Michael's Bacon-wrapped BBQ Chicken Cordon Bleu

 

 

Chicken Cordon Bleu is one of those recipes that feels super fancy but doesn’t actually take a ton of effort. It can be pricey if ordering at a restaurant, but at home it can be made on a budget!  In this case, I have combined the concept with a Monterey Cheese Chicken recipe from a friend, but using our families favorite cheese:  Muenster!

I've made this a few times for my family, and it has quickly became a favorite.  And its easy to make!

Serve it alongside either baked or garlic mashed potatoes, and your favorite vegetables (asparagus, steamed broccoli, or a skillet of sliced sautéed zucchini and squash), and you'll have a great dinner to feed your family or impress your guests!

Ingredients:

• Boneless Chicken Breasts
• Ham: Any flavor of deli ham works well.
• Bacon Slices (one for each chicken breast)
• Muenster Cheese (Alternatively use Swiss, which is more traditional)
• Barbeque Sauce
• Tomatoes and green onions (optional)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Brown each Chicken breast slightly, and lightly cook bacon (it will complete cooking in the oven).

Butterfly each chicken breast by slicing horizontally through the middle of the breast, taking care to not cut all the way through. Open the chicken breast up like a book.

Optional: Depending on your level of perfectionism, you can lay each chicken breast flat between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Use a meat mallet or rolling pin to pound the chicken breasts into a thin, even layer.  (I don't usually worry about this step)

Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt and pepper (or a sprinkling of McCormick's Season-All or Mrs. Dash spice blend). Place a slice of ham and slice of muenster cheese (or Swiss) on each chicken breast.

Gently fold over each chicken breast; wrap each chicken creation with a "healthy" slice of bacon.  Hold in place with a toothpick.

Arrange completed chicken breasts in a glass baking dish; pour desired amount of favorite BBQ sauce over each chicken breast, using a basting brush to spread evenly. 

Bake the chicken for 35-40 minutes or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.

Sprinkle optional tomatoes and green onions before serving

Bûche de Noël (Yule Log Cake )

Our youngest daughter has been taking French in Middle School, and their teacher has offered extra credit opportunities, occasionally through the opportunity to cook an authentically French dish!  Because it was the holidays, her French teacher provided a recipe for Bûche de Noël, an extremely popular traditional desert that many French Bakeries will make to order, as long as you submit your order months in advance!

It is a challenging recipe to make, with multiple stages and steps, but our daughter took on the challenge, and spent a few hours making it remarkably successfully for her first attempt!  It turned out delicious.  Although we did learn that because the recipe uses Mascarpone cheese (I had her substitute Cream Cheese), any un-eaten portions should be refrigerated, or it may unsettle the stomach after a couple of days!

Also, this recipe makes a lot!  We created a smaller version than the recipe called for, and it was more than our family of six could eat!

Each of  the photographs I used are from her first attempt, and spruced up very nicely with some fresh rosemary from our spice garden, still thriving outside our house even though it was December!

Introduction:

This classic Bûche de Noël is a tender chocolate sponge cake filled with mascarpone whipped cream and covered with whipped chocolate ganache! It’s delicious, festive, traditional, and made completely from scratch!

Burning a yule log is a Christmas tradition that dates back before Medieval Times. People would carefully select a Christmas tree, bring it into their home and place the largest end into the fire. The whole tree would be burned and keep the fire going for the day.

A Yule Log Cake, also known as a Bûche de Noël, is a cake made based on that old tradition. Fortunately for us, we won’t burn it – we’ll eat it! It’s basically a chocolate sponge cake roll that’s filled with cream and covered with chocolate ganache and made to look like a log.

How to Make a Yule Log Cake

When making a Yule Log Cake, you’ll start by making the chocolate cake. If you’ve ever made a Pumpkin Cake Roll, it’s very similar, but uses a larger pan size. The larger size allows for you to later cut part of the log off and attach it to the side for a little branch. Be sure to line the pan with parchment paper, which will be used later to roll the cake in.

After the cake is baked and while it’s still hot, use the parchment paper to lift it out of the cake pan. Starting at one of the short ends, roll the cake up tightly using the parchment paper that it’s on. Allow the cake to cool completely. This will allow the cake to keep it’s shape and not break when you unroll and fill it.

Make the filling and spread it evenly over the cooled cake, then re-roll it. Wrap the cake in plastic wrap and refrigerate it until cool and firm.

How to Decorate a Yule Log Cake

When it’s time to decorate the cake, you’ll make the chocolate ganache. Whipping the chocolate ganache will make it a little lighter (in color and texture), but you can use it as is – without whipping it.

So while the cake is chilling, make the chocolate ganache. Allow the ganache to come to room temperature, then whip it on high speed until lightened, fluffy and spreadable.

Cut a piece of the log off (about 3 inches in length) and use a little chocolate ganache to attach it to the side of the cake to make it look like a branch.  Spread the chocolate ganache over the cake, leaving the ends exposed. Use a fork to create bark lines in the cake, then decorate with sugared cranberries and rosemary sprigs.

When you’re done, you’ll have an amazing chocolate Bûche de Noël to serve for Christmas!

Why did my Daughter's French Teacher Select this Recipe?

There’s a lot to love about this particular Yule Log Recipe...

• The cake itself. Some cake recipes tend to be tough and lack flavor. This cake uses a little bit different method where only the egg whites are whipped and added at the end. It lends a much more tender cake. It also uses dark cocoa for better flavor.
• The filling. Rather than filling it with a simple whipped cream, it uses traditional mascarpone whipped cream. It doesn’t take over the cake, but lends a flavor that is just a little more special.
• The whipped chocolate ganache. The whipped texture of the ganache lightens it up and keeps this cake from feeling heavy when eating it. 
• Since the cake and filling are so light, it needs a light frosting. The whipped chocolate ganache has rich flavor, with a light texture. Remarkable!

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder*
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 large eggs, divided
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 5 tbsp sour cream
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Mascarpone Whipped Cream Filling

• 1¼ cups heavy whipping cream, cold
• 3/4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract1/8 tsp salt
• 8 oz mascarpone cheese, softened but still chilled*
• Optionally substitute with Cream Cheese
  
  

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 17×12 inch jelly roll sheet pan with parchment paper. Make sure the parchment paper sticks up at least an inch above the sides of the pan on all sides. You’ll use the parchment paper later to lift the cake out of the pan and roll it up.
2. Whisk the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine the egg yolks and sugar and whisk together until well combined.
4. Add the sour cream, melted butter and vanilla extract and whisk together until well combined.
5. Add the dry ingredient mixture (previously set aside) to the wet ingredient mixture and gently whisk together until well combined, then set aside.
6. Add the egg whites to a large mixer bowl and whip on high speed until stiff peaks form.
7. Gently fold about 1/3 of the whipped egg whites into the chocolate mixture to loosen up the batter.
8. Add the remaining egg whites and gently fold together until well combined.
9. Spread the cake batter evenly into the prepared pan and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the top of the cake springs back when toughed and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
10. Remove the cake from the oven and immediately lift the cake out of the pan using the parchment paper and place it on the counter.
11. While the cake is hot, use the parchment paper the cake was baked in and start at the shorter end of the cake to slowly roll the cake up. 
12. You can just set the cake roll aside to cool completely, if you like. But to avoid the cake from cracking later, it is recommended to unroll and re-roll the cake a few times during cooling to help it keep its elasticity. 
13. First unroll it after about 5 minutes, then after another 5 minutes, and again after another 10 minutes. From there, you can roll it out 2-3 more times after 10-15 minute intervals. 
14. It should take about an hour to an hour and a half to cool completely, depending on the temperature of your home.
15. You’ll want to fill it once it’s completely cool. Don’t let it sit for several hours.

When the cake has cooled and is ready to be filled, make the filling:

1. Add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and salt to a large mixer bowl and whip on high speed until soft peaks form.
2. Add the mascarpone cheese (optionally cream cheese or Neufchâtel) to the whipped cream and whip until stiff peaks form. It will happen fairly quickly.
3. Unroll the cake roll very carefully, looking out for areas where it may be sticking to release it. You can use an offset spatula or something similar and run it along the parchment paper as you unroll the cake to help release it as it unrolls.
4. Spread the filling evenly onto the unrolled cake, then roll it back up without the parchment paper.
5. Wrap it up in plastic wrap with the seam side down and refrigerate for at least an hour to firm up.

When you’re ready to decorate the cake, make the chocolate ganache:

1. Add the chocolate to a medium sized bowl and set aside. Heat the cream in the microwave just until it begins to boil, then pour it over the chocolate.
2. Allow the chocolate and cream to sit for a few minutes, then whisk until smooth. 
3. Let the ganache cool to about room temperature (or cooler, you don’t want it too warm/thin), then transfer to a large mixer bowl.
4. Whip on high speed until lightened in color and thick enough to spread.

To decorate the cake, use a large serrated knife to gently cut off a piece of the log about 3 inches in length. Make the cut with a slight diagonal.

1. Use some of the chocolate ganache to attach the small log to the side of the larger log.
2. Spread the remaining chocolate ganache all over the cake, then use a fork to create bark-like lines all over it. Decorate with sugared cranberries and rosemary (instructions in notes), if desired.
3. Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve.
   
   

Additional Notes

Cocoa powder: The recipe originally listed Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder. You can use any Dutch process cocoa powder, including Hershey’s. The Dutch process cocoa gives the cake a richer chocolate flavor than natural unsweetened cocoa powder, but you can also use that.

Fresh Rosemary Sprigs w/ powdered sugar (simplified):  My daughter didn't want to go to the trouble of cooking sugared cranberry's, so instead she went out to our garden and cut a few sizes of Rosemary Sprigs, arranged them decoratively on the plate, and sprinkled with powdered sugar to represent freshly fallen snow!

How to make sugared cranberries and rosemary (optional): 

1. Add 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of water to a boil over medium-high heat. 
2. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, until sugar has melted. 
3. Remove from heat and let cool for about 10 minutes. 
4. Spread 1/2 cup of sugar evenly on a shallow dish. 
5. Dip cranberries and rosemary springs to the sugar water, then roll in the sugar. 
6. Let dry before adding to the cake. You can use some of the clumps of sugar left behind to add “snow” to the cake.

Cheese Options: Neufchâtel Cheese is often used by French bakeries, but Mascarpone is also used.  We used Cream Cheese, as that is more readily available, and has the closest match in flavour and texture to  Mascarpone cheese.  French Neufchâtel cheese and cream cheese contain similar ingredients, but their production processes differ. Namely, cream cheese involves cream and pasteurization while Neufchâtel involves neither. 

If using Mascarpone, it is best when still cool, but softened, so that it’ll incorporate without chunks, but not get too warm. The warmer mascarpone cheese is, the more likely it is to soften to the point that it won’t firm up well again and can make too soft of a whipped filling.

Traditional Neufchâtel, which dates back to the sixth century and is the oldest cheese in France, is a cow’s milk cheese that often comes in a heart shape. When the soft cheese ripens, French Neufchâtel develops a soft, edible rind like that found on Brie or Camembert cheese.  Neufchâtel cheese takes its name from the maritime commune of Neufchâtel-en-Bray in Normandy.

Mascarpone Cheese offers a richer, sweeter, buttery taste and velvety texture due to its high fat content (Italian "triple cream"), ideal for light mousses and tiramisu; Mascarpone is less stable and needs careful mixing, whereas cream cheese holds shape well but can be dense, often requiring whipping with cream to mimic mascarpone's lightness.

Cream Cheese is a soft, spreadable cheese with origins in the United States. In the late 1800s, William Lawrence, a dairyman in New York, created the first cream cheese after buying a Neufchâtel factory and adding cream to the cheesemaking process. This cream cheese—sometimes dubbed “American cream cheese” or “regular cream cheese”—cannot bear a Neufchâtel label, as it doesn’t hail from France, where Neufchâtel cheese originates.

Untitled

Ribbon Jell-O

Dish Size:  9" x 13" x 2" pan

Makes 18 - 24 servings

Ingredients:

• 6 or 7 packages (3 oz. each) of Jell-O in 6 or 7 different flavors and colors
• 1 pint Sour Cream
• ½ pint Whipping Cream

Instructions:

1. Add 1 cup of boiling water to 1 package of Jell-O in a small stainless steel bowl; stir to dissolve.
2. Pour half of Jell-O into a 9" x 13" pan and place on a level shelf in refrigerator to chill.
3. Set the small metal bowl with the other half of the dissolved Jell-O into a larger bowl of ice.
4. When the layer has set in the hallow pan, the gelatin over ice will be syrupy (it doesn't take long, since quantities are small).
5. Add a heaping tablespoon of sour cream to the Jell-O in a small bowl and beat until well mixed, using hand or electric beater.
6. Pour this over the clear Jell-O in the shallow pan.  Return to refrigerator.
7. When set, repeat by using a contrasting color of Jell-O.  Green (lime flavour) is a good color for the first layer.
8. When the last layer has set, frost with a  mixture of the remaining sour cream and the whipped topping.  (Blending the two toppings gives them an excellent spreading consistency).
9. Keep dessert chilled.  Cut into squares to serve.

Note:  Each layer should be set only enough to hold the next layer; no more than that.  If set too hard, the layers will not bond well and may slip when served.

Michael's Creamy Potato Salad

Yield:  This salad will feed 12 people.

 

Ingredients:

• 6 medium potatoes (2 pounds)
• 1¼ cups Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
• 2 tsp Mustard (optional)
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 1 cup thinly sliced celery (2 stalks)
• 1/3 cup finely chopped onion (1 small yellow)
• ½ cup chopped sweet pickles w/ some pickle juice
• 9 hard-boiled Eggs, 6 coarsely chopped, 3 sliced
• Paprika (artistic final touch)
• Secret Ingredient: ½ pint of real Whipping Cream! 

Directions:

1. Cook Potatoes whole the night before.  Place potatoes in a medium saucepan; add water to cover and ¼ tsp alt.  Bring water to boiling; reduce heat.  Simmer, covered, for 20 - 25 minutes or till just tender.  Drain well; cool slightly.
   
   
2. Skin potatoes after cooked, then place in bowl.  Do not chop or slice yet.  I recommend to store the bowl of skinned potatoes in refrigerator overnight to add firmness.  Cook and chill hard-boiled eggs as well.
   
   
3. The next morning, slice potatoes lengthwise into ½" slices.  Then cut the slices into ½" cubes.
   
   
4. For Dressing, use a large mixing bowl and combine the mayonnaise or miracle whip, mustard (if desired), the ½ tsp salt, and pepper.
   
   
5. Stir in the celery, onion, and chopped pickles and juice.  Add the cubed potatoes and eggs.  Toss or Mix gently to coat.
   
   
6. Whip up the whipping cream until firm; do not add sugar or vanilla.  Mix the prepared whipping cream into the potato mixture to add an extra special richness and creaminess that makes this recipe even better!
   
   
7. Take the 3 remaining boiled eggs and cut into ¼" slices; place flat as top layer of the egg salad for aesthetic decoration.
   
   
8. Cover and chill for 6 - 24 hours.

Additional Notes:

When ready to serve, sprinkle on a dash or two of Paprika (optional).

I do not like a lot of mustard in my potato salad.  The original recipe called for 1 Tbsp, yet I reduced it slightly.  Increase or decrease the amount of mustard to your individual families taste.  

Coconut Waffles!

6 - 8 Belgium style waffles (larger & deeper) or 10 - 12 standard waffles

I created this recipe after trying some delicious Coconut French Toast.  It does not add a heavy coconut flavour, but just a faint, crisp hint of coconut that creates a very tasty alternative to standard waffles.  Similar to Coconut French Toast, this coconut and vanilla flavoured recipe is equally delicious, but a great alternative for those who don't like French Toast. 

Ingredients:

• 3 large eggs
• 1½ cups canned unsweetened coconut milk
• ¼ - ½ cup milk, depending on desired thickness
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted 
• 1 tsp Vanilla (pure extract preferred)
• 3 - 4 drops natural coconut extract (optional )
• 1½ cup all-purpose White, Unbleached Flour 
• 1 - 1½ cup shredded unsweetened dried Coconut 
• 1 tsp Baking Powder 
• Pinch of Salt (½ tsp)
• 1 tsp granulated Sugar 

Directions:

1. Preheat waffle iron (we prefer the deeper Belgium style)
2. Whisk egg, coconut milk, butter, vanilla, and coconut extract (optional), in a small bowl until well combined.
3. Mix the remaining dry ingredients in a medium bowl to distribute thoroughly.
4. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients while stirring with he whisk or a wooden spoon until you can no lager see the flour - but don't stir too aggressively.  You don't want to over-mix it.
5. Make the waffles according to the waffle iron manufacturer's directions, and serve hot.

Coconut French Toast

I can't believe that I haven't posted this recipe!  I've made it for years, and even published it to a variety of neighborhood cookbooks.  Time to add it here!  If you have any cans of coconut milk, try this recipe!

Yield: 10 - 12 slices

Ingredients

• 8 medium or large eggs
• 1¼ cups coconut milk (10 - 12 oz. can)
• 2 Tbsp Sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 10 - 14 slices of bread (thicker better)
• 6 - 8 oz. flaked coconut
• Maple or flavored syrup

Instructions:

Heat an electric griddle to 250 degrees (adjust as necessary).

Beat the eggs, coconut milk, cinnamon, and sugar together in a large, shallow dish.

Sprinkle shredded coconut atop the mixture and mix them in slightly.

Dip slices of bread into the tasty mixture, letting them soak 30 - 60 seconds each side.

Lay on the griddle and let brown to the desired golden-brown hue, flipping once to cook thoroughly.

Serve with syrup of choice!  And a side of freshly cut pineapple is delicious.

NOTE:  If desired, you can oven bake them at 450 degrees; 5 minutes on each side.  Lay flat on a greased baking sheet.

Tomato Basil Soup

 I can't find the exact recipe I used but I think this is pretty close. I liked it because it uses canned tomatoes rather than fresh ones.  There are lots of recipes using fresh tomatoes but this is the time of year we love soup and don't have fresh tomatoes!

Heat 1 T olive oil and 2 T butter in heavy cooking pot or dutch oven (the enamel coated kind).

Add 2 chopped onions and saute 5 -7 minutes slightly brown.  Add 2 - 4 cloves diced garlic, depending on how much you love garlic!  Saute. Can add 1 T Italian seasoning if desired.

Add 2 28 oz cans chopped or crushed tomatoes.  They recommend San Marzano tomatoes but I just used what I had.

Add 1 1/2 cups chicken broth.

Bring soup to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 8 minutes with lid slightly ajar.

Add 12 leaves or 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves.  If you don't have fresh, you can use dried, but fresh is yummier.

Remove from heat and blend the soup.  You can use a regular blender and add the soup in stages.  Or you can use an immersion blender, which works great and is much easier.

Add 1/2 heavy cream and 1/2 grated Parmesan cheese (not the kind in the can but the kind in the bag that is fresh.  Or grate a chunk of Parmesan cheese.)

Salt and pepper to taste.

We really liked this and I think we may have added a slight amount of crushed red pepper.  Add spices that you like! Great with grilled cheese sandwiches!

 Zucchini Boats

Cut four small zucchini in half length-wise and scrape out the insides with a spoon. A grapefruit spoon works great if you have one.   Leave a 1/4 " shell.  Chop the zucchini insides and set aside.  Chop a small onion.  Cook 1# sausage with the zucchini and onion about 10 minutes in a frying pan on the stove until sausage is cooked through.  Pour 1 1/4 cups Prego (or other spaghetti sauce) in bottom of 9 x 13" baking pan.  (I used the whole jar of Prego-2 1/2 cups and like the sauciness!)  Place the zucchini shells on the spaghetti sauce and fill with the sausage mixture.  Sprinkle 1 cup mozzarella cheese over top.  Cover with foil.  Bake at 450 degrees for 30 minutes and serve.  

This is a great recipe to use zucchini and even most non-zucchini-fans like it!

Low Country Boil

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp Old Bay seasoning

2 Tbsp garlic salt

5 lbs small red potatoes (cut into bite-size pieces or put them in whole)

12 ears of corn, shucked & broken in half or thirds
4 lbs kielbasa sausage (cut into bite-size pieces)
5 lbs shrimp (for max convenience, choose tail off, peeled, deveined)
2 sticks butter, melted (16 Tbsp)

Directions:

Use a large stock pot, around 30 qt, with removable basket. Add about 15 qt water, Old Bay seasoning, and garlic salt. Heat to boil. (It will take a while for it to boil!)

Add potatoes. Boil for about 10 minutes. (They should be getting softer, but still medium hard.)

Add sausage. Boil about 5 minutes.

Add corn. Boil 7-10 minutes. 

Add shrimp. Boil for a few minutes. If the shrimp is pre-cooked (ours was), it just needs to get hot. Otherwise, just boil it until it turns pink.

Pull out the basket, and move the food to the serving area. Traditionally the table is covered with paper or newspaper, so you can "throw" the food on it from the basket. And then the food is spread out for easy access. But a large bowl works just fine!

Pour the melted butter over everything. (OR - everyone gets their own small dish of melted butter to dunk food in). If a large bowl is used, stir everything gently so the butter coats as much as possible.

This recipe is very forgiving, so just about all the quantities can be adjusted as you want. Just make sure there's enough space in the pot for all the food!

Celeste's Tomato Soup

Historian's Note:  This recipe was created, taste tested, and perfected by Celeste back in 2014.

Instructions:

Start with a can of your favorite Tomato Soup as a base.  Whether it be Campbell's or Progresso or Western Family.  Add to a sauce pan and prepare as directed.

Add the following ingredients (sprinkle and adjust to taste):

• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Italian / Pizza Seasoning
• 1/4 tsp "Season All" seasoning
• 1/4 tsp Pepper

Heat soup to hot, but without boiling.  

Now cook up some tasty grilled cheese sandwiches and enjoy!

NOTE:  The purpose of the seasoning is to enhance the flavour and give it a restaurant or home-cooked zest!

Lanny's Salmon and Sauteed Asparagus with Bacon and Onion

 Lanny's Salmon with Sauteed Asparagus with Bacon and Onion

Both of these are very good and the Asparagus can be a main or side dish.

Lanny's Salmon

Rinse and pat dry 2 - 3 # salmon.  Place skin down on sprayed foil in bottom of broiler pan.

Mix 1/2 C mayo, 1/2 C sour cream, 3 T minced parsley, 2 T mustard, 2 T minced dill week, 2 t freshly squeezed lemon juice and grated lemon rind.  Pour over salmon.  Salt and pepper.

Top with thin slices of tomato and onion.

Preheat oven to 350'.  Bake 20 - 30 minutes. Makes about 6 servings.

Sauteed Asparagus with Bacon and Onion

Cut 1# asparagus into 2" pieces. Cut 1/4# bacon into 1/3" pieces with kitchen shears.

Fry bacon in large frying pan till almost done. Slice 1 red onion into 2" slices and cook in bacon grease till soft.  Add asparagus and cook 5-7 minutes until tender.  If needed, add 1-2 T olive oil.

Add juice of 1 lemon and salt and pepper to taste and cook 1 minute.

Makes 6 side servings or 2-3 main dish servings.

Summer Garden Salad

 

Summer Garden Salad

Chop tomatoes and green peppers. Crush saltines and add Miracle Whip.

I usually use 2-3 tomatoes and 1 green pepper with about 1/2 sleeve of crackers and probably about 1/2 Miracle Whip.  This can be a main or side dish.  My mom used to make it and we now eat it for a main dish in the summertime when our garden produce is ripe!  Yummy!

Garden Vegetable Medley

 Summer Veggie Medley--1st photo

Using a wavy vegetable cutter, slice 2 -3 zucchini and 2-3 yellow summer squash and add a diced onion to melted butter or olive oil in a frying pan. Stir fry and steam (with lid on) until veggies are tender.  Salt and pepper and add grated cheese of your choice.  Cheddar or Parmesan are both very good.

Variation--2nd photo

I used zucchini, mushrooms, onions sauteed in butter and added chopped tomato toward the end.  Salt and pepper and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Just use your imagination---and your garden veggies!

Instant Pot Beef Roast

Instant Pot Beef Roast

This was a 2 - 3 pound cross rib roast so times can increase based on size of roast.

 Cut roast into 3 - 4 pieces.  Salt and pepper each side and sear each side on Saute setting of pressure cooker. Remove from pressure cooker and scrape any pieces on sides and bottom of pressure cooker.  Turn pressure cooker off.

Place roast back in pressure cooker.  Pour 1 C au jus (I made from a package) over roast and close pressure cooker.  Pressure for 1 hour and let release naturally.

This was very tender and flavorful.  We used the leftover meat and au jus with Pandemic Bread for yummy French Dip Sandwiches.

Mandarin Orange Salad

 

Mandarin Orange Green Salad

This makes a large salad that even the kids loved!

Stir 3/4 C sliced or chopped almonds with 1/4 C sugar over medium heat till brown and sugar dissolves.  Set aside.

Combine 1 C diced celery, 1 head chopped Romaine lettuce, 1/2 head chopped iceberg lettuce and 3 whole chopped green onions in large salad bowl.

Dressing:  1/2 C oil, 1/4 C sugar, 1/4 C vinegar, 1 t salt, dash pepper and dash Tabasco.  Shake in a jar and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Toss salad with 2 cans drained Mandarin oranges, dressing and almonds and serve.

Chocolate and Mint Creamy Holiday Pie

So, I may have barrowed from several different recipes to come up with this particular confection. I will just list the steps I used to create my particular version.

Warning to the wise: this pie is super rich so divide into 12 small pieces, eat slowly and keep a tall glass of milk nearby. Also, read all steps before starting, since the first time I attempted this I may have put the butter step out of order. It still turned out fine, but turned out better the second time, when I put it in the right order. 

Ingredient list:

Premade Oreo crust (tho, if you know how to make your own, you are welcome to.)
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4  tsp peppermint extract (I also have used mint extract as well, they both taste great)

3-5 drops green food coloring (optional)

1 cup frozen whipped topping thawed to room temp. (or I suppose you could substitute real whipped cream if you had it)

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup + 1 Tablespoon of Sugar 

2 2/3 Tablespoons of corn starch

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 tsp good vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups Milk

1 1/2 Tablespoon butter

7-8 Thin-Mint-Girl-Scout cookies(optional) may also substitute mint grasshopper cookies.

Andes Mint cooking bits. (Found in the baking aisle next to chocolate chips.)

• Step 1: Starting Mint Cream layer
  In a mixing bowl, whip together Softened cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth.
  
  
• Step 2:
  Add Food coloring(optional) and the peppermint extract. Blend.
  
  
• Step 3:
  Fold in the 1 cup whipped topping into the mint cream cheese mixture, until completely blended.
  
  
• Step 4:
  Spread evenly in premade Oreo pie crust (should fill half way) place in refrigerator.
  
  
• Step 5: (Optional) 
  Crush Thin Mint cookies in a bag with a rolling pin.(at least that's how I did mine) then sprinkle the powdered results evenly onto the mint cream half. (the outer chocolate doesn't matter and will probably stick to the bag, it's the powdered inside that you want)
  
  
• Step 6: Making the Chocolate pudding part.
  Combine cocoa powder, sugar, corn starch, and salt in a medium sauce pan. Whisk well.
  
  
• Step 7:
  Gradually add milk and vanilla to dry ingredients til well blended.
  
  
• Step 8: Cook over medium high heat . Stir constantly. Once Mixture has come to a soft boil, boil for 1 minute or until thick. Will not thicken when it cools, so make sure it is thick before removing it from heat.
  
  
• Step 8:
  Remove from heat and add butter. Continue whisking it til the butter is all the way blended in.
  
  
• Step 9: 
  Pour over Cookie and Cream Portion of Pie. Add Andes mint pieces on top in even layer.
  Refrigerate for 4-6 hours.
  
  
• Step 10:
  Enjoy with a tall glass of milk! If you are lactose intolerant, this recipe is not for you. Eat slowly, because a little goes a long way. I like to add a little Dollup of whip cream on the top for cuteness. (see picture above)
  
  
  

Perfect Pumpkin Pie! (perfectly serendipitous and delicious!)

Bursting with homemade flavor, this remarkably simple pumpkin pie recipe is now my very favorite!  Deliciously rich and flavorful, it tastes incredible with the accompanying homemade pie crust and served with real whipped cream!

I haven't made a pumpkin pie from scratch in nearly ten years, so this recipe saved me!  It turned out fantastic and received a big thumbs up from my whole family!  

Credit goes in large part to Sally's Baking Addiction website for many great ideas! Sally has apparently baked pies for many years, and calls this her favorite pumpkin pie recipe.  I enjoyed her approach, and found it straight forward to make.  Although I am a seasoned cook myself, it always helps to stand on the shoulders of those who have perfected their craft on whatever you are trying to bake! :-) 

Pie Crust

Let’s start with the pie crust.  As Sally said, "every pumpkin pie has to start with a stellar pie crust!" I absolutely agree... few people like a dry, flavorless crust!  This pie crust recipe uses a mix of shortening and butter so you get the most buttery tasting, tender, flaky (so flaky) pie crust!  And it really is easy to make!

This crust is made with a few simple ingredients: flour, salt, cold water, and fat.  There are strong opinions out there for butter crust vs. shortening crust vs. lard crust. Lard isn't easy to come by for most people– though it does makes a tasty crust!  If you want a crust recipe that stands the test of time, use a combination of shortening and butter.  Not all fats are created equal, though! 

• Why shortening? Its high melting point aids in creating flakiness. Flaky, tender, melt-in-your mouth crust. 
• Why butter? Butter gives "unparalleled, impeccable flavor." Nothing beats butter. 
• Use both to create a crust that is full of tender flakes and rich in buttery flavor.

Pie Crust Ingredients

• 1¼ cups white flour (spoon & leveled)
• ½ tsp salt (standard table salt)
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
• 6 Tbsp vegetable shortening, chilled
• 1/3 cup ice water

Use Cold Fat in Pie Crust

Why does temperature matter? Keeping your pie dough as cold as possible helps prevent the fat from melting. If the butter melts inside the dough before baking, you lose the flakiness. When the lumps of fat melt in the oven as the pie bakes, their steam helps to separate the crust into multiple flaky layers– as explained above. Warm fats will lend a hard, crunchy, greasy crust instead of a nice tender flaky crust.

I followed Sally's recommendation of putting the shortening in the refrigerator as well.  We store ours in the pantry, so I simply measured the amount I needed and placed it in the refrigerator until I needed it.  I also followed her recommendation to "cube" the butter measurement, and placed that in the fridge too!

You want it part frozen and very, very cold!

Pie Crust Directions 

1.)  Start with flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the cold fats. 

• Use a pastry cutter (which I do not have - a potato masher worked fine!) or two forks to cut in the fats.
• Cut in the fats until the mixture resembles coarse meal. 
• You should have some larger pieces of butter and shortening when you’re done.

2.)  Ice water! Measure 1/2 cup of water in a cup. Add ice and stir! 

• From that, measure 1/2 cup of water (with some ice). 
• Drizzle the cold water in, 1 Tablespoon at a time
• Stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon after every Tablespoon added. 
• Do not add any more water than you need to. 
• Stop adding water when the dough begins to form large clumps. 
• I used a little over a 1/3 cup of water.

If too much water is added, the pie dough will require more flour and thus become tough. If too little water is added, you’ll notice the dough is dry and crumbly when you try to roll it out and handle it.

3.)  After the ice water is added, it must be formed and chilled:

• Transfer the dough to a floured work surface.  Flour your hands.
• Fold the dough into itself until the flour is fully mixed into fats.
• Form it into a ball. The dough should come together easily and not be overly sticky.
• Flatten into a 1-inch thick disc using your hands. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap.
• Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 5 days. Or freeze!

NOTE:  Having visible specks and swirls in your pie dough is GOOD!  They are the fats from the butter and the shortening which will help ensure a flaky pie dough!

Rolling Out Pie Crust

After your dough ball has chilled, start preparing your pie. Roll out the crust. Always use gentle force. When rolling dough out, always start from the center and work your way out in all directions, turning the dough with your hands as you go.

Roll the dough to fit a 9-inch pie dish. I rolled the dough into a 12-inch circle.

Pumpkin Filling

• Eggs: set the pumpkin pie filling and give it the rich, luxurious texture.
• Heavy Cream: makes pumpkin pie luxurious and silky smooth. It’s thick, creamy, and absolutely heavenly in this pumpkin pie recipe. By using a ratio of cream with milk, the balance is perfect, and also lets you use the rest of the heavy cream to make homemade whipped cream.
• Cornstarch:  A starch thickener is one of the most important ingredients in a pie filling.  Makes it a little sturdier and firm.

Ingredients

• 15oz can pumpkin puree (about 2 cups)
• 3 large eggs
• 1 ¼ cups packed brown sugar
• 1 TBSP cornstarch
• ½ tsp salt
• 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ¼ cup milk 
• Egg wash: 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon milk

Instructions

1. Prepare the pie crust according to the steps listed above.
2. For the pumpkin pie filling: whisk the pumpkin, eggs, and brown sugar together until combined.
3. Add the cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, black pepper, cream, and milk.
4. Vigorously whisk until everything is combined.
5. Preheat oven to 375°F.
6. Roll out the chilled pie crust: 
• Remove pie dough from the refrigerator. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out into a 12-inch circle. 
• Make sure to turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls. 
7. Carefully place the dough into a 9-inch pie dish. 
1. Tuck it in with your fingers, making sure it is smooth. 
2. With a small and sharp knife, trim the extra overhang of crust and discard. 
• Crimp the edges with a fork or flute the edges with your fingers, if desired. 
8. Brush edges lightly with egg wash mixture. 
9. Par-bake the crust for 10 minutes. 
• If using parchment paper, carefully remove the parchment paper/pie weights.
10. Pour pumpkin pie filling into the warm pre-baked crust. 
• Only fill the crust about 3/4 of the way up. 
• (Use extra to make mini pies with leftover pie dough scraps if you’d like.) 
11. Bake the pie until the center is almost set, about 55-60 minutes give or take. 
• A small part of the center will be wobbly – that’s ok. 
• After 25 minutes of baking, be sure to cover the edges of the crust with aluminum foil or use a pie crust shield to prevent the edges from getting too brown. 
12. Check for doneness at minute 50, and then 55, and then 60, etc.
13. Once done, transfer the pie to a wire rack and allow to cool completely for at least 3 hours.
14. Serve pie with whipped cream if desired. 

Cover leftovers tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

A slice of the finished pie!

Additional Hints

Spices: Instead of ground ginger, nutmeg, and cloves, you can use 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice. Be sure to still add 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon.

Pie Crust: No matter if you’re using homemade crust or store-bought crust, pre-bake the crust. (Step 5.) You can use graham cracker crust if you’d like, but the slices may get a little messy. Pre-bake for 10 minutes just as you do with regular pie crust in this recipe. No need to use pie weights if using a cookie crust.

To prevent browning of the crust (although I did not do this, and it turned out fine):

• Line the pie crust with parchment paper. 
• Crunching up the parchment paper is helpful so that you can easily shape it into the crust.
• Fill with pie weights or dried beans. (Note that you will need at least 2 standard sets of pie weights to fit.) Make sure the weights/beans are evenly distributed around the pie dish. 

Avoiding Cracks in a Pie

A great pumpkin pie requires precisely the right amount of baking time (about 55-60 minutes).  Remove it when the center of the pumpkin pie is still slightly wobbly. It will set as it cools. Careful not to overcook; overcooking it will cause the filling to crack.

Fresh or Canned Pumpkin in Pumpkin Pie?

I have heard that canned pumpkin puree works best in pies, so if you are unsure, save yourself lots of time and trouble from scooping out your own pumpkin pulp!

Not only does the "pumpkin from a can" tend to hold its shape better, the texture tends to be smoother and the flavor from the can tends to be better too!  I've tried real pumpkin pulp myself, and many people agree that it tastes grainy and more bitter.  Sally said that she "prefers using fresh pumpkin puree in savory recipes, not desserts."

Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: 

• Pumpkin pie freezes well, up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving. 
• Pie crust dough freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.
• You’ll also begin the pie crust the night before as well (the dough needs at least 2 hours to chill; overnight is best). 
• The filling can be made the night before as well. It may even be preferable it that way. Sitting overnight gives the spices, pumpkin, and brown sugar flavors a chance to infuse and blend. It’s awesome. Cover and refrigerate overnight. No need to bring to room temperature before baking.

Butternut and Acorn Squash Soup

 Ingredients: 

• 1 acorn squash
• 1 butternut squash
• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• 1/2 T olive oil
• 2-3 garlic cloves (these don't need to be chopped or minced or anything)
• 1 can (family size - 22.6 oz) cream of chicken soup
• 1 t nutmeg
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 t red pepper flakes

Directions:

Cut acorn and butternut squashes in half and scoop out the seeds. Place cut side down in a baking dish and bake for 45 minutes at 350°.  (The butternut squash was not yet squishy at that point, but it still worked out fine!)

Put onion & garlic cloves at the bottom of large pot with the olive oil (at least 5 quarts probably - we used Ben's stockpot which was 10 quarts and it was about half full). Cook at medium heat for about 10 minutes until onion is translucent-ish. Put into your food processor or blender. 

Add the cream of chicken soup, nutmeg, cinnamon, brown sugar, and red pepper to the onions and garlic in the food processor.

When the squash is done, add about 1/3 to the food processor (something like that - we loaded the food processor 3 times so 1/3) and pulse until reasonably smooth. Add to pot. Keep filling & dumping the food processor with squash until there is no more.

Cook on medium heat on the stove for a few minutes.

It was so creamy and yummy with rolls! We made the "Pandemic Bread" recipe as rolls and they complemented it perfectly. Very filling!

2020 Pandemic Bread

This bread is super easy to make and only takes 1 hour from start to finish!  We started making it during the 2020 Covid-19 Corona Virus World Pandemic.  (This recipe was on the internet as Easy Peasy French Bread.)   It was very comforting to have warm, homemade bread.  And, this is such good bread, we have been loving it!  Enjoy!!


1-- Mix together:

• 1 1/2 C very warm water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon yeast

Let sit for about 10 minutes while yeast foams.

2--Add:

• 3 1/2 - 4 cups flour

3--Knead until the dough is smooth.

4--Shape into oblong loaf and place on baking pan.  Set on stove while preheating oven to 400 degrees and let rise 20 to 30 minutes.

5--Using a knife, score the top of the bread lightly like French bread.

6--Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Eat warm and keep leftovers in a Ziplock bag.

Monson Tacos - Soft Tortilla Shells with Ground Beef and Potato!

Taco's at the Monson's was a family favourite growing up for as long as I can remember!  To help ease the food budget (back when you could obtain incredible value with the remarkable "triple coupon" days), my Mom would grate a potato and mix it into the ground beef.  It really helped the meat to go further with limited means.  It also added a great deal of flavour and kept the ground beef moist... yummy!

I have passed this recipe onto my own family, and it is loved by all!  Although two of our kids have gone through phases where they don't care for taco's, it is one of our core family meals that sees a constant rotation in our menu selection each month.  My wife thought the idea of grating a potato was really strange, until she tried it!  To this day, we always prepare our taco meat with a potato.

It may seem unnecessary to capture such a simple recipe, but it's nice to have it written down for all posterity so that our children and grandchildren know the proper way to make it.

The way my family prepared taco's differs from the mainstream, but it makes it uniquely delicious!  And it is very nutritious, as you can throw in a heap of vegetables on top of the meat!  Here are a few differences that you may not be used to:

1. As the ground beef is starting to brown, grate in a small potato!
2. We use ketchup instead of salsa!  I don't remember ever having salsa until I was 16 or so.
3. We use soft-shell tortilla shells to "roll up" the taco.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of Ground Beef
• 1 small russet potato (or half of a large one)
• 1/2 of an Onion, chopped fine
• 1 Green Pepper, chopped (larger chunks)
• Green or Red Lettuce, shredded
• 1 tomato, diced
• Grated Cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, or taco blend... your choice!)
• 1 package of Tortilla Shells (white or wheat)
• Generally we use either "Mission" or "Lynn Wilson"
• Generous helping of love!  (my youngest daughter reminded me of this important ingredient!)

Directions:

1. Lightly brown 1 pound of ground beef on the stove using medium heat
2. Drain excess grease.
3. Add grated potato (medium-sized grater) to the hamburger
4. Sprinkle "season-all" spice to taste
5. Cover and let cook until potatoes and meat are cooked through.
6. Shred lettuce, dice tomatoes, and chop up the peppers and onions in advance.
7. Serve hot with recommended toppings/ingredients, or choose the ones your family likes best!

Hints & Tips:

• I will sometimes add a couple Tablespoons of water as the meat mixture is cooking to keep the meat and potatoes moist.  I hate dry, crispy hamburger on my tacos!
• If the meat mixture becomes too moist (i.e. potatoes are gooey), simply uncover and continue to cook on medium.
• Let your children to the chopping of the veggies and tomatoes!  Fun for them, and saves time!
• Warm the tortilla shells.  Quick and easy to do in the microwave.  I used to place them on a plate, with each tortilla shell separated by a paper towel.  
• Recently I learned that they don't stick to each other much, so I just put the whole package in the microwave. (everyone likes 'em warm)

Italian Parmesan Chicken (aka Miracle Whip Chicken)

Here's a recipe Mary picked up while we lived in Provo, and she has adopted it as her own over the years.  It is a family favorite, and quick and easy to make!  Probably not authentic, but tasty all the same!  I recently searched for this recipe in every cookbook we own, and I finally found it!  I have added my sweetheart's modifications, since she adds 'em by taste and memory, so enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup Parmesan Grated Cheese
• 1/3 cup Miracle Whip Salad Dressing
• 1 - 2 lbs of boneless skinless chicken breasts (raw).
• 1 Tbsp Water
• Dash of Italian Seasoning (¼ to ½ tsp)
• Dash of Garlic Power (¼ to ½ tsp)

Directions:

1. Thaw 1 to 2 pounds of boneless chicken breast.
2. Quarter meat to provide manageable serving sizes.
3. Place chicken in small baking pan (e.g. cake pan) lined with tinfoil
4. Stir together equal amounts of Miracle Whip Salad (increase sauce to ½ cups each if needed)
5. Add water and seasoning to Parmesan whip mixture.
6. Spread sauce over chicken breasts evenly.
7. Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees, or until well done (no pink!).

Recommendations:

• Serve over Mashed Potatoes!  The sauce becomes the gravy!
• The chicken does not need to be pre-cooked or even browned.
• Quartered/thin slices of chicken are recommended to insure doneness when cooking.
• Feel free to substitute mayonnaise if you did not grow up with the tangy zip of Miracle Whip!

Original recipe is credited to Sharese Mohlman

Michael's Simple Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

Preperation Time : 20 minutes
Churn Time : 40 - 60 minutes (depending on ice cream maker)
Yield : about 1 quart

This recipe starts with a story... making homemade ice cream really began for me back when I served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, in the Great Ohio!  It was there that I had my first opportunity to experiment with homemade Ice Cream.  :-)

Growing up, I do not recall ever having had homemade Ice Cream.  My father did experiment with a couple of tasty recipes sort of like ice cream, but we did not own an ice cream maker.  Actually, the icy cold recipe that my Dad was famous for was homemade pressurized Root Beer made from Hires Extract and dry ice!

For many years (during our time living in Orem and Provo), my Father owned this large, heavy, steel pressure cooker that was perfect for making root beer!  At least, that's all I ever remember it having been used for.  It had clamps on the sides to secure the lid, and a pressure gauge that rather got my imagination going because I remember the "red danger" zone.  One of my early real-world physics lessons occurred the first time my father demonstrated the art of carbonating root beer in the kitchen!

I watched with fascination as my Dad added the necessary water, sugar, and extract.  Then, after dropping in the block of dry ice, he quickly clamped the lid down!  The pressure built rapidly, so if he wasn't quick enough, the mounting pressure would "pop the lid" and he would have to clamp it down again.  A small steel stem rose from the surface of the lid, and allowed the carbon dioxide gas to escape.  This kept the pressure cooker from exploding.   To keep the pressure just right, you placed a little steel weight on the escape nozzle.  Once placed, the hissing immediately ceased, and the pressure would build!  Presently it reached a point at which the pressure actually lifted the steel weight, which would then start "dancing" on the nozzle, making little hissing sounds.  This equalized pressure prevented a balance of carbon dioxide (released from the melting dry ice) from escaping, effectively infusing it within the root beer brew.  :-)

As a young boy of nine or ten, I remember sneaking into the kitchen whilst the root beer was pressurizing.  I was fascinated with the little weight as it hissed and danced, and presently I realized that if I pushed it down, my own strength stopped the carbon dioxide gas from escaping!  What joy!  What fun!  I closely watched the pressure gauge as it steadily climbed.  Growing concerned, I released it after a few moments, and the weight would dance frantically for several seconds, and then slow back down.  Fascinating!  Fortunately I wasn't foolish enough to hold it down too long.

Although I do have a memory which is likely a dream.  In it, I was helping prepare for my Dad's birthday party while a batch of my Dad's famous root beer was being prepared.  Nobody was monitoring the pressure cooker, and the weight somehow became jammed.  The pressure built and built unchecked.  Then we heard a loud BANG!  The house seemed to shake just a bit, and it sounded as though a train had derailed.  Running into the kitchen we saw the pressure cooker with dry ice mist billowing up while root beer rained gently from the ceiling.  Looking up, we saw the steel lid of the cooker stuck in the ceiling!  The pressure from the explosion had sent the lid sailing right up into the ceiling, embedding it firmly in the underlying sheet-rock!  After that, the pressure cooker always sort of scared me.

But that's not the story I was going to tell... 😏  The actual story occurred much later, when I was 20 years old.  While I was serving my mission, my missionary companion and I found an old wooden ice cream maker in the closet, left from a previous missionary.  Unfortunately it had a leak in the barrel, and it was a "manual crank" ice cream maker.  We prepared the recipe that came with the box, and then we poured ice along the sides of the canister, but we didn't know it required salt to lower the melting point of the ice.  We used sweetened condensed milk in the recipe, so it was extremely rich.  It sure looked like it would make delicious ice cream!  We sealed the canister and excitedly took turns churning it!

Well, we were novices at the art of ice cream making, and after nearly an hour of taking turns cranking it, we eagerly opened the aluminum container to see what we had produced!  we couldn't figure out why the ice cream mixture hadn't risen!  On the contrary, it had actually sank!  Well, it was fairly cold, and it did look sort of like ice cream... but it was DENSE!  Very, very dense!  Years later I realized that because of the difficulties we encountered, and the lack of rock salt having been added, the ice cream maker never froze it properly.  The temperature never got cold enough.  The ingredients also settled and became more compact, rather than filling with the necessary tiny air bubbles and expanding as it should have.  That's the secret to making it creamy!  Instead we ended up with a dense, circular slab of frozen cream, probably 200 calories per tablespoon!  Instead of making 1½ quarts of creamy ice cream, it made 2 cups of collapsed, super rich calories.

So, after that I gave up on homemade ice cream... for about two decades.

Then, fairly early on in my marriage, when my oldest daughter had just entered Elementary School, I chanced upon an electric ice cream maker at a local thrift store!  I purchased it excitedly, brought it home, and sadly discovered that the motor was weak, and it promptly burned out on my first attempt to make ice cream.  So, I donated it to our local landfill.  Discouraged, I decided ice cream was much easier to buy!

Then a few years ago, I decided to try my luck once more and purchased an electric RIVAL ice cream maker from a garage sale down the street.

It had a cute invisible penguin on the side of the basin that appeared and darkened when the temperature dropped and became cold enough.  Hoping that the proverbial "third time" was the charm, I tested it for the first time last summer.  And it worked!!!  It made delicious ice cream.  But it took some effort and research to understand what worked, and what didn't.  I had read through a dozen recipes, discounting the more complex recipes as unnecessary for my needs.  In fact, I disregarded any recipe that required boiling the milk and cream first (i.e. scalding the milk), as heating it too long or high would ruin it!   And even if you cooked it just right, you would still need to wait additional time for it to chill.  Often a couple of hours or even overnight.  While this technique does make it creamier, I have found that chilling it alone--and bypassing the additional steps--makes it plenty creamy.  The physical churning process of an electric ice cream maker does just great.  Perhaps I am missing out on true old-fashioned ice cream this way, but the time I save by skipping and chilling the cream makes it well worth it.  I still chill the canister.  In the end, my "express" approach is very yummy!

And now... for the rest of the story!  Or in this case, the actual recipe!

First, let me say how delicious homemade ice cream is!  Keep in mind, though, that the cost of ingredients (including bagged ice and rock salt) is more expensive then just purchasing a half gallon from your local grocery store.  But what a fun family activity making ice cream from scratch can be!

Someone once said, "Ice cream is usually considered to be junk food."  And certainly the mass-produced stuff sold by the cardboard or plastic carton definitely falls into the category of something we shouldn’t eat very often.  It is yummy enough, and I have bought many dozens of cartons through the years.  Unfortunately, many store-bought ice creams contain all sorts of fillers and chemicals– and often low-quality, skim milk.  So, the biggest advantage of making homemade ice cream is the quality ingredients you have the option of using.  I suppose it almost turns into a "healthy food." Almost!  ;-)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream 
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 – 3/4 cups of sugar
• 2 Tablespoons vanilla extract
• Pinch of sea salt
• 1 vanilla bean (optional- see note below)
• Combine the milk, sugar, and vanilla beans (if using) in a blender.

Recipe Adjustments:

• Half'n'Half works great too!
• For greater nutrition, try skipping the cream and using 4 cups whole milk instead!  It worked just fine.
• The vanilla beans are optional- however they do add a nice bit of extra flavor, as well as the classic “bean specks.”

Ice Cream Preparation:

• Wash and dry all parts and equipment that will come into contact with the ice cream.
• Except the motor drive assembly, of course... don't wash that!
• Place the metal canister in the freezer to get it chilling.
• Combine the milk and cream, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt.
• If using a real vanilla bean, thoroughly blend until the bean is chopped into teeny tiny pieces!
• Blend until everything is combined.
• Pour chilled ice cream mixture into cooled canister.  
• Important!!! Fill Ice Cream canister only 3/4 full!  Mixture will expand during freezing.
• Place canister in your ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s directions.

Ice Cream Machine Instructions:

1. These directions are fairly standard, so give 'em a whirl, but please use your device instructions if you have them!  If not, do a search for your ice cream maker model on the World Wide Web.
2. Insert DASHER (aka plastic beater) into canister, centering it in the bottom indentation.
3. Place cover on Canister.
4. Gently set canister into Ice Cream Bucket.  Ensure that canister is centered and that it engages with the bottom of the bucket.
5. Place Motor Drive over ice cream canister so that the stem of the dasher engages the shaft of the motor drive (top).
6. Rotate canister slightly until the motor drive engages the cover of the ice cream canister.
7. Fit the four tabs (bottom of motor drive) into the matching set of holes found on the top edges of the bucket.  Rotate the motor drive counter clockwise to secure to bucket.
8. Plug the power cord into a convenient outlet; make sure the cord is placed so that it is protected from the feet of wandering children or distracted adults.
9. Once plugged in, the motor will immediately engage.  At this point, the bucket should be empty except for the ice cream canister and mixture.
10. While the ice cream maker is running, distribute 2 inches of ice around the bottom of the bucket.
11. Sprinkle approximately ¼ cup of salt. uniformly over the first layer of ice.
12. Note that the dasher within the dasher does not move.  The ice cream canister rotates around it.
13. Continue to add layers of ice, with salt between layers, until ice level reaches the top of the rotating canister.
14. Churning should complete between 30 - 40 minutes, or until the motor stops (when thick).
15. Adding Mix-in's.  Five minutes before completion is a great time to add any mix-in's.
16. Unplug the motor and detach and remove the motor drive assembly.
17. Clear the ice and salt away from the top of the ice cream canister.
18. Wipe carefully to remove any accumulated salt and water before removing the cover.
19. Lift out dasher and scrape clean with a rubber spatula, or simply hand it to an eager child!
20. Pack ice cream down into ice cream canister since the dasher will have left air pockets.
21. Serve and enjoy!  Best and creamiest when fresh from canister, though it freezes well.

Adding Mix-in's :

There are two good ways to add your favorite mix-ins to an ice cream base! The first is to add them while the ice cream is still churning. Add your ice cream mix-ins just before your ice cream is finished. They only need to mix for a few minutes.  Five minutes should be plenty.

Alternatively, once your ice cream is complete, use a large spatula to gently fold the ingredients into your ice cream. This is a great way to handle more delicate ingredients like fresh berries. It also means you can make one batch of ice cream and turn it into several flavors. This is perfect for families with different tastes. Everyone can have their own special bowl of ice cream.  :-)

Mix-in Ideas :

• Chocolate Chips - classic flavour and one of the easiest options.
• Mini M'n'M's.  This is my children's favorite thing to add!
• Cookies & Candy - Break up cookies and candy bars into small pieces and they are perfect additions to many ice cream flavors!
• Cookies & Cream - most recognizable is small chunks of Oreo sandwich cookies.
• Fresh Fruit - Stick with fruits that have a great texture when frozen. Strawberries, cherries, and blueberries are great choices. Just give 'em a rough chop and toss them into your ice cream. Try tropical fruits like pineapple and mango, although you will want to dice these fruits into even smaller pieces.
• Nuts - Almonds, peanuts, walnuts, pecans, macadamia nuts, and cashews all make great additions to ice cream. Think about how they are used in traditional flavors like Rocky Road. 

Important Points:

• Should the ice cream maker stop before the churning is complete, check to see if large ice cubes are jammed against the rotating ice cream canister.
• Since this recipe is completely uncooked, it is a good time to use raw milk and cream, if you have them. If not, then try to choose the best quality milk you have available.
• In case you missed it above, fill Ice Cream canister only 3/4 full!  Mixture will expand significantly during the freezing process.
• Some people swear that homemade ice cream is a great use of goats milk!  I haven't tried that.

Well, feel free to explore and enjoy the art of making ice cream in your own home!  Don't get too uptight and perfectionistic, the way I did when first giving it a try again last year.  I had been emotionally scarred from past failures, and was worried that I would make a mistake.  I needn't have worried.  As long as you follow the directions for freezing it properly in the ice cream maker (with ice & rock salt), the recipes are very forgiving.  Experiment, and stumble upon the next great ice cream flavour!

Ummm... do I win the prize for the longest recipe description?  ;-)
It was a journey... so hop on and enjoy!