Recipe: Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream

There’s no better way to celebrate a scorching hot 4th of July than with a fresh batch of homemade ice cream…..which is exactly what we did yesterday! I’ve had several friends request this recipe that I’m sharing with you today. You may be getting this a little too late to include in your 4th of July celebrations, but lucky for you, July is National Ice Cream Month! I seriously need to hug whoever thought that one up. 🙂 Ice cream is my number one weakness of all time. I eat it almost everyday – at least once!

This recipe comes from a cookbook by Thomas R. Quinn called “Old-Fashioned Homemade Ice Cream”. My mom picked this up for me at an Amish store in Holmes County, OH a couple of years ago. These recipes are simply the BEST homemade ice creams that I’ve ever had in my life. Leftovers freeze amazingly well (anybody ever had the kind that turns hard as a rock when frozen in the freezer?) and scoop out just like store-bought ice cream.

If you try it, please let me know how much you loved it. 🙂

Strawberry Ice Cream

• 2 2/3 cups granulated sugar
• 4 eggs
• pinch of salt
• 3 cups whipping cream
• 3 cups mashed, sweetened strawberries (about 1/4 cup of sugar will sweeten berries) OR you can use thawed, pre-sweetened strawberries from the freezer section of your grocery
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (not necessary if you use pre-sweetened strawberries from the freezer section)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• whole milk as needed (about 5 cups)

In a large pan combine the sugar, eggs, and salt. Add the whipping cream and cook the mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly to avoid scorching. Remove from heat when the mixture coats the back of a spoon (about 180 degrees). Refrigerate. When cool, add the vanilla.

If using fresh strawberries, either dice strawberries into very small pieces or slice and mash them. Add the lemon juice and enough sugar to sweeten (about 1/4 cup). Refrigerate at least 1 hour to allow the sugar to blend with the strawberries.

When ready to freeze ice cream, add the strawberries to the cream-sugar-egg mixture. Pour into an ice cream freezing can and add whole milk to bring the mixture up to 3/4 full. Freeze in a home ice cream freezer. Makes about one gallon.

Note: I use a 6 qt White Mountain ice cream freezer so I don’t fill to 3/4 full because this recipe is written for a 4 qt freezer. Also, I used raw milk from our cows which has a bit higher fat content than “whole milk” so I used 2 1/2 cups of whipping cream and  5 1/2 cups milk to compensate. In addition, I added the milk at same time I added the cream and cooked to 180 degrees. This is not necessary to do – I’ve made it both ways – BUT I felt this may have given the ice cream an ever creamier texture.

Recipe: Sour Cream Cookies

I had the pleasure of making cookies for my future sister-in-law’s wedding shower last Saturday. When I make cookies like this I tend to get VERY detailed. Ha ha! I had always wanted to make some cutesy cookies like this. The cookie cutters were just too adorable!

I have used the same cut-out cookie recipe my whole life! When you find a great recipe, no point in changing! The sour cream and nutmeg just add a very special element to the cookies.

Sour Cream Cookies
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 2/3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 cup sour cream

Heat oven to 425F. Mix shortening, margarine, sugar, egg, and vanilla. Stir in remaining ingredients. Divide dough into 3 equal parts. Roll each part 1/4 inch thick on lightly floured surface. Cut with 2-inch cookie cutter. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until no imprint remains when touched lightly, 4 – 8 minutes. Makes about 6 dozen cookies.

 

 

Cookies with Mom

Saturday I had the opportunity to help my mom decorate some Valentine cookies for her adult Sunday School class. It was a blast! She found a new icing recipe that dried shiny and tasted fabulous. The colors turned out so vibrant and beautiful. Baking and decorating cookies is one of my favorite things to do, but SO time-consuming. If my mom hadn’t baked the cookies the day before we would have been decorating until midnight!

My talented and beautiful mother writing on the cookies.

They were soooo pretty! I’m glad there were enough for me to eat a few. 🙂

 

Gingerbread and Chocolate Pudding

One of our favorite desserts growing up was what we called “Gingerbread and Chocolate Pudding”. My dad especially LOVES it. In fact, I think he thought of the idea in the first place! I know it’s an unusual combination, and may even sound gross, but I assure you, it is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.

I remember the first time I mentioned it to my hubby, Matt, he thought it sounded terrible. He changed his mind as soon as he tried it! Now a couple of years into our marriage it warmed my heart to have him request that I make this dessert for him last weekend. I won him over!

The best part is, this is a very easy dessert – both the gingerbread and pudding come from box mixes. There is something so homey and delicious about this combo. It is a must-try in my opinion!

Gingerbread and Chocolate Pudding

• 1 box mix of gingerbread cake (we use Betty Crocker)
• 1 large box chocolate pudding (NOT instant. You need the cook kind so that you can serve it warm.)

Prepare and bake the gingerbread according to the box directions. Remove from oven to cool.

Prepare chocolate pudding according to box directions. Let cool slightly then serve warm poured over pieces of gingerbread cake.

I would love to know if anyone has ever heard of or tried this dessert before. Anyone? Thanks for reading and taking time to comment!

Cupcakes for a Cause

Last Saturday I had the opportunity to make some cupcakes and donate them to a local cake auction supporting Teen Challenge, a home for troubled young men and women. I was a little short on time so I decided to make cupcakes as opposed to a layer cake. I had been inspired by a pin I saw on Pinterest and knew exactly how I wanted to decorate them (my decorating inspiration was actually used on a layer cake, but it worked on my cupcakes quite nicely as well!!!) They look gorgeous and were really not that hard – you don’t even need any special decorating bags or tips!

Berry Almond Flower Cupcakes

I used a Pillsbury white cake mix for my cupcakes. I considered making the cake from scratch, but I figured that a time crunch wasn’t a good time to start experimenting with cake recipes! 🙂

You could use a store-bought frosting if you wish to speed things up, but I chose to make a  half batch of my mom’s Almond Butter Cream Icing to frost the cupcakes with. I knew the almond flavor in the icing would be a perfect complement to those almond slices on top!

Berry Almond Flower Cupcakes

24 Cupcakes

Raspberries

Blackberries or Blueberries

Almond Slices

Almond Butter Cream Frosting:
1/2 cup Crisco solid vegetable shortening
1 tsp. almond extract
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
1 – 2 Tbsp. milk

• Make cupcakes according to your recipe or box mix directions.
• Wash berries and lay and paper towels to dry.

TO MAKE FROSTING:

1. Put shortening and  almond and vanilla extracts in mixing bowl. Cream together.
2. Add powdered sugar by spoonfuls to mixture.
3. Add milk and beat well (I used the wire whip attachment on my stand mixer to acheive a slightly lighter texture.)

DECORATE:

1. Frost cooled cupcakes (this recipe doesn’t allow for an excessive amount of frosting on each cupcake. If you like more frosting you may want to double the recipe).
2. Place a berry in the center of each cupcake.
3. Place almond slices around each berry to create a “flower” (as pictured).

You can also use blueberries instead of blackberries like my inspiration pin used. I just chose blackberries because hubby likes them better. 🙂 Super easy and beautiful!