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.

grilled caprese chicken

Hall of Fame.  No question about it.  So simply yet so satisfying.  I think it was the fresh garden tomatoes and fresh basil.  And cheese.  Cheese makes everything wonderful.

grilled caprese chicken (slightly adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe)
4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/4-inch slices (I used shredded mozzarella)
4-6 small chicken breasts
4 medium tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/2-inch slices
for serving:  baguette

In a small bowl, combine the basil, vinegar, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.  Stir in the oil until it is thoroughly incorporated.  Transfer 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette to a bowl and toss in shredded mozzarella, coating the cheese.  Set aside.  Reserve the remaining vinaigrette for the cooked chicken.
Pat the chicken pieces dry with a paper towel and season both sides with salt and pepper.  Grill the chicken and tomatoes until the chicken is browned and cooked through and the tomatoes are lightly charred.  Transfer the cooked chicken to a platter.  Top with the tomato slices and cheese.  Tent the chicken with foil.  Let the chicken reset for 10 minutes.
Serve with a baguette.  The leftover vinaigrette is great on top of the chicken or to dip the bread in.

easy ratatouille

My husband grew some beautiful tomatoes so I've been trying to incorporate a lot of fresh tomatoes into our meals.  I adapted this recipe to do so and it's delicious!  Even the kids didn't mind eating all these brilliant vegetables with their keilbasa sausage on the side, of course.

easy ratatouille (adapted from i heart nap time)
4 fresh tomatoes, diced into medium chunks
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 zucchini, thinly sliced
1 summer squash, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
dried thyme
parmesan cheese for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Spread the tomatoes over the bottom of a 9x9 dish.  Stir in the onions, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.  Layer the zucchini and yellow squash.  Fill the red pepper in the gaps.  Drizzle the olive oil on top.  Sprinkle thyme and remaining salt and pepper over top.
Bake covered with foil for 30 minutes.  Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.  Top with parmesan cheese if desired.

blueberry chicken chopped salad

We picked some blueberries today and as we were paying for them I picked up some recipes.  This recipe looked great and I already had chicken cooking in the crock pot.  It was meant to be!  It was so good my husband rated it Hall of Fame.

blueberry chicken chopped salad (adapted from OregonBlueberry.com)
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and sliced (I used the crock pot)
2 heads romaine lettuce, finely chopped
2 cups fresh blueberries
1 cup roughly chopped toasted pecans
2/3 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup blue cheese
dijon vinaigrette, see below

dijon vinaigrette
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
pinch of salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and toss.  Serve immediately.

mediterranean power bowl

After a week on vacation we all needed some delicious, healthy food even though we enjoyed all the treats that Disneyland and In-and-Out Burger had to offer.  Last night we had Asian bowls.  Tonight, Mediterranean.  This was new for us and it was soooo good!  

mediterranean power bowl (smoky red pepper sauce from Dishing Out Health)
2 packets quinoa/brown rice blend, prepared as directed on package
several chicken breasts, grilled and sliced (they had been marinated in Olive Garden Italian Dressing)
smoky red pepper sauce- see below
hummus
cooked spinach
cooked kale
red onion, sliced
cherry tomatoes, quartered
feta cheese
variety of olives
sliced cucumber

Put the ingredients you desire into a bowl and eat it up.

smoky red pepper sauce 
I wanted a sauce that was simple and healthy and found this.  I omitted the oil and it was just fine.

1 (12 ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
dash of salt and pepper

I used an immersion blender to blend the ingredients together.

cinnamon banana bread muffins

We got home yesterday from a beach/Disneyland trip and I had some extra ripe bananas waiting for me.  After a quick search I found this recipe and I'm sure glad I tried it.  It was a huge hit.  The insides are incredibly soft and delicious.  Fantastic recipe and I didn't even put the cinnamon sugar topping on top.  Make a double batch. :)

cinnamon banana bread muffins (together as a family)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
2 large eggs
2/3 cup mashed banana (about 2 small bananas)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

cinnamon and sugar topping
3 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray bottoms only of 12 regular-size muffin cups with cooking spray (or use paper lines like I did).  
In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, oil, eggs and stir with wire whisk.  Add in bananas and vanilla, whisk until combined.
Add in flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and stir together until just combined.
Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.  Each muffin cup will be almost to the top.  About 3/4 full.  Bake 17-21 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean and muffins are high and rounded on top.
Remove muffins from pan to a cooling rack.
For the cinnamon and sugar topping combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.  Put melted butter in a separate small bowl.  Dip muffin tops into melted butter and then into cinnamon-sugar.  Serve warm or let cool.

chipotle chicken recipe (copycat)

Hall of Fame.  This chicken is amazing.  We had "bowls" for dinner last night and the chicken got gobbled up so fast I couldn't believe my eyes.  I am glad I turned this copycat recipe into a larger batch than what I was seeing online because now I can marinate some more chicken and make it again tonight.

chipotle chicken recipe, copycat (adapted from Brown Eyed Baker)
1 (7 ounce) can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1 red onion, quartered
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons oil
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup water

In a high powered blender, puree all ingredients.
Use half of the marinade to marinade 2 pounds of chicken.  You can use thighs or chicken breasts.  I used chicken breasts.  Grill to perfection and chop up.
Add it to a bowl, salad, burrito- whatever you want!!

BONUS:  Here is my favorite blender salsa recipe-
1 big can whole tomatoes
1 jalapeno
1/2 white onion
1 handful cilantro
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
Blend ingredients in a high powered blender (I use a Vita-Mix) until you end up with desired consistency.  I used to like mine smooth but now I prefer a little bit chunky.  It's delicious!