Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches

Don't buy another ice cream sandwich again...this one is absolute perfection.  Its absolutely delicious and very easy to make.  After my kids ate these for the first time they said, "this is my new favorite thing to eat" and "these are better than the ones you buy at the store" (note to Blue Bell).  My friend, Amy Foulger, made these for us after Tessa's surgery and I've made three batches since.  So good.

courtesy

Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches

Amy Foulger via Martha Stewart

1 stick unsalted butter, melted (plus more for pan)

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 tsp. fine salt

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 pints ice cream, softened (mint oreo is our favorite)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a 10X15 pan (or double recipe and use a regular cookie sheet instead) and line with parchment paper so there is an overhang on the short sides.  Butter paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together butter and sugar, then whisk in eggs and salt.  Add flour and cocoa and mix until just smooth.  Spread in pan.  Bake until brownie is dry to the touch and edges start to pull away from the pan, 10-12 minutes (mine took more like 20 min.).  Let cool 5 minutes.  Using paper overhang, transfer brownies to a wire rack and let cool completely.  

Transfer brownie to a work surface and cut in half crosswise.  Place both halves on plastic wrap.  Slice and spread ice cream onto one of the halves.  Once evenly spread, invert the other brownie half on top and wrap with plastic wrap.  Freeze for two hours, or overnight.  Enjoy!

Busy Night Marinara

I made this last night for dinner and it was delish!  It tasted so fresh and natural and perfect on a bed of angel hair pasta.  My kids ate seconds and the adults ate thirds... a good sign.  You can use whatever tomatoes you have on hand, although I find that cherry tomatoes are the best.

courtesy

Busy Night Marinara

Adapated from Mmm....is for Mommy

2 Tbs. Olive oil

1 small onion, diced small

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

Cherry tomatoes, 1 pint (or any fresh tomato you have in the fridge)

1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes (or omit the fresh tomatoes and use 2 cans total)

1 tsp. honey

salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 cup chopped (not packed) fresh basil leaves, or a good handful

Warm oil in pan over medium heat.  Add onions and saute for 2-3 minutes.  Add garlic and red pepper flakes and saute together for another minute or two.   Add the tomatoes to the pan.  Once they heat through and begin to soften, mash the tomatoes in the pan with a potato masher.  Add the honey and s&p to the pan, stir and let simmer on low heat for 30 minutes (most of the juices will evaporate and the sauce will thicken).  Remove from heat and add basil.  Stir together to combine.  Serve over pasta.

Peppermint Ice Cream

I had this several times at Christmas time.  So, so good!  Make sure you use hard peppermint candies, NOT candy canes.  We made that mistake and ate ice cream that tasted like toothpaste!

Peppermint Ice Cream

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Ice Cream Maker Time: 25-30 minutes
Makes: 1 1/2 quarts

Ingredients:

1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups  heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
3/4 cup crushed hard peppermint candies
1/2 cup chocolate chunks (optional)

Directions:

Mix milk and sugar together until the sugar dissolves completely.  Add heavy whipping cream, vanilla, and peppermint extract and stir until completely blended.

Pour this mixture into your ice cream maker.

Add crushed hard peppermint candy to churning mixture.

Grilled Island Chicken

pic courtesy of Mel's Kitchen Cafe

I made this last week and it was really good! It was different from the regular old soy sauce-type marinade (even though this has soy sauce in it). It's a great summer meal.

Grilled Island Chicken
from Mel's Kitchen Cafe 


*Serves 2-4, depending on how many chicken breasts are marinaded

INGREDIENTS:
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 1-2 lemons)
1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
1 clove garlic, finely minced
½ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2-4 chicken breasts
DIRECTIONS:
Combine all ingredients except chicken in a mixing bowl or large airtight plastic bag. Whisk or shake well until the marinade is well mixed. Add the chicken breasts to the bowl or plastic bag so that they are covered by the marinade. If using a bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap. If using a plastic bag, press out all the excess air and seal the bag tightly. Refrigerate and marinate up to 10 hours (I would suggest marinading for at least 3 hours at the minimum).
Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to medium heat. Grill the chicken for 6-7 minutes per side (depending on how thick the chicken breasts are), until the chicken is no longer pink in the center (if you have a meat thermometer, the chicken should register 165 degrees). Tent with foil and let the chicken rest for about five minutes before serving.
Alternately, the chicken can be baked using the following directions:
When ready to cook the chicken, preheat the oven to 350° F. Place the chicken breasts in a baking dish and pour the excess marinade over them. Bake in the oven until cooked through and the internal temperature reaches 165° F, about 45 minutes (exact baking time will depend on the size of your chicken pieces.) Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Orange Dream Fudge

photo from realmomkitchen Imagine a creamsicle that doesn't melt at room temperature.  You got it-amazing! Orange Dream Fudge Recipe from realmomkitchen

o    3/4 cup butter

o    3 cups sugar

o    3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

o    1 (10-12 oz) package vanilla or white chips

o    1 (7 oz) jar marshmallow crème

o    1Tbsp orange extract

o    12 drops yellow food coloring

o    5 drops red food coloring

1.       Line a 13×9 in. pan with foil and grease with butter; set aside.

2.      In a heavy saucepan, combine sugar, heavy cream, and butter. Cook and stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved (this is a key step)

3.      Once sugar is dissolved, bring to a boil over medium heat; cook & stir for 4 minutes.

4.      Remove from heat; stir in chips and marshmallow crème till smooth.

5.      Remove one cup from the mixture and set aside.

6.      Add orange extract and food coloring to remaining mixture; stir until blended.

7.      Pour the orange mixture into prepared pan.

8.     Drop reserved marshmallow mixture by tablespoonfuls over the top; cut through with a knife to swirl.

9.      Cover & refrigerate until set. Using foil, remove from pan and cut into squares.

Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos

Pic courtesy here

I can't believe I'm just now getting around to posting this recipe. It was SO good. I love cilantro and I love tacos and this was perfect for satisfying both!

Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos
from "What's Cooking Chicago"


cooking spray for sauteeing
2-3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in bite sized pieces
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup cilantro lime pesto (recipe follows)
flour or corn tortillas
preferred taco garnishes (salsa, sour cream, cheese, etc)


Season chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder. In a skillet sprayed with cooking spray, saute chicken over medium high heat and cooked through. Toss cooked, seasoned chicken with the pesto. Fill tortillas with chicken and top with preferred garnishes.

* To make ahead/freezer meal - Cook chicken as directed as above and cool. Place chicken in freezer bag. Prepare cilantro lime pesto as directed below. Place a 1/2 cup of pesto in a small storage bag then place inside the freezer bag with the chicken. Freeze. When ready to prepare, defrost and heat chicken. Toss chicken with defrosted pesto. If desired, heat chicken and pesto together before filling tacos.

Cilantro Lime Pesto

recipe adapted from Food Network

1 cup fresh cilantro leaves (do not include stems)
2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sliced, toasted almonds
3 tablespoons chopped, fresh garlic
1 1/2 teaspoon lime juice
1/2 cup shredded asiago (Parmesan or Romano can be substituted too)
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup chicken broth


Using a blender, mix together the cilantro, olive oil, almonds, garlic, lime juice, asiago, salt and chicken broth on low speed for 2 minutes.

Baked Potato Wedges and Fry Sauce

photo from favfamilyrecipes.com

I really loved the flavoring of these wedges.  The parmesan cheese made all the difference.  And fry sauce....yum!  We used the bbq sauce instead of the ketchup!

Baked Potato Wedges

Recipe from favfamilyrecipes.com 

4 to 5 small potatoes

olive oil

Johnny's Seasoning Salt (or any kind of seasoning salt)

Parmesan cheese

Scrub potatoes well, slice into wedges and place in a large plastic bag.  Add a little olive oil and toss to coat then transfer to a foil-lined baking sheet with the skin side down. Sprinkle potatoes generously with seasoning salt and parmesan cheese. Bake at 450-degrees for 30-35 minutes (or until cooked through and golden brown). Do not stir while cooking.  Serve with ketchup, fry sauce, or ranch dressing.

Fry Sauce

1/3 c. ketchup (if you want to make it more like Red Robin you can substitute BBQ sauce)
2/3 c. mayonnaise
optional: 1 tsp mustard (just for a little added zip)
(If you want it like In-n-Out's special sauce: add some pickle relish)

Mix all ingredients until smooth. Eat with fries or chicken nuggets. Enjoy (I know you will)!