Apple Pie Ice Cream

In my family, homemade ice cream is a July 4th tradition. When I found a recipe for apple pie ice cream, I knew I had to make it for the Fourth! It doesn't get much more American than Apple Pie Ice Cream!

Let me just tell you... I think this is the best ice cream I've ever tasted. I've preferred homemade ice cream over store-bought ever since I learned to use my ice cream maker, but this one is just delicious. You'll never want to go to Cold Stone or Baskin Robbins again after you taste this. Unless you don't like cinnamon and apples... then you're not going to like it at all. Haha.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
8 oatmeal cookies, crushed (it's easiest to use the store-bought ones... they're harder and crumble easier)
2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into little cubes
1 cup plus 3 tbsp sugar, divided
3 tsp ground cinnamon
3 cups whipping cream
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
3 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping

Directions:
1. Melt 1 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the chopped apples, 3 tbsp sugar, and 1 tsp cinnamon. Cook until the apples have lightly browned and the sugar has begun to caramelize (about 10 minutes). Remove from the pan and allow to cool COMPLETELY (put them in the fridge or freezer to cool them faster).
2. Combine whipping cream, half-and-half, 1 cup sugar, eggs, vanilla, and 2 tsp cinnamon in a large bowl. Mix well.
3. Pour the cream mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the ice cream maker's directions (probably about 30 minutes).
4. When ice cream is finished, remove from ice cream maker and stir in apples and cookie crumbs. Mix in caramel ice cream topping on spoonful at a time.
5. Refrigerate at least two hours before serving.

Cream mixture

Pouring into the ice cream maker...

Chopped Granny Smith apples

Apple mixture in the skillet

Mmm!

Mixing in the cooled apples and oatmeal cookie crumbs

Ta-da!

If you have an ice cream maker, you HAVE to make this. It's just so delicious! I hope you love it as much as we do!

Spinach & Orzo Salad

I made this salad to go with barbecue ribs the other day when my family came over for dinner, and it was so yummy! I don't even normally like pasta salads, but this one is really good!

The original recipe made a TON (it filled my large mixing bowl, and even after five people ate it, I still had two big Tupperwares leftover), so I went ahead and halved it. If you're making it for a giant potluck (or as a main dish with chicken or something) you'll want to double what I have written below, but it should make at least 8 servings or so as written.

Recipe adapted from What Megan's Making.

Ingredients:
8 oz (1/2 a package) uncooked orzo pasta
1/2 of a 10oz package spinach leaves, finely chopped
2 oz (1/2 container) crumbled feta cheese
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 red onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup pine nuts (about one bag, from the baking aisle)
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 c balsamic vinegar
About 1/8 cup olive oil (more or less, depending on how wet/dry it looks)

Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook orzo for 8-10 minutes, or until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water.
2. Transfer the orzo to a large bowl and stir in the spinach, feta, mozzarella, red onion, pine nuts, basil, and pepper. [At this point you could also add in any extras... black olives, cherry tomatoes, grilled chicken, etc.]
3. Add in the balsamic vinegar and stir until mixed.
4. Add in the olive oil and stir.
5. Refrigerate and serve cold.

Ready to mix!

Looking good!

Ta-da!

Yummy! Everybody should try this one out because it's so good! Plus, it looks kinda fancy, especially for a pasta salad. :o)

Delicious Cornbread!

I used to only make cornbread from those little Jiffy mix boxes. I had tried a few cornbread recipes, but none were much better than the box. UNTIL... I stumbled upon this recipe! It's got the corn flavor, it's just the right amount of sweet, it's easy to make, and it's just delicious!

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
1/2 c cornmeal
1 1/2 c flour
2/3 c sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 c canola oil (or vegetable oil)
3 tbsp butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/4 c milk

Directions:
1. Lightly grease an 8" square pan and preheat the oven to 350.
2. Mix dry ingredients well in a large bowl.
3. Add in the wet ingredients and stir until just mixed. Batter will be runny - don't worry!
4. Pour the batter into the pan, and bake for 35 minutes.
5. Serve warm with butter!

Dry ingredients

Wet ingredients added!

Batter

Into the oven it goes...

Ta-da!

Yum!

Fruited Cheesecake Flag for July 4th!

This is pretty much the worst time to post this recipe (you know, since the 4th of July is over and all), but it's really a very versatile recipe for any day, and at least this way I can link back to it next year and suggest you make it then. :o)

This recipe is really very good... great crust, great cheesecake. It's originally from Martha Stewart, but the recipe on the MS website has some missing ingredient amounts and things, so I based mine off of this website.

Recipe adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe, who adapted it from here.

Ingredients:

3 c flour
1 3/4 tsp salt
12 oz (3 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup plus 2 tbsp brown sugar
4 8oz packages cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 c sugar
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp vanilla
4 large eggs
1 pint blueberries (about 1 or 2 cups), rinsed
1 pound strawberries, rinsed and hulled and sliced
2 pints raspberries (about 3 cups), rinsed
Powdered sugar for dusting

Directions:

1. Spray a 12x17 rimmed cookie sheet with cooking spray (spray it well!!).
2. Sift flour and salt into a medium bowl.
3. In a large bowl, cream the butter with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy (about 3 minutes). With the mixer running, slowly add the brown sugar, beating until pale and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Add the flour mixture all at once, and beat on low speed until just incorporated.
4. Transfer the dough to the cookie sheet, and press it into and even layer that covers the bottom of the sheet. Refrigerate until firm (about 20-30 minutes). Preheat the over to 300.
5. Bake the dough until golden brown, about 30-35 minutes. Let it cool completely in the baking sheet. Adjust the oven temperature to 350.
6. While crust is cooling, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until fluffy (about 3 minutes). Reduce the speed to low and add the sugar. Scrape the bowl, then beat in the lemon zest and vanilla. Scrape the bowl again, then beat in the eggs ones at a time, mixing until incorporated.
7. Pour the cheesecake batter over the cooled crust and spread into an even layer.
8. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, or until the filling is set. Let the cheesecake cool in the cookie sheet, and then refrigerate until firm and cold (at least 4 hours).
9. Cut the cheesecake into 48 squares (8 columns by 6 rows). Decorate the top left squares (3 down and 4 across, 12 total squares) with a mound of blueberries (about 5 or 6) on each square. Use raspberries (about 4 per square) to decorate the 1st, 3rd, and 5th rows (the 1st and 3rd will be shorter since part of them will have blueberries already). Decorate the remaining rows with strawberry slices.
10. Right before serving, sift powdered sugar onto the strawberry rows. The easiest way to do this is to cover the surrounding rows with a paper towel, then sift, then move the paper towel. If you do this step too early, the powdered sugar will dissolve into the strawberries and they won't look white anymore!

Crust dough ready to go in the oven!

Cheesecake filling

Headed into the oven...

Finished cheesecake with fruit!

Right before serving - white rows are dusted with powdered sugar!

Happy Fourth of July!! Yummm!

Citrus Poppy Seed Cake

This is the cake that I made for Easter! It was a great springtime cake, and it's big enough to feed a crowd!

Recipe adapted from here.

Cake Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
5 eggs
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp lemon zest (about two lemons)
1 1/2 tbsp poppyseeds

Frosting Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter, softened
4 1/2 tbsp orange juice
4 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp orange zest (about 2 oranges)
2 tbsp lemon zest (about 3 lemons)
8-9 cups powdered sugar

Directions:
1. In a mixing bowl, cream butter, sugar, and shortening until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
2. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat will after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract, lemon juice, lemon zest, and poppyseeds.
3. Pour batter into three greased and floured 9-inch round baking pans. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove to wire racks.
4. For frosting, cream butter in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add the juices and zests. Beat until well blended. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until frosting reaches desired consistency.
5. After cake has cooled, spread frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. Garnish with extra lemon or orange zest!

Enjoy! Store leftovers in the fridge.

Lemon Pound Cake

I use this lemon pound cake for my Lemon Berry Trifle, but it's delicious on it's own! It would be perfect with just a lemon glaze!

Recipe adapted from here.

1 cup butter (at room temperature)

3 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups sugar

5 large eggs

3/4 cup buttermilk

2 tbsp lemon zest (about 2 lemons)

2 tbsp lemon juice (about 2 lemons)

Preheat the oven to 325. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Place the butter in a large bowl and beat until soft. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated after each addition. Reduce the speed to low. Add the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour. Beat until incorporated after each addition. Stir in the lemon zest and lemon juice.

Pour the batter into the pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50-60 minutes.

Lemon Berry Trifle

I made this for the wine & dessert party we had the other day, and it was a big hit! I was SO glad we had leftovers, and I may or may not have eaten some for breakfast one day... it has berries - that means it's healthy, right? :) Trifles are just perfect - such a good mesh of flavors and fairly easy to prepare. The only problem is that they look kind of weird when they're plopped onto plates. But, if you can get past that, trifles are WONDERFUL!

Recipe adapted from here.

Note: the trifle should be assembled 5-8 hours before serving for best results! The flavors will blend together during the 5-8 hours.

Berries (can be cooked up to a day in advance and stored in the refrigerator):
2 cups strawberries, stems removed (about one container)
1 cup raspberries
1 cup blueberries
Juice from 1 lemon
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp cornstarch

Lemon Cream:
3 cups whipping cream
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 10oz jar lemon curd (find in the baked goods aisle)

Pound Cake: 
one 9-inch round or 1 loaf lemon (or plain) pound cake [homemade or store-bought], cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
**I used my lemon pound cake recipe, but I only used about 2/3 of the 9-inch round

Combine the berries, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer and cook just until the berries begin to break down (strawberries will take the longest), about 5-7 minutes. Take the berries off the heat and let the mixture cool.

In a clean bowl, whip the cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form. Put the lemon curd into a second bowl and whisk in about 1/4 cup of the whipped cream mixture to loosen it up a bit. Gently fold in the rest of the cream. Cover and refrigerate if not using immediately.

To assemble the trifle, spread a layer of the cream in the bottom of a large glass or trifle bowl. Add a layer of pound cake (you may have to break the pound cake into smaller slices to get them to fit nicely). Then drizzle on about 1/3 of the berry syrup. Spoon a layer of lemon cream on top of the berries and smooth to the sides. Repeat all the layers 2-3 more times, finishing with a layer of lemon cream. Garnish the top with berries and/or lemon zest. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

here's the cream whipping!

berries on the stove...

all done!

lemon curd

pound cake

top of the trifle!

ta-da!