BUTTERFLIES IN MY TUMMY

My baby turns seven this week. She is the most amazing little human I've ever known: compassionate, helpful, caring, kind, conscientious, loyal, devoted, loving, smart, talented, beautiful, friendly, approachable, and loved by all. She has no foes, rivals, or enemies. She is just as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside.

She is a joy to parent. She has thrown one tantrum in her entire life. She's had to be scolded fewer times than I have fingers. She genuinely cares about everyone she meets, and always looks for ways to help. She has super self-esteem but is never boastful of herself. I am so honored to call her my daughter.

And she turns seven years old this week.

Birthdays are a bittersweet marking of time with my Little One. She professes that she's never moving out -- she always wants to stay with her parents. We struck a deal and offered to build a house on the back side of our property when we are ready to retire from the Army. She likes this idea. Such a sweet daughter.

Anyway, I'm daydreaming. On with this post.

Birthdays -- yes, they're bittersweet. Before I can blink my eyes, she'll be sixteen and asking for the keys to Daddy's car. And I'll be welling up with tears just as real as I am this week, as my sweet daughter, who has four wiggly teeth and has recently discovered modesty, turns seven years old.

There will be much celebration to mark this event. Aside from our intimate family acknowledgement of her actual birthday, there's her class party and a birthday party with friends to look forward to. We had a small party with Grandma Kathy yesterday. She was in town and we wanted to celebrate together, so I threw together this simply ice cream cake. It's not wholesome and pure. But it's a hit with all who taste it, so I'm going off the beaten path and sharing this simple recipe with you. Pull it out of your hat for your next cookout, church potluck, or friendly get-together.

Ice Cream Sandwich Cake
makes a 10" square cake

What You Need:

• 18 or so ice cream sandwiches, unwrapped
• 1 to 2 cups whipped topping
• hot fudge sauce (or caramel, or whatever you prefer)
• sprinkles, nuts, crushed cookies, or candy

How it's Done:

1. Lay the ice cream sandwiches side-by-side in one layer of a 10" square baking dish. You'll have to cut one or two of them up to fit in the remaining spots.
2. Cover with a thin layer of whipped cream.
3. Repeat another layer of ice cream sandwiches, and over with whipped cream again.
4. Drizzle sauce over whipped cream. Sprinkle with desired toppings.
5. Return to the freezer and let it freeze two hours. Remove from freezer and let the cake stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before slicing and serving.

Hot Outside? Time for Ice Cream!

Head on over to Mandy's Recipe Box where you'll find me talking about three different frozen treats to keep you cool this summer. :)

Yet More Peachy Goodness

Day 154.

 

I'm still peach wealthy. I've frozen two bags of peach pie filling and five jars of peach jam. This morning, I used eight more peaches to make some peach sorbet, and I still have more than a dozen peaches remaining.

This sorbet is delicious. Rich in flavor but light and smooth in your mouth, fragrant and delicately spiced, it's unlike anything you'll ever find at your local grocery store.

Peach Sorbet

What You Need:

• 8 ripe peaches, pits removed (peeling is optional)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 cup apple juice
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves

How it's Done:

1. In your blender, puree all the ingredients until you're left with a smooth liquid. If you opt to leave the peels on, be sure the peels are tiny flecks in your blender.
2. Process according to your ice cream maker's instructions. I use the ice cream attachment for my KitchenAid stand mixer and it took 20 minutes to freeze. 
3. Move to storage container, seal tightly, and freeze at least two hours longer before serving. 

Want more yummy recipes? Visit Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom and get more, or link up your own dish today!

I Get on Ingredient Kicks

Day 107.

Speaking of kicks, let's go off on a tangent for a minute. Kiddie soccer is brutal. I thought the ref was being a little too power hungry when she went around making sure all the kids were tucked in, wearing cleats instead of running shoes, and wearing knee pads. And making the goalee wear those silly Mickey Mouse gloves? What for? (the goalee is usually my Picky Eater. She likes that position best.) You think all those things until you've watched a few 5-6 year old league soccer games. Then you understand. Oh my! I'm glad I'm not on the field with those brutes!

(It used to be that the younger leagues were nothing more than a pack of children all running around trying to get a kick in. Then soccer moms were born, and kids started playing soccer in the womb, so they're pretty darn good by the time they reach first grade. For Picky Eater, this is her first season. So it's all new to us.)

Those kids foul each other intentionally. It's a strategy they use to stop forward progress of the ball! They push and shove. They kick and trip. They kick the ball as far out of bounds as they can. One little guy on our team growls every time he gets the ball. He's a little bit scary....if you're on the opposing team. Now, when you push someone, the ref blows the whistle and the kids on the offended team get posession of the ball again. I don't know all the rules of the game but that much is clear. Still, the kids push and kick to keep the ball away from my Picky Eater. By the time they're teenagers playing in high school, those kids are going to be so tough they'll be ready for rugby! Or hockey! Or tackle football!

Don't misunderstand me. I love going to those games. I get all excited and wound up and cheer and encourage and snap a gazillion pictures every single Saturday. I love every minute. The level of intensity just takes me by surprise.

Back to the real topic: I tend to get on ingredient "kicks." Do you? I'll go weeks at a time using green onions in everything. Then it'll be cream. Then I go on an oat bran kick. And a corn kick. Well, right now, I'm entering a coconut kick. Today, I made ice cream with it. Next week, I'm making cream pie with it. We use it to make popcorn (and I'll share that soon, I promise!). Lately, coconut is where it's at...in my kitchen.

If you like coconut, you're likely to love this ice "cream." It was born out of a desire to be able to eat something cool and creamy this summer that doesn't make me feel icky. Dairy makes me congested. I love cream and cheese and butter. I won't stop using them, but I'm really trying to find some alternatives (not to the butter...I'll probably always use butter) that don't make me fell yucky afterward.

Coconut Milk Ice "Cream" with Bananas and Brown Sugar

What You Need:

• 2 cans of coconut milk (roughly 3 cups)
• 3 lage bananas, peeled, cut up and mashed (leave some chunks, though)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• an ice cream maker (and rock salt and ice if required)

How it's Done:

• Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and chill for several hours.
• Add to ice cream maker and process per manufacturer's instructions. This ice cream will be very soft. It's best to freeze it for a few hours after processing, and then serve it.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Day 73.

My mother (right) with her sister and her dog.

First, I would like to wish my mother a very happy birthday. In honor of her birthday, I made this Boston Cream Pie Great Cupcake with French Vanilla cake, vanilla custard filling, and chocolate ganache frosting.My mother was raised in Massachusetts and has fond memories of her very first Boston cream pie, consumed as a child in a Boston cafe. 

Mom, you are my inspiration, and the person I most admire. Sending you my love & wish I was there to celebrate with you!

 I lined the cupacake base with lady fingers, hollowed out the base for the custard filling, and topped it with the cupcake topper.

Then, it was time for Southern Cooking Sunday! This go-round, I made chicken-fried steak, smashed potatoes, green beans with bacon, and finished it off with Mississippi Mud Ice Cream Pie. Incidentally, did you know that today is Pi Day? Pi, being 3.14,a nd today, being 3/14. Celebrate Pi Day, won't you? Bake a pie for Pi Day.

Here are a couple of recipes...

Chicken-Fried Steak

Ingredients:

• 6 round steaks (ask your butcher to run them through the tenderizer, or buy them as cube steaks)
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup grease (bacon grease is great for this recipe. Since you're already frying, you might as well go whole hog. pardon the pun)
• 2 cups or more of milk

How it's Done:

1. Heat grease in a large, high-sided skillet (medium heat, but reduce to medium low if it starts to smoke).
2. Combine flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a pie plate. Pour eggs into another pie plate.
3. Dredge steaks in flour. Dip in egg. Repeat two more times, triple-dipping each steak.
4. Fry in grease for 4 minutes per side.
5. Move to a 250 degree oven to keep warm while you make the gravy.
6. Add the rest of your flour (from dredging the steaks) to the hot grease, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until the flour is no longer white.
7. Add milk. Start with 2 cups and add more later if needed. Cook and stir constantly over medium heat until thickened and smooth. Serve gravy over steaks and mashed potatoes.

Mississippi Mud Ice Cream Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 chocolate graham crust
• 2 pints coffee ice cream
• 1 jar chocolate sauce (or make your own!)
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• whipped cream

How it's Done:

1. Pour 1/3 of the chocolate sauce into the crust.
2. Top with 1/2 of the ice cream and 1/2 of the nuts.
3. Freeze for 1 hour. Then, repeat layers and freeze another hour.
4. Top with whipped cream just before serving.

Southern Cookin' Sundays #1

Day 66.

 

Today's the first of four Sundays in March that I will use to feature full, traditional Southern cuisine. This is not diet food. In fact, your arteries may narrow a little just reading this entry. But your belly will be very pleased with your culinary selections if you choose to replicate my menu. And your house will smell very nice. It'll smell so nice that you'll wish you could bottle the scent. And you'll open your windows to let in some cool air and your neighbors will smell the yummy scents and you might find yourself with some company this evening.

 

Oh, and by the way: If you make this menu for just your family, you should have leftovers to last several days. Cook once, eat lots.

 

Southern Cookin' Sunday #1

 

On today's menu:

• Barbecue Pork Ribs
• Cole Slaw
• Potato Salad
• Baked Beans
• Hushpuppies (cheated with a mix)
• Peach Pie with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
• Sweet Tea

Invite a few friends to join you for supper. You'll have more than enough.

 

Step-by-Step Directions (individual recipes follow):

 

THE NIGHT BEFORE (I began preparing at 7:00 p.m. and went to bed at 10:00 p.m.):

1. In a bowl, place 4 to 5 cups of shredded cabbage, carrots, and raddicchio.
2. In a separate bowl, combine 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 2 Tbsp vinegar, 1/2 Tbsp sugar, 1 Tbsp celery seed, and 2 Tbsp milk. Whisk well. Pour over cabbage.
3. Stir cabbage to coat completely. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.
4. Peel and quarter 3 pounds of Yukon Gold (or other waxy type) Potatoes. Place them in a large pot and cover with cool water.
5. Bring to a boil and continue boiling about 20 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Don't overcook them or you'll end up with grainy mush.
6. Drain potatoes and move to a large bowl. Let them cool.
7. Meanwhile, cook 1/2 lb bacon to crispy and drain on paper towels. Hard-cook three large eggs and let them cool. Peel and roughly chop the eggs. Crumble the bacon.
8. In a small mixing bowl, combine 1 cup mayonnaise, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp celery seed, 1 tsp paprika, 2 tsp yellow mustard, 1 Tbsp relish, 1/2 cup finely minced white onion, 1 tsp sea salt, and 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper.
9. Pour dressing over potatoes. Add eggs and potatoes. Toss gently to coat. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.
10. Pick through and sort 1 lb dried pinto beans. Place in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Boil at a hard boil for ten full minutes. Transfer beans and water to a large slow cooker. Make sure the water is at least double the depth of the beans. I prefer to play it safe and triple the water. Cover and cook on low overnight (at least 8 hours, but up to 12).
11. In a saucepan, combine 2 cups whipping cream and 1 cup milk, 1 vanilla bean (scraped, seeds added to cream, add pod, too), and 1 cup of sugar. Bring to a slight simmer. Remove from heat and put in an air-tight container. Refrigerate overnight.
12. Take a bath, read a book, watch a movie, or do whatever it is you do to relax. You've worked hard! Your efforts will pay off tomorrow.

THE MORNING OF YOUR SOUTHERN COOKIN' DAY:

 (I began at 9:00 a.m., took a break from 10 to 11:00 a.m., and worked hands-on until 2:00 p.m. Then, it was occasional stirring and flipping until another 30 minute bout of hands-on work from 5:30 till 6:00)

1. Drain your beans. Reserve 4 cups of beans for your baked beans. Bag up the rest and freeze them in 2 cup portions for later use. These can be used in any recipe calling for canned beans. 
2. Remove the vanilla bean hull from your custard. Process in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. Look for the custard to double in size. Move to an air-tight container and place in the freezer. 
3. Next, it's time to make some peach pie. Roll out two pie crusts. Position one in a 9" deep dish pie plate. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Brush the pie crust with a beaten egg.
4. Place 4 cups of sliced peaches (I used frozen ones) in a collander. Drizzle 1 Tbsp lime juice over the peaches. Let them sit in the collander for about 10 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine 1 1/4 cups sugar, 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 tsp ground ginger, and 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon. Mix well. Pour peaches into mixing bowl. Drizzle with 1 tsp pure vanilla extract, then stir to cover with the sugar & flour mixture.
6. Pour the peaches into the pie crust.
7. Dot with 2 Tbsp cut up butter.
8. Cover with the second pie crust. Make vents in the top.
9. Position your pie plate over a large cookie sheet in case of spilling in the oven.
10. Bake 40 to 55 minutes, until golden brown.
11. Let the pie cool a full 2 hours before cutting it. This allows the filling to set. Serve with your homemade vanilla ice cream. But first, on to the sweet tea, then the ribs and beans.
12. Make some sweet tea. It needs time to cool, so make it now. Bring a quart of water to a boil. Remove from heat and add 8 tea bags. Let it stand for 10 minutes.
13. Pour 1 1/2 cups of sugar into a 2 quart pitcher.
14. Remove tea bags from water and throw the tea bags away. Pour the tea into the pitcher and stir until the sugar is all dissolved. Add enough ice to fill the pitcher, stirring to melt most of it. Set it in the fridge until dinner is ready.
15. Prepare the dry rub ingredients for your barbecue ribs. In a ziploc bag, combine 3 Tbsp paprika, 2 tsp each red, black, and white pepper, 2 tsp onion salt, and 2 tsp garlic powder.  Close bag securely and shake to mix ingredients. Rub on both sides of 2 racks of ribs and let them stand for 1/2 an hour.
16. If you want to eat at 6:00 p.m., your ribs need to go in the oven at 1:15 or so. Set the oven to 275 degrees and put your ribs in. Bake 2 hours.
17. Meanwhile, start your barbecue sauce. In a large saucepan, combine 2 Tbsp plus 2 tsp chili powder, 2 Tbsp plus 2 tsp sea salt, 3 Tbsp brown sugar, 2 Tbsp plus 2 tsp black pepper, 4 cloves of garlic, minced, 2 cups of ketchup, 1 1/2 cups white vinegar (I've been known to use rice vinegar with fantastic results), 1/2 cup dry white wine, 2 cups of water, a large onion, diced, 1/3 cup molasses, and 1/4 cup honey. Whisk well, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered 90 minutes, stirring occasionally.
18. After the ribs have been cooking for an hour, put together your baked beans. Fry 6 slices of bacon crispy and let them drain on paper towels. When they're cool enough to handle, crumble them. In a mixing bowl, combine bacon, the beans you reserved from earlier in the day, a chopped up onion, 1 clove minced garlic, 1/2 cup ketchup, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup honey, and 1/2 cup molasses. Put them in the oven with the ribs and let them cook for the rest of the time the ribs cook (just over 2 1/4 more hours).
19. When the ribs have cooked 2 hours, flip them over and cook another 2 hours.
20. With 15 minutes left on the ribs, prepare your hushpuppies. I cheated and used a mix that only required water. I wish I'd gone ahead and made them from scratch. Make your balls and set them aside. Preheat your oil to 375 degrees.
21. Now it's time to brush the ribs with barbecue sauce. Pull them out of the oven and coat them with sauce. Put them back in the oven for an additional 20 minutes. Remove the lid from the baked beans and let them continue to cook.

22. Fry the hushpuppies. Drain on paper towels.
23. Your dinner is ready to serve. Go stuff yourself silly.

Here are the individual recipes in case you don't want to make a full, traditional Southern menu.


Oven Barbecued Pork Ribs
makes 2 racks

Ingredients:

• 2 racks (2.5 lb each) pork ribs
• dry rub (recipe follows)
• barbecue sauce (recipe follows)

How it's Done:

1. Rub both sides of the racks of ribs with the dry spice rub.
2. Let stand at room temperature for 1/2 an hour. Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
3. Cook 2 hours. Flip racks over. Cook another 2 hours.
4. Brush barbecue sauce on both sides. Cook another 20 minutes.
5. Serve with additional barbecue sauce on the side.

Dry Rub for Ribs:

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp paprika
• 2 tsp each black, white, and red pepper
• 2 tsp onion salt (or 2 tsp onion powder and 1 tsp sea salt)
• 2 tsp garlic powder

How it's Done:

1. Combine all ingredients in a ziploc bag. Close bag securely and shake to mix. HINT: Double or triple this recipe and store it in your pantry for a quick BBQ rub for any meat!
2. Rub on both sides of ribs.

Barbecue Sauce that'll stop you from buying that bottled junk
Makes 4 cups

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp plus 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 Tbsp plus 2 tsp sea salt
• 2 Tbsp plus 2 tsp black pepper
• 3 Tbsp brown sugar
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups ketchup
• 1 1/2 cups white vinegar (though I prefer rice vinegar for flavor)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 cups water
• large onion (I recommend vidalia), diced
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 1/4 cup honey

How it's Done:

1. Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Use a whisk to blend them well.

2. Bring to a full, rolling boil.
3. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Can be stored in the refrigerator for later use.

Cole Slaw
Ingredients:

• 4 to 5 cups shredded cabbage (can add carrots and raddicchio for variety -- I save the raddicchio from bagged salad for this purpose)
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp vinegar
• 1/2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp celery seed
• 2 Tbsp milk

How it's Done:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, celery seed, and milk.
2. Toss with shredded veggies in a large bowl.
3. Cover and refrigerate several hours, or overnight for best results.

Southern Style Potato Salad

Ingredients:

• 3 lb Yukon Gold potatoes
• 1/2 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 3 eggs, hard-boiled, peeled, rinsed, and chopped
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp celery seed
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp yellow mustard
• 1 Tbsp relish
• 1/2 cup finely minced white onion
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

How it's Done:

1. Peel and quarter potatoes. Place in large pot and cover with cool water. Bring to a boil. Continue boiling 20 minutes. Drain potatoes and set them in a large mixing bowl. Allow them to cool.
2. In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Pour over potatoes. Toss gently to combine.
3. Cover tightly and refrigerate several hours or overnight for best taste.

Baked Beans

Ingredients:

• 4 cups cooked pinto beans
• 6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup molasses

How it's Done:

1. Combine all ingredients in a 2 quart casserole.
2. Cover and bake at 275 degrees for 2 hours and 15 minutes.

Peach Pie

Ingredients:

• pastry for a double crust pie
• 1 beaten egg
• 4 cups of sliced peaches (I used two bags of frozen sliced peaches)
• 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp butter

How it's Done:

1. Roll out the bottom crust and position in a 9" deep dish pie crust.
2. Brush bottom crust with a beaten egg.
3. Partially thaw peaches if frozen. Place in collander and drizzle with lime juice.
4. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, and ginger. Toss with peaches.

5. Pile the peaches high in the crust, mounding in the middle.
6. Drizzle with vanilla extract and dot with butter.
7. Position top crust over filling and pinch seams closed. Vent the crust.
8. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 to 55 minutes. Watch crust for burning. Cover with aluminum foil if the crust browns too quickly.

Simple Vanilla Ice Cream

Ingredients:

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup milk
• 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped, pod and all

• 1 cup sugar

How it's Done:

1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan.
2. Heat to barely a simmer, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
3. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate overnight.
4. Remove vanilla pod.

5. Process in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.
6. Return to airtight container and freeze until firm, at least two hours.

*You can rinse off the vanilla pod and set it aside to dry. When it's dried and brittle, process it with sugar for a wonderful vanilla sugar.

Sweet Tea
makes 2 quarts

Ingredients:

• 1 quart water
• 8 tea bags
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• enough ice cubs to fill the pitcher

How it's Done:

1. Bring 1 quart water to a boil.
2. Remove from heat and add 8 tea bags.
3. Let tea steep for 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, pour 1 1/2 cups sugar into a pitcher.
5. Remove tea bags from water. Pour water into pitcher. Stir until all the sugar is dissolved.
6. Add enough ice cubes to fill the pitcher all the way.
7. Refrigerate.