Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

Strawberries, beautiful strawberries

This is the real stuff. So good and so rich. It is also really really easy. It is not a cooked ice cream so I use egg substitute when I can't find pasteurized eggs. This is an amazing ice cream. I don't have pictures of the process because my camera battery died. I did not want to delay posting because you need to make this. Trust me.


2 Large Eggs (I used egg substitute 1/2 cup (120 ml))
3/4 Cup (150 g) of Sugar
2 Cups (480 ml) of Whipping Cream
1 Cup (240 ml) of Milk
4 oz (113 g) of Cream Cheese
1 Cup (170 g) of Strawberries, Diced

Place eggs or eggs substitute in a mixing bowl. Mix for several minutes until light and fluffy. Slowly add sugar and beat until it is dissolved. Add the cream and milk and blend until combined. Break off pieces of cream cheese and beat in. Add diced strawberries and mix until combined. Add to a ice cream machine. (Mine overfilled so we ate/drank the mixture just like an incredibly rich smoothie).

The bottom line: will I make this again? Yes. I just need to scale back the sugar and cream next time so my ice cream maker doesn't overfill.

Tomato Watermelon Salad

Tomatoes and melon- surprisingly good together

I firmly believe that watermelon and tomatoes are two of the great gifts of summer. They almost make up for the heat. I had never thought of putting them together in a salad until Steven and I ate at the Mercantile. The Mercantile is a lovely spot for lunch in Excelsior Springs, Missouri. They have all kinds of Missouri wines and beers. If you are in Excelsior Springs for a visit (and you should be) stop by and have lunch. They have a great watermelon tomato salad. I should know. I had it as a side to my tuna melt.  It was light and refreshing which is a good thing because right now it is hot and dry in Missouri.

I decided I wanted this salad again (and a lot more than a side portion). That very next week, my incredible CSA haul included tomatoes, cucumbers and watermelon. (Yum!) I have lots of mint in the yard (the mint may be the only thing unaffected by the drought).  All I needed was feta. I found a nice peppercorn feta at the local market and I was set.

Fresh watermelon- Yum!

This is another one of those salads that you change to your tastes or what you have on hand. We experimented and tried it with different vinegars, a red wine, and plain. I liked them all. Steven like the balsamic vinegar best. 

Small tasting bowls-- the sacrifices I make to find the perfect combo

I chose not to add olive oil-- I thought it was not necessary and would just add fat and calories. I really wanted to focus on the fresh tastes of the salad. I think other melons would work great too. I can't wait to try them.

The best part-- pick and choose to your tastes and the number of people your are serving. I think that mozzarella, provolone,  or blue cheese would be great instead of the feta (with the appropriate mixing and matching of herbs). The recipe below was just enough to feed Seven and me -- add more to feed more-- I go by taste for this recipe.

Tomato Watermelon Salad

Large Slice of Watermelon, Diced
Large Tomato, Diced
Slice of Purple Onion, Diced
1/2 of a Cucumber, Peeled, Seeded and Diced
2 Ounces (55 g) of Feta Cheese, Diced or Crumbled
1-2 Tablespoons of Herbs, Diced
Salt and Pepper, To Taste
2-3 Tablespoons of Vinegar or Wine (Optional)

Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and serve.

The finished salad

The bottom line: will I make this again? Yes-- love love love this. I think I am going to try honey drew or casaba melon next.

Blueberry Sorbet

Blueberry and strawberry sorbet

It's blueberry season!  I am not as crazy about blueberries as the rest of my family and that it a huge understatement.  I am crazy about blueberry sorbet. It is delicious.  It is fresh and full of flavor. It is more blueberry than blueberries.
I love this time of year. I am busy making all kinds of fruit sorbets. My all time favorite is watermelon sorbet but it is way too early for watermelon. I planted a watermelon plant this year hoping for fresh watermelon for sorbet. Meanwhile it is blueberry season and I believe in making the most of what's in season. This is definitely making the most of the blueberry season.

Blueberry Sorbet
5 Cups (700 g) of Blueberries
1/4 Cup (50 g) of Granulated Sugar
1/4 Cup (60 ml) of Honey
3 Tbsp of Lemon Juice

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

Blueberries, honey, sugar, and lemon

Puree the mixture.

Pureeing the blueberry mixture

Strain the puree- you will have to use a spatula or spoon to get all of the puree through the strainer.Be patient it takes a while.

Straining

 Process the sorbet according to your ice cream maker's directions.

That's it! The result amazing concentrated blueberry sorbet. The bottom line: will I make this again? Yes- it is incredible.

Blueberry Sour Cream Pie

Blueberry sour cream pie

My husband and daughter love blueberries. I try to like them. I know I should; they are a super food. They may be one of the best food for you and they are absolutely lovely. I love the color. I even grow them. The bushes are currently under netting and we will see who gets to eat the blueberries- the Sokols or the birds. I have my money on the birds. So in the meantime, my family is going through quart after quart of blueberries. Katie can eat a pint at one sitting. It is amazing to watch her eat them. I decided that I was going to make a blueberry pie. Not just any blueberry pie but a sour cream pie. I used to work at a restaurant that sold sour cream fruit pies. I loved them. I was never able to talk them out of the recipe so I have made them up over the years. How can you go wrong with sour cream? Especially when you add a strudel topping.  I double the strudel layer and use the leftovers on french toast the next day. Oh! I normally use light sour cream but for this pie I use the full fat full taste version. I think it makes a difference.

1 9 inch (23 cm) Pie Crust
3 Cups (420 g) of Fresh Blueberries

Sour Cream Layer
1 Cup (200 g) of Granulated Sugar
1/3 Cup (40 g) of Flour
A Couple of Dashes of Salt
2 Large Eggs, Beaten
1/2 Cup (120 g) of Sour Cream

Strudel Layer
1/2 Tsp of Cinnamon
1/4 Cup (55 g) of Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup (30 g) of Flour
2 Tbsp of Butter

Everything is ready- some assembly required

Preheat the oven to 350F/176C/Gas Mark 4. Place the pie crust in the pie pan. Pour blueberries into the pie crust.

Blueberries int he pie crust

Combine the sugar, flour and salt in a bowl. Stir in eggs and sour cream. Pour over blueberries.

Combine cinnamon, sugar, flour and butter together until crumbly. Spread strudel layer on top of the sour cream layer.

Ready for the oven

Bake for 45-65 minutes until golden brown. Cool completely and then refrigerate. Serve cold (it is a lot easier to slice).

The bottom line: will I make this again? Yes, it is wonderful. I will also continue to double the topping for french toast.

Strudel french toast

Orangecello

Zesting a clementine

I love limoncello. When I started making limoncello, one of my friends told me that she had made orangecello. She told me that it was great. I noticed clementines were on sale at the grocery store. They are so delicious. I bought two small crates. I decided to turn one crate into orangecello.


Orangecello

1 Bottle (750 ml) of Vodka
16 Clementines or 8 Oranges

Zest in a jar

Wash the clementines or oranges. Carefully zest the clementines or oranges and place the zest in a large glass container. I use a mason jar. Pour in the vodka. Store in cool dark place for 1 to 2 weeks, shaking the jar every couple of days.

Vodka and zest

Orange Simple Syrup

Straining orange juice

5 Cup Water
4 Cups Sugar
1 Cup Orange Juice, Strained

Orange simple syrup

In a medium saucepan, combine the water and sugar. Heat until the sugar is completely dissolved.  Let the mixture cool completely and add the orange juice.

Zest and vodka

Making Orangecello

Pour the vodka and zest through a strainer into a large bowl. Add the orange simple syrup and pour into bottles. Refrigerate and enjoy!

Finished orangecello

The bottom line: will I make this again? Yes. Yummy. I may like limoncello more but it is a close call.

Oh My Darling Clementine Sorbet

Clementine sorbet in a clementine

The reason I started this blog was to document the recipes for the dishes that I wanted to make again. My earlier method was a scrap of paper with a list of ingredients - no measurements and no directions. Often, I would throw together a meal, we would love it, and I was unable to recreate it. I also wanted my daughter, Katie, to be able to make these dishes when she has her own home.
I ask a lot of "what ifs" as I cook. The answer is usually why not try it. Cooking and life is more exciting if you take risks. You should do things that scare you (well not like dangerous things) but things that make you grow as a person and as a cook. This blog records the "why nots" that work.
When I made this sorbet, I decided to try making a simple syrup with juice and sugar. I didn't use any water to make my simple syrup. [Gasp!] My hope was I would have a concentrated orange flavor. The result was the best orange, well, clementine sorbet ever. [Editor's note that last sentence should be read in the voice of David Tennant as Dr. Who].

Clementine Sorbet

Juice of 16 Clementines (2 3/4 cups/660 ml), Divided
1/2 Cup (100 g) of Granulated Sugar

Combine 3/4 cup (180 ml) of orange juice in a small saucepan with the sugar. Heat over low heat until the sugar is dissolved.

Heating the juice and sugar

Chill syrup and orange juice.

Chilled and ready for the ice cream maker

Once chilled, pour into ice cream maker and follow the manufactures' instructions.

Homemade sorbet

For a special twist, carefully hollow out a clementine and use it for your sorbet dish. Trust me, it's awesome.

Perfect sorbet bowls

The bottom line: will I make this again? Oh, yes. Every time I make orangecello, I will be juicing the zested oranges to make sorbet. Intense orange flavor and best orange sorbet ever.

Pineapple Salsa

Fresh pineapple

It may be a bit nontraditional but I decided to have pineapple salsa with our Christmas ham. Ham and pineapple go so well together and I am particularly fond of pineapple salsa. What's not to like? It is a lovely taste of summer during a dreary winter. I will be be using one of my all time favorite lemon peppers but any hot pepper will work. I usually serve this with Thai food but it went well with the ham.

Pineapple Salsa
2/3 Cup (125 g) of Red Onions, Diced
1/4 Cup (10 g) of Cilantro, Finely Chopped
1 Cucumber, Peeled and Diced
1 Pineapple, Diced
1 Hot Pepper, Finely Chopped
1 Clove of Garlic, Minced
Juice of One Lime

The pineapple salsa all mixed together

Mix together and let stand for 30 minutes.

Pineapple salsa ready to serve

The bottom line: will I make this again? Yes, it was great with the ham. Once you get all of the chopping done, it is remarkably easy to make.

Green Tomato Pickles

Green tomatoes ready to be pickled

I have never made green tomato pickles before. I am quite excited about it. I did a lot of research before making them. I decided base my pickles recipe on the Two Sisters' Green Tomato Pickles from One Big Table. Molly O'Neill traveled the country collecting recipes. The result was a cookbook full of 600 recipes with a portrait of its creator. It is a wonderful cookbook. Great recipes and fascinating stories.

I had some okra and decided to add those as well. I used my favorite lemon peppers.The alum is added to allow the pickles to stay crisp. Pickling salt does not have any iodine or anti-caking agent. The iodine may turn the pickles dark and the anti-caking agents may turn the pickling liquid cloudy. In a pinch Kosher salt can be substituted. Kosher salt is not as dense as pickling salt so a little more Kosher salt will have to added than the recipes calls for.

Green Tomato Pickles

For the Pickles
18 Cloves of Garlic, Peeled
A Handful of Lemon Peppers, Stemmed and Cut in Half
4 Tsp of Olive Oil
4 Tsp of Pickling Spice
4 Tsp of Alum
2 Pounds (.9 kg) of Green Tomatoes, Quartered
6 Small Okra Pods

For the Brine
1.5 Quarts (1.4 L) of Water
1 Quart (.9 L) of White Vinegar
3/8 Cup (80 g) of Pickling Salt

I used one quart (.9 L) jar and two pint (.47 L) jars. I sterilized the jars and split the pickle ingredients between the jars (I put twice as much in the larger jar).
To make the brine, heat up the brine ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat so the mixture simmers for 15 minutes.

Full jars

Fill the jars with hot brine up to 1/2 inch below the rim. Run a knife down and around the edge of each jar to release the bubbles. Seal the jars and cool to room temperature. Place the jars in the refrigerator and for two weeks before eating the pickles.

Finished jars

Hard Cider

Heating the cider and the sugar

I love hard cider. This year we decided to make our own. Why? Because I love the beer we brew and wanted to see if we would love our homemade cider. I usually drink Woodchuck cider so I did a search for Woodchuck recipes. You guessed it, I came up with a bunch of recipes for groundhogs. Yuck! I never did find a recipe for Woodchuck Cider but I did find all sorts of methods for making hard cider. I found everything from leaving it out on the kitchen counter to naturally ferment to complex thirty step processes. I decided to try a fairly simple process: combining one gallon of cider with sugar and adding it to the rest of the cider, pitching the yeast, fermenting the cider, and then a secondary fermentation it in a carboy. Here is my recipe-- of course I won't know for a while if it worked or not. Feel free to take the leap with me!

Hard Cider

Ingredients
5 Gallons (19 L) of Apple Cider (See huge important note below)
4 Lb (1.8 kg) of Sugar
1 Package of Liquid Yeast

Special Equipment
1 Fermenting Bucket
1 Carboy

Liquid cider yeast in a smack pack

We took one gallon (3.78 L)  of apple cider and dumped it in a large stock pot with 4 pounds (1.8 kg) of sugar. We heated the apple cider until the sugar dissolved. (Adding sugar at the beginning increases the alcohol content of the cider not the sweetness). Then we dumped the hot sugar cider mixture and the remaining apple cider into a fermenting bucket. Once the mixture was 75F/21C we pitched the yeast. Now, we wait to see if the wee yeasties multiply.
After about four weeks, we will move the cider into a carboy and allow it to secondary ferment for about eight weeks.
The big question will be whether we want sparking cider or not. If we decide we want sparkling cider we will add 3/4 cup (180 ml) of honey or 3/4 cup (165 g) of brown sugar to 1 cup (240 ml) of water and bring the mixture to a boil. Once it is cooled, we will add it to the cider mixture right before we bottle it.

Everything is ready for the cider to be added

*****Huge Important Note About the Apple Cider**** For the apple cider to ferment you need the yeast to multiple and turn the sugar into alcohol (and carbon dioxide). The necessary chemical reaction will not take place if you have preservatives like sodium benzoate or potassium sorbate in your cider.

Traditional Apple Pie

Slice of apple pie

I am a fan of what my husband calls nontraditional apples pies: caramel apple pie; apple pie with a brown sugar crumb topping; apple pie with cardamom; and my all time favorite, sour cream apple pie. When I asked my husband what else he wanted done with the apples, I knew the answer would be "apple pie." By apple pie he meant traditional apple pie. I guess I would make my nontraditional pie another day.
The key to a good apple pie is the apples and the crust. I like Johnathan apples or Jonagold for my pies or a mix of apples. More importantly I always try to find locally grown apples, and I am willing to change my apple choice for what is fresh (or frozen from my freezer).  I cannot stand mushy apples in my pie. Yuck! So I steer clear of apples that get mushy when they cook. How do I know which ones to get? Well, I talk with the local farmers and discuss with them this year's harvest and what they suggest. They have never lead me astray.  I am hoping to have my own apples next year (and peaches and blueberries); my adventures in gardening and landscaping could be a whole another blog (unfortunately it would be a comedy).
The Crust

I believe that the more you make crust, the better your crust will be. You will begin to understand how the dough should feel and look and it will become second nature (but you will have missteps as I did below. Missteps are not the end of the world. Your pie will still (most likely) taste good, it just might not be as pretty). I love crust- I love eating raw dough, the scraps of dough baked with a little cinnamon and sugar, and of course the crust on a pie. I think I might like the crust more than the filling.  My favorite is a crust made with lard but I don't use lard anymore. I am amazed that a couple of ingredients can be transformed into something so delightful.

3 Cups (375 g)  of Unbleached Flour
1 Tsp of Salt
3/4 Cup (143 g) of Shortening
6 to 9 Tbsp of Ice Water
1 Egg, Beaten with 1 Tsp of Water (to seal the bottom of the crust and to brush the top of the crust- not needed until you roll the crust out)

Fill a small glass with water and ice. Place the glass of water and a tablespoon next to your workspace.

Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the shortening with either a pastry blender (cut the shortening into the flour), two knives (cut the shortening into the flour), or your fingers (I use my fingers to rub the shortening into the flour).

Ready to cut in the shortening

Do not overwork the dough. You should stop when the largest pieces are about the size of peas. Next add the water by adding 2-3 tablespoons of water and gently mix. Slowly add water (sometimes by tablespoons and towards the end by drops) into the dough until the dough sticks together.

Ball of dough. I should have added a bit more water.

Shape the dough into a ball and divide into two pieces. Gently form the two pieces into flattened round discs. Cover each disc with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least two hours and up to overnight. When you are ready to roll out the dough, take the dough out of the refrigerator and let it sit out (at room temperature) for about 10 minutes before trying to roll it out. (I take the dough out of the refrigerator while I am making the filling.

Note **** Before rolling out the dough, you should have your filling done and ready to go. Also at this point preheat your oven to 450F/232C/Gas Mark 8.

Place the dough on a lightly floured wood surface and roll out from the center of the dough. In a pinch, I have used a floured glass before to roll out my dough but it is a lot easier to use a lightly floured rolling pin.

Place the bottom crust into the pan and gently press it into space.  If you want pretty edges, trim the edges so they are even but leave enough to make a pretty edge. Brush the bottom of the crust with a beaten egg with a little bit of water.

My dough was a little dry and I had to patch the dough on the bottom crust

Roll out the top crust and have it ready. Once it is rolled out, fill the bottom crust with the filling. I always over fill my pie so I have a lumpy pie (I like extra apples in my pie. If you don't want a lumpy pie, put less apples in and have them level with the sides of the pie dish. Place pieces of butter on top of the filling.

Ready for the top crust

Place the top crust on top of the filling and make your edge. I make mine by pinching the dough together. (I have never been known to have pretty pie edges).

Finally, brush the top of the crust with the egg water mixture and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Cut a couple of vents into the pie so the hot air can escape.

Bake for 10 minutes at 450F/232C/Gas Mark 8 and then lower to 350F/176C/Gas Mark 4 and bake for an additional 40 minutes. The pie should be golden brown. If your pie crust is getting too brown, cover the edges with foil.

Filling

Please modify this recipe based on the sweetness/tartness of your apples. I like to add the sugar and the spices a bit at a time and taste the filling to get it just right.


1 Tbsp of Lemon Juice
1 Tsp of Brandy (Optional)
1 Tbsp of Unbleached Flour
1 Tsp of Cinnamon
1/4 Tsp of Nutmeg or Allspice
1/4 Cup to 1/2 Cup (50 g to 100g) of White Sugar
1/4 Cup to 1/2 Cup (55g to 109g) of Light Brown Sugar, Packed
2 Tbsp of Butter (To put on top of filling)
Cinnamon Sugar (To sprinkle on the top of the pie)

Combine the apples with the lemon juice and the brandy. Add half of the spices and sugar and all of the flour.

Apple pie filling

Taste an apple and add more spices and sugar, if necessary.

Freshly baked apple pie

The bottom line: will I make this again? Yes, but my next apple pie will be a nontraditional pie.

Applesauce

Finished apple sauce

My daughter, Katie, used to love applesauce. I don't know what happened but applesauce has fallen out of favor. I love applesauce, especially with potato pancakes. I am hoping that Katie will like homemade applesauce. I will even serve it with potato pancakes. With my luck she will decide she no longer likes potato pancakes. Wait... that is not necessarily a bad thing. That means more for me.
Since we are rich in apples, I decided to make enough to can. The toughest part about applesauce is deciding what spices to use. The rest is really easy.  My family loves cinnamon so I made our applesauce with lots of cinnamon (that was the no-brainer part).  I decided to use the leftover dip from the dehydrated apples for the apple sauce.

This mixtures makes the apple sauce

Left Over Dipping Sauce from Honey Cinnamon Apples (1 Tbsp of Cinnamon, 2 Tbsp Lemon Juice, 1/2 Cup of Honey, 2 Cups of Water)
6 Apples, Cored and Sliced

Dump the apples and the dipping sauce into a saucepan and heat on low until apples are tender. I cook mine for about an hour. There should not be much liquid remaining in the saucepan.

Cooking the apples

Cool slightly and process through a food mill or in a food processor or mash with a fork.

In the food processor

Since I keep the skins on my apples (I think the skins add a lot of flavor), I process mine in a food processor. That's it! Easy, easy, easy!

The bottom line: Will I make this again? Yes, it is wonderful! I froze some for this winter. I am going to have it with my potato pancakes.

Honey Cinnamon Apples

I love my apple peeler

Did I mention that I have a lot of apples? I do. I made apple butter for Steven and then I made dehydrated apples for me. Dehydrated apples are brilliant; they are tasty and keep for a long time (not that they last long enough for me to find out). I have an old fashioned apple peeler, corer, and slicer which cuts the work in half.

Honey Cinnamon Apples
6 Apples, Peeled, Cored, and Sliced
2 Cups of Water
2 Tbsp of Lemon Juice
1/2 Cup of Honey
1 Tbsp of Cinnamon

Whisk together water, lemon juice, honey, and cinnamon in a bowl.

Yummy dipping sauce (there will be a lot left over so I use it for apple sauce)

Dip apple slices in the bowl and lay in a single layer on a dehydrator (or a cookie sheet).

Apples in the dehydrator

The time necessary for dehydration depends on how thick your apple slices are so check every so often. Turn dehydrator on and dehydrate for 12-24 hours until apple slices are leathery but still flexible. If you are using the oven, place the apples on cookie sheets and dehydrate at 150F/65C/ Gas Mark 1 for 10-20 hours or until the apple slices are leathery but still flexible. If you are using the oven, move the trays around and flip the apple slices periodically.
Save the left over dipping sauce for homemade applesauce.

How could I say no to this face?

The bottom line: Will I make this again? Yes! We were opening the dehydrator eating these before they were even done. So easy and so good and they make the house smell divine.