Want To Make Your Own Ice Cream?

Everyone loves ice cream! I personally enjoy some chocolate chip mint ice cream as a nice little desert after dinner, but sometimes i can taste the artificial flavors it contains. I like to cook, bake, fry, freeze or anything that involves making the food I eat. So when it comes to my desert- it has to be good. This is an easy way to make Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream and you'll enjoy it.

What you need:
~2 cups of 2% milk
~2 cups of heavy cream
~1 cup of sugar
~1/2 teaspoon of salt
~1 teaspoon of vanilla extract1 teaspoon of peppermint extract
~3 drops of green food coloring (optional)
~1 cup of mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

This process should be ready in about 2 hours and 45 minutes, including the freezing time. I, personally, have never made this flavor of ice cream, but i will definitely try it! You must mix the milk, cream, sugar, salt, and the vanilla and peppermint extract in a big bowl. If you wish to add the food coloring, now would be the time.

Then you pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and just freeze it for however long the manufacturer instruction says. After a total of 10 minutes of freezing, toss in the chocolate chips. Then about 1/2 hour later, after the ice cream has become a little heavier and thicker- scoop it up into a container and allow to freeze for 2 hours more. Then you'll have your precious desert and nice and ready for you. Enjoy!

Smoothies, Smoothies, Smoothies!

Breakfast, as we all know, is the most important meal of the day. It is also the most disregarded meal of the day. I have a few short recipies that should take no more than 5 minutes of your morning to make a healthy breakfast. But this doesn't only have to be a breakfast subsitute, it can also just be something you make throughout the day- when you're not in the mood for water or juice.

The first one is called a banana fruit smoothie. All you need for about 2-4 servings is:

~1 banana peeled, cut into chunks (and frozen-optional)

~1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

~1 1/2 cups of orange juice

~a cup of ice

~2 scoops of original vanilla ice cream
Combine all of these indgredients and blend until it is smooth.

The next smoothie is called mixed berries and banana smoothie. For this one you'll need:
~1 cup of frozen mixed berries
~one froezen ripe banana
~1/2 cup of lowfat vanilla yogurt
~1/4 cup of orange juice
~1 teaspoon of honey
Put all these ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth.

This next smoothie is specifically called : The Just Dew It Smoothie. You need:
~1 cup of honeydew chunks
~1 medium sized orange
~1/2 a medium peach, pitted
~1/2 cup of fresh pineapple chunks
~1 cup of ice cubes
This smoothie actially takes no more than 2 minutes, depening on how smooth you want your smoothie.

These smoothies all taste so great and are qiuck and easy! Have fun with them and be sure that there is parent consent to use the blender, if you are a child.

Roasted Butternut Squash Cubes

I find this delicious recipie to be a simple winter meal. The combination of the salty, yet sublte flavors go lovely with the season. These cubes can be used as a side dish or a vegetable main course. After 45 minutes, the cubes will fill the room with a warm and tasteful aroma.

For this recipie you need: 
-1 medium butternut squash, peeled and seeded, cut into 1 inch chunks
-1 medium red or green bell pepper, cut into 16 pieces
-2 tablespoons of olive or vegetable oil
-1/2 teaspoon of seaseoned salt
-1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
-1/4 teaspoon coarse ground pepper
-1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

First you must heat the oven to 425 F. Find a 13x9-inch pan and spray with cooking spray. Next  mix all the ingredients together until the squah and bell peppers are well coated with the spices. Then spread it into the greased pan. Roast uncovered for about 25 to 30 minutes- stirring once, until the squash is tender.

This is a delicious and healthy meal for family dinners. I would definitely recommend this for any family gathering or just when you don't know what to make for a meal. My family loved this recipie and found it to be one of the richest vegetable meals. I hope you try it and I hope you enjoy it!

Chocolate Mousse Pie

In this cold, wintery season I usually enjoy eating chocolate desserts. Last winter, I tried to make chocolate mousse. Tried. It was too chocolaty, it wasn’t sweet enough, and it definitely wasn’t foamy. It ended up being a disaster and unfortunately, it wasn’t even good enough for me to eat. And then I recently decided to attempt to make chocolate mousse again, but then I found a mouth watering recipe for Chocolate Mousse Pie and switched to that instead. So I’m going to share this delectable dessert with you.

Ingredients Needed:

~ ½ cup of softened butter

~ ¾ cup of sugar

~ 2 (1 ounce) squares of unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled

~ 2 eggs

~ 1 (4 ounce) carton frozen whipped topping- thawed

~ 1 baked 9” pastry shell

First, you need to cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. For best results, you can use an electrical mixer. Then you stir in the squares of chocolate. Add the eggs-one at a time, and beat them for 5 minutes after each addition. Slowly, you will begin to see results. Gradually, fold the whipped topping into the chocolaty mixture. Lastly, you spoon the filling into the pastry shell and chill or freeze for 2 hours. Then you will have a luscious chocolate mousse pie.

I finally made this amazing recipe and i enjoyed it very much with my family on New Year's. I am estatic that this was a success, compared to my other failed attempt. Although the mousse is kind of tough and tricky, I encourage anyone to try this dessert. Personally, my favorite part is the chocolate mousse, and hopefully when you try this, you'll like it too!

Key Lime Pie

This year for Thanksgiving, I decided to make Key Lime Pie, instead of something you can simply buy around this time of year, like pumpkin pie. This was my very first time making this pie and I was nervous about how it was going to come out. All I know is that I tried the yogurt for Key Lime Pie and it was so good. So I decided to try making it myself; besides anything can be slightly or abruptly changed when you're cooking.

Ingredients:
~ 3 large egg yolks
~ 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
~ 1 tablespoon grated Key lime rind
~ 1/2 cup fresh Key lime juice
~ green food coloring (optional)
~ 1/2 cup whipping cream
 FOR THE CRUST:
~ 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
~5 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

First you have to preheat the oven to 350F. Then you begin to make the crust; you put all the graham cracker crumbs in a bowl, add the butter or margarine and mix. Then you press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and sides of the 9" pie pan. Bake the crust for 8 minutes and then set aside and let cool. In a large separate bowl, beat the yolks until they are nice and thick. Beat in the milk, lime rind, and juice-and coloring if you are using it. You then pour the mixture into the prebaked pie shell and refrigerate until set, about 4 hours. When it is ready to serve, whip the cream. Pipe a lattice pattern on top or you can spoon dollops around the edges.

I made this pie for Thanksgiving and brought it to the dinner that we were having with our neighbors. When they decided to put the desert out on the table, many were intriuged with the green colored desert. When everyone ate it they liked it, but there were some flaws pointed out. It turned out that the pie was too lemon-y. There was to much lime rind in it. So, if you're making this; I would suggest using less lime rind. About a quarter of a teaspoon would be appropriate. In the end, it was well liked and delicious. This is definately a recipie worth trying!

Chicken Picatta

My mom loves to cook chicken, all types. And chicken picatta is one of her favorites. For this recipie, we usually cook rice or pasta for a side dish, but that is optional. Once you've tried this amazing chicken meal, you'll want to cook it again and again. Hope you enjoy it!

To make this flavorful dish, you will need:
~ 4-6 thin Chicken Breasts
~2 fine chopped scallions
~2-3 chooped garlilc cloves
~6 oz. chicken broth
~olive oil
~1/2 cup cooking sherry or white wine
~flour
~1 lemon (all juice)
~salt and pepper
~1-2 tbsp. capers

First, you must heat the pan- put a thin layer of olive oil, to prevent burning. Heat to very hot- to this point where it even feels like its burning when you put your hand a foot above the pan. Next, pour the flour onto a plate and dredge the chicken in the flour. Sautee each side for 2-3  minutes- sprinkle a little salt and pepper on each side. Remove chicken from heat, and place onto a plate on the side. (To preserve the heat, you may cover the chicken strips with aluminuim foil). Then, deglaze the pan with the garlic, lemon, scallions, wine, and broth. You then put the poultry back in the pan, cover and simmer on loow heat  for about 5-10 minutes.

I made this meal with my mom the other night and we had a blast cooking it! It turned out delicious and everyone loved it for dinner. Unfortunately, that didn't last very long. But that is a good result, and shows that it was a good meal. I encourage everyone to try this appetizing dish and possibly even serve it at the next get-together you have with friends and family.

Looking For A Quick And Tasty Snack?

I actually found this recipe online, and I really liked it! So, I decided to try it, and it sure was delicious! It is the perfect snack if you are looking for something chocolaty and peanut buttery. It's quick and easy and is a recipe that you'll definitely want to keep for future party planning. This easy treat is called Reese's Squares. And guess what? IT REQUIRES NO BAKING!

You'll Need:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 lb confectioner's sugar (3 to 3 1/2 cups)

1 1/2 cups peanut butter 

1 cup butter, melted

1 (12 ounce) bag milk chocolate chips

First you must combine the graham crumbs, sugar and peanut butter and then mix well. Next, you blend in all of the melted butter until well combined. Then,  firmly press the mixture evenly into a 9 x 13 inch pan. Melt chocolate chips in microwave or in double boiler, and spread over the peanut butter mixture. Then chill until just set and then cut into bars (these are very hard to cut if the chocolate gets "rock hard").

This recipe was actually a good turn out for me. Although my family enjoys a sweet treat every now and then, they don't really go for chocolate and peanut butter together. But surprisingly, they really liked them, and I even ended up giving a portion of them to my neighbors. And they enjoyed them just as well.

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