Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream with NO MACHINE

Don't ask me how, but the results are better than Haagan Daz.

1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
1 tablespoon hot water
4 oz milk chocolate (I used 1 large Hershey's bar), broken into small pieces
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup cream

Mix hot water and coffee powder until dissolved.  Add chocolate and sweetened condensed milk and microwave in 15 second increments, mixing in between until chocolate is melted, about 1 minute.  Add pinch salt.  Set aside.

Add vanilla to cream and whip until soft peaks form, about 3-4 minutes with electric mixer on high.  Fold 1/3 whipped cream into chocolate mixture.  Add remaining whipped cream into chocolate, fold until no white streaks remain, and pour into a plastic container.  Freeze for six hours until firm.  It not using within 1-2 days, place plastic wrap on top of ice cream and use within 2 weeks.

Yukon Gold Smashed Potatoes

3-4 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes (skins on)
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup cream
2 tablespoons of milk if needed
salt and pepper to taste

Wash potatoes and slice in half.  Put potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water by one inch.  Cover with lid and  heat over high heat until boil, lower heat to medium and boil until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes once boiling is reached.

Once tender, drain, and return to pot.  Add butter to potatoes and smash with potato masher until butter is melted.  Add cream and continue to smash until desired consistency is reached.  If too thick, add milk by about 1 tablespoon until desired consistency.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

BBQ Meatloaf

Paula Deen

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 3 tablespoons vinegar
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 
  

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix together the beef, bread crumbs, onion, egg, salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce. Form this mixture into a loaf and place it in a shallow pan. Stir together the remaining tomato sauce, vinegar, sugar, mustard, andWorcestershire. Pour this sauce over the meatloaf. Bake for 1 hour or until internal temperature registers 165 degrees. 

Spanish Style Chicken and Dumplings

Spanish-Style Chicken and Dumplings
Adapted from Rachel Ray

INGREDIENTS
4 cups chicken stock
2 pinches of saffron
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3/4 pound Spanish chorizo, casings remove and chopped or crumbled
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breast tenders, diced
3/4 pound medium to large white mushrooms, quartered
1 medium onion, chopped
2-3 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
Freshly ground black pepper
2 rounded tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/3-1/2 cup dry sherry or white wine
1 small box (8 oz) biscuit mix or mix to prepare 8 drop biscuits, prepared to package directions, such as Jiffy brand
1 teaspoon paprika

PREPARATION
In a small saucepot combine the stock and saffron and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer to allow the saffron to steep.
In a large deep soup pot or Dutch oven, heat the EVOO over medium-high heat. Add the chorizo and render and brown for 2 minutes, then add the chicken and lightly brown. Stir in the mushrooms, onion and garlic as you chop them, then add the bay leaf and pepper. Put a lid on the pot and increase the heat to high for 5 minutes to soften the vegetables. Stir in the flour, add the sherry and stir a minute more, then add the saffron broth.
While the vegetables soften, put the biscuit mix in a bowl and stir in the parsley and paprika. Add the liquids, according to the package directions, for the biscuits.
Drop eight small mounds of biscuit dough onto the surface of the chicken and sauce. Cover with a tight- fitting lid and cook for 5-6 minutes.

Serve is shallow bowls.

Creamed Corn

Creamed Corn 

Adapted from a recipe by Alton Brown

Ingredients

• 1/2 onion, diced

• 1 tablespoon butter

• 2 pinches kosher salt

• 1 lb frozen corn

• 1 tablespoon sugar

• 2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal

• 1 cup heavy cream

• Fresh ground black pepper

Directions

In a saucepan over medium heat, sweat the onion in butter and salt until translucent.

Add the corn to the saucepan and cook over medium high until the juice from the corn has tightened.  Sprinkle the corn with the sugar. Stir constantly for about 2 minutes. Sprinkle the cornmeal onto the corn, using a whisk to combine well. Add the heavy cream and cook until the corn has softened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Season with freshly ground black pepper.

Bran Flax Muffins

Just trust me.  Delicious.

Bran Flax Muffins

15-20 muffins

Ingredients

1/2 cup raisins

1 cup pecans

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup ground flax seed

3/4 cup oat bran

1 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3/4 cup milk

2 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 cups shredded carrots

1 apple, peeled, shredded

1 cup fresh/frozen blueberries

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease muffin pan or line with paper muffin liners.

2. Place pecans and raisins in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse until medium to finely ground. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, mix together flour, flax seed, oat bran, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add the milk, eggs, vanilla and oil; mix until just blended. Stir in the carrots, apples, blueberries, and raisin-nut mixture. Fill prepared muffin cups 2/3 full with batter.

4. Bake at 350 F (175 degrees C) for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Mexican Artichoke Quiche

Mexican Artichoke Quiche
Make 8 servings, 214 calories, 17g carb, and 8g protein each

Ingredients

• 1 pillsbury 9" pie crust
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup low fat milk
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 3/4 cup Santa Barbara Artichoke Salsa (or your favorite)
• 1/2 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
• 1 small can diced green chiles
• 1/3 cup light of fat free sour cream for garnish

Directions

Preheat Oven to 375.  Line pie pan with crust and pierce bottom lightly with fork.  Sprinkle cheese, bell pepper, and chilies onto crust.  Beat eggs lightly, add salsa and milk.  Pour into shell.  Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until fork inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool 15 minutes.  Serve w/ sour cream for garnish.

Low-cal Chicken Fajitas

I'm determined to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight before swimsuit season, so I've been counting calories and upping protein recently.  This has made meal planning even more of a nightmare than before- which unfortunately has coincided with a monumental lag in posts from all the rest of you (come on ladies!  don't leave me hangin'!)  So I've come up with a couple protein rich recipes for the calorie challenged on my own lately.  Here's one of them:

Chicken Fajitas

Makes about 6 8" fajitas, 273 calories, 30 carbs, and 23 grams protein per fajita

Ingredients:

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast (cut into thin strips)
• 1 medium red bell pepper, and 1 medium yellow bell pepper (seeded and cut into strips)
• non-stick cooking spray
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 cup fat free sour cream, thinned with 1-2 Tbs low fat milk
• 1-2 tsp ranch dressing mix
• six 8' tortillas
• 1/2 cup diced tomato
• 1 cup shredded lettuce
• 1/3 cup shredded low fat cheddar cheese
• 1 lime cut into wedges

Directions:

Spray skillet with non stick cooking spray.  Sprinkle chicken w/ spices.  Cook chicken and pepper strips over medium-high heat for about 6 minutes until strips are tender and chicken is cooked through (or use leftover grilled or baked chicken from a previous meal- cook peppers in spices for 5 minutes, throw chicken in during last minute or two of cooking to reheat).  Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.

Wrap tortillas in foil and heat at 350 for 10 minutes before serving.  While tortillas are heating, mix sour cream, milk and ranch seasoning together.  Top each warm tortilla with 1/6 chicken/pepper mixture, 1-2 T ranch sauce, lettuce, tomato, a squeeze of lime and a sprinkle of cheese.  Enjoy!  For more protein, try adding some black beans too.