

Chocolate Banana Faux Ice Cream

I've been trying to eat healthier and finally lose the baby weight...only 3+ years later - whoops! My one downfall is ice cream so I've been trying not to buy it but with this crazy heat and humidity we're having, I need something! I found this recipe on Tasty Kitchen, on of my new favorite websites, and it's so good and refreshing! You've been warned - it's super chocolately!

4 bananas

8 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

2 Tbsp honey (or raw sugar)

Slice the banans into a blender. Add the cocoa and honey. Blend until smooth and there are no lumps. Store in an airtight container and freeze!