Ginger Ice Cream

As you know from some other posts, I belong to a cooking club. We call ourselves Taste Tempters. We've been gathering every month for over 12 years. It's a great group of ladies and we always seem to come up with great cooking themes and recipes.

This month's theme was "Thai One On" where we all prepared a food with a Thai theme.

I made Thai Green Curry Chicken, Thai Tea Ice Cream, and this Ginger Ice Cream with Condensed Milk Cookies. I don't know if you would call ginger ice cream a true Thai dish but I have found on menus at some local Thai restuarants and it seemed to me that it to be a good palette cleanser after dinner. I served with condensed milk cookies which could be eaten on the side with the ice cream or made into a delicious ice cream sandwich.

This recipe is from Anne Burrell and found it on Foodnetwork.com. Anne suggests to make ice cream sandwiches with molasses cookies. This is a definite Thanksgiving and/or Christmas dessert I will be making. As you can see this ice cream been served any time of year for any occasion. 

Ingredients:

• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• One 4-inch piece gingerroot, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 6 eggs
• Molasses Cookies, if serving as ice cream sandwiches, optional recipe follows

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan combine the cream, 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar, vanilla extract and ginger. Bring to a boil, turn off the heat and let sit for 1 hour.
2. In a small bowl, combine the eggs and the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and beat to a homogeneous consistency.
3. ring the cream-ginger mixture back to a boil and turn the heat off. Immediately strain and whisk a third of the cream mixture into the egg-sugar mixture and then immediately whisk the egg mixture back into the remaining cream mixture.
4. Chill the mixture over an ice water bath.
5. Churn the chilled mixture in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's directions. 
6. Serve as is, or to make ice cream sandwiches (using Condsensed Milk Cookies or Anne's Molasses Cookies).

 

~Enjoy!

Condensed Milk Cookies

These roll out / cut out cookies have a soft texture and are mildly sweet with a buttery taste that I find familiar at Christmas time. They are great just plain, dipped in tea or coffee, or serve with ice cream. This recipe is from Local Milk and she made Thai Ice Cream Sandwiches using these cookies.This is what gave me the idea to make and serve them with a Ginger Ice Cream that I made last week for my cooking club's "Thai One On" dinner.

We all enjoyed the cookies with our ice cream and hot tea (they are delicious with a hot cup of tea!) 

This is a great dough to work with and the cookies freeze beautifully. They can be cut into any shape and would be great for any holiday or festivity. Decorate for any holiday with colored sugars (such as red & green sugar for Christmas, orange sugar for Halloween, pastel sugars for Easter, or whatever colors you'd like for your special holiday or festivity.)

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus up to an additional 1/2 cup
• 2 sticks (1 cup) butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling (optional)
• 1 (14 oz) can condensed milk
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Cream butter & sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until fluffy. Mix in eggs, vanilla, and condensed milk.

When combined add dry ingredients about one cup at a time and mix until just combined. If mixture appears too wet add up to another 1/2 cup of flour until desired consistency.  Note: this dough will seem wet but it will chill and harden in the refrigerator before rolling out. (I did use all 4 cups of flour and the dough came out great for rolling).

Divide dough into two discs and wrap with plastic and refrigerate for at least half an hour and, if making ahead, up to three days. Dough can also be frozen at this point up to three months.

Heat oven to 350° F

Place dough on a floured work surface and roll out to 1/4-1/8 of an inch thick. Cut into desired shapes. Using a wooden skewer or other object (like the tip of a thermometer, as suggested by Local Milk) poke the cookies with holes. Sprinkle with sugar if desired.

Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes. Cool for at least 10 minutes on racks. If using for ice cream sandwiches, place in a large ziplock bag and freeze. Otherwise they can be stored in an air tight container or frozen (and brought to room before serving).

I found these cookies to taste best after the sit for a few hours or the next day.

Enjoy!

Thai Green Curry Chicken

 

Last week our cooking club, the Taste Tempters, met for a "Thai One On" dinner theme. I prepared three dishes to bring to dinner, Thai Green Curry Chicken, Ginger Ice Cream and Condensed Milk Cookies. All of the food was great. I have to say we have some awesome cooks in this group. This Green Curry Chicken recipe is from About.com. It looks really complicated but if you make the green curry paste ahead of time (even the day before), it's real easy to prepare.

If you like Thai food this recipe is a must try!

Ingredients:

• GREEN CURRY PASTE:
• 4 small green Thai chilies, OR substitute 1 to 2 jalapeno peppers
• 1/4 cup shallot OR purple onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 thumb-size piece galangal OR ginger, grated
• 1 stalk fresh minced lemongrass OR 3 Tbsp. frozen or bottled prepared lemongrass
• 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 3/4 to 1 tsp. shrimp paste
• 1 (loose) cup fresh coriander/cilantro leaves and stems, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. ground white pepper (can be purchased at some supermarkets, OR at Asian food stores)
• 3 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 1 tsp. brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp. lime juice
• CURRY INGREDIENTS:
• 1 to 1.5 lbs. (about 0.7 kg) boneless chicken thigh or breast, cut into chunks
• 1 can coconut milk
• 4 kaffir lime leaves (can be purchased frozen at most Asian food stores), OR substitute 1 tsp. grated lime zest
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into chunks
• 1 zucchini, sliced lengthwise several times, then cut into chunks
• Generous handful fresh basil
• 2 Tbsp. coconut oil or other vegetable oil

Preparation:

1. Place all the "green curry paste" ingredients together in a food processor, and process to a paste. If necessary, add a few Tbsp. of the coconut milk to help blend ingredients. Set aside.
2. Prepare the lime leaves by tearing the leaf away from either side of the stem. Discard the central stem. Then, using scissors, cut leaves into thin strips. Set aside.
3. Warm a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil and swirl around, then add the green curry paste.
4. Stir-fry briefly to release the fragrance (30 seconds to 1 minute), then add 3/4 of the coconut milk, reserving 2-3 Tbsp. per serving portion for later.
5. Add the chicken, stirring to incorporate. When the curry sauce comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium or medium-low, until you get a nice simmer.
6. Cover and allow to simmer 3-5 more minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Stir occasionally.
7. Add the red bell pepper and zucchini, plus the strips of lime leaf (or lime zest), stirring well to incorporate. Simmer another 2-3 minutes, or until vegetables are softened but still firm and colorful.
8. Do a taste-test for salt, adding 1-2 Tbsp. fish sauce if not salty enough. If you'd prefer a sweeter curry, add a little more sugar. If too salty, add a squeeze of lime or lemon juice. If too spicy, add more coconut milk. Note that this curry should be a balance of salty, spicy, sweet and sour, plus bitter (the bitter is found in the fresh basil garnish).
9. Serve this curry in bowls with Thai jasmine rice on the side, allowing guests to add their own. Top each portion with fresh basil, then drizzle over 2-3 Tbsp. coconut milk.

 Enjoy!

Fall is Here & Acorn Squash

 

The weather has quickly cooled down around here. It was a brisk 40 degrees this morning when we woke up this morning. I stopped by a small local grocery store today and they were just brinigng in some Acorn squash. Just a perfect idea for a side dish to go with our chicken dinner tonight. Acorn squash are easy to prepare - just cut them in half, scoop out the seeds, add some yummy toppings like a little brown sugar, maple syrup, butter and bake for a little over an hour. 

 Ingredients:

• 1 Acorn squash
• 1 Tbsp Butter
• 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Maple Syrup
• Dash of Salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F..
2. In a large casserole or baking dish, turn acor
3. Turn squash upside down so that the flesh faces down. Fill with the baking dish with approximately 1 inch of water (to keep the squash from burning). Bake in a 350 degrees oven until it begins to soften, approximately 30 to 45  minutes.Do not under cook.
4. Remove squash from the oven and turn right side up so that the flesh is facing upwards. (Keep the squashin the baking dish). Place butter, maple syrup, and brown sugar into each squash.
5. Place squash in the 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven and bake another 20-30 minutes. 

Note: I made 2 acorn squash (4 halves). So I doubled the recipe. You can add more brown sugar and/or maple syrup to your liking. I went for a little extra maple syrup tonight.  (The white you see in the photo is the butter, it foamed up a little bit while baking - nothing wrong with that, it still tastes great).
 

 

I Love Fall!!

Warm Butter Buns

My all time favorite thing to cook is any kind of bread, roll or bun. I've been collecting pins over on Pinterest of all the breads that I would love to try. Of course it would take some time to make each recipe but I'll give it whirl and see how many I can make during the fall and winter months ahead. 

This a Butter Bun recipe that I found from Roxana's Home Baking. It's really easy and tastes great (especially right out of the oven).

The Butter Buns look a bit different that what hers do I. I think it has something to do with how I added the yeast (I made a bit of mistake while making them-I didn't let the yeast dissolve very well in the first step) but they still tasted great with our Roast Beef and Mashed Potatoes dinner.

Here is the recipe that I got from her blog. Be sure to check out her blog and her recipes. She has some real good ones that are worthy to try.

Roxana has a great tutorial for you follow while making these.

Ingredients:

• 1/4cup water or milk
• 1 pkg Rapid Rise Yeast
• 4 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1 egg or 2 egg yolks
• 4 Tbsp melted butter
• 1 cup luke warm milk
• 1 to 2 tsp salt (I used 1 tsp salt since I used salted butter)

 Directions:

1. In a bowl mix 1/4 cup water or milk with 1 package rapid rise yeast.
2. Stir and let the yeast dissolve. It’s going to slightly foam.
3. In your mixer bowl add 4 cups all purpose flour
4. Pour the yeast mixture over the flour
5. Add 1 egg or 2 egg yolks
6. And 4 tbsp melted butter
7. In a measuring cup mix 1 cup of lukewarm milk or water with 1-2 tsp salt. If you used salted butter I you may not want to use more than 1 tsp of salt.
8. Start mixing slowly adding the milk (or water)
9. The dough might need a little bit more milk. Slowly add 1 tbsp at a time until the dough is soft and cleans itself from the sides of the bowl.
10. Put the dough into a greased bowl, cover with plastic foil and leave at room temperature until it doubles in volume. (should take about 30-40 minutes)
11. Grease a 11×7 deep dish and put aside. Divide the dough into 16 almost equal balls. Shape them into small baguettes and place them into the baking dish. Cover again with plastic foil and leave at room temperature.
12. Turn the oven on and let it reach 375F. The oven should be on for about 10 minutes (plus other 5 minutes until it reaches the desired temperature) before you place the buns in.
13. When your oven is nice and hot and your buns are almost doubled in size brush them with some more melted butter and place them into the oven
14. Bake for 23-25 minutes until golden. Brush with some more butter as soon as you take them out of the oven. (I eliminated the extra butter here .. however I served these warm with extra butter for those that wanted it),

Enjoy warm from the oven with some butter! yum!

Birthday Dirt Cake

 

It's hard to believe my baby girl will be turning 13 on Monday. I know we all say the time goes really fast while our children are growing up..but holy cow..it is way too fast!! She is waiting to celebrate her special day on the 10th but not all of our family can't get together on Monday so tonight we will be having a small pre-birthday celebration. I told her to pick whatever dessert she wanted and Dirt Cake was the choose. And she reminded me to not forget the gummy worms!

This is the recipe I use for Dirt Cake. It's always a winner with the kids as well as with the grownups. What's not to like, chocolate pudding, cream cheese, Cool Whip, Oreos and gummy worms.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
• 3 1/2 cups milk
• 1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 32 ounces chocolate sandwich cookies with creme filling

Directions:

1. Chop cookies very fine in food processor. The white cream will disappear.
2. Mix butter, cream cheese, and sugar in bowl.
3. In a large bowl mix milk, pudding and whipped topping together.
4. Combine pudding mixture and cream mixture together.
5. Layer in a 13x9 dish, starting with cookies then cream mixture. Repeat layers.
6. Chill until ready to serve.

Happy Early 13th Birthday my dear Sarah!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Cake

All I can say about this Chocolate Peanut Fudge Cake is Yum, Sinful, Delicious, Fudgie, and Delightful !  Gourmet Mom has most definitely perfected this cake. To me, it tastes like an inside out Chocolate Peanut Butter Buckeye (you know, those delightful peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate that you see around during the holidays.)

This was a must try recipe for last week's campfire gathering with my friends.

If you like Peanut Butter and Chocolate you have to try Gourmet Mom's recipe (it IS perfect). And be sure to stop by and tell her Thank you!

 Cake for two :) :)

Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge Cake

Cake:

• 1 box Chocolate Fudge cake mix (or any chocolate cake mix)
• 1 (3 oz.) box instant chocolate pudding
• 2 C. sour cream
• 5 eggs
• 1 C. melted butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 C. chocolate chips (I recommend ghirardelli)

Directions:

In a large bowl, beat first 6 ingredients until well blended. Mixture will be thick. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into three greased 9” pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-40 minutes. (Keep an eye on them so they don’t overbake). Cool completely. I actually like to pop them in the freezer for easy assembling.

Peanut Butter Buttercream Icing

 

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup solid vegetable shortening
• 2/3 cup butter
• 1 3/4 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• 6-8 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approx. 2 lb.)

Directions:
Cream shortening and butter with electric mixer.
Add peanut butter, milk and vanilla.
Gradually add 6 c. sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry.
Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add more sugar (or milk) as needed until icing is desired consistency (should be firm enough to hold a shape but still smooth)
Keep icing covered with a damp cloth until ready to use. For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored 2 weeks. Re-whip before using.

Enjoy!