Lemon Ice Cream Pie

I made this over the weekend -- Meriel said it was so good, she wants me to make it for her wedding when she grows up.... well, first she asked if people ever have pies at their wedding, then she said that this is what she wanted. :-)

The crust recipe came from a cooking class Meriel took this summer, but her filling used Cool Whip and lemonade mix. While it was good, I had a feeling we could make it better and I have enough distrust of the chemicals in Cool Whip to want to try something with ingredient names I can pronounce. This is a wonderful combination of salty-sweet, so if that's your thing, you'll probably love this dessert!

Ice cream filling:

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

1 1/4 cups milk

3/4 cup sugar plus 2 Tbs. sugar

4-5 tsp. finely grated fresh lemon zest

1/8 tsp. salt

6 large egg yolks

2/3 cup fresh lemon juice

Crust:

1 1/2 cups ground pretzels (I did them in a food processor)

1/4 cup sugar

6 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted

1. Heat cream, milk, sugar, zest and salt over medium head, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Whisk yolks in a bowl, then add hot cream mixture in a slow stream, whisking the whole time. Pour custard back into saucepan with cream mixture and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly until it's thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon and it registers 175-180 degrees F, 3-5 minutes (do not boil).
2. Poor into a clean bowl and stir in lemon juice. Let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Cover the surface with wax paper and chill until cold, about 3 hours. Freeze in an ice cream maker.
3. CRUST: Combine ground pretzels, sugar and butter. Press into pie plate and chill for 30 minutes.
4. Scoop ice cream into crust, smoothing the top. Cover with plastic and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours. Twenty minutes before serving, put pie in fridge to soften.

Bacon-Date Tasties

We had these appetizers while visiting friends in Dayton last weekend. They were awesome! I have never seen fresh dates in my grocery story, so I'll probably use re-hydrated prunes when I make them again. My kids liked the bacon and cheese part, but weren't big fans of the dates... oh well, perhaps they'll develop a taste for them eventually.

1 lb of thick cut bacon

Fresh dates or prunes (same number as you have slices of bacon)

4 oz goat cheese

2 tbs. brown sugar

1 tsp. cumin

toothpicks

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Partially cook the bacon on paper towels in the microwave. The slices should still be completely flexible, but you want to try to get rid of some of the grease.
3. Combine the brown sugar and cumin in a small bowl.
4. Lay out each slice of bacon and sprinkle with 1/2 of the brown sugar/cumin mixture.
5. Take about 2-3 tsp. of goat cheese in a wad and press it against one side of the date. Wrap a piece of bacon around the date/cheese cupping the bottom of the cheese with the bacon. Secure the bacon with a toothpick and stand upright on a cookie sheet. Repeat with each slice of bacon. Sprinkle remaining sugar and cumin on the top.
6. Bake for around 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

Dark Chocolate Sauce

This sauce is so delicious, you will never want to buy the manufactured stuff again. Just don't forget to share!

1 cup heavy cream

6 Tbs. unsalted butter

3/4 cup sugar

2/3 cup brown sugar

pinch of salt

1 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder (make sure you use dark chocolate powder and not the regular -- I use Hershey's)

Combine cream and butter in a medium sauce pan. Stir over medium heat until the butter is melted and the mixture comes to a slow boil. Add the sugars, stirring until completely dissolved. Reduce heat and add salt and cocoa, whisking gently until smooth. Remove from heat and serve.

You can keep it in the fridge in an airtight container -- a spoonful in the middle of the afternoon is as good as a candy bar! Reheat over low heat or in the microwave at 50% power.

Coconut Cilantro Sweet Potatoes

A friend described this to me the other day and I went right home to try it because as far as I'm concerned, you can never go wrong with coconut milk and cilantro. This is absolutely fabulous and makes my mouth water just thinking about it. My kids still prefer sweet potato fries, but they didn't object too strenuously.

4 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 can coconut milk

5 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1/4-1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

salt and pepper to taste

1. Place sweet potatoes and coconut milk in a crock pot. Cook on low until very soft, perhaps 6-8 hours.
2. Stir until smooth.
3. Add garlic, cilantro, red pepper, salt and pepper
4. Serve immediately.

This makes a lot, so I froze half of it for a later dinner.

broccoli soup

1/4 onion

2 carrots

1 celery stalk

3 small potatoes

5 cups vegetable broth plus 1 cup water

1 bay leaf

4-5 cups head of broccoli chopped

2 teaspoon kosher salt

fresh ground pepper to taste

1 teaspoon curry powder

cheddar cheese (optional)

Saute onion, carrot and celery in about 1/4 cup of vegetable broth until tender. add salt, pepper and curry and mix together. Add vegetable broth, water, potato, bay leaf and broccoli. Cook until potato is tender, about 30-45 minutes. Remove bay leaf and blend with an immersion blender. Serve as is or add a few tablespoons of cheddar cheese to each bowl to make broccoli cheddar soup. This soup is healthy, quick, easy and yummy.

Broccoli Cauliflower Cheddar Soup

This is incredibly yummy on a cold day.

1/4 cup butter

1 onion, cut into medium dice

3 cloves garlic, minced or crushed

1-2 jalapeno peppers, diced (1 if you don't like things spice, more if you do)

1/2 tsp. freshly group pepper

1/4 cup flower

1 medium head broccoli, chopped

1/2 head cauliflower, chopped

1 quart chicken broth

1 large potato, peeled and chopped

1 1/2 cup milk

8 oz cheddar cheese, grated

salt to taste

1. Melt butter in a stock pot. Cook onion until softened. Add garlic, jalapenos and pepper and cook for 1 minute.
2. Add flour and stir until combined.
3. Gradually stir in chicken broth. Add potatoes. Bring to a low boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Stir in broccoli and cauliflower and continue to simmer until all vegetables are tender. Add milk.
5. Puree with an immersion blender or in batches in a regular blender. Reheat to a low simmer.
6. Add salt to taste and then cheese. Stir until combined. Serve immediately.

Linguine with Leeks and Prosciutto

Cindy mentioned this recipe when we walked on Tuesday and she's so busy I thought I would post it for her. I made it for dinner the other night and it's truly fabulous... not low-cal, but so delicious it's worth it. The original recipe calls for asparagus, but since it's out of season Cindy substituted peas.

2 Tbs. olive oil

2 Tbs. butter

3 leeks, cleaned well and chopped coursely

1/2 lb. prosciutto, cut into 1/2" strips

1 cup frozen peas

1/2 cup whipping cream

2 cups grated parmesan

salt and freshly ground pepper

1 lb. linguine

1. Prepare linguine according to directions on box.
2. Saute the leeks in the olive oil and butter over medium heat until very soft and starting to brown. Add the prosciutto and continue cooking 2-3 minutes.
3. Add peas and cook until heated through.
4. Salt and pepper to taste.
5. Add whipping cream and parmesan. Heat until cheese melts.
6. Drain linguine and add to leek / prosciutto sauce. Gently combine.
7. Serve with additional grated parmesan.