Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

I got this recipe from a friend.  It has been the BEST recipe ever.  I always get great compliments on this ice cream.  So, this is your basic vanilla.  It is amazing if you add some mashed fresh raspberries too!  That is always requested at family parties in the summer.  Without further ado...

6 C half and half
2 1/4 C sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract(REAL not imitation)
3 C whipping cream(not Heavy, just regular)

In a large bowl, pour half and half.  Add sugar, and stir WELL.  If you don't stir long enough to dissolve the sugar, then your ice cream will be grainy.  Then add vanilla.  Last, stir in the whipping cream.

Place in a ice cream maker.  Follow ice cream maker's directions(ie. ice/salt/time).  In about 30 minutes, for my machine, you have the most delicious ice cream.  Place immediately into containers and store in the freezer.  I like to make this a few hours before I need to serve it-especially if you are adding fresh fruit.  That way the flavors blend nicely all around.

If you have never made homemade ice cream before, please note that it melts quickly!  You can't just let it sit out on the counter for very long, or it will be a puddle.

Way Better than Store Bought!

Peach Cobbler

I grew up from age 12 living in Brigham City, Utah.  They are famous for the annual Peach Days celebration.  Therefore... I LOVE PEACHES!  And everyone has a peach cobbler recipe that is to die for.  Well, mine is no exception!  This is the perfect time of year for cobbler.  The cool air just makes my mouth crave the stuff!  I hope you enjoy!

8 medium peaches, peeled, and sliced
Sugar for sprinkling over peaches
1/2 C water

Crust layer:

1 1/3 C flour
1 1/4 C sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 Cubes of butter (3/4 C), sliced thinly

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Wash peaches, peel them, slice them, and place in the bottom of a 9x13 glass dish.
Sprinkle sugar over peaches.  You just need enough to lightly cover them.  Then, stir the sugar all around the peaches to get them to start releasing some of their juices.  Let stand for a few minutes(5 min) while making the crust.  Then pour the 1/2 C water over the peaches.  Using a spoon, try to make your peaches into a somewhat flat layer.

In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Sprinkle over peaches.  Place thin slices/pats of butter all across the top of the dish- usually 4-5 pats across the short side.  Put aluminum foil over the top of the pan, and bake for 45 minutes.  then remove foil, bake 10 more minutes uncovered.  Then to crisp up the top perfectly, turn off the oven baking and turn ON the BROIL on LOW for about 2 minutes.  Perfection!

The perfect topping for this dessert is homemade vanilla ice cream.  Check out my recipe for that.

Happy Baking!

Homemade Chicken Stock in a CrockPot

This is one essential thing that you should make for your family.  We now make all our sauces from scratch, which means that many sauces require a "base" of chicken or beef broth or stock.  I prefer chicken stock or vegetable broth.  The name "stock" is used when the bones are used to make the liquid, and not just vegetables and meat.  Today, I'll show you how I make my chicken stock in a crockpot!  This is amazing because the crockpot does most of the work!

The type of whole chicken you buy is important.  At first, I just bought any brand, whatever was on sale, but then one day I bought this organic brand, and WOW!  The stock was so much better!  So I highly recommend buying an organic brand like this one.  I purchased it at Wal-mart for not too much.

 Ingredients:

4-5 carrots, chopped in chunks
2 celery stalks, chopped in chunks
1 small onion, chopped in chunks
1/2-1 TBSP peppercorns, depending on how much you like
1 tsp Real Salt
1 TBSP parsley, dried
3-4 dashes of poultry seasoning
1 whole organic chicken, rinsed
7-8 C water



Day 1
Chop vegetables and place in bottom of crockpot.  Place seasonings on top.

 

 Then place rinsed chicken on top of veggies and seasonings.  Pour water slowly on top until it reaches about 1 inch below lid.  Put lid on, and cook on high for 1 hour, then turn down to low for 4-5 hours.  Remove chicken carefully into a 9x13 pan.  Cover with foil and let rest for about 10 minutes.  Seperate skin and meat from bones.


 Save the meat(works great for soups or a shredded chicken recipe where you are adding some flavor-a lot of the flavor of the meat is lost in the cooking phase), discard the fat/skin, and put the bones back into the crockpot.

 

 Continue cooking the bones with the broth overnight.


 Day 2
The next morning, turn off the crockpot, and strain the veggies and bones from the stock into a large glass bowl--preferably with a lid.

 

 After straining, place stock in refrigerator for at least 12 hours.  I usually leave it in all that day and take it out the next morning(day 3).  Placing it in the refrigerator will solidify the fat, thus making a nearly fat-free stock.


Day3
Take bowl of stock out of refrigerator.  You will now see the fat solidified at the top.

Simply remove this with a spoon(I always use a grapefruit spoon, but any should work), and place the fat into a small bowl.  When you have scrapped off as much as you can, stir the stock.  It should be somewhat gelatinous.  You want it to be gelatinous.  That means it has lots of good nutrients in it.

Then simply divide the stock into canning pint jars.  Use within one week in the fridge, or I like to store them in my stand alone freezer door.  Then when ready, I simply microwave the jar(with lid off) on the "fish" setting for about .6 lbs. or until it is thawed.

I use this broth for many recipes!  Keep checking back for more great recipes!

Egg Free Molasses Crinkles

These cookies will simply make your mouth water!  They are so delicious!  I can eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In these pictures, I doubled the recipe.  It is easy to double, takes a bit to bake, but then I freeze half.  That way I don't have to be baking cookies all the time.  I freeze in quart sized baggies and take out as needed.  Freezing cookies works best in a stand alone freezer, at least in my experience.

3/4 C Butter, softened
1 C Brown sugar
1 TBSP ground flaxseed + 2 TBSP water, mix and let stand 3-5 minutes
1/4 C Molasses
3 C flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger

For Rolling dough balls in:
1/3 C Granulated Sugar

 Preheat oven to 350 Degrees.
 
In a small cup, mix ground flaxseed and water.  Set aside.  In a medium sized bowl, mix flour, salt, baking soda, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger.  Set aside. Put granulated sugar in a bowl; use a bowl that will be easy to roll your dough balls in. Set aside.

In bosch mixer with a cookie dough attachment, mix butter and brown sugar until well combined.  Add flaxseed/water combo and molasses. Mix on speed 1 until combined.

Add dry ingredients and mix on speed one.  After dry ingredients are mixed in, if needed, add 1/2-1 TBSP more of water until dough reaches "sugar cookie dough consistency".  Don't add too much water, just add slowly as the mixer is running.

Using a pampered chef small scoop, scoop balls of dough into your bowl of sugar.  When ball is coated, place on a cookie sheet.  No greasing necessary!  I can fit 15 of these small balls on a standard cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 9-10 minutes.  Watch carefully.  You only want these lightly browned.  Over cooking molassess cookies leads to hard cookies.  Molasses cookies should be nice and soft.

Cool on a wired rack.  Then store in an airtight plastic container-these work better than a plastic zip baggie if you are storing at room temperature.  Otherwise, freeze in freezer safe baggies in a stand alone freezer.

Happy Baking!  If you give these to your neighbors...they will always ask for more.:)

Homemade Taco Seasoning

One of the things I had to figure out right away when my son was diagnosed with his food allergies was how to make a taco seasoning that we liked.  You have to be so careful which brands of spices you purchase because many contain soy or are made in a factory with other allergens.  We have been very happy with McCormick brand and many organic brands.

It amazed me how it took several tries to get the recipe flavor to our liking.  I hope you will enjoy the recipe that I have come up with as I have adapted to our family's taste buds!  Happy cooking!

2 TBSP chili powder
1 TBSP cumin
1 TBSP paprika

1 TBSP oregano
1 TBSP onion powder
1 TBSP garlic powder
1 TBSP regular salt or "Real Salt"
1/2 TBSP pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Pour all spices into a canning 1/2 pt jar.  Put lid on tightly and shake well until all spices are well combined.  You can make it in bigger batches, of course, just use a larger jar.