This week's pick was Vanilla Ice Cream. I have made this recipe at least three times as written and one time with strawberry puree. Growing up, I hated vanilla ice cream. Usually it was from Dairy Queen or from the store, and I found the taste just too...boring. Then Megan from Megan's Cookin sent me some vanilla beans last year. I really don't know what prompted me to make vanilla ice cream. I guess because I couldn't think of anything else to make with the beans. Boy, do vanilla beans make a difference! I haven't tried the homemade version with extract, but I don't think I'll even bother. Vanilla beans all the way! It can be kinda messy if you have long nails like me because I kept getting specks underneath haha
I already blogged about the ice cream last year. Kinda wish I had a better picture :X The custard does not take long to reach 180F, so have your thermometer ready and remove from the heat asap. Also, you don't need an ice cream maker. Just ask David Lebovitz. You do need to have patience and a somewhat free evening so you can beat the mixture every half hour or so. It won't be a complete disaster if you slack. You'll just have some ice crystals when you eat it.
Thanks to Lynne of Cafe LynnyLu for choosing a great ice cream recipe! You can visit her blog for the recipe or turn to pgs. 428-429 of Baking: From My Home To Yours.
Also, I found out that my turn for picking a TwD recipe is Sept. 29!! I can't wait until it is officially announced because I've been waiting a long time to make this dessert :D
Guess what I learned this summer? Raddichio looks like red cabbage except a lot smaller (my argument - it was under the red cabbage sign. I just didn't look up in the top row). That and how to make jam when you only have one jar. Ok so I have acquired more jars since then but back when I picked fresh strawberries, I wanted to make jam. I went and bought a box of pectin before discovering some fruits naturally have pectin in them, mainly berries and apples. Pectin in strawberries can be found in the green tips of not-quite-ripe strawberries. Lemon juice also helps the gelling process.
I always considered jam a special technique because you have to make sure everything is steralized and cooked to prevent mold and illnesses when storing. Because the whole jam making process scared me, I decided to do my research. I found a very, very, VERY helpful video on YouTube, which I have posted above.
If you need jam jars, check out flea markets and yard sales. I usually find ones with lids for about 25-50 cents. I've also seen boxes and boxes (and more boxes) of jars without lids, but you can purchase lids separately at the store. It is recommended to replace lids every so often. Jars don't need replaced unless cracked.
Ok so I don't have any pictures of my jams, but I can assure you this recipe works for strawberries and black raspberries. Don't worry about fancy equipment either. I used a giant pot for my boiling water and tongs to grab the hot jar. Just make sure you have a lid that breaks into two parts: the lid itself and the rim you screw on.
The video above uses an 8-ounce and a 4-ounce jar. I adjusted the measurements for a 6-ounce jar.
For 6 ounce jar: 2 cups berries, sliced if needed 3/4 cup sugar 1 Tbsp lemon juice
1. Make sure jar has recently been washed with soap and hot water. Don't worry about drying because it will be going back into water. Place jar and lid into a pot of boiling water. Make sure it is deep enough for the jar to stand upright completely submerged in water. Or cheat like I do and turn it on its side. Probably not recommended but it works for me.
2. Place a small dish or bowl into freezer.
3. Once the water is boiling, leave the jar in there until ready to use. Meanwhile, place berries, sugar, and lemon juice into a somewhat-deep skillet. Heat and stir until it reaches a rolling boil. Keep stirring until it thickens, usually 10 minutes. When it seems like it is gelling, get your plate/bowl out of the freezer. Put a small drop onto the plate/bowl and let sit for 30 seconds. Tilt it. If it slides too fast, keep cooking. If it barely moves, it is done. Just make sure you don't overcook it, even if you have to test every minute or two. Turn off the heat.
4. Remove the jar and lids from water. Keep the water boiling. I usually put a paper towel on a hot plate so it can sit there for about a minute. Spoon jam into jar. Some suggest using a funnel, but the chunks might get stuck. If you do use a funnel, make sure it is steralized in hot water as well.
5. Wipe excess jam off the rim of the jar so it doesn't mess up the sealing process. Place the middle part of the lid on top. Screw on the lid rim. You may want to use an oven mitt so you can hold the jar still.
6. Place sealed jar back into the boilng water and boil for 15 minutes. Make sure it is submerged in the water. Remove from the water and let dry on a heat-resistant surface for 18-24 hours. Once cool, press down on the lid. If it stays down, it is sealed. If it pops back up, put in the refrigerator and use within two weeks.
A big thank you to Kristina and the Stoneyfield crew for letting me sample their Oikos Organic Greek yogurt. Also a big apology for not posting my review sooner. I've received the coupons a month or two ago, but I'm lazy like that lol I must admit I had trouble finding the yogurt at first. Most stores had the yogurt next to the non-organic yogurt while some stores had the yogurt in the dedicated organic section by the produce.
The first one I tried was with honey. Now if you remember my ice cream post a few weeks ago, I don't like honey. After trying this yogurt, I have a theory that there are honeys I do like and honeys I don't like. My goal is to figure out which kind to buy. I ate this yogurt for breakfast after mixing in some sliced strawberries. Now, I did like the honey but I felt there was too much honey in some spoonfuls. I think this is a matter of personal preference. If it was chocolate, it would have been enough, kwim? So this would make a great breakfast with some fresh fruit added. If you are looking for a recipe, check out Adam's blog for cinnamon buns.
I also tried the plain. This is not recommended to eat for breakfast with mixed fruit unless you add some kind of sweetener (honey, sugar, etc). This yogurt is meant for cooking and baking because you add other flavors to it. I also made a cake with this, but it fell apart. It was a jelly roll cake, so it was the cake that fell apart rather than the yogurt messing up the recipe. I have another cup plus a larger container of vanilla yogurt, so I'll have to try more recipes with those.
Not only did Kristina and gang send me coupons, they also sent me a resuable grocery bag. Instead of the usual cloth bags, this bag is made 100% with old plastic bottles. Talk about recycled! Plus it's cat-approved.
If you would like coupons or find out which stores carry Oikos, please visit Oikos' web site. I would recommend this product to those who wouldn't mind spending a little extra for a great organic product.
When I was in Ireland, I learned that the first thing people think of when I tell them I'm from Pennsylvania is the Amish. Even when I was at Kate Voegele's concert, her opening act was amazed that she saw Amish people. Now, Pittsburgh's side of the state isn't really Amish country; it's more towards the Lancaster area. However, I have seen Pennsylvania Dutch (dress just like the Amish but believe in technology) near where I went to school and at the zoo on the carousel. If there is one thing I'm glad they invented, it's their macaroni salad. Amish macaroni salad? What is that, you ask. I have grown up eating this from the Wal Mart deli. Yes, I said Wal Mart deli. I have no clue if it's only our WMs or if all WMs sell it, but their macaroni salad is based off of an Amish recipe. What makes this so amazing? Mustard. I hate mayonnaise and although I can tolerate it in tuna salad, potato salad, etc., I cannot just simply put it on a sandwich like my dad does.
This macaroni salad still has mayo, but because it's combined with mustard, vinegar, and sugar, I can still have the creaminess without the taste. I am tempted to make homemade mayo, just to see if I like it because we buy Miracle Whip, which isn't -exactly- the same as regular mayo. After doing some Google research, it sounds like the two are different in taste. Any thoughts? The sugar in the dressing makes it sweet, so some people thought it was the right amount while others said I should cut back next time.
Amish Macaroni Salad
It's more yellow than what this picture shows. I hate the kitchen lighting.
1/2 lb. elbow macaroni (I just guessed) 1/4 cup chopped celery or green pepper (or both) 1/4 cup grated carrots 2 Tbsp chopped white onion 3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped (yolks optional) Paprika 1 cup mayo 2 Tbsp vinegar 1/4 cup sugar (you can cut back to 2 Tbsp if needed) 1 Tbsp yellow mustard
1. Cook macaroni as directed. Drain and let cool. 2. After the macaroni cools, mix with celery, green pepper, carrots, onion, and eggs. 3. In a small bowl, combine mayo, vinegar, sugar, and mustard. Fold into macaroni mixture. Sprinkle the top with paprika and stir a couple of times to mix it in. Cover and let chill at least 2 hours, although overnight is best.
This week's TwD was chosen by non-member Lisa from Surviving Oz because she won the logo contest. I almost didn't make these because I was tired yesterday, but I haven't done a TwD in awhile. The nice thing about making brownies is you pretty much mix everything together in one pan then transfer and bake.
If you are friends with me on Face Book or read the P&Q section on the TwD site, you probably saw that I almost had a disaster. This is what I wrote:
How Not To Make Brownies: Put flour in small bowl. Make brownie batter. Put pan in oven. Lick spoon. See bowl of flour on counter. Frantically pull out hot pan without oven mitts. Burn finger. Attempt to stir in flour. Rip foil. Pour into bowl. Replace foil. Replace batter. Put back in oven. Reset timer. Continue to lick spoon.
Since there was only 1/4 cup flour, I put it in a cereal bowl rather than a mixing bowl. I guess I thought I added it with the sugar or something because I noticed after putting it in the oven that I forgot about it. Oops! Besides a few extra dishes, I recovered...
...or so I thought. Apparently when Dorie says use parchment paper, she really does mean parchment paper and not foil. Since I had to hurry up and put new foil in the pan, I guess I didn't spray as much as I should. I thought I did, but my brownies argue otherwise. I refrigerated them for about 30 minutes which helped with the gooey factor, but they still stuck to the foil.
Tastewise - don't let the instant coffee fool you. I will admit I am a coffee snob. If it's not freshly-grinded coffee, I don't want it. I can tell when you have Folger's or Maxwell House because it just has that taste, but what's worse than stale coffee is instant coffee. I don't completely hate it - it reminds me of my stays at hostels in the UK. Not all hostels had a pot of coffee for breakfast, so my friend Shannon packed instant coffee, tea bags, and sugar while we were traveling. However, I would never willingly make myself a cup of instant coffee. In fact, I can't really explain why I have instant coffee in the cupboard. I think it was a free sample pack or something. Anyway, fellow TwDers assured me the coffee is there to enhance the chocolate, and you can't tell that much. Dorie called for 2 tsp but I used one serving packet, so maybe 1 tsp? I could still taste it, but it brought out the chocolate rather than oh I taste coffee and chocolate. I also added the optional cinnamon, but I can only taste a hint of it.
To sum things up, I would definitely make these again, as long as they don't stick or I forget the flour again. Thanks to Lisa for picking this recipe! You can the recipe on pages 96-97 of Baking: From My Home To Yours or at Surviving Oz.
...ok I lied. I don't have these brownies anymore because I made them last week to take over a friend's house. A group of us have been hanging out more and more lately, so I decided I wanted to bring some treats over so I'm not showing up at my friend's house empty-handed. I asked for requests, and one was caramel brownies. I don't have any caramel and saw I had two open jars of peanut butter, so I decided I was doing PB instead.
I decided to make Nestle Tollhouse's brownies from their cookbook. I already made these brownies before but without the PB swirled in. As you can imagine, these brownies didn't last very long, mainly because I ate most of them but shhhh. The measurements are slightly weird because I cut the recipe in half for an 8x8 pan.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Brownies
1/2 cup + 1/3 cup sugar 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine 1 Tbsp water 2 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate OR 6 Tbsp cocoa + 2 Tbsp oil 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla 2/3 cup flour 1/8 tsp baking soda 1/8 tsp salt 1/4 cup peanut butter 1 Tbsp + 1 1/2 tsp sugar 1 Tbsp milk
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 8x8 pan or line with foil.
2. In a saucepan, melt sugar, butter, and water. Add chocolate and stir until combined. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually add flour, baking soda, and salt. Do nout pour into pan just yet.
3. In a microwavable bowl, combine peanut butter, sugar, and milk for 45 seconds or until smooth. Pour brownie batter into pan. Spoon PB mixture on top; swirl in with a knife.
4. Bake 20-25 minutes. Toothpick should have a few crumbs on it. Cool completely in pan before cutting into bars.
Makes 1 dozen.
Source: Nestle Tollhouse Best-Loved Cookies 1995, p. 83
Just make sure you share. Too many brownies could result in breakage.
Thanks to Michele from Alwayz Bakin' and My Girl, Paula for this Kreativ Blogger award! I consider myself creative, and I'm glad she did, too. Here are the rules of this award:
1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award. 2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog. 3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award. 4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting. 5. Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers. 6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate. 7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs, letting them know they have been nominated.
Ok seven things about myself:
1. I have no idea where I got my passion for cooking and baking. It's not from my parents, never grew up with grandparents, and certainly not from my brother.
2. I love editing videos. Don't get me wrong - I enjoy producing and shooting as well, but editing is my favorite part. I just really wish there was only one editing software so I don't have to teach myself the two I never learned.
3. I get super excited when I see camera crew, whether it is on tv or at sporting events. One time, there was a camera guy at a concert on stage. I kept watching him instead of the band.
4. I want to work on a production for Food Network. Actually, I want to edit for FN but being on the crew works just as well. And when I watch the shows, I pay attention more so to the editing than the content.
5. I'd rather have rare meat than a salad. I heart meat!
6. I have an obsession with cupcake liners and sprinkles, especially when they are $1 or less.
7. I am terrified of stir frying when you add marinaded meat to hot oil, but I do it anyway.
The seven people I am nominating for the award are...
