Day 18 - The Ices

Wanted to let you all know that I also follow Amanda's blog 'The Sweet Details', I enjoy reading about all her adventures and recipes. Here is the site to her ice cream recipes: http://thesweetdetail.blogspot.com/search/label/Ice%20Cream  I am sure you will enjoy her "sweet deals"!!

I have two ice recipes for you today!! Enjoy!

Rhubarb-Strawberry Ice

Make 12 servings

4 cups fresh sliced rhubarb or frozen sliced rhubarb

1 ¼ cups cranberry juice or unsweetened cherry juice

1 cup sugar

2 cups sliced strawberries

Ginger ale (optional)

Step1- If using frozen rhubarb, thaw slightly. In medium saucepan, combine rhubarb, ½ cup of the cranberry juice, and sugar. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 5 to 8 minutes or until sugar is dissolved and rhubarb is tender.

Step 2 - Place half of the rhubarb mixture in blender of food processor. Cover and blend or process until smooth. Transfer mixture to 9x9x2” nonmetal freezer-proof container. Repeat with remaining rhubarb mixture. Cove and freeze for 4 to 5 hours or until nearly firm. (If you want to use an ice cream freezer, you can, but follow the manufacture’s instructions.)

Step 3 - Break frozen mixture into small chunks and place in chilled large bowl. Beat with electric mixer on low to medium speed until smooth but not melted. Return mixture to container. Cover and freeze for at least 6 hours or until firm.

Step 4 - To serve, scrape frozen mixture with small ice cream scoop. Scoop ice into dessert dishes. If desired, pour a little ginger ale around fruit ice.

Refreshing!!!! Enjoy!

The following recipe is tangy, with the use of citrus! A little bang to your taste buds!

Strawberry Italian Ice

1 cup sugar

¾ cup water

1 tablespoon zested orange peel

2 teaspoon zested lemon peel

1 ½ teaspoon zested lime peel

1/3 cup orange juice

3 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoon lime juice

4 cups sliced strawberries

Step1 – In medium saucepan, combine sugar, the water, and citrus peels. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Cool slight. Strain mixture through fine-mesh sieve into bowl; discard peels. Stir the juices into the mixture.

Step 2 – In blender or food processor, combine half of the juice mixture and half of the strawberries. Cover and blend or process with several pulses until mixture is nearly smooth (leave some small chunks of strawberries.)

Step 3 – Transfer mixture to 2-quart baking dish. Repeat with remaining juice mixture and strawberries. Cover and freeze for at least 6 hours or until firm, stirring once after 3 hours of freezing. (Could put all of this on a jelly roll pan and freeze, wouldn’t take maybe 3-4 hours to freeze.)

Step 4 – Let stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes, before serving. To serve, scrape frozen mixture with ice cream scoop. Scoop ice into dessert dishes.

Thanks for stopping by!

Day 17 Spicy Ice Cream

One of the many blogs I follow is Sweet As Sugar Cookies. Lisa is a great cook and loves food spicy. If you enjoy a little or a lot of kick to your meals, Lisa's blog is the one to read! She has five different ice creams recipes and all have spices! Here is her blog page with the ice cream recipes!!!
http://sweet-as-sugar-cookies.blogspot.com/search/label/ice%20cream

Here is a recipe about as spicy as I will get, but then you never know, I might be tempted, Lisa's recipes always look and sound delicious!!!

Crystallized Ginger Ice Cream (adapted from the book: The Best of Ice Cream by Cox and Kinard)
2 cups whole milk
4 large eggs
1 cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream, chilled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger

• In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, bring the milk just to a simmer. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

• In the top of a double boiler, whisk the yolks with the sugar for 3 to 4 minutes, or until pale yellow. Gradually whisk in the hot milk. Place the top of the double boiler over a pan of simmering (not boiling) water and cook, sitting constantly, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove the custard from the water and stir in the cream and vanilla.

• Chill the mixture for 30 minutes, then pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's directions. When the ice cream is half frozen, stir in the chopped ginger. Complete the freezing process. (I would just still in after the ice cream has finished in the ice cream freezer and let it set in the freezer for about 5 minutes to get the flavor in.)

Makes about 1 quart.
Thanks for popping in!

Day 16 - Pumpkin Ice Cream

Well, I did it, never thought I would. Yep, I made pumpkin ice cream. I enjoy pumpkin pie, pumpkin cake, and cookies, but never thought I would like pumpkin ice cream. Let me tell you, this the home-made stuff is GRRREAT!!!! Now remember I don't have an ice cream maker, so it is not as creamy, but it taste just as good.
So here's the recipe I used: (adapted from BH&G Ice Cream booklet)
Pumpkin Ice Cream
2 cups half and half or cream
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
5 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin
Step 1 - In medium saucepan, combine cream and brown sugar. Cook over medium heat about 5 mintues or until bubbles form around edge of saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar.

 Step 2 - In small bowl, combine egg yolks, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and cloves. Slowly whisk about 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture into egg mixture; return all of egg mixture to hot mixture in saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat for 4 to 6 minutes or just until mixture coats a metal spoon. Do not boil. (It curdles if you do, believe me it happened.)
Step 3 - Pour mixture through fine-mesh sieve into bowl. Stir in vanilla. Whisk in pumpkin. Cover surface with plastic wrap and chill for about 3 hours.

 Step 4 - Pour pumpkin mixture into freezer canister of 1 1/2 or 2 quart size of ice cream freezer. Freeze according to manufacturer's directions.

Had some caramel sauce leftover, so I put a little on!

ENJOY!!!                                                    

Here's What I Made for Dinner Tonight!

Have you ever looked through magazines or blogs and saw something that looked good to eat?? Well, I did and knew I could come up with something that would taste good. Yep, I saw the picture and went for it. I don't remember what their dish was called, I just looked at the food in the picture, so I don't know what to call this.
Mexican Squash-Rice Skillet Dinner?
Start with: 2 cups rice cooked in 4 1/2 cups water, until tender and fluffy. Set aside.
And while that is cooking: 
Put in a large skillet start cooking, until hamburger is brown:
1 pound ground hamburger
1 onion, chopped

Isn't it colorful!!

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
2 ribs of celery, chopped
Now add spices:
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper, more if you want
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon season salt
1 cube tomato bouillon
Next add:
1 cup water. Cook this until there is about 1/2 cup water left, about 10 minutes.
Now start gently stirring in:
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
2 small zucchini, sliced
1 large yellowneck squash, sliced
When the squash is just starting to get tender, it's done.

To assemble: put some rice in a bowl add skillet fixins and put shredded cheese on top.

Delicious!!

Note: You can add more spices, to your family's taste. Also you could add some salsa. Enjoy!