Toasted challah and Nutella swirl ice cream

We declared this to be the "summer of ice cream". So we found the absolute easiest basic ice cream recipe available (only two ingredients and no ice cream maker needed!) and made it our own with a play on the flavors of a crunchy slice of toast spread with creamy hazelnut Nutella.

We were so pleased with how easy this was to make, but even better, it was super delicious! We can't wait to try all sorts of flavor variations. The brainstorming has already begun.

Here is the recipe:

Toasted Challah and Nutella Swirl Ice Cream

Basic ice cream:

1 pint heavy whipping cream

1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

Whip cream with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. With mixer on low, slowly pour in condensed milk until it's fully incorporated.

(At this point you could pop the mixture in the freezer for 6-8 hours and it would come out a perfect ice cream consistency. However, it's more fun to add some flavors now and then freeze it.)

5 slices challah bread
3 tablespoons melted butter
1/3 cup Nutella (softened in the microwave or on the stovetop)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Cut the bread into 1/4 inch cubes. Spread in a single layer on a baking pan and put in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until toasted and golden brown. Remove from oven and drizzle with the melted butter until coated evenly. Fold the toast cubes into the ice cream base.

Pour 1/3 of the ice cream mixture in a pan. (We froze our ice cream in a standard bread loaf pan because the quantity fit perfectly in it.) Drizzle 1/2 of the Nutella on top. Add 1/2 of the remaining ice cream mixture on top of the Nutella and drizzle the remainder of the Nutella on top. Finish with the remainder of the ice cream mixture. Then gently run a butter knife through the mixture to swirl the Nutella throughout. (Don't overmix!)

Freeze the ice cream for 6-8 hours or overnight, if you can wait that long before eating it!

Lemon curd

Yes, the word "curd" doesn't sound like something super appetizing to eat, but hear us out. We made lemon curd, also sometimes called lemon butter, and it was delicious. Here's the recipe:

2 whole eggs

2 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
pinch of salt
4 tablespoons butter, cut in pieces

In a saucepan, whisk together the egg yolks and the whole eggs until combined. Add the lemon juice, zest, and a pinch of salt and mix until just combined. Add the sugar and whisk until combined, then set over medium heat. Add the butter pieces and stir the mixture constantly until all of the butter melts and the mixture thickens and reaches about 170 degrees.

Remove the curd from the heat and pour into a fine mesh sieve set over a clean glass bowl. Use a spoon to help push the mixture through the sieve. Allow to cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Recipe adapted from here.

In my opinion, the best way to eat it is a spoonful at a time, right out of the jar. ^^

Biscotti, four ways

On a Monday afternoon Karen and I got together to solve the world's problems, and to make biscotti. Problem solving is best done with a cup of coffee in hand, and even better if there's biscotti to dunk in it.

We started with one basic recipe, then divided the dough into four bowls, making four different flavors. They are as follows: Mexican chocolate, butterscotch with burnt sugar, chocolate chip with white chocolate mint glaze, and almond with coffee glaze and toasted coconut.

The possibilities are endless. We came up with these variations based on ingredients we had on hand. Get creative and come up with your own combinations. Here are some we'd like to try next time:  spicy butterscotch (with brown sugar and a touch of cayenne), cranberry walnut with orange glaze, espresso with maple glaze . . . we could go on and on, but we'll spare you. Here's a good basic biscotti recipe to start with:

Almond Biscotti

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 1/2 teaspoons finely shredded orange or lemon peel (optional)
• 1 cup coarsely chopped almonds

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease two cookie sheets; set aside. In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Place eggs and egg yolks in the well and stir into the flour mixture. Add butter and, if desired, orange peel; stir until dough starts to form a ball. Stir in almonds.

2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface; divide into three equal portions. Shape each portion into a 14-inch-long log. Place logs about 3 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets; flatten logs slightly until about 1-1/2 inches wide. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until firm and light brown. Remove from oven and place cookie sheets on wire racks; cool 15 minutes.

3. Transfer logs to cutting board. Use a serrated knife to cut each roll diagonally into 1/2-inch slices. Place slices, cut sides down, on cookie sheets. Bake for 10 minutes. Turn cookies over; bake 10 to 15 minutes more or until crisp and golden brown. Transfer to a wire racks and let cool.

4. Makes about 84 cookies.

(recipe courtesy of bhg.com) 

Vegetable gyoza with spicy dipping sauce

 

 

I'm going to be totally honest here:  Before I made these, I had never eaten gyoza in my life.  In fact, I had little to no idea what they were.  But I happened upon a recipe for gyoza as I was aimlessly perusing Pinterest one day, and right away their cute little dumpling appearance had me sold.  I like potstickers, (which are apparently kind of the same thing?) and these looked potsticker-ish, and so I kept thinking of them, basically daily, for a couple of weeks before I broke down and bought the ingredients to make them (does this have something to do with being pregnant? A gyoza craving.).  As it so happens, they are both fairly simple to make and totally scrumptious to eat; I was actually very disappointed that we had to share them with Kelly and Laramie, because I could've eaten much more!

 

Disclaimer: I'm not even going to claim that these are authentic.  I'm pretty sure they're not, especially as Kelly and I were too lazy to make our own wrappers and used wonton wrappers instead.  But, authentic or not, they're pretty tasty.  And as an added bonus, they're cute to look at!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vegetable Gyoza with Spicy Dipping Sauce 

Sauce:

1/3 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Filling:

4 cups diced shiitake mushroom caps (about 3/4 pound)

4 cups finely chopped green cabbage

2 tablespoons chopped green onions

2 tablespoons mirin (sweet rice wine)

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon dark sesame oil

3 garlic cloves, minced 

Preparation:

2 tablespoons peanut oil, divided

Store-bought wonton wrappers

1. To prepare sauce, combine first 4 ingredients; set aside.
2. To prepare filling, heat a large non-stick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; cook 3 minutes or until moisture evaporates, stirring frequently. Add cabbage; cook 3 minutes or until softened, stirring frequently. Stir in 2 tablespoons green onions and next 6 ingredients (2 tablespoons green onions through garlic); simmer 2 minutes. Remove from heat; set aside.
3. Working with 1 wrapper at a time, spoon 2 teaspoons mushroom mixture into center of wrapper. Wet finger with water, moistening the edges of the wonton wrapper, then fold in half diagonally, pressing to seal all the edges. Bring the two points of the triangle together, sealing them with more water (they will now remind you of a miniature chicken, with the legs twisted behind it... or maybe that's just me.) Place dumplings on a large baking sheet dusted with flour; cover loosely with towel to prevent drying.
4. Heat peanut oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add dumplings; cook 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until browned. Then add approximately 1/2 cup of water, cover and steam dumplings until all water has evaporated. Serve sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds and chopped green onions, if desired, with spicy dipping sauce on side.

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light.

 

Cranberry walnut granola

We regularly make our own homemade granola for quick breakfasts... it's easy to make and tastes way better than the store-bought stuff.  This is my go-to recipe, but it's easy to adapt if it doesn't suit your taste or if you don't have all these ingredients on hand:

5 cups rolled oats

2 cups chopped walnuts

1 cup chopped pecans

2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

salt to taste

1 cup coconut oil

1 cup agave nectar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

In a large bowl stir together the oats, nuts, coconut, cinnamon, and salt.

In a small pan over medium heat melt coconut oil and agave together. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Pour over oat mixture and stir to coat evenly.

Spread in an even layer on one or two cookie sheets (depending on their size). Bake for 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through, or until nuts are toasted and granola is golden. Remove from oven and add cranberries.

Let cool completely before storing in jars or plastic zipper bag. Store at room temperature for up to two weeks.

The walnuts or pecans are easily substituted with chopped almonds, macadamia nuts, or pepitas. I've used olive or canola oil instead of coconut oil, or honey instead of agave nectar. The vanilla is optional...almond extract is also good. Dried cherries are beltacular (head nod to "Two Weeks Notice") in place of cranberries. I love eating mine with coconut milk, but it's also delicious served with Greek yogurt and fresh fruit!

--Karen & Kelly