Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream

Oh so creamy and sweet this Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream is full of chunks of fresh strawberries and will cool you down all summer long!

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We can't go through summer without making some type of homemade ice cream.  It's just been a family tradition for decades.

Remember those old ice cream maker that had all the rock salt around it, in a wooden bucket.  You know the ones you had to churn by hand with the handle on the side?  Yep! That's what we had and we all took turns churning that ice cream.  So much work, but the payoff was tremendous!  That ice cream was the best I've ever eaten.  So creamy and sweet, it was like heaven in a tub!

Nowadays, with the invention of some really nifty electric ice cream makers we can have a wonderful soft serve ice cream in about 20 minutes.  Boy how times have changed!

I've made many flavors of ice cream over the years such as this Old Fashioned Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and this Banana Pudding Ice Cream but today we are going to make a summer favorite.

HOMEMADE STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM

This is a quick and easy no-egg and no-cook ice cream that is simple to throw together and it tastes so fresh and summery with nice chunks of fruit in the creamy base.  I love chunks of strawberries in my ice cream so mashed up some of the cut strawberries slightly to keep is chunky.  If you prefer a smoother ice cream you can puree the strawberries in a blender instead.

I use this ice cream maker, and it is a great size for us and easy to use. I have it for around 8 years now and it produces great ice cream.   I use this wonderful handy dandy ice cream tub to freeze my ice cream in.  It freezes well and has a night tight fitting lid, plus it is so easy to scoop from!  I have this old school ice cream scoop that I've had for years and it makes the perfect scoop. To serve our ice cream we love a good bowl.  One that's not too big but good enough to hold some toppings if desired.  

Simple to make but the effort will leave lasting memories for years to come!  This is the perfect summer treat!  Fresh and easy!

Enjoy!






Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream

makes 1 1/2 quarts


2 cups chopped strawberries
1 cup sugar (divided)
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 dash salt
Mix chopped strawberries with 1/2 cup sugar in a medium sized bowl. Set aside for 15 minutes so the strawberries release their juices.  Mash lightly with a potato masher or a fork, keeping the mixture slightly chunky.

In a large bowl combine strawberry mixture with heavy cream, whole milk, vanilla extract, salt and remaining sugar. Place in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.  

Pour mixture into prepared ice cream maker. Allow to run according to manufactures instructions (Mine took about 20 minutes.) 

Pour ice cream into a ice cream pan or a loaf pan and cover with the lid or with plastic wrap. Place in the freezer for several hours to harden.

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Grilled Flank Steak with House Marinade

Please any beef lover with this Grilled Flank Steak in our House Marinade!

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We can't get through summer without a good grilled steak and some wonderful sides.  Beef is my choice of meat when grilling but MGG really likes to keep it light with fish or chicken most often with the occasional beef dish thrown in.  But today is all about the beef!  

My favorite cut of beef is a filet mignon for it's tenderness but today we are going to play around with another favorite, the flank steak.  Flank steak is a long flat, tougher cut of meat that sits along the belly of a cow. It has tons of intense beefy flavor and it's the perfect cut for marinating and grilling which increases the tenderness.  The results? A juicy tender cut of meat!  

Eat it thinly sliced and cut against the grain for maximum tenderness.

Two tips for grilling flank steak:

• Best when cooked to medium rare or medium.  If you cook this any longer the meat will not be as tender.
• Tough fibers all run in a single direction so it is imperative that you cut "across the grain" to ensure you get tender slices of beef. This allows you to sever those fibers and  makes the meat easier to chew.

About Marinating

Flanks steaks take well to marinades and they can help to tenderize the meat. We have a standard marinade for most of our beef recipes that we call our "house marinade".  It is made up of delicious ingredients such as balsamic vinegar,  mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and lots of garlic and herbs.  Yum!  This flavor bomb enhances the meat and gives you one heck of a tasty piece of steak!  Try it on other cuts of steaks too.

I find that the easiest way to marinade any piece of meat is to mix the marinade and put it in a ziploc bag along with the meat.  Seal it tight and slosh that marinade all over the meat making sure it's all coated.  Then pop it in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours turning it over every so often so coat all sides with the deliciousness.  

How to cook flank steak

High heat and quick cooking is the best way to cook flank steak.  It can be grilled, seared, braised or stuffed.  Today we are going to grill it.  You can use an outdoor grill or inside on a grill pan.  It cooks fairly quickly and you don't want to cook this above medium or it will become tough.  Medium rare is best.  

What side dishes go with it?

Just about anything from potatoes to corn go with steak.  Here are some of my favorites:

Indian Summer Fresh Corn Salad

Orzo Black Bean Salad

Fresh Sweet Corn with Lime Butter

Cajun Roasted Potatoes

Grilled Greek Potato Salad

Dill Garden Salad

Parmesan Peppercorn Dressing over a Garden Salad with Avocado

More flank steak? 

Grilled Cuban Flank Steak

Jack Daniel's Whiskey Marinated FlankMo Steak

Cilantro Lime Flank Steak with an Avocado Poblano Salsa

Herb Rubbed Flank Steak

Balsamic Flank Steak Salad with Parmesan

Grilled Flank Steak with House Marinade

2-3 pound flank steak
2 T balsamic vinegar
1 lemon, juiced
1 1/2 T Dijon mustard
1 T Worcestershire sauce
2 T finely minced garlic
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp paprika
1/4 cup olive oil

Place the flank steak in a ziploc bag.  Mix the remainder of the ingredients in a measuring cup and mix well to blend.  Pour over the flank steak and seal the bag.  Rotate the bag so that the marinade covers all sides of the meat.  Place in the refrigerator and allow to marinate for 3-4 hours turning over every so often.  Remove the bag from the refrigerator and set it on the counter allowing the meat to come to room temperature for about 1 hour.

Preheat an outdoor grill with cover down to high heat.  Alternatively, you can preheat an indoor grill pan over high heat.  Once heated reduce temperature to medium high. Oil the grill grates so the meat does not stick.  Remove steak from the marinade and place on the grill.  Cook on the first side for 6 minutes.  Turn and cook on the second side until the temperature reaches 145 degrees for medium rare.  Remove from the grill and tent with foil allowing to rest for 5 minutes.

Cut meat across the grain into thin strips.  Serve.

Island Mango Slaw

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I hope everyone has been doing well.  I've been missing in action for a couple of weeks as we just returned from a trip to Hawaii last night.

I'm a beach girl at heart and going on vacation anywhere tropical is my thing!  We had an excellent, adventure filled vacation over the past several weeks and I have to tell you we ate like kings.  We delved into the Polynesian flavors and ate everything from fish, sushi, tropical fruits and juices, to desserts!

Today we are missing those flavors and truth be told we are suffering from a little bit of jet lag.  Our food today needs to be easy and simple to put together, but we still want to taste those tropical flavors.  So some Hawaiian grilled chicken is in order along with a side dish that has tropical flair.

ISLAND MANGO SLAW

The cooling effects of mango and Greek yogurt meets spicy jalapeno in this island take on a slaw.  This is the perfect side dish to make this summer.  Summer's not over by a long shot.  We still have several months of warm weather to bear and this dish will be on the menu throughout the remainder.  It's perfect along grilled dishes such as chicken or fish.  We also like to serve it with sandwiches.  In fact I've also used this as a component in flatbread turkey sandwiches, so look for that recipe soon!

So go grab some ripe mangoes at the store and make this slaw right away.  Your taste buds will be singing with flavors of the tropics! 

Enjoy!

Island Mango Slaw

serves 6

\

1/2 medium head Savoy cabbage, thinly sliced into strips (about 8 cups) 

1/2 small head red cabbage, thinly sliced into strips (about 6 cups) 

2 medium carrots, cut into julienne strips 

1 small sweet yellow pepper, cut into thin strips 

1 small sweet red pepper, cut into thin strips 

1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced 

1/2 medium mango, peeled, cut into thin strips 

1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped 

Dressing: 

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt 

1/4 cup thawed orange juice concentrate 

4 teaspoons lime juice 

1/2 teaspoon olive oil 

1/2 medium mango, peeled and coarsely chopped 

2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced 

1 teaspoon kosher salt 

1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped 

1/4 teaspoon pepper

In a medium bowl, combine the first 8 ingredients, from the cabbage to the jalapeno.  Add the dressing ingredients to a blender and process until smooth. Toss dressing with slaw and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.