Best Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

We made this the other night and it is to DIE for! So rich and creamy! It's really more of a custard. It's a little more work than the usual ice cream but WORTH IT!! :) We served ours with fresh raspberries.  I can't wait to try it with peaches!

Ingredients:
1 quart heavy cream
1 1/4 cups milk (whole is best)
1 vanilla bean split and scraped
1 1/4 cups white sugar, divided
10 egg yolks
1 tablespoon (we do like 1 1/2-2) Vanilla extract


Directions 
In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine cream and milk. Place vanilla bean and scrapings in pot, and sprinkle with half the white sugar. Allow to just come to a boil. 
Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks together with the remaining sugar and the vanilla extract in a bowl. When the cream is ready, pour a third of it into the egg mixture, and whisk. Pour egg mixture into remaining hot cream and return to the heat until mixture coats the back of a metal spoon. Do not boil. 
Strain custard and chill until cold. Then pour into the canister of an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.

Yummy Baked Zucchini

It's zucchini season - and I have LOTS - so desperate as I was for a new, yummy recipe I came up with this one. 
Seriously YUMMY.

Ingredients:
1 zucchini cut in round slices
Salt
Seasoned bread crumbs
Shredded Parmesan cheese
Crispy fried onions (the ones in the can)
Dipping sauce (Ranch would be good - we used Vidalia Onion Vinaigrette from Costco)
2 eggs

Slice zucchini into slices and place slices in a strainer.  Salt the zucchini and let them "sweat" for 30-45 minutes.

(I was amazed how much water came out!).
Meanwhile mix bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and fried onions.  I had to use my chopper after the picture was taken to make the "chunks" less chunky :)

Preheat oven to 425.  Line a pan with parchment paper and spray the parchment paper with cooking spray.
Thoroughly rinse the zucchini slices and dry them.  Make an egg wash with about 2 eggs (just whip them up with a fork)  Dip the zucchini first in an egg wash, then in crumb mixture and place on pan.  Bake for approx 8-10 minutes each side (yes, flip them half way through) or until the crumbs are nice and toasted brown.

Let them cool and serve with dipping sauce of your choice.

These are SO yummy!! :) Enjoy!

Lime Chicken Soft Tacos

(From allrecipes.com)

I've been making this for years but realized I have never posted it here! These are really fast, really flavorful chicken tacos. We love them. The kids especially like them made into quesadillas. I don't keep green onions on hand so I hardly ever add those, but otherwise I follow the recipe.

• 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast meat - cubed
• 1/8 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 
  Saute chicken in a medium saucepan over medium high heat for about 20 minutes. Add vinegar, lime juice, sugar, salt, pepper, green onion, garlic and oregano. Simmer for an extra 10 minutes. Serve lime chicken mixture in warm tortillas topped with tomato, lettuce, cheese and salsa.

Fruit Soup

We made this for Becky's shower and it was the perfect shower food! It's from The Sisters' Cafe and they say it's the epitome of chick food. Perfectly put!

This really is like a cold soup full of berries and fruit with just a little bit of a syrupy feel to it. Serve in small cups with spoons!

3/4 c. sugar

1 c. water
1 c. peach juice (or another cup of water)
3 Tb tapioca (“minute brand” quick cooking tapioca)
6 oz orange juice concentrate
1 ½ c. water
2 cans mandarin oranges (with or without juice)
1 quart sliced peaches , cut into bite-size pieces (you can use 1 large can of peach slices, without the syrup)
2 c. fresh strawberries, sliced, just before serving
2 bananas, sliced, just before serving
1 bag frozen raspberries, thawed but still cool and firm (or an equivalent amount of fresh) or other berry mix

Bring sugar, water, peach juice and tapioca to a boil. Continue boiling on medium high for about 10 minutes, stirring often. Some tapioca will be clear and other granules will have a white center. Take off heat. Let sit for 30 minutes. (This is when the tapioca will become more clear.) Add 6 oz orange juice concentrate and 1 ½ c. water. Chill overnight. Add mandarin oranges and peaches. Before serving add strawberries, bananas, and raspberries.

Blackberry Cobbler

From Pioneer Woman's cookbook

I made this Sunday for dessert and it was the perfect summer cobbler! We had tons extra and took it to neighbors, who literally licked their bowls clean.

1 stick butter, melted

1 1/4 cups + 2 Tbsp sugar

1 cup self rising flour (or add 1/2 t salt and 1 1/2 t baking powder to 1 cup flour)

1 cup milk

2 cups fresh blackberries (I used a package of frozen)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 3-quart baking dish with butter. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup of the sugar, milk and flour. Whisk in the butter. Rinse the berries and pat them dry. Pour the batter into the prepared dish. Sprinkle the berries evenly over the top. Sprinkle the top with 1/4 cup sugar. Bake for 50 minutes and sprinkle the top with the 2 Tbsp sugar. Bake another 10 minutes, until golden (1 hour total). Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream.

Soft Sugar Cookies

Ally begged me to make sugar cookies a few days ago, and we tried a new recipe. We really loved it! Nothing compares to mom's sugar cookies :) but these ones are delicious in their own way: really, really soft and light. We devoured them.

I whipped up 1/4 c. butter, around 3 cups powdered sugar, a few splashes of heavy cream, and a hint of almond extract for the frosting.

Source for cookies: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, softened to cool room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon lemon zest (from about 1 lemon)
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars for 3-4 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla extract, almond extract and lemon zest; mix. Add two cups flour, baking powder and salt. Mix. Add remaining flour and mix just until flour is incorporated and the dough is smooth and soft.

The dough can be wrapped in plastic wrap and kept in the refrigerator for up to a week or it can be rolled out right away. Dust a counter with powdered sugar or flour and roll the dough to desired thickness (about 1/4-inch, maybe even slightly thicker than that). Cut the dough into shapes. Place the cookies on a lined or lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 7-8 minutes. The cookies won’t appear browned on top (or on bottom) when they are done baking so don’t let them overbake!

Cool the cookies completely on a wire rack before frosting.

Laurie’s Salad

2 heads lettuce (mix romaine and red leaf)
1 ½ cup grated Swiss cheese
1 cup Craisins
1 cup Cashews
2 medium pears (just before serving)
2 tart apples (just before serving)

*Dressing – Add just before serving:

½ cup lemon juice
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
½ tsp. salt
¼ cup sugar
2/3 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp. Poppy seeds