BiRite Buttermilk Ice Cream

This is part 2 of the ice cream cake, or it’s just yummy ice cream that you can pair with cakes, cookies, or just eat it out of a bowl. If you are scared at the idea of using something sour like buttermilk to make ice cream, I promise that this is a good way to get out of a vanilla ice cream comfort box. Basically, this is like a cheesecake kind of ice cream. I made a cheesecake ice cream before, and I did one where I swirled frosting in, but this might be my favorite because it is easier than the second, and softer than the first. And, for those of you who think buttermilk is not as healthy, the low-fat version is actually healthier than 2% milk. Buttermilk is what is left behind after making butter, so that should show you right there that it is lower in fat because you are removing fat with the butter.

Tips-y Tuesdays: How to Roast a Chicken

I have brought back my Tips-y Tuesdays for a brief showing (see, I said they weren’t gone forever!). This is one of those posts inspired by my mom and her lack of proper recipes for favorite dishes. Roast chicken is the kind of dish that your mom might have made for you over and over, and you even watched and/or sometimes helped…and yet…you somehow miss some of the details. When my mom passed away, my dad and I tried to recreate the version she would make. I have not gotten it exactly the way she did, but I think I have gotten it pretty close. In some ways, I have maybe even improved. And, with all of this practice, my husband has also gotten practice carving chickens. He used to complain that he had to carve it, and that rotisserie chickens could be cheaper at the store, but he is starting to come around to my side of things. He knows that I prefer cooking to buying premade stuff, but there are other bonuses, like the smell of the house while it’s cooking, the vegetables that sit underneath and soak up the yummy chicken-ness, and the endless leftovers.

It’s sometimes hard to know which end is up!

Bi-Rite’s Chocolate Midnight Cake

When we returned from our Christmas vacation to Maryland, I had received two cookbooks. I saved one for the plane to read, and I let myself read one while I was there. I read the Bi-Rite cookbook and was reminded of the yummy ice cream I had when we visited their creamery in San Francisco. Immediately when we got back (well, the next morning) I made 3 recipes. This cookbook is great because you get recipes for ice cream, but also cake, cookies, candy, and more. They even give you ideas  on how to pair the recipes. These three recipes were not originally paired in the book, but they worked so well together. You can feel free to pair them up like I did, or just make them on their own. I will post each of them this week, so stay tuned. If you want to make the ice cream cake that I made, then you would probably start the ice cream base first, so stay tuned for that.

The future of this week in one cake!

Irish Soda Bread

I don’t want to get caught up in the traditional versus not debate for this bread. To be honest, I only ever had it occasionally when my mom would make it for my dad. When he requested it for a dessert this year, I went through her old files to try to find what recipe she had used since that is the one he liked. I think I found the right one. He liked it, and I liked it a bunch, too! Supposedly the newspaper article borrowed the recipe from All Recipes, but since it is from years ago, I could not find the specific link. I will say that I modified it slightly.

Since I do not know what traditional Irish Soda Bread should be, or how you might like it, I will describe this one and let you decide for yourself. It is a basic one with raisins only, no caraway seeds. My dad doesn’t like the seeds in this kind of bread, and I respected his wishes. The texture of the bread is fluffy on the inside, with a really crunchy crust on the outside. The raisins are plump and juicy, and there are a moderate number (I could have added more even). The flavor is nothing fancy–like a nice white bread, but a subtle flavor from the buttermilk. This bread definitely works for breakfast because it is fairly healthy and not too sweet.

Tomato Soup with Basil Oil and Balsamic Syrup

Maybe you don’t know this about me, but I am super into planning. I plan almost everything. One of my best friends teases me that I plan bathroom breaks, but there is no joking there. I really do. But, it is extremely useful when we would go to the movies and have to sit through long ones like the Lord of the Rings movies. Ugggghhhh. So yes, I am all about timing. I had guests tell me that my wedding day was the smoothest they had ever seen, with everything seeming to fall into place. It was all planned by yours truly (with a little help from some vendors).

What you are looking forward to in this blog post.

This means that when it comes to dinner parties, if I am somewhat in charge like I was this time, there is a written schedule with everything that will be happening.

Changes had to be made due to some travel difficulties.

Triple Chocolate Cookies

Here is the last in a series of cookie posts! I know sometimes I bounce all over the place, but sometimes I stick to certain foods for streaks as well. For the past couple months, I have been in a cookie mood. Chocolate, marshmallow, buttery shortbread…you name it, I have wanted to make it!

 

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies–The Non-Fussy Version

Okay okay, I posted about perfect chocolate chip cookies before, but I wanted to make a batch and decided that while that batch was good…I wanted a non-fussy one. One that I can make without a scale (since I am not always cooking in my own kitchen), one that takes little time (chilling the dough is optional), and one that does not need quite as many eggs (yummy, but it can get expensive). This is really just the America’s Test Kitchen recipe slightly reimagined. I did actually detail the recipe a bit in this post on brownies, but to be honest, even I forget it is hiding in there with all of the other yumminess. So, here it is. A whole page dedicated to it. There are a few changes from when I made it that day, and I applied the bread flour idea from Crunchy, Creamy, Sweet.

Just a quick note…I recommend this other recipe if you have a little extra time.

One of my new Christmas toys!