Homemade Ice Cream

Cinnamon Bun Ice Cream

 
2 cups heavy cream
1 (14 oz.) Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whip heavy cream to stiff peaks in large bowl. Whisk sweetened condensed milk, butter, cinnamon, and vanilla in large bowl. Mix well. Fold in whipped cream.
Pour into a 2-quart container and cover. Freeze 6 hours or until firm. Store in freezer.

you can add any flavour you like

White Cheddar Cheese Soup

1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup yellow onion, diced small
1/2 cup celery, diced small
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine (I used Chardonnay)
1-1/2 cups chicken broth
1-1/2 cups whole milk
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
4 cups good quality sharp, white Cheddar cheese, grated (12 oz.)
Tomatoes and parsley for garnish

Sauté onion and celery in butter in a large pot over medium-low heat.  Cook for 10 minutes; add garlic and sauté 1 minute more.  Stir in flour to coat the vegetables.  Add dry mustard, salt and white pepper.  Stir constantly for 2 minutes to prevent scorching. 

Whisk in wine, the mixture will be clumpy, that's okay.  Then whisk in broth, milk and cream, scraping the bottom of the pot.  Bring soup to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in cheese.  Continue stirring until cheese is completely melted.

Transfer to individual serving bowls and garnish with tomatoes and parsley.  Serve immediately.

Enjoy this calorie bomb

Chicken Tostadas with Smokey Cheese Salsa

2 cups halved cherry or grape tomatoes
3 ounces smoked cheese, cheddar, Gouda or Monterey Jack, diced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
Juice of 2 limes
Salt and pepper to taste
1-1/2 cups shredded roasted chicken
6 corn tortillas
Sour cream, optional

In a medium sized bowl toss together tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice, cheese, red wine vinegar, green onion, salt and pepper.  Let sit for 15 minutes.

While waiting, fry the corn tortillas to your choice of crispiness.  Shred the roasted chicken and build each tostada to your liking. 

Dollop with sour cream for extra flavor.

Makes six tostadas.

Spinach and Cheese Strata

Ingredients:
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
1½ cups onion, finely chopped
2 (10 oz.) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 tsp. salt, divided
½ tsp. pepper, divided
Dash freshly grated nutmeg
8 cups cubed French or Italian bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
6 oz. coarsely grated Gruyere (about 2 cups)
2 oz. finely grated Parmesan (about 2/3 cup)
9 large eggs
2¾ cup milk

Directions:
Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add the onions to the pan and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add ½ teaspoon of the salt, ¼ teaspoon of the pepper, and the nutmeg, and continue to cook for 1 minute more.  Stir in the spinach, remove from the heat and set aside.
Butter the inside of a 2½-3 quart baking dish.  Layer the bottom of the dish with one third of the bread cubes.  Top with one third of the spinach mixture and one third of each of the cheeses.  Repeat these layers twice more with the bread, spinach and cheese.
In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, milk, the remaining ½ teaspoon of the salt and ¼ teaspoon of the pepper.  Whisk together until blended.  Pour the mixture evenly over the bread and spinach layered in the baking dish.  Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 8 hours or up to 1 day.
Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.  Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Bake uncovered until puffed, golden brown and cooked through, 45-55 minutes.  Let stand at least 5 minutes before serving.

Ultimate Lasagna

Ingredients:
1/2 to 1 package lasagna noodles
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground sausage
1 medium onion
2 garlic cloves
1 reasonably sized carrot
1 stalk celery
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 cup beef broth
fresh basil (or 2 tbsp dried basil)
flat-leaf parsley (or 2 tbsp dried parsley)
oregano (or 1 tbsp dried oregano)
pinch dried basil
2 14oz cans diced tomatoes
1 6oz can tomato paste
2 tbsp milk
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3 cups ricotta
2 eggs
2/3 cup grated Parmesan
2 large mozzarella balls (roughly one pound)
parmesan (for topping)
pepper
salt
Optional: 1/2 cup red wine – 3 tbsp heavy cream – 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Add the minced vegetables and cook for a minute or 2. Then add the garlic, beef broth and a good pinch of black pepper, stir well and simmer for 15 minutes. You can replace the beef broth with dry red wine if you like.

Spoon in the tomato paste and cook for a minute to sweeten it.Pour in the diced tomatoes.
Season with salt (I’ve added 2 tsp salt and it was perfect, add 1 1/2 if you want to stay on the safe side), 1/4 to max 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg, a good pinch of pepper, about a tsp dried basil and 2 tbsp milk.

Stir well, bring to a boil, lower the heat and let the sauce simmer, without a lid, for 30 minutes.
Those 30 minutes give you plenty time to take it to the next step.
The ricotta was so good in this lasagna! Don’t worry too much about your hips, ricotta is naturally low in fat.
Get yourself 2 1/2 to 3 cups.
Lightly beat 2 eggs and add them to the ricotta along with 2/3 cup parmesan (1 cup is fine by me, too) and a good pinch of pepper.

Finish the lasagna with some grated Parmesan and a sprinkling dried basil. Tap the pan to get rid of air bubbles.

Pop in a preheated oven and bake at 350F (175C) for 40 to 45 minutes. Until golden brown and the noodles are properly cooked. If at any point the top should get too brown, cover it with tinfoil.

Yummy in my tummy :)

Strawberry Crostata

1 1/2 pounds strawberries
2 tablespoons sugar, for sprinkling (or more, to taste)
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 pie crust, store bough or homemade

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Hull and slice strawberries. Sprinkle with sugar and set aside.
2. Mix together cream cheese, flour, sugar and vanilla.
3. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper and place the pie crust on the parchment paper. Using an off-set spatula, spread the cream cheese mixture on the pie crust leaving a one inch border around the edge. Pile the strawberries on top of the cream cheese mixture. Work your way around the pie crust folding the edges up every one inch or so.
4. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. The crust should be a gorgeous light golden color, the strawberries should cook down, and the juices should be oozing.

First things first, hull and slice 1 1/2 pounds of ripe, juicy strawberries. Sprinkle them with two tablespoons of sugar (or a bit more if your berries are very tart) and try your best not to eat them all. I had to slap myself on the hand a few times. I love strawberries sprinkled with sugar.
Grab 8 ounces of softened cream cheese and mix it up with 2 tablespoons of flour, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and 1 tablespoon of vanilla.
Now, either make a pie crust or buy it in a box at the grocery store. Pillsbury makes a mean pie crust, if you’re feeling intimidated or lazy.
Lay your pie crust flat on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Using an off-set spatula, spread the cream cheese mixture all over the pie crust leaving a one inch border around the edges.
Pile your strawberries on top.

Excuse me, I think I need to go eat another piece of this right now...

Cheesecake with Strawberry Sauce

 5 eight-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
9 large eggs (or 8 extra large), room temperature
1/2 pint heavy whipping cream, room temperatureIn the bowl of a standing mixer, add cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until thoroughly combined; about three minutes.  Scrape down sides of bowl.  Add eggs, one at a time, while beating at medium speed.  Fold in heavy cream with a rubber spatula.
Pour mixture into a 10" springform pan and immediately place in a preheated 500 degree oven for 15 minutes.  Turn down the oven to 200 degrees for 40 minutes.  Make sure the middle is done by pressing on it with your finger, it should bounce back slightly to the touch.  If it doesn't feel done continue to bake and check it every five minutes.
Cool completely and place in the refrigerator overnight.  To unmold, run a knife around the edge of the pan and release.
*Note...because this a crustless recipe, it's possible your springform pan might leak slightly in the beginning.  So before preheating the oven place a piece of aluminum foil on your the rack (nothing heavier) and as soon as you pour the batter in the pan, place it in the very hot oven.

Strawberry Sauce
1-1/2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
3/4 cup red currant jelly
1/4 cup framboise

Slice strawberries and drizzle with lemon juice.  In a small saucepan add jelly and framboise and bring to a boil.  Remove from heat and cool completely before adding the strawberries.  Place in the refrigerator and serve over cheesecake.  Top with whipped cream if desired.


mmmmm...