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!