M and M Oatmeal Cookie Ice Cream

I made this Oatmeal Cookie Ice Cream from Chocolate Covered Katie.  The recipe suggests using raisins, but I'm not a fan of raisins so I used 1/3 c M and M's.

How in the world do they make M and M ice cream that doesn't wind up puce colored?  Because it's homemade ice cream, it always winds up rock hard. So, you've got to either let the ice cream sit and thaw on the counter or nuke it a bit on defrost before you can scoop it.   If you don't you'll end up with a broken spoon or ice cream container.  Not that I've learned from experience or anything.

When you let ice cream with M and M's sit out, the color melts off the candies.  And they bleed.  Leaving you with a hot mess of ice cream.

Not unlike our friend here.

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It's not a pretty sight. 

Ack!  I wasn't going to show you that.  And this was the GOOD picture.  From the first day that I made it.  By the third time it had thawed and refroze...shudder...well let's just say I ate it with my eyes closed.

Luckily, the ice cream was tasty!  I made it with unsweetened almond milk.  Not cause I'm against milk or anything.  I love milk.  Dairy does not love me.  I can only consume a small amount and I choose to eat that in cheese.  (Cheese makes the world go round!  Anyone else ever sing that song?) I can make my own non dairy ice cream, but it's a lot harder to make my own non dairy blue cheese.

I think this tastes just like an oatmeal cookie in ice cream form.  I'd love to ramp this up next time by adding oatmeal cookie dough pieces too it.   I'd also leave the M and M's out to avoid the disgusting color swirls.

Oatmeal Cookie Ice Cream from Chocolate Covered Katie
2 2/3 c milk of choice, or creamer
1/3 c oat flour ( grind rolled oats to powder in a food processor. Measure after blending.)
 1/2 t salt
1/4 t baking soda (for flavor; can be omitted)
1/2 t cinnamon
1/3 c raisins (or other add in just beware that your M and M's will bleed)
1/2 c brown sugar
 3 T sugar
2 T “butter” (Dairy or non dairy)
1 t vanilla

Combine all ingredients except vanilla (Do include raisins, but not M & Ms or they will melt), Nuke 3 1/2 min, stir, and nuke another 2 min. Add vanilla.  Chill in fridge til cold again (about 4 hrs). Pour into ice cream maker and churn per manufacture instructions.  Transfer to an airtight container. (Fold in M and M's at this point if using.) Freeze for about an hour.  If you choose to freeze this longer than an hour, it will be very hard and you will need to let it defrost for a bit before servin.

Baked Rigatoni

This Baked Rigatoni from Real Mom Kitchen totally blew my mind.  It was so awesome! 

Although, it nearly almost wasn't. 

I kept spilling things on the floor and counter.  The ingredients for the roux, the roux itself, noodles, etc.  Then I pulled it out of the oven 10 seconds before burning the cheese on top.

 Yeah I almost nearly burnt that bad boy.  And it wasn't even because I wasn't paying attention. The oven must have been running hot that day because I followed the recipe exactly.


Luckily my clumsiness didn't ruin the dinner.

 I made two minor changes to this recipe.  Instead of using mozzarella, I used Italian Blend pre shredded cheese.  Then I added peas.  I love how it gave the dish some color, and I didn't have to mess around with figuring out any side dishes for our meal.

And the absolute best part of the dish?  The leftovers tasted just as awesome as they did the first time around.  Everyone WANTED to eat this the second time around.  That's what I call winning!

Baked Rigatoni adapted from Real Mom Kitchen
1 pkg (16 oz) rigatoni pasta ( I used penne)
1/2 c butter
1/2 c flour
1 qt milk (4 cups) (I used skim)
2 c grated mozzarella cheese (I used Italian blend)
about 1/2 lb thinly sliced ham (I used 1/2 lb leftover cubed ham)
seasonings (onion salt, pepper, cayenne pepper - just eyeball the amt)
1-2 c froz peas
small pads of butter for top (I used tiny squares of 2T butter)

Preheat oven to 425 F. Melt butter over med heat and start water boiling for pasta. Once butter's melted, whisk in flour. Add your milk to make the roux. Stir til sauce thick enough to coat back of  spoon. When water boils,  cook pasta to al dente. . When white sauce is done, add seasoning, ham, and 1 c cheese. stir well, to melt cheese. Drain pasta and add to sauce. Add 1-2 c frozen peas.  Pour mixture into a greased 9×13 pan, smooth top and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Dot top with butter bits. Bake 25 min, til top bubbly and brown. (To make ahead of time and freeze: cool completely after pouring in pan, then add cheese and butter. Cover securely and freeze.  If cooking from freezer, add 30 minutes  to the cooking time, and check the center before serving.

Ham and Veggie Cobbler

Originally this dish was called broccoli cobbler.  I found it over at the blog Half Baked Harvest. I really messed with this recipe.  I added loads of other veggies, reduced the amount of canned soup, and added ham! 

The whole family really enjoyed this dish.  The only bad thing about it was the broccoli.  The dish fed the three of us for two meals, with one more leftover.  No one wanted to eat it because the broccoli had gotten stinky sitting in the fridge for several days.  To avoid wasting food, the next time I make this I will leave the broccoli out all together and replace it with  other mixed veggies.

I really hated to toss the odoriferous leftovers. The cheddar biscuit topping was amazing.  It was even better than the topping on the crumble pot pie.

The cheese made the topping all crispy.  I just love crispy cheese.  OK.  So I know the photos make the topping look burnt.  My camera does that.  I blame the horrible lighting in my kitchen.  The topping is deep golden brown.

Ham and Veggie Cobbler adapted from Half Baked Harvest
Filling:
1 can  Cream of Garlic and Mushroom soup
2oz softened cream cheese
3 c broccoli florets, fresh (about 2-3 heads) or frozen (or replace with veggies of your choice)
2c ham
1/2 c grated cheddar cheese (I used a 3 cheddar blend from Kraft)
1/2 t black pepper
1/2 diced carrots
1 1/2 c corn (I used frozen)
1/2 c peas (I used frozen)

Cheddar Drop Biscuits:
2 c flour
1 T baking powder
1/4 t baking soda (I forgot this)
1/2 t salt
1/2 c butter (1 stick), cold
1 c grated cheddar cheese, and 1/4 c more for topping
1/2 c plus 2 T buttermilk, cold and shaken (I used buttermilk powder combined with skim milk)
1 egg, cold
Freshly ground pepper for topping

Preheat the oven to 400F. In a large bowl, add soup and cream cheese. Mix until combined. Fold in ham, veggies, cheese, and black pepper. Add to greased 8x12 baking pan. Set aside and prepare biscuits. Add dry ingredients to med bowl: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and mix. Using a box grater, grate cold butter into flour mix. Stick bowl in freezer for 5 min. Meanwhile, combine  buttermilk and egg. Remove bowl from freezer. Gently break up butter and combine with flour, using hands, until it resembles small peas. Next, add cheese and combine until evenly mixed. Add  buttermilk mix all at once and mix until barely combined; lightly knead dough until it forms one solid mass. Drop 6-8 mounds of dough onto surface casserole. Top with cheese. Top each biscuit with black pepper. Bake 40-45 min. Biscuits will be golden brown and the sauce will be bubbly.  (This dish can be made up to 3 days ahead of time. cover and chill until ready to use. Bake as directed.)

Gingerbread Scones

I made Gingerbread scones from Heritage Schoolhouse these back in April when we had that long run of rainy days. 

Woah.  I don't think scones are supposed to spread out that much.

I think maybe the butter was too warm, or I worked them too much?  I thought I was gentle so I'm going to go with the butter not being cold enough.

They may have looked bizarre, but they tasted wonderful.  They reminded me of those huge cakey gingerbread men you can buy at fancy bakeries over Christmas time.   Normally I'm a on team crispy when it comes to ginger cookies.  These scones were so amazing that now I'm not so sure anymore.

For the sake of science, I will have to make these again.  I think if I pulse the ingredients in a food processor the won't be exposed to as much heat from my hands.  I also wonder if these scones weren't supposed to be divided into 2 disks, then cut into 8 scones for a total of 16 scones.  The scones were almost as big as my whole hand.  I thought scones were more regular cookie size.  I'll probably have to give the smaller scones a test drive too.  Oh the things we have to do in the name of science!

Gingerbread Scones from Heritage Schoolhouse
2 c flour
3 T brown sugar
2 t baking powder
1 t ground ginger
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 c cold butter
1/3 c molasses
1/4 c milk
1 egg, separated
sugar for sprinkling on top

Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, ginger, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Cut in butter until resembles coarse crumbs; set aside. Combine molasses, milk and egg yolk in separate bowl; add to flour mix just til moistened. Turn dough onto floured surface; knead gently 6-8 times. Pat into an 8" circle; cut into 8 wedges and place 1" apart on a greased or parchment covered baking sheet. Beat egg white until frothy; brush over scones. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake 400F for 12-15 min til golden brown. Remove from pan to wire rack to cool.  They taste great warm or room temp.  Store in air tight container

Cheesy Potatoes

No, not this sort of cheesy potato.

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Shredded potatoes mixed with cheese that gets baked in the oven.

My mom makes the best cheesy potatoes.  

The best cheesy potatoes that I do NOT have the recipe for.  

Oh sure I've watched her make them a million times, but other than cream, cheese and shredded potatoes, I have no clue how she makes them.

I wanted to have this recipe with dinner one night over the week and it was grocery day.  

For some reason I thought that recipe would magically fall into my lap.  

My mom was at work and I knew she didn't have access to the recipe in question.  

I didn't want to wait any longer to go to the grocery store, so I called to the internets for assistance.

This recipe for Potatoes Romanoff from Tasty Kitchen seemed quite similar.  

It did call for sour cream instead of cream, so it wasn't exactly the same.  

Still, it was creamy cheesy potato-y goodness. 

You can't hardly go wrong with that.  It really hit the spot.

Potatoes Romanoff via Tasty Kitchen
3 Large Russet Potatoes, Unpeeled
¾ c Minced Shallots (I used a small onion and 2 cloves of garlic, minced)
2-½ c Grated White Cheddar Cheese, Divided
2 t Kosher Salt
¼ t Freshly Ground Pepper
1-½ c Sour Cream

Preheat oven to 425 F. Stab potatoes to vent and bake 50 min until done.  Cool potatoes to room temp and place in fridge overnight. Grate chilled potatoes, including skins.  (This is quickest if you use a food processor.  Just make sure you use the grating blade and not the slicing blade.  That doesn't make things quicker.  Not that I would know or anything.) Combine potatoes, shallots, 1 3/4 c cheese, salt, and pepper in a bowl.  Toss gently with hands.  Fold in Sour Cream. Place in 1 1/2 qt gratin dish, don't press.  You want the potatoes in there gently with room to breathe.   Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.  Bake 350 F til top golden brown, 30 min. Serves 6.


Next time I make this I think I will saute the onions and garlic/shallots before adding to the potatoes.  I will also try a thin coating of bread crumbs sprinkled on top as well.

Microwave Vanilla Cake for One, With Frosting!

I'm always on the look out for desserts for one, particularly ones that can go in the microwave.  I thought that once I had a family, individual serving desserts would go out the window.  Maybe if I had a huge family, or if I didn't have a  major dessert addiction.   Right now, if I make a huge dessert for the family over the weekend, I'm home during the week...
Alone.
With the rest of the dessert.

Since I can't seem to resist having a little something sweet mid day, and I don't want to buy an entire new wardrobe, individual serving desserts set a limit of how much I can eat.

Now, don't get me wrong, I don't have these individual desserts every day.  Sometimes a piece of chocolate will sate my sweet tooth.  For days when that just wont cut it I like to have choices.

My favorites so far are: Chocolate brownie, Coffee cake and Maple Oatmeal cookie.   I usually have all the ingredients on hand, and they don't take much effort to whip together.  Still, I'm always on the look out for the next best thing.

I think I may have found it with Chocolate covered Katie's vanilla cupcake for one .Did I mention that you can top it with Chocolate peanut butter frosting?

This recipe does require you to dirty up two bowls.  No biggie though. You get to lick the frosting bowl after you are done, so that makes it worth your time and effort.

As you can see, this recipe makes  more than one serving of frosting.  I was able to frost two mini cakes and have enough to spread the rest on top of a few graham crackers.   The single serving of cake was enough to satisfy my cravings enough so I didn't want to eat all the frosting in one sitting.

In case you were curious, the photo above shows an uncooked version of the cake.  This particular cake I forgot to add baking powder. So, as you can see in the photo below, the cake didn't rise very much.  I've since made this cake correctly and if you cook it in the microwave it rises quite a bit, but be aware that it will fall once it cools.  If you want to avoid this, bake it in the oven as suggested in the original recipe.  I don't know about you, but I can't wait for my oven to preheat on most afternoons.  Besides, it seems like a waste of energy to heat up a whole big oven for one tiny little dessert.

And here's the finished product.  Yum! And the best part, I don't have to share! ;)


Single Lady Cupcake (makes just one cupcake)from Chocolate Covered Katie
3 T flour
heaping 1/16th tsp salt
1 T applesauce, oil, or pre-melted margarine
1 T plus 1 t liquid (milk of choice or water)
1/4 t vanilla
1/4 t baking powder
1-1 1/2 T sugar

Preheat oven to 330F. Mix ingredients in small oven proof dish like a ramekin.Bake 12-15 min. Or nuke 50 sec in microwave (OR until cake is cooked through to your liking. I like my microwaved cakes on the gooey side.) (Don't be like me and forget the baking powder the first time you make this.  Your cake will still be delish, but won't rise.)

Reeses Pieces Frosting (makes about 1/2 c) from Chocolate Covered Katie
1/4 c peanut butter
2T + 1 t maple syrup (I used the fake stuff)
2 T cocoa powder
1 T milk
3/4 t vanilla
handful of chocolate chips (the “pieces”) (I chopped up 6 dark choc kisses because underwear gnomes stole all my chocolate chips)

Blend everything (including chips) in sm food processor/Magic Bullet. (I didn't feel like scrubbing my processor so mixed things by hand and it worked out just fine.) Store uneaten frosting covered in fridge.

Light as Air Waffles

Have you ever seen those commercials for the Three Musketeer candy bar? You know the one where the candy bar is so light it floats up into the air?



These waffles from Buns in my oven remind me of that. They were so light and fluffy I thought they were going to soar right off my plate.

It's the added step of beating the egg white and incorporating it into the batter at the end that makes the batter seem weightless.   I think it's this lightness that allows for the exterior of the waffle to crisp up so nicely.

To me, the perfect waffle is crispy on the outside, without being burnt, and fluffy on the inside.  Technically, this should fall in the category of a perfect waffle.  Sadly, I think it misses the mark.

The waffle is almost too light and airy.  Normally, I'm a two waffle sort of girl.  Maybe 2 and a half if I'm really hungry.  I ate 3 and a half and I was STILL hungry.  Blockette ate 3 and a half as well and she was still hungry too.  The recipe only made seven waffles.  Ugh.  We even ate a bunch of fruit too.  Strawberries AND peaches.  Luckily I had some popcorn in the pantry.  We each had a bowl and we finally felt satisfied.

While the waffles were tasty with an awesome crispy exterior, I don't think I'll make them again.  I don't like to put the effort into cooking a meal and not feel full after eating it.

Lighter as Air Waffles from Buns In My Oven

3/4 c flour
1/4 c cornstarch
1/2 t salt
1/2 t t cinnamon
1/8 t nutmeg
1/2 t  baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
3/4 c buttermilk
1/4 c milk
6 T vegetable oil
1 egg, separated
1 T sugar
1/2 t vanilla

Oven to 200°F and heat waffle iron. Mix flour, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, and baking soda in med bowl. Measure buttermilk, milk, and oil in measuring cup and add egg yolk. Set aside. In another bowl, beat egg white almost to soft peaks. Sprinkle in sugar and continue to beat until peaks firm and glossy. Beat in vanilla. Pour buttermilk mixture into dry ingredients. Whisk til just mixed. Drop whipped egg white onto  batter in dollops. Fold in til incorporated. Pour batter onto hot waffle iron. Cook til waffle is crisp and brown.Set waffle directly on the oven rack to keep warm and crisp. Repeat with remaining batter, holding the waffles in the oven (don't stack). When all waffles cooked, serve immediately.