Buttered Pecan Ice Cream

The weather is finally showing signs of spring. My husband and I were so excited about the weather that we spent most of the weekend ripping out the old landscaping and putting in the new. While I never thought I would be excited about ripping up old dirt and spreading mulch, I was surprisingly overcome with joy during the project.  It feels good to work in the earth and to make our home reflect our tastes. Of course it was wonderful finding any excuse for being out in the gorgeous weather after an extremely long winter. In honor of Spring finally making her grand entrance, I give you this ice cream recipe. I made this a few months ago in the dead of winter at my husbands request. Butter Pecan has never been one of my go to flavors for ice cream but this was so much more incredible than any store bought version I have had. The simple flavors of butter and pecan pair well with the creamy ice cream. I imagine that we will be out in the warm weather with this ice cream on many occasions. Enjoy!


Butter Pecan Ice Cream

Ingredients:


1 tablespoon good quality butter
3/4 cup pecans, chopped
3 cups half and half
3/4 cup vanilla sugar
pinch of salt
6 egg yolks 
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:


To make the buttered pecans, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Melt the butter. Toss the pecans in the butter and spread over a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 10 minutes, stirring at least once during baking. Let the pecans cool completely. 

To make the ice cream, set up an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice and water. Place a smaller bowl over the ice bath. Set a strainer over the top of the smaller bowl and pour the remaining half and half and the vanilla extract into the bowl. Place egg yolks in a separate small bowl, set aside.

In a small saucepan warm 2 cups of the half and half, sugar, and salt. While whisking, slowly add the warm half and half mixture into the egg yolks. Pour mixture back into saucepan. Cook on low heat stirring constantly until mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Do not allow to boil! Pour the custard mixture through the strainer into the bowl set over the ice bath. Stir until the mixture is well combined and has begun to cool. Chill in the refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Churn according to ice cream maker instructions. When ice cream is finished churning, stir in the pecans.

Source: Recipe from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

Blood Orange Cocktail

I love blood oranges. When I see these glorious little creations appear in the grocery I buy pounds of them at a time. I have been working a lot lately and the weather has been blah and cold. A couple of weekends ago I decided that I needed something to help me unwind. I saw my fruit bowl overflowing with these beautiful oranges and decided to make a cocktail out of them. I threw together a few things I had on hand and my husband and I went wild over them.  I promptly bought more oranges so we could make them again the following weekend. It is sweet and tangy and dangerously smooth. There isn't a whole lot of alcohol in them and I'm sure they would be just as delicious if you wanted to omit it.  Cheers.

Blood Orange Cocktail


Ingredients:

3/4 cup blood orange juice (about 4-6 oranges)
1/4 cup simple syrup
1 teaspoon lime juice
1/4 cup good quality vodka
ice
Orange slices for garnish

Directions:

Combine orange juice, simple syrup, lime juice, and vodka in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously until mixed and pour into chilled glasses. Garnish with orange slices. Serve immediately.

Foodie Pen Pals Reveal

I found a program called Foodie Pen Pals coordinated through the Lean Green Bean blog. Basically it where foodies and food bloggers sign up to send sweet little treats to each other. You get matched up with another person and they send you unique treats from their area or some of your favorite foods. On the 28th of the month, if you have a blog you post about what you received.  Lydia from Buffalo, NY was my foodie pen pal this month and she sent me some wonderful things. I received Biscoff cookies, which are always delicious and many products from Buffalo. The Truffalo bar was absolute heaven. It was like a truffle with smooth chocolate outside and creamy chocolaty filling inside but in candy bar form. I snacked on the organic bars for lunch all last week and I can't wait to try the other things. Thank you so much, Lydia, for the wonderful gifts.  If you are interested in learning more about this program and possibly participating visit The Lean Green Bean Blog.

Spiced Broiled Grapefruit

My typical breakfast is a smoothie but I bought a big bag of ruby red grapefruit that was begging to be used. Normally I do nothing more with grapefruit than juice it or slice it and sprinkle on a little sugar and eat it raw. I decided to try broiling it and have really enjoyed playing around with different toppings. This spiced variation is my favorite. I hope you enjoy it too. The mild sweetness and spice allows the grapefruit flavor to still shine.  Please note, the ingredients below are to make 1 whole grapefruit. If you would like to make more, just double the other ingredients for each additional grapefruit.


Spiced Broiled Grapefruit

Ingredients:

1 grapefruit, halved lengthwise
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch ground cloves
1 teaspoon honey

Directions:

Preheat oven broiler. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Arrange the grapefruit halves face up on the prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves and stir until combined. Sprinkle evenly over the tops of the grapefruit. Drizzle the honey over the top.  Place the baking sheet into the oven and broil until the sugar melts and tops are slightly browned, about 4-6 minutes. Serve while warm.


Source: Adapted from Girl Cooks World

Gluten Free Double Chocolate Cookies

I have been making desserts like crazy lately. They are my favorite thing to make any day but it seems that lately, I have found many occasions that warranted desserts. I was looking for something a little different when I came across this recipe. It was my first time making gluten free cookies and if all gluten free desserts could be this yummy, I would be making them all the time. Not only do they ooze rich, chocolaty goodness but they are super moist. I liked them so much that I made them twice within a 10 day period and repeating desserts so close together never happens. I couldn't get enough of these and I hope you enjoy them too.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Red velvet isn't a flavor that I typically gravitate towards. I honestly can't remember the last time I had any prior to making this batch. However, a few weeks ago we were having friends over and I suddenly had an immense craving for red velvet. We were only have over 1 other couple so I didn't need to make 2 dozen cupcakes and halved the recipe. After I made them, I was kind of sad I didn't have 24 of them to eat. They were moist, subtly chocolaty and the red color was gorgeous. Also, they made my whole house smell fantastic. The cream cheese is wonderful too, not overly sweet and compliments the cupcake perfectly. This recipe will yield 11-12 cupcakes and if you have leftover frosting, it will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks.