Cinnamon Adult Apple Cider Ice Cream

My father-in-law is a huge ice cream fan - has to have a bowl every night.  So, I thought we would try something a little bit different, a little healthier.

So, from Pinterest, I found this recipe for Apple Cider Ice Cream.  Using my handy Kitchen Aid mixer with ice cream maker attachment, it was actually pretty simple and without a lot of "fancy" ingredients.  I, of course, tweaked the directions (see below for my version).

Cool and refreshing - Very apple-y (is that a word?).  I would suggest making it in the fall, as that seems the season for apple dishes.

Cinnamon Adult Apple Cider Sorbet

Makes 1 1/2 quarts

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups fresh apple cider
2/3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon whole cloves
5 whole cinnamon sticks
1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cups cranberry juice cocktail (make sure it's 100% juice)
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons dark rum or other alcohol

Directions

1. Stir together apple cider, sugar, cloves and cinnamon sticks in saucepan. 
2. Bring to a boil over medium heat , stirring occasionally. 
3. Simmer for about 15 minutes. 
4. Remove from heat. 
5. Remove cloves and cinnamon sticks with a slotted spoon; discard.
6. Give it 10 minutes to cool.
7. Add the above mentioned mixed ingredients to your ice cream maker attachment.
8. Add in applesauce, cranberry and lemon juices and rum. 
9. Let it run for 15 to 20 minutes - you'll be able to see if start to form up like ice cream.
10. Enjoy! 

You can cover and refrigerate overnight. Freeze as directed in the instructions for your particular ice cream maker. We ate it right out of the ice cream maker.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bugles

Originally found on Pinterest... Here's the original post. We used essentially the same ingredients, just a different kind of chocolate and peanut butter.  We thought it was the perfect combo of sweet and salty.

Ingredients

• 1 (7.5 oz) bag of Bugles
• 2 bags of candy melting discs (we had leftovers from Halloween)
• 1 cup creamy natural peanut butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2+ Tbsp of milk

Directions

1. In a large bowl combine your peanut butter and powdered sugar. Add milk 1 Tbsp at a time until it's smooth. (I used 2 Tbsp)
2. Beat until smooth.
3. Using a piping bag or a ziplock with the edge snipped off pipe the peanut butter into the Bugle.
4. Melt your chocolate in the microwave for 1 minute on 50% power, stir and repeat for 15 seconds until melted. Only melt about 1/4 of the chocolate at a time.  You will find that easier and won't have to rush through before the chocolate re-hardens.
5. Swirl the peanut butter end of the Bugle into the melted chocolate and set on a wax paper lined baking sheet.
6. When all are dipped put in freezer until set and ready to eat.

Notes

The original poster indicated she liked to eat these frozen, but we didn't try that. These are best if eaten the same day you make them.

We used three kinds of melting discs - brown and lime green milk chocolate and dark cocoa.  Gave some variety to the colors in the bowl.

These were a huge hit at the party we took them to.  We give them a 4 out of 5 stars, because honestly you have to be patient as it takes so much time to pipe the peanut butter in.  We did this together, so that helped.  By yourself, it would be too time consuming.  One piper, one swirler.  Enjoy.

Lemon Sandwich Cookies

I took two lemon desserts with me to "Friends-Giving" a few weekends ago. I made these first, but I was afraid that they wouldn't serve enough people. Beware - it only makes like 12 cookies - you have to use 2 cookies for each sandwich, so it takes lot of cookies!  I was surprised how few it made, but they were worth every second in the kitchen.

Inspired by this pin, this recipe comes from itty bitty kitchen.

Lemon Sandwich Cookies:

• 14 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature (this is important!)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• zest of one lemon

Filling:

• 1 cup confectioners sugar
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• juice of one lemon

1. Preheat oven to 300 F.
2. In a large bowl cream the butter, salt and sugar until light and fluffy on a medium setting, roughly 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and  incorporate the vanilla and lemon zest, scraping down the sides as you go. Sift the flower and cornstarch into the mixture and beat on a low setting until just combined.
3. Take small portions of the mixture and roll into balls, continue until you have 25-30 (I made mine quite large, I ended up with roughly 23) pieces. If you want them to be as even as possible, roll out the mixture until it forms a log then use a clean knife to section into 30 pieces.
4. Place them on a baking tray lined with wax paper, gently press on each piece with a fork until it has left an imprint. You can also press on them gently with your fingers, if you do not wish to leave an imprint.  (I used the criss-cross look like a peanut butter cookie because I thought they were cute.)
5. Bake for 20 minutes. let them cool completely.
6. For the filling beat the sugar, butter and lemon juice on a medium setting until incorporated. Keep adding sugar until you get a thicker consistency - you don't want the filling to squish out all over, but rather support the top cookie.
7. Use the back of a spoon, or a knife to ice one side of the cookie then sandwich them together. Try to find two which are similar sizes.  The biscuits can be kept for up to 5 days in an air tight container.

All I can say is WOW - these were awesome.  A 5 out of 5.  Totally worth every minute.  I loved them and so did others.  I hope you do, too!



Chicken Parm Bake - My Way

Inspire by this pin... by the Food Wishes blogger  .  I didn't like having to watch the video to get all the directions.  But, I like the idea of a healthy, baked version of Chicken Parmesan.  I did downsize the recipe, so it wouldn't be so much food - we're only feeding two at our house most of the time.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed

hot red pepper flakes, to taste 
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts 
1 can tomato sauce
oregano (a few tsps)

basil (a few tsps)
thyme leaves (one tsp, as DH is not a fan)
8 oz mozzarella, shredded

4 oz Parmesan, grated

1 (5-oz) package garlic croutons (Used Arnold brand)

Directions

1. Prepare the 9x9 pan by pouring the olive oil into the bottom and then coat it with garlic and hot red pepper flakes.
2. Put the chicken breasts on top.
3. Pour can of tomato sauce on top. Season with basil, oregano, and thyme leaves.
4. Add about 1/2 the cheese.
5. Add the croutons.
6. Put the other 1/2 of the cheese.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

I'll be honest - I didn't really measure most of the ingredients, just added what I thought looked like enough to cover the chicken breasts.  So, the ingredient list is not exact.  Use what you like.   NOTE: My chicken finished after 30 minutes (plus resting for 10 - do not underestimate the resting period which will allow the chicken to cook more). Your cooking time may be up to an hour depending on the size, shape, and temperature of your chicken. Please use a meat thermometer to check doneness (155 degree F.)   We gave this dish a 4 out of 5.  We both enjoyed it.  Hope you do, too.

Low-Fat Lemon Yogurt Cake - Healthy & Yummy

Loved this lemon cake.  It is dense like a pound cake, but very moist and subtle.  Can I just say it again - I loved it!!

Inspired by this pin, this recipe originally came from cravingchronicles.com. 

 

Low-Fat Lemon Yogurt Cake

Makes one 8 by 4 inch loaf cake

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt (can use regular, too)
1 cup sugar
1 whole large egg, 3 large egg whites
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 to 1/2 cup vegetable oil

For the glaze:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
Freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease and flour a loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper.
2. Measure the flour (scoop and level), baking powder, and salt into a small bowl and whisk until combined. In a large bowl, mix together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and slowly whisk together. Fold the vegetable oil into the batter until it’s all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50-60 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
3. When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
4. For the glaze, combine the confectioners’ sugar and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. If the glaze is still too thick, continue adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice until it’s runny enough to pour.
5. Carefully place on the cake a baking rack over a sheet pan or a sheet of parchment paper. While the cake is still warm (but not hot!), pour the glaze over, allowing it to drip down the sides.

Hawaiian Chicken in a Pot.

Inspired by this pin. This basic recipe was easier.

Hawaiian Chicken in a Pot

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup pineapple juice

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup light soy sauce

Directions

1. Spray crockpot with oil.
2.  Add everything to crockpot.
3.  Cook for 4 hours on low.  Left on warm for another 3 and a half.   If you don't need it to go for 9.5 hours, you can cook it on low for 6 to 8 hours straight.

I was not a fan of the no vegetable or fruit included, so I would definitely add a can of chunk pineapple.  It would also be great with chopped peppers, but my DH is not a fan of peppers.

We gave this recipe a 4 out of 5 stars.

Halloween Decorations - One Last Post for 2011

Here's a breakdown of some of the items I used to decorate for Halloween this year.  I'll provide links to directions and fun information below each one.

Feel free to follow my Halloween Craft pins on Pinterest to see what I might make for next year.   You can see other decorations I made in other posts - monsters, banners, and more.

Containers with Harry Potter Labels

I found these Harry Potter labels - a free printable.  I took some old jars - the ones on the end are made from liquid coffee creamer containers.  The second from the left is made from dry coffee creamer and the other was an old salsa jar.  The first container was just painted, then the label glued on, and then a second coat added with some brush strokes over the edge of the labels. The second container of "slug repellent" was too fun - I took antiquing medium and painted over the jar. I let it dry, attached the label and then added a few rough strokes on top - like it had overflowed.  Looked disgusting, which is perfect for Halloween

Eyeball pumpkin - first attempt.

Pumpkins are such a great medium - your only limit is your imagination.  The blue-eyed side looked a bit odd - finally decided that the blue area was too big.  So I just turned it around and tried again.  You can see the difference in the green.  Much better..either end works!  See the photo at the end of this post to see what is looked like on our front porch.

Eyeball Pumpkin

Pantyhose Covered Pumpkin

I had a pair of lacy pantyhose that I got a runner in, so I held onto the good leg until Halloween, just to make this lacy pumpkin.  I balled the top of the hose up and tied it into a knot.  This made a topper for the pumpkin - looks pretty cute, I think.

A few bats on the mirror reflect the big sweeping bat decoration area.

Mask Covered Pumpkin

Two of My Pumpkins

Our China Cabinet with added Halloween pieces - a painted craft pumpkin with our initials, a witch's hat propped up on top, a sign hung casually on the door handle. And the white you see on the right side - that's the ghost that I strung across one of our windows.  So easy and a big impact.

Halloween Garland

I made this Halloween Garland to hang over the island separating our kitchen and dining room. I got the idea from Pinterest and found free downloadable templates.  I added black strings to the top.  The photo isn't great - because the opening is in the middle of our house, I had my DH hold a table cloth behind it to block the light and junk on the other side of the countertop. 

A few bats on the mirror reflect the big sweeping bat decoration area.

Bats swooping across our walls and ceiling

These bats are great. I got the idea from Pinterest and then tracked down a bat template.  Cut the bats out of black scrapbook paper and bent the wings slightly.  Arranging them in a swooping motion is what really made the decoration pop - I got more compliments on this than anything else.

Our milk jugs for outside.  Drew simple faces on these..you can see them in the front stoop photo below. I filled them with water and a glow stick...added a little fun to our stoop. They didn't glow as brightly as I had hoped.

Kids Craft Area at Our Halloween Party

Tulle Lights

Tulle Lights

 I set up a kids craft area at our party. We bought the butterfly shaped masks from Michael's.  We cut out 50 basic masks from colored foam. We provided Halloween themed foam stickers.  The kids loved it.  Gave them something to do and they got an personalized party favor. It also kept them from being underfoot every minute of the party.  I hung up purple lights, but thought they looked a little plain.  So I took strips of tulle fabric (about 7 to 10 inches each) and tied them next to each light.  After I got one on each side of every light, I just kept going - adding more and more.  I actually think they could use a bit more.  I bought four yards of black tulle and only got about halfway through it before the party.  But, I think it makes the lights more interesting and fun.
 

Our Front Window during the day

Inspired by this pin, I made these on a whim with black construction paper.  Just cut out a shape that appears like a monster.  Don't make the details too small -- it will get lost.  I used a white Styrofoam plate for the white eye and purple tissue paper for the two eyes.  We put a string of Christmas lights behind them.  Next year, I'd like to get orange lights.

Our Front Window at night

Our Front Stoop...see the pumpkins, milk jugs and the tombstone on the right.  You can also see the monster in the window.

Ghosts in the trees

My final outdoor decorations were ghosts in the trees.  I took small kitchen trash bags, cut off the end with the strings/handles, and stuffed them with newspaper.  I then took a twisty tie and added one to the top of each ghost - word to the wise, be sure to put it through the plastic and some of the newspaper or it will tear in the wind.




Hope you enjoyed these photos of our decorations.  I didn't capture every detail and I really want to do more outside items for next year.  I'll be watching Pinterest for ideas.