Funfetti Ice Cream

These pictures do NOT do any justice to the yumminess that is this ice cream. Thanks to Carrie, this recipe could very well be my new favorite. I was so excited to try this Cake Batter Ice Cream, but even more so to sub in funfetti cake mix. :)

The sprinkles kind of disappeared, so that was a bummer. Maybe next time I'll add in extra.


I have been having SO much fun making my own ice cream, and while I do still occasionally buy it from the store, it is NO match for what I can prepare in my own kitchen.

(By the way, if anyone has any suggestions for making any ice cream recipe even the slightest bit healthier without it coming out all icy, let's here 'em!)

Make this ice cream tonight. I mean it.

Oh, and in making this, I learned that I cannot make 2 batches of ice cream back-to-back; the bowl has to go back into the freezer in between. Live and learn.

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole milk, well chilled
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 cups heavy cream, well chilled
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup Funfetti cake mix
  

In a medium bowl, whisk the milk and granulated sugar until the sugar is dissolved.

Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla.

Stir in cake mix, making sure there are no lumps.

Pour mixture into the freezer bowl of your ice cream maker and let mix until it has thickened (about 25-30 minutes).

Remove ice cream from freezer bowl and place into a separate container.

Place freezer bowl and the ice cream into the freezer to further harden.

M&M Brownies

You will never guess where I got this "recipe."

Give up?

Cosmo.

I know, I was shocked too! I signed up for a free 5 issues (and sidenote? Daay-yum, that magazine makes me feel OLD!) and was flipping through it the other night when I came across this little goodie on a page dedicated to easy Superbowl eats.

The Cosmo version called for Reese's PB cups, but since Ryan is allergic and I think it's mean to eat brownies in front of my 2-year-old without sharing, I opted for M&Ms. But really, ANY candy would make this delightful!


Ingredients

• box or package of your favorite brownie mix (a from-scratch recipe would obviously be even yummier!)
• your choice of candy - enough to form a single layer in a 9x9 pan

Prepare brownie batter according to package directions. Pour half of the batter into a 9x9 pan; spread candy in a single layer over the the top, and cover with the rest of the batter. Bake according to package directions.

Not-Sagna Pasta Toss

This fake-out lasagna might very well be the dish that sealed my love affair with Rachael Ray.

One of the first book I ever purchased of hers was either the 365: No Repeats or Express Lane Meals. I forget which, but one of them had this meal in it and I fell in love. While I think I'm beginning to shy away from her newer stuff (some of it is just weird), I will always have a special place in my heart for "vintage" Rachael.


This initial meal is one that I have made countless times and is fully enjoyable each time. I have added mozzarella to mine, because, really, you can't make a meal with "lasagna" in the title and NOT use mozzarella!

Anyway, this past weekend we were having George and Denise (and Abby!) over for dinner, and I was looking for something comfort-food-ish while still being entertaining-appropriate. This was a big hit, and I believe George's facebook status that night may have sung this meal a praise or two...

Ingredients

• 1 pound curly short cut pasta
• Coarse salt
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
• 1 pound ground sirloin
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, eyeball it in your palm
• Black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice, eyeball it in your palm
• 1 teaspoon, several drops, Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup dry red wine, a couple of glugs
• 1/2 cup beef stock
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 cup fresh basil, about 20 leaves
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, a couple of handfuls, plus some to pass at table
• 2-4 oz fresh mozzarella, diced
  

Heat a large pot of water to boil for pasta. Salt water and cook pasta to al dente. Heads up: you will need a ladle of the starchy cooking water to help form sauce before draining.

Heat a deep nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan. Add the meat and break it up into small bits as it caramelizes. Once meat has good color to it, 4 to 5 minutes, add garlic, onions and red pepper flakes and season with salt, pepper, allspice and Worcestershire sauce. Cook another 5 minutes, deglaze the meat and onions with red wine, cook off a minute, then combine about 1/2 cup of stock into the meat. Stir in the tomatoes and bring to a bubble. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer 5 minutes.

Place ricotta cheese in the bottom of a shallow bowl. Add a ladleful of boiling, starchy pasta water to the ricotta and stir to combine. Add a couple of handfuls of grated Parmesan to the ricotta and mix it in.

Drain pasta. Toss hot pasta with cheeses. Add half the thick meat sauce to the pasta bowl and combine. Tear or shred the basil and add to the meat and pasta, toss again. Taste to adjust salt and pepper. Serve bowlfuls of Not-sagna with extra sauce on top and more grated Parmesan to pass at the table.

Dad's Mac and Cheese

Who DOESN'T love a big bowl of mac and cheese??


Growing up, this was my dad's signature dish. It is so simple (and not exactly healthy!) but delicious. Even though I try out new mac and cheese recipes frequently, I always come back to this one; for me, it's my childhood in a bowl.

Sometimes I vary up the cheese or throw in some add-ins like ground turkey, broccoli, or ham... or some kind of combination.

Ingredients

• 1 pound elbow macaroni
• 1 pound American cheese, grated
• 1/2-1 cup milk
• couple of tablespoons of butter

Preheat oven to 350.

Cook pasta according to package directions and drain.

Place a third of the grated cheese along the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Cover with half of the pasta, then another third of cheese, then the rest of the pasta, and the rest of the cheese.

Pour the milk over everything, and dot with butter.

Bake uncovered until golden, about 30 minutes.

Dijon-Thyme Chicken

I have to confess that I never even tried these. The idea of chicken is still kind of ewwie to me thanks to this pregnancy, so by the time they were ready, I just had no desire to eat them. Plus I made them on the same night as that chive risotto fiasco, so maybe that's what turned me off.

But Pat and Ryan polished off everything in one sitting, so I'm sure they were very good!

I definitely want to try this dish again (probably after July!) because it really sounds good. Silly weird pregnancy food things...

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted (substituted Smart Balance 50/50 spread)
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme (used 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into bite-size pieces
• bread crumbs, enough to cover all pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, combine the butter, mustard, onion, garlic, thyme and pepper flakes.

Dip chicken in butter mixture, then coat with bread crumbs.

Place in a greased baking dish.

Bake, uncovered for 30-35 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.

Barefoot Bloggers: Chive Risotto Cakes

Yet another super late recipe - I think I was supposed to have made these in November...?

Anyway, as you can tell from the pics, cakes these are not, and like them I did not.

I did not pay attention to the recipe (shocking) and realized after I already started that I would NOT have enough time to make them the right way.


Neither Pat nor I really liked the flavor combination at all, which means I will likely not try them the real way. Of course, that could make a big difference, but it just seems like a lot of work for something that I don't think I'd like. I'm posting the recipe as is, rather than my random version.

Ingredients:
Kosher salt
1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
½ cup Greek yogurt
2 extra-large eggs
3 tablespoons minced fresh chives
1 ½ cup cups grated Italian Fontina cheese (5 ounces)
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¾ cup panko (Japanese dried bread flakes)
Good olive oil

Bring a large (4 quart) pot of water to a boil and add ½ tablespoon salt and the Arborio rice. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. The grains of rice will be quite soft. Drain the rice in a sieve and run under cold water until cool. Drain well.

Meanwhile, whisk together the yogurt, eggs, chives, Fontina, 1 ¼ teaspoons salt, and the pepper in a medium bowl. Add the cooled rice and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight, until firm.

When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

Spread the panko in a shallow dish. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Form balls of the rice mixture using a standard (2 1/4 –inch) ice cream scoop or a large spoon. Pat the balls into patties 3 inches in diameter and ¾ inch thick. Place 4-6 patties in the panko, turning once to coat. Place the patties in the hot oil and cook, turning once, for about 3 minutes on each side until the risotto cakes are crisp and nicely browned. Place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and keep warm in the oven for up to 30 minutes. Continue cooking in batches, adding oil as necessary, until all the cakes are fried. Serve hot.

Angel Chicken

I starred this one long ago from Brooke, but I'm not sure why it only popped up now in my kitchen...

Oh, well. It was pretty good. I agree with Brooke, however, that while I certainly had worse meals, this one wasn't my favorite.


Also, at the last minute, I could not for the life of me find a dry Italian dressing mix packet - I subbed in a pouch of dry vegetable dip mix. Whoops. I also served over mashed potatoes (store bought, not homemade - hey, if I'm using the crockpot, then I don't have time do homemade mashed pot's!) - yum!

Ingredients:

• 6 boneless chicken breasts (I used 4)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 pkg dry italian salad dressing mix
• 1 can golden mushroom soup (I used Healthy Request cream of mushroom soup)
• 1/2 cup white wine or 1/2 c. chicken broth
• 4 oz. onion & chive cream cheese
• 1 pkg angel hair pasta, cooked according to box directions
  

Place chicken in crock pot. In sauce pan melt butter. Stir in italian salad dressing mix, soup, cream cheese & wine. Pour over chicken. Cook on low for 4-5 hours (mine cooked on low for about 8 hours and plenty moist and saucy). Pour over cooked pasta.

Recipe Exchange: Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Casserole

I shouldn't even be able to post this because a) it is so late and b) I made a lot of changes.

But anyway, for the December Recipe Exchange on my cooking board, I was given this yummy-sounding casserole. I did end up altering a bit due to time/tastes/what I had on hand, but it was pretty good! I am posting my version along with the original. Since it's an exchange, I don't know who or where it came from, so I can't properly give credit!

Ingredients:

• 2-3 large boneless chicken breasts, chopped into bite-size pieces
• 3-4 cups frozen veggies
• 1 can cheddar cheese soup
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1.5 cups milk
• 1.5 cups shredded cheddar
• 2 cups COOKED egg noodles

1. Mix together soups with milk.

2. In a 9x13 casserole dish, spread a layer of diced chicken.

3. Cover chicken with veggies.

4. Sprinkle half of the grated cheese over the broccoli.

5. Pour soup mixture over noodles.

6. Top with remaining cheese.

7. Bake at 300 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Serve over egg noodles.

Original:

• 2-3 large boneless chicken breasts - COOKED
• 3-4 cups frozen broccoli (recipe calls for cooked... I quick thaw the broccoli in HOT WATER and put through my food processor)
• 1 can cheddar cheese soup
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 (soup)can milk (recipe calls for evaporated... I use 1%)
• 1.5 cups grated cheese (recipe calls for cheddar...I use marble)
• 2 cups COOKED egg noodles

1. Mix together soups with milk.

2. In a 9x13 casserole dish, spread a layer of diced chicken. (I put mine through the food processor).

3. Cover chicken with broccoli.

4. Sprinkle half of the grated cheese over the broccoli.

5. Add a layer of the cooked noodles.

6. Pour soup mixture over noodles.

7. Top with remaining cheese.

8. Bake at 300 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Rice Krispie Treats

It's a cold, snowy day here today, and I was looking for something fun to do with Ryan after he woke up from his nap. He wanted a snack, so I thought we could make some Rice Krispie Treats!

Ryan absolutely LOVES sitting up on the counter and "helping." He's really good about sitting still and not touching the hot stuff - what a good boy!

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1 package (10 oz., about 40) regular marshmallows (or 4 cups miniature marshmallows)
• 6 cups Rice Krispies®

1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.

2. Add KELLOGG'S RICE KRISPIES cereal. Stir until well coated.

3. Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cool. Cut into 2-inch squares. Best if served the same day.

Turkey-Spinach Lasagna

I loooooove lasagna. LOOOOOOOVE IT. I think I get it from my dad - he loves it too. :)



While nothing really beats a good ol' plain lasagna, sometimes I like playing around with it just for something different. I found this Cooking Light version in Brooke's blog and really couldn't wait to make it. I'm glad I did, because it was amazing - definitely a keeper. I can't wait to make this again! I love having spinach in it, because it makes me feel like my bowl full of noodles and cheese is a healthy dinner. ;)



Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 1 pound ground turkey breast
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 (26-ounce) jars low-fat marinara sauce (or equivalent homemade)
• 1 (16-ounce) carton fat-free ricotta
• 1/4 cup egg substitute
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) preshredded fresh Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 8 cooked lasagna noodles or no-boil
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350°.

Coat a large skillet with cooking spray, and place over medium-high heat until hot. Add turkey, onion,red pepper flakes and garlic; cook until meat is browned, stirring to crumble. Add 5 3/4 cups marinara sauce; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

Combine ricotta cheese, egg substitute, Parmesan, parsley, pepper, garlic powder, oregano and spinach; stir well. Spread remaining marinara sauce in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 4 noodles over marinara; top with cottage cheese mixture and half of the mozzarella.

Spoon half of the turkey mixture over the mozzarella. Arrange the remaining noodles over turkey mixture. Top with remaining turkey mixture and mozzarella.Bake at 350° for 50 minutes or until cheese melts and sauce is bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.