Cookies and Cream ice cream

Several years ago, my in laws took us to a restaurant that featured a dessert called "Ice cream soup."  I suspect the creator was having an ice cream night like mine when she came up with the concept.  See, I haven't used my ice cream maker in some time... probably in at least a year... and kinda forgot how exactly to work it.  For whatever reason, the recipe came out like soup, through no fault of the recipe itself.  It's tasty soup, of that I assure you, and it's sitting in the freezer in hopes of freezing up and being more ice cream than soup.

I made this for the recipe swap, the theme of which was again "Secret Recipe Swap."  For such a swap, we are assigned a blog rather than a recipe, and can blog anything we find there.  I chose to make my favorite kind of ice cream, Cookies and Cream, which Jey received in another Swap from Melissa!

Ironically, cookies and cream is my favorite ice cream while I dislike the famous cookie that tends to be part of the cookie side of cookies and cream ice cream.

So, a picture is coming as soon as the soup is less soup-y.  Thanks to Sarah for hosting another swap and Jey for a great recipe and a great blog!

Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Source: I Was Born to Cook   via The Jey of Cooking

• 2 Cups Whole Milk
• 2 Cups Heavy Cream
• 1 Cup Sugar, divided
• Pinch of Salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla
• 5 Egg Yolks
• 12 Oreos

Whisk together the milk, cream, 1/2 cup sugar, salt and vanilla in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.  Bring the mixture just to a boil.
While the mixture is heating, add the egg yolk and remaining 1/2 cup sugar to a medium bowl.  Whisk together until the mixture is pale and thick.
Whisking constantly, add about 1/3 of the hot mixture to the yolk/sugar mixture.  Repeat with another 1/3, then returned the combined base to the saucepan.
Stir constantly with a wooden spoon over low heat until it coats the back of the spoon.  Be careful not to boil or the yolks will overcook.  It should only take a few minutes.  Remove from heat and bring to room temperature.  Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours, or overnight.
When you are ready to make the ice cream, pulse the Oreos in a food processor until you achieve your desired crumb size.  Process and freeze the ice cream base according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  Add the cookie crumbs 5 minutes before finishing.
Transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer until your desired consistency is reached.

Sugar Snap Peas

I'm not a great planner of side dishes.  I joined a CSA this year with a friend, and we have been loaded with peas and sugar snap peas, so I turned to the internet to find me a way to prepare them rather than just steaming.

These were so good, and I was able to better customize to what was getting close to going bad in the fridge with the simple substitution of a red onion for shallots.  I think I probably wouldn't like the shallots as much!

My son raved about these!  My husband did too, and went looking for the leftovers the next day for lunch!

Sugar Snap Peas Source:  CJCOLLINS on Allrecipes.com

 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound sugar snap peas
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped red onion
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
2. Spread sugar snap peas in a single layer on a medium baking sheet, and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with shallots, thyme, and kosher salt.
3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in the preheated oven, until tender but firm.

Chicken Teriyaki Burgers

When meal planning, I always look for a little help; even my four year old suggests dinners for the week.  For the past two weeks, my husband has requested Chicken Teriyaki burgers, and they just didn't happened.  I know he sought a burger made out of ground chicken, but when I saw this recipe posted at For the Love of Cooking, I knew it would be mine... I mean, made, soon.

In fact, due to my running around, my husband was the one who made this on the grill.  In the rain.  Thanks, honey!

I probably didn't pound the chicken evenly/thin enough, so the chicken was a little big to be enjoyable, but otherwise, this was just wonderful.  The teriyaki provided a little bit of tang as a foil to the super sweet grilled pineapple.

Make this soon while the weather is gorgeous and you just want to grill, grill, grill!

Chicken Teriyaki Burgers Source:  For the Love of Cooking

• 3-4 chicken breasts, trimmed of any fat
• 1-2 cups of your favorite teriyaki sauce
• 1 can of pineapple rings (or fresh pineapple if you prefer)
• Low fat Swiss cheese slices
• Low fat mayonnaise
• Hamburger buns (whatever flavor you like)
• Additional topping ideas:
• Lettuce
• Tomato slices
• Sweet yellow onion slices
• Extra teriyaki sauce

Place chicken breasts, 1 at a time, between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Pound to an even thickness. Marinate in the teriyaki sauce for 6-24 hours in a Ziploc bag.
Spray cooking spray in a grill pan over medium heat. Add pineapple rings & cook for 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove from grill pan & set aside. Add more cooking spray to the pan; add chicken and cook over medium high heat for 4-5 minutes on the first side. Turn over and add the pineapple rings and low fat Swiss cheese. Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes. Heat the bun in the broiler for 1-2 minutes. Add low fat mayonnaise to the bun, chicken/pineapple/cheese, and all the fixings you want. Enjoy!

Blueberry Maple Oatmeal

Breakfasts are hard for me.  You probably have the same problem; you're rushing out the door or have limited time to get ready and just don't want to have to make something for breakfast.  Cold cereal fits the bill perfectly, but you know it's not that good for you and you're hungry by 10 anyway.

I found this recipe while browsing on Pinterest; it was originally posted on The Yummy Life.  It fits the bill perfectly; not only is it pretty good for you, but it also kept me full until nearly lunchtime.  I really enjoyed it, and my four year old loved it so much that he remembered to tell me about it when he got home from school.

I used blueberries that I had bought fresh and frozen, and they worked perfectly.  They defrosted overnight and were the perfect texture; I don't know if store bought frozen blueberries would become too mushy in this or not.

The only problem with this recipe is remembering to make it the night before (The Yummy Life advises not making it more than 2 days in advance).  Otherwise, it's a perfect solution to our breakfast problem!

Pardon the poor photography.  Many shots and this was the best.  Thanks, Picnik, for helping it look a tiny bit better.

Blueberry Maple Refrigerator Oatmeal Source: The Yummy Life

• 1/4 cup uncooked old fashioned oats
• 1/3 cup skim milk
• 1/4 cup low-fat Greek yogurt
• 1-1/2 teaspoons dried chia seeds
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup (more or less to taste)
• 1/4 cup blueberries (or enough to fill jar)

Directions

In a half pint (1 cup) jar, add oats, milk, yogurt, chia seeds, and maple syrup. Put lid on jar and shake until well combined; give it more than you think--the yogurt stays pretty clumpy. Remove lid, add blueberries and stir until mixed throughout. Return lid to jar and refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days. Eat chilled.

Pistachio Chai Muffins

My dad always loved Pistachios.  For Christmas, he'd find a bag of them, always red, in his stocking, and I can remember him sitting in his "CB Room" chair eating them.

For some reason, despite the prevalence of pistachios in my childhood, I don't think I've ever tasted them.  It may be that unsightly red stain or some other reason, but I just never did.

When making these muffins, of course I had to try, and they are in fact quite tasty--even unsalted.  Definitely different from other nuts I've had, and of course, no stain.

I made these lovelies for my children to eat at daycare.  I was setting them up with breakfast when my four year old reminded me "no nuts at school!"  Oops.  We tasted them at home, and they were really delicious.

I was hesitant about the whole concept of EATING tea; for whatever reason, this just seems wrong.  But it isn't gross, though it's surely more caffeine than I should be handing my two OR four year old, but I wasn't thinking... obviously (see nuts above).

Taking some of the recommendations on the recipe's comments, I made a few modifications, adding a third teabag, another teaspoon of vanilla, a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, and a pinch of cardamom.  The end result was quite tasty; it was much like a spice cake but with much more interesting flavors and the delightful green crunch of the nuts on top.

Pistachio Chai Muffins Adapted from Cooking Light

• 7 9/10 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 3/4 cups)
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
•   3chai blend tea bags, opened
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• pinch ground cardamom 
• 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1/4 cup butter, melted 
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten 
• Cooking spray 
• 1/3 cup shelled dry-roasted pistachios, chopped

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Weigh or measure flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Cut open tea bags; add tea, cinnamon, and cardamom to flour mixture, stirring well. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine buttermilk, butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and egg in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.  Don't overmix!
3. Coat a 12 cup muffin pan with cooking spray. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle nuts evenly over batter. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in pan on a wire rack.

Recipe Swap: Cajun Chicken Pasta

For this week's swap, the theme was Noodles. I received a recipe from the healthier food focused blog, Prevention RD, whose photography and recipes are always beautiful.

I was given her recipe for Cajun Chicken Pasta, and it looked like a real winner. Who can deny the wonder of a healthful, delicious, and FAST meal?

Indeed, it was exactly that; the recipe took less than 30 minutes (once I finished chopping, which can easily be done the night before), and it was delicious.  It was a bit on the too spicy side for the kiddos, though my four year old said it was "delicious but too spicy," and my husband and I could have handled less spice too.  Next time I make this (oh yes, there WILL be a next time), I will probably use the two teaspoons that season the chicken and leave it at that.  Speaking of spices, I used Essence of Emeril, which I had sitting in the cabinet and it was perfect.

I also brought this in as leftovers for lunch club, and found that the spice had mellowed substantially, so if you're planning to make this in advance, rock those 4 teaspoons!

Thank you to Sarah for hosting another fun swap and Nicole for a delicious and healthful recipe.

Cajun Chicken Pasta taken from Prevention RD, who heavily adapted from All Recipes and Ommy Noms

10 oz whole wheat linguine
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 tsp Cajun seasoning
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
1 green bell pepper, slices into strips
1 large yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1 T fresh basil

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, cut chicken breasts into thin strips and season with 2 teaspoons of cajun seasoning. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the chicken in the olive oil for 4-5 minutes or until no longer pink.

Add the onion and saute 1-2 minutes. Add the garlic and saute an additional minute. Add red and green bell peppers. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes, until peppers are slightly tender.

Add the half-and-half and basil, bring to a boil. Add the cooked linguine, tossing to allow the half and half to cook into the al dente pasta. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of cajun seasoning. Yield: 6 servings (about 1 1/2 cups each).