homemade blueberry cheesecake ice cream

My friend Shonda made this and it rocks!  So much so that my husband was ready to go out and get a "real" ice cream maker- the kind that uses ice and rock salt. :).  It's rich and creamy and beautiful to look at.  Too bad I didn't get a pic with the graham cracker crust sprinkled on top.  Just imagine it.  

homemade blueberry cheesecake ice cream (my friend Shonda)
prep time: 30 minutes
total time: 6 hours

blueberry sauce:
1 1/4 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (if you live in Oregon you'd better use fresh!)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice

graham cracker crust:
1 prepared graham cracker crust (what a relief!)

cheesecake ice cream:
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups milk
4 cups heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 small  package instant cheesecake pudding mix

Place blueberries in a medium-sized sauce pan.  Add 1/2 cup sugar, cornstarch, water and lemon juice.  Bring to a boil over medium high heat.  Allow it to simmer for 5 minutes or until the mixture has thickened.  Pour into a small container, cover and refrigerate until chilled.  Should take 1-2 hours.
In a large bowl, add 1 1/2 cups sugar, whipping cream, milk, vanilla and cheesecake pudding mix.  Whisk it to combine.
Pour into the ice cream maker and mix according to package directions.  If you have a machine that only makes 1 quart at a time, mix it in two batches.
Take a premade graham cracker crust and break it into chunks with a butter knife.  When the ice cream is done churning pour it into a two quart-sized containers.  Drop spoonfuls of the blueberry sauce over the top of the ice cream.
Sprinkle the graham cracker crust over the top.  Swirl it all together with a butter knife.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight.

no churn two ingredient ice cream

I was spoiled today from morning til evening with delicious meals from my husband for Mother's Day.  For dessert he made crepes and my oldest daughter pulled out this no church two ingredient ice cream that she made.  The ice cream went into crepes with more strawberries and Nutella than you have probably ever dreamed of.
This ice cream is decadent. (And not overly sweet like store brand ice cream.)  My kids decided I should stop buying ice cream and stock up on whipping cream and sweetened condensed milk.  My daughter says you can add vanilla extract or other extracts to the mix or whatever add-ins appeal to you like chopped cookies or fruit.

no church two ingredient ice cream
14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups whipping cream

My daughter says she poured the two ingredients into a bowl and used a hand mixer to whip it up until it formed soft peaks.  She poured it into a freezer safe bowl and froze it overnight. 

ice cream pie

You can use this recipe for any kind of ice cream pie.  It just so happens I made two peppermint ice cream pies last month, put them in the freezer and forgot about them! :)  It's just as well- my family has been loving them and they're better appreciated a month after Christmas when the house is not as candy-filled.  Four ingredients and you have an impressive dessert- your kids' eyes will pop out of their sockets.

ice cream pie (pass the peas, please)
1 carton of any kind of ice cream (I used peppermint)
2 pre-made graham cracker pie crust (I used chocolate)
Hershey's chocolate sauce or Nutella
whipped cream

Let the carton of ice cream sit out for about 10 minutes to soften.
Scoop half the carton of ice cream into one pie crust.  Scoop the other half of the carton of ice cream into the other pie crust.  Use a spoon (and fingers) to spread the ice cream evenly into the pie crusts.
Cover with the plastic cover that came with the pie crusts and put into the freezer.
When ready to serve, cut each pie into 8 slices.  Pour chocolate sauce over the top or a big glob of nutella and top with whipped cream. Enjoy!

cookie ice cream sandwich

We invited the elders and sisters to dinner tonight and had a huge feast.  BBQ ribs, teriyaki chicken, asian salad, potato salad, veggies, bean & corn salad with chips and lemonade.  For dessert I had picked up some bakery cookies and two cartons of ice cream to make it easy.  My teenage daughter said, "Let's make cookie ice cream sandwiches!".  After dinner she went into the kitchen and threw these together.  They were impressive and super easy.  I like that combo.

cookie ice cream sandwich
cookies from the bakery (we used M&M cookies and chocolate chip cookies)
ice cream (we used Breyer's Heath and Breyer's Waffle Cone)
ice cream scoop

Place a scoop of ice cream onto a cookie.  Place another cookie on top.  Serve right away. 

soft lemon sorbet

This sorbet is delicious, no doubt about it.  My oldest made it last night for the sister missionaries.  It had the perfect tartness but was also very sweet.  Just right for the start of summer and went well with the summer salads we served.  I wish I had pulled out some Nilla wafers to serve alongside this sorbet.  Would've been a nice touch.


soft lemon sorbet (Cuisinart)
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely chopped lemon zest

Combine the sugar and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Reduce heat to low and simmer without stirring until the sugar dissolves, about 3 to 5 minutes.  Cool completely.  This is called a simple syrup and may be made ahead in large quantities to have on hand for making fresh lemon sorbet.  Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
When cool, add the lemon juice and zest; stir to combine.  Turn the Cuisinart Automatic Frozen Yogurt Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker on, pour the lemon mixture into freezer bowl through ingredient spout and mix until thickened, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Note:  Melts quickly; serve and eat right away.

orange cream ice cream

Grandma Anne got this recipe from her visiting teachers or home teachers and served it after our delicious lunch of grilled salmon while we were in town.  Nobody could guess the flavor right away but it tasted a bit tropical; we could taste the citrus for sure.  Now all I need to do is figure how to make this recipe in my Cuisinart.  If you figure it out before I do let me know!

orange cream ice cream (Grandma Anne)
for 4-quart freezer
6 oranges, juiced
2 lemons, juiced
(use a total of 10 to 12 ounces combined)
4 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 can evaporated milk
1 to 2 pints of whipping cream
whole milk

Mix orange and lemon juice with 4 cups of sugar and salt and set aside until sugar is dissolved, stirring frequently for first hour then occasionally after that.  Add almond extract.  Add evaporated milk.  Add whipping cream.  Fill ice cream container to the top with whole milk if mixture is not enough.  Freeze in ice cream maker (I think if I were to use my Cuisinart then I would simply pour into my frozen container and press start and the ice cream would be ready in 25 minutes!).
If using a standard ice cream maker, "mellow" ice cream for 2-4 hours with 1 part salt 4 parts ice then while making ice cream, crush ice finely and mix 1 part salt 8 parts ice (whatever that means!).  Making ice cream sounds like a pain without a Cuisinart!!

root beer float pie

What a success!  I made two kinds of pies last week- a lemonade pie and root beer float pie.  This pie was by far the winner.  My kids loved every bit of it.  And if you're wondering, yes it does taste just like a root beer float.

root beer float pie (Taste of Home Healthy Cooking, June/July 2012)
1 carton (8 ounces) frozen reduced-fat whipped topping, thawed, divided
3/4 cup cold diet root beer
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1 package sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix
1 graham cracker crust (9-inches)
fresh or maraschino cherries, optional

Set aside and refrigerate 1/2 cup whipped topping for garnish (I omitted).  In a large bowl, whisk the root beer, milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes.  Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set.  Fold in half of the remaining whipped topping.  Spread into graham cracker crust.
Spread remaining whipped topping over pie.  Refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.
Dollop reserved whipped topping over each serving; top with a cherry if desired.
Taste of Home Editor's Note:  They found that the reduced fat graham cracker crust to be too crumbly for this pie.

What I have to say- I did not use any light, reduced fat or reduced sugar ingredients in my pies.

vanilla ice cream with chunks of fudge mint cookies

This ice cream is a real treat- a fun variation of your basic vanilla ice cream.  Loving my Cuisinart!

vanilla ice cream with chunks of fudge mint cookies (Cuisinart recipe booklet)
1 cup whole milk, well chilled
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups heavy cream, well chilled
1 to 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract to taste
1 cup coarsely chopped fudge mint cookies (or any kind you choose!)

In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer or a whisk to combine the milk and granulated sugar until the sugar is dissolved, about 1 to 2 minutes on low speed.  Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla to taste.  Turn the Cuisinart Automatic Frozen Yogurt & Sorbet Maker on, pour mixture into freezer bowl through ingredient spout and let mix until thickened, about 25 to 30 minutes.  Add the cookie crumbs the last 5 minutes of mixing.

homemade chocolate ice cream

If you don't have a Cuisinart automatic frozen yogurt-ice cream & sorbet maker I highly suggest you get one.  My grandpa sent one to me and I was overjoyed.  I asked my husband which flavor he would like to try for Father's Day and he requested chocolate.  Plain chocolate.  It was a snap to make (no rock salt, no ice!) and he said it was the very best ice cream he had ever eaten.  It was soft and oh so creamy.  I look forward to trying out every recipe that came with the ice cream maker. (I believe you can get these ice cream makers on sale at Costco with the new coupon book for this month.)

homemade chocolate ice cream (Cuisinart instruction and and recipe booklet)
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, broken into pieces (we used chocolate chips)
2 cups heavy cream, well chilled
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Heat the whole milk until it is just bubbling around the edges.  In a blender fitted with the metal blade, pulse to process the sugar with the chocolate until the chocolate is very finely chopped.  Add the hot milk; process until well blended and smooth.  Transfer to a medium bowl and let the chocolate mixture cool completely.  Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla to taste.  Chill for 30 minutes or longer.
Turn the Cuisinart maker on, pour the chilled mixture into the freezer bowl through ingredient spout and let mix until thickened, about 25 to 30 minutes.

variations:
chocolate almond- Add 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract along with the vanilla.  Add 1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped toasted almonds during the last 5 to 10 minutes of freezing.
chocolate cookie- Add 1/2 to 1 cup chopped cookies during the last 5 minutes of freezing.
chocolate fudge brownie- Add 1/2 to1 cup chopped day-old brownies during the last 5 minutes of freezing.

vanilla ice cream in a bag

I took my kids to Mother Goose Asks Why at the library.  They always do an outstanding job.  This time my kids learned about solids and liquids and this very nice lady demonstrated how to make ice cream in a bag.  You don't need a fancy ice cream maker- just a ziplock bag!

vanilla ice cream in a bag (from the nice lady at the library and inside book Change It! Solids, Liquidfs, Gases and You by Adrienne Mason)
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon sugar
1 small sealable plastic bag
1 large sealable plastic bag
12 ice cubes
2 tablespoons salt

Put the milk, vanilla and sugar into the small plastic bag.  Seal the bag.
Place the ice cubes in the large plastic bag.  Sprinkle the salt on the ice.
Place the small bag in the large bag.  Seal the large bag well.
Put on some music and shake the bag for 10 minutes.
Scoop your ice cream into a bowl and enjoy.

fried ice cream

This dessert is terrific!  My husband took a bite and said, "This is amazing!"  This will be a fun dessert to pull out when guests are over because it is really good and it's unique.

fried ice cream (blog: Cookbook Junkies) 
2 quarts vanilla ice cream, softened
5 cups Rice Krispies or cornflakes
1 1/2 cups butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cups chopped nuts, optional
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon


Melt butter and add brown sugar and cinnamon.  Add cereal and nuts.  Put 1/2 of mixture in bottom of a 9x13 pan.  Scoop softened ice cream over mixture.  Put remaining cereal mixture over ice cream and freeze 4-5 hours before serving.  Cut into squares and serve with caramel, chocolate and strawberries.


What I have to say-  Instead of using a 9x13-inch pan I used two 8x8-inch pans so I can pull one out another time.

lemon icebox pie

This pie is delicious. The lemon is very subtle and it tastes just like cheesecake. Mmmm!
Our family has reason to celebrate- we accepted an offer on our house last night! What a tremendous blessing for us. 

lemon icebox pie (allrecipes.com)
1 (9-inch) prepared graham cracker crust
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 lemons, juiced
1 teaspoon lemon zest

In a medium mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add condensed milk, lemon juice and lemon rind. Mix until smooth. Pour mixture into crust. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Garnish with whipped cream and mint leaves if desired.

refreshing orange ice

Very refreshing. This was a fun recipe to try and a repeat for sure!

refreshing orange ice (allrecipes.com)
3 cups water, divided
1 cup sugar
1 (12 ounce) can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup half-and-half cream

In a saucepan, bring 1 cup water and sugar to a boil, stirring frequently. Boil for 1 minute or until sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat; stir in orange juice concentrate, lemon juice and remaining water. Transfer to a freezer-proof mixing bowl. Cover and freeze until firm (this took about 10 hours).
Remove from the freezer. Beat until blended. Beat in cream. Cover and return to freezer. Remove from the freezer 2o minutes before serving.