Homemade Ice Cream - Cookies & Cream Ice Cream

In my house we can't have Easter without Homemade Ice Cream.  My mom has made Homemade Ice Cream since the beginning of time!

I have such fond memories of Easter...all the Easter Egg Hunts, the games, lots of friends, the Easter Egg Hunts...oops!

So every year my mom would have an Easter dinner, and homemade ice cream!  She usually made vanilla cause that is her favorite.  Remember those old time ice cream makers?  With the hand crank?  I used to have to sit on ours just to keep it down in the ice and salt...LOL!

I kinda like to mix things up now and then.  So I took a poll and my sister, Sue, suggested that I made Cookies & Cream.  One of my favorites!

This is a sugar-free ice cream.  Trying to cut the carbs you know.  But you can make the full sugar, full fat...whatever version your little heart desires.  Ice cream is to die for!  Especially homemade...it has that, that...je ne se qua.

So I didn't do a step by step for this, sorry.  But it's easy to put together.  You HAVE to try this..if you've never had homemade ice cream...this needs to be on your list of things to do before...Indulge, Indulge, Indulge!

 

Cookies & Cream Ice Cream

1 ½ c 2% milk

1 1/8 c splenda

3 c half & half

1 T pure vanilla

15 Sugar-free Oreos, crushed

Place milk and Splenda in a boil.  Using a hand mixer, mix until Splenda is dissolved, about 3 min.

Add the half & half, and vanilla.

Pour the mixture into the ice cream machine.  Follow the directions of your ice cream maker.  Add crushed Oreos during the last 5 minutes of the churning.

Remove to container and place in freezer to set up.

Chicken Guacamole Salad

Everyone ready to have a picnic to celebrate Earth Day?

I am...

And to celebrate I'm going to make my Chicken Guacamole Salad!  It's a different take on your regular everyday chicken salad....it has Latin influences!

Living in Los Angeles I've grown up with Mexican food.  I love it, my family loves it...so much though that when they come to visit from Tennessee they always want to go eat Mexican food!  While this is not an authentic Mexican dish, you get the wonderful flavors regardless.

This dish is perfect for the spring weather and a picnic.  It packs well, can be made ahead, and tastes soooo good!

Hope you try this and let me know what you think.

You will need:  boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chicken broth, water, avocado, tomatoes, cilantro, red onion, jalapeno, sour cream, lime juice, and pita bread.

Bring your chicken broth and water to a boil in a good sized saucepan.  Big enough to hold your chicken breasts.

Add the chicken, reduce heat and simmer for about 20 min. until chicken is cooked.  This is a poaching technique!

Remove the chicken to a cutting board and allow to cool about 10 min. 

Then cut your chicken in to bite sized cubes.

Meanwhile, cut your tomato and onion.  Chop your jalapeno, removing the ribs, and chop your cilantro.

When the chicken is cool, cut your avocado and dice them.  You don't want them to turn brown, so leave this for last.

Place all your ingredients in to a bowl, including the chicken. 
Add sour cream and lime juice.

Mix to incorporate all ingredients and to coat with the sour cream.

Add salt & pepper to taste.

Now take your pita bread and toast it in a hot skillet.  About 30 seconds on each side should do it.

Top your pita with your chicken salad and your ready to eat! It's an open faced salad...but you can open the pita pockets and stuff the chicken salad inside if you wish.

Doesn't this look refreshing and like spring!  YUM!

Let me know what you are planning for Earth Day!

Chicken Guacamole Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 14.5 oz can low sodium chicken broth

2 c water

2 medium avocados, cubed

½ small red onion, diced finely

2 Roma tomatoes, diced

1 jalapeno, finely diced

2 T cilantro, chopped

4 T sour cream

2 T lime juice

salt & pepper

4 Pita bread

Directions:

In a saucepan bring chicken broth and water to a boil.  Add chicken and simmer on low until cooked, about 20 minutes.  Remove chicken to cool.  Once cool, cut in to cubes.

Meanwhile, dice your onion, tomatoes, and jalapeno.  Chop your cilantro.  When chicken is cool, cube your avocado.  You don’t want this to brown.

Add chicken and all your chopped vegetables and herbs to a bowl.  Add sour cream and lime juice.  Stir to coat.  Add salt and pepper to your liking.

Toast your pita bread in a hot skillet about 30 sec on each side.  Divide the chicken guacamole salad between the 4 pita breads, placing it on top of the open faced pita.

Chicken Parmesan

I love Italian food.  I warms my soul.  It yummy "saucyness", and spicy, hot, tomato-i-ness.  Love it!


Here's my take on Chicken Parmesan.


This is a little different version than your normal Chicken Parmesan in the fact that I use something special for the breading.  Ritz crackers!  Yes, that's right RITZ!


Soft buttery, nutty flavor!  This makes a great breading!  Try it out.

Pound chicken breasts to 1/4” thickness. (You can do this between sheets of plastic wrap.)

Combine cracker crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning in a pie plate.

Beat an egg in another pie plate.  Dip the chicken in it.

Then dredge them in the crumb mixture until evenly coated.

Heat butter in a large skillet.  Add your chicken and cook 3-4 minutes per side.  You want this golden brown and make sure it's done.  

Pour marinara sauce over chicken.

Top with mozzarella cheese.

Cover and simmer about 3 min. 

Plate and be sure to spoon some sauce over the top!  I served ours with some spinach ravioli tossed in the same marinara sauce.

Wow...hungry??  MGG and I are about to eat this up!

Chicken Parmesan

10 Ritz crackers, crushed

3 T fresh Parmesan cheese, grated

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 egg, beaten

4 boneless chicken breasts

2 T. butter

1 ½ cup tomato basil marinara sauce

1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

Pound chicken breasts to 1/4” thickness.

Combine cracker crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning in a pie plate. Lightly beat egg in a separate pie plate. Dip chicken in egg, then roll in crumb mixture until evenly coated.

Heat butter in a large skillet.  Add chicken and cook until golden brown and cooked all the way through.  About 3-4 minutes per side.

Pour marinara sauce over chicken and top with mozzarella cheese.  Cover and simmer until cheese melts and sauce is hot.  About 3 min.

Roasting 101: Chicken Breasts

Yum

Roasting is a cooking method that uses dry heat such as your oven and is a slower method of cooking that browns the meat through carmelization.  It's suited to larger cuts of meat as well as vegetables.  In the oven the hot air circulates cooking all sides evenly producing tender juicy meats. 

Roasting bone-in chicken breasts is an easy way to get dinner on the table with little fuss.  It's also a good way to cook chicken to use in another dish such as chicken salad, enchiladas, salads etc.

This technique is so simple to master and produces great results.  I use this method all the time and I just love the chicken cooked this way!

Here's my take on roasting bone-in, skin on, chicken breasts. 

On a foil lined baking sheet place your chicken breasts.  Salt and pepper the breasts and drizzle some good extra virgin olive oil over the top of each breast.  That's it!  This is chicken at it's purest.  You really don't need fancy herbs to arrive at great flavor, but you can if you want.  The olive oil gives this really good flavor.

Place chicken in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees, and cook for about 30-40 minutes depending on the size of the breasts. 

See how the olive oil turns the skin nice and brown and crispy?

The chicken is done when the juices run clear or the internal temp reaches 160 degrees.

See how juicy this is?? Wow, this is good stuff!
A little mashed potatoes, a green vegetable and dinner is served!  What's your favorite side dish to go with chicken?

Enjoy!




Roasted Chicken Breasts

1 bone-in skin on chicken breast per person
Extra virgin Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put chicken on a foil lined baking sheet.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Drizzle olive oil over the breasts.

Place in oven and cook for 30-40 min.  Chicken is done when juice run clear and internal temp reaches 160 degrees.  Outside should be brown and crispy.

Cottage Cheese Pancakes with a Blueberry Compote

Does anyone like cottage cheese?  Well I found an interesting use of cottage cheese...pancakes.

Yep, I said pancakes!

So I thought to myself, hmmm would this be good?  It might be healthier, definitely lower in fat, maybe a little tangy.  But would they taste good?

So I had to find out!  They were light and a little tangy, quite yummy in fact.  Now the compote? Blueberry...to die for!  Worth making just for the fun of it...and you can put the leftovers on ice cream.  We put them on our parfait the next day....excellent!

So let's make cottage cheese pancakes...oh and don't forget the blueberry compote!

You will need:  fresh or frozen blueberries, lemon juice, Splenda, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, low-fat cottage cheese, low-fat milk, egg whites, and canola oil.

To make the compote you will need to add the blueberries, lemon juice, and 1 T. Splenda to a medium pot over medium high heat. 

Bring to a boil, and then reduce and simmer for about 5 min, until it gets thick.  Stir occasionally to bring out the juices.

Yummy!

Pour this in to a serving container and set aside.

So now mix together your dry ingredients in a medium bowl.  The flour, baking powder and soda, remaining sugar, and salt.

  

In another bowl, mix together the cottage cheese, milk, and eggs.  Whisk together. 

Add cottage cheese mixture to the flour mixture.

Heat oil in a skillet (over medium heat) and pour batter, about 1/4 cup each, and cook until pancakes bubble.  (you can see the cottage curds...)

Turn over and cook the other side until golden brown and cooked through.

Plate and serve with the warm blueberry compote.

 

 

See how pretty! WOW!

Cottage Cheese Pancakes with a Blueberry Compote

 adapted from Eating Light Magazine

Ingredients:

1 cup frozen blueberries

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

2 Tbsp Splenda

1⁄2 cup flour

1⁄4 tsp baking powder

1⁄8 tsp baking soda

Pinch of salt

1⁄2 cup low-fat cottage cheese

1⁄4 cup low-fat milk

2 large eggs

1 tsp canola oil

In a small saucepan, combine the blueberries, lemon juice and 1 Tbsp of the sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and syrupy, 5 to 6 minutes; set aside.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, remaining Tbsp sugar and a pinch of salt.

In a second bowl, whisk together the cottage cheese, milk and eggs.   Add the cottage cheese mixture to the flour mixture and mix until fully incorporated.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. In two batches, drop large spoonfuls (about 1/4 cup each) of the batter into the skillet and cook until bubbles begin to appear in the center. Flip the pancakes and cook 1 minute more; repeat with the remaining batter. Serve with the blueberry compote.

Earth Day - Picnic for the Planet

What a great idea!  We should always celebrate the beautiful earth but this idea of a world picnic day is just amazing!  I'll be having a picnic with some friends and family.  What do you think?  Will you be having one too?

This Earth Day, celebrate the planet we live on with great people and good food. Choose a favorite outdoor location, round up some friends and take the planet out to lunch!

Sign up for your local Meetup and collaborate here with other attendees to figure out a location and what kind of picnic you want to have in your neighborhood.

We're partial to picnics, but potlucks rule too. Or maybe there's a community garden you can enjoy together? Whatever the Meetup, get the conversation going now and start planning!
Find more details and ideas at http://earthday.nature.org/about/