My husband loves really good strawberry ice cream. It’s something he may have developed during his stint working at Coldstone Creamery. They have a lovely concoction called strawberry blonde which throws graham crackers into the mix, that he and I are both pretty fond of. What I’m not fond of is spending $4-$5 on a small dish of ice cream that leaves me wanting more. Especially when he used to bring home a pint for free every day. Yes we got fat then. It was my freshman year in college, we were broke and thousands of miles from home. The ice cream did the trick.

I stumbled on this recipe while browsing a new to me blog Channeling Contessa. It intrigued me enough to try it, and follow the recipe to the letter, something I rarely do. Likes: roasting the strawberries before turning them into purée. Not only does your entire house fill with strawberry scented goodness, it makes for an intensely delicious purée. Dislikes: the buttermilk in the ice cream I felt overpowered the delicate creaminess and strawberry flavor. Next time I will stick with cream. And throw in a little booze to help keep this ice cream soft as its eggless and freezes ridiculously hard. It was however insanely good. Especially when my 38 weeks pregnant self got the idea at midnight to make a chocolate sauce to top it with and crumble graham crackers on top. Sooooooo good.

Roasted Strawberry Buttermilk Ice Cream

Like I said, next time I make this I’m swapping buttermilk for more cream and throwing in a tablespoon of liquor. Try it either way and let me know the outcome!

from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home

Makes about 1 quart

For the purée:
1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced 1/2 inch thick
1/3 c sugar
3 T fresh lemon juice

For the ice cream:
1 1/2 c whole milk
1 1/4 c heavy cream
1/4 c buttermilk
2/3 c sugar
2 T light corn syrup
2 T cornstarch
4 T or 2 oz cream cheese, softened
1/8 tsp fine sea salt

1. Roast the Strawberries: Preheat the oven to 375°. Place the strawberries and sugar in an 8 inch square baking dish and toss to combine. Roast for 8-12 minutes until just softened. Let cool slightly.
Purée the berries in a food processor with the lemon juice. Measure 1/2 cup of the puréed berries; refrigerate the rest of the purée for another use.

2. Make the Ice Cream Base: Mix 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry. Whisk the cream cheese and salt in a medium bowl until smooth. Set both aside.

3. Combine the remaining milk, the cream, sugar, and corn syrup and a sauce pan and bring to a rolling boil over medium high heat. Boil for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium high heat and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until slightly thickened- about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.

4. Chill: Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. Mix the buttermilk into the strawberry purée, then gradually whisk into the ice mixture until well blended. Fill a large bowl with ice and a bit of water to create an ice bath. Pour the ice cream mixture into a 1-gallon Ziploc freezer bag(I just used a glass bowl that fit into another bowl for the ice bath). Submerge the bag in the ice bath. Place the bowl in the fridge and let chill until very cold- at least an hour, or up to overnight. Once cold, pour the ice cream into the frozen canister and spin until thick and creamy- about 25 minutes.

5. Pack the ice cream into a storage container, press a sheet of parchment directly against the surface(I didn’t do this), and seal with an airtight lid. Freeze until firm, about 5 hours.

Let’s face it. Sometimes pregnancy and food blogging don’t mix. Like when you’re constantly nauseaus for four months straight and can’t keep anything down, much less cook. Then there’s the part where I’m at now. The end of pregnancy when I feel gigantic, sometimes burn my belly on the stove attempting to cook, and every part of my body hurts.

These things happen. It’s real life. It’s messy and it gets in the way.

Somehow I still managed to pull off a birthday feast for my husband back in July. I’m not sure how I managed. I know there was a day off of work involved and some smart planning and preparation. And then there was cake. And cupcakes. And maybe I made a third dessert too but really my memory these days is almost nonexistent so I’m not sure.

I know for a fact there were little s’mores cupcakes. I know that I reallllly liked them. My crazy pregnant brain had an after thought of putting chocolate pudding in the center to sort of mimic the melty part of a s’more so go ahead and do that if you’re feeling bold. Also I don’t 100% remember how I made these little dandies. So bear with me. I needed to share them with you but I just maybe forgot how I made them.

The trick to a good chocolate cupcake, or cake or brownie is really good cocoa powder. Not the kind you can buy at the grocery store. I’ve been fond of some varieties from King Arthur Flour lately. Another fabulous ingredient for chocolate cakes and cupcakes is sour cream. It adds moisture, depth and a tiny hint of tang in the background. Bring your campfire into your oven this week and try out these little beauties. And don’t worry, my pregnancy brain will be going away quite soon with the arrival of my baby. I plan on spending the 13 weeks I have off doing lots and lots of cooking and baking while baby wearing my new addition!

S’mores Cupcakes

For the Graham Cracker crunch:

2 cups crushed graham crackers
6 tablespoons melted butter

For the cupcakes:

Cupcake recipe from Martha Stewart

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream

For the Marshmallow Frosting:

Frosting recipe from Joy the Baker

4 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions

Makes 48 mini cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line mini muffin tins with cupcake wrappers.

2. Make the graham cracker crunch: Mix crushed graham crackers with melted butter. Depending on what brand of graham’s you use you may need slightly more or less butter. Mixture should hold together when pressed. Set aside half of graham mix for topping. Distribute remaining half among cupcake wrappers and press down. Bake for 5 minutes until just set. Allow to cool.

3. Make the cupcakes: In a medium bowl mix flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla. Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with sour cream, starting and ending with flour. Divide cupcake mix evenly among pan, filling each about 3/4 of the way full. Top with remaining graham cracker crunch. Bake for approximately 11 minutes until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely.

4. Make the frosting: In a large pot, bring about 2 inches of water to a simmer. In a large, heat-proof bowl(I use the bowl from my mixer) whisk together egg whites, sugar, corn syrup and salt. Place bowl over simmering water and whisk as it heats. The sugar will dissolve after about 5 minutes. If you want to check the temperature, it should get up to about 160 degrees. Transfer the egg white and sugar mixture to the bowl of an electric stand mixer. With a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites, on high, until stiff peaks form (about 5 minutes) The mixture will be fluffy and glossy and look like melted marshmallows. It’ll be sticky too. Beat in the vanilla extract last.

5. Assembly time: Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes using a large piping bag. Heat the oven to broil. Place the cupcakes in the oven for 30 seconds, no longer!!! The marshmallow meringue toasts almost immediately and any longer will cause it to burn. Serve while warm for the most s’more like experience!

I am obsessed with peaches right now. I mean obsessed. They’ve finally come into season and I can’t get enough.

Wait did I just say there’s a peach season in Wisconsin? Well there is. And honestly after living in Georgia, I really don’t see much difference in Wisconsin and Georgia peaches. Except the season here is much shorter.

Last weekend I bought 2 pounds of peaches at the farmers market. It’s actually quite a lot of peaches. I’ve been eating them every day.

It also reminded me that I had some frozen peaches I needed to find a use for. So I threw them in a saucepan and made peach purée. Little did I know that purée would be destined for a slushie.

Since being pregnant, slushies have become one of the things I can’t get enough of. I’ve always been a lover of frozen beverages of any sort, but now if we set foot in a Target store and there’s an Icee machine I desperately want one. And Icee’s are full of crap I would normally not ingest. So I decided to make my own. Peach purée and ice. It’s really that simple. You could make this recipe with any sort of fruit you want and have endless slushie possibilities. For those non pregnant out there, adding some booze would also be phenomenal. Try it this weekend, you won’t be sorry.

Peach Slushies

Ingredients

8 ounces peach purée
1 tray of ice cubes

Directions

Add both ingredients to blender. Pulse until smooth. Makes one slushie.

Peach Purée

Ingredients

2 cups chopped peaches
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water

Directions

In a medium saucepan, bring all ingredients to a boil. Turn down heat to medium low and allow to simmer for 20-30 minutes, until peaches have broken down. Push mixture through a fine mesh strainer, making sure to push as much fruit through as possible. You want your purée to be slightly thick. Allow to cool and refrigerate until ready to use.

I admit, I have been seriously neglecting you. My last post was in June!!! What? That’s just crazy. It’s not that I haven’t been cooking or photographing, it’s just that I’ve been soo busy. Every weekend in July was filled and now I’m getting to that point of being pregnant where any sort of activity requires a nap afterwards. So here’s a little of what I’ve done lately!

Cupcakes I made for one of my baby showers. Mint lime cake with Blueberry cream cheese frosting. The flavor of the cake could have been dialed up a bit, but they were still yummy!

The preggo tea blend I’ve been drinking. Raspberry leaf, nettle and San Pellegrino Limonata soda with mint. It’s my version of a pregnant cocktail.

Ridiculous cinnamon rolls I made yesterday. Cream cheese frosting. These are the best ones I’ve made yet. I’m not sure why as I’ve used the recipe before, but they stayed nice and fluffy a day later!

A healthy dinner complete with vitamins. Veggie burrito, fruit and tea.

Brownies topped with marshmallow and peanut butter crunch.
Not as good as I hoped but still tasty.

Another almost cocktail. Homemade blueberry syrup with club soda and mint.

For the husbands birthday this year I made s’mores cupcakes. They were delish.

My first attempt at creme brûlée. This one was successful, however I made the mistake of using different sized ramekins and not checking them regularly, resulting in curdled brûlée. Not pretty.

I can’t promise I won’t be as neglectful as I have been, but I’ll try and fill you with lovely food photos more often! I have approximately 4 weeks to go until I meet this little person taking up residence in my belly. I can promise my maternity leave(13 whole weeks!!) will be filled with posts so don’t worry I’ll make it all up to you!

What do you do 2 hours before you planned to be at someone’s house for a barbecue? Decide to bring dessert, that’s what. So what you have almost nothing in the house and no clue what to make. Open the fridge, it will come to you.

Thankfully it did come to me last Sunday. I had beautiful berries fresh from the market the day before. They were perfectly ripe and sweet and the strawberries at least, we’re possibly the last of the season. So I decided to go simple.I threw together the same crust from Joy the Bakers recipe for lemon bars and mixed berries with a bit of cornstarch and sugar to go on top. I went light on the sugar so as not to overwhelm the superb flavor of the berries. Super easy and I had a great dessert ready to go in no time at all.

Strawberry Raspberry Bars

Ingredients

For the crust:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
pinch of salt

For the filling:
1 pint fresh raspberries
1 quart fresh strawberries, cut to size of raspberries
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup sugar

Powdered sugar for dusting

Directions

1. Make the crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13×9 inch pan. In the bowl of a mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add flour and salt, beat to combine. Dump the crust mixture into buttered pan and push down with your fingers to form an even layer. Bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly golden brown.

2. Make the filling: While the crust is baking, combine berries, cornstarch and sugar mixing thoroughly, until berries begin to break down a bit. When crust comes out of the oven, immediately pour berry mixture onto crust and spread evenly. Bake for approximately 30 minutes, until berries look slightly dried out on top. Don’t worry, they won’t be. Cool completely, cut into squares and dust with powdered sugar.

I have been desperately craving a cocktail recently. It’s summer, it’s hot, and I just want a mojito. Like now. I like fancy drinks. Ones that you find in swanky restaurants and could never reproduce at home. The bartenders there are like alcohol geniuses. They are like master chefs of the cocktail. Thats what I miss.

I’ve been trying to trick myself into thinking I’m having a cocktail. One way has been by adding a tiny splash of artisanal balsamic vinegar. A favorite of mine has been the Mango Waldburg Balsam from Vom Fass. It almost makes me think I’m having a real cocktail. Almost.

To further satisfy my cocktail cravings I decided to make some Limoncello ice cream. I made all of this lovely Limoncello for the holidays and haven’t been able to have any of the large bottle that sits in my fridge. So I decided to put a bit into a some ice cream.

This ice cream is supremely creamy. It’s lemon flavor is intense without becoming over powering. It was exactly what I was looking for when I set out to make Limoncello ice cream. Total win! Oh and it’s super easy so you should totally make it this weekend!

Limoncello Ice Cream

Ingredients

1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
peel of 1 lemon, in strips
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon honey
5 egg yolks
2 tablespoons Limoncello
pinch of salt

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan heat cream, milk and lemon peel over medium high heat. Heat until it just starts to simmer.

2. In a medium bowl whisk sugar, honey and egg yolks. Slowly stream in hot milk mixture whisking constantly until fully incorporated. Return to heat, whisking until slightly thickened and mixture coats the back of a spoon.

3. Prepare an ice bath. Pour ice cream base through a strainer over a medium bowl and place in ice bath. Leave lemon peels in strainer in mixture to steep for approximately 20 minutes. Add Limoncello and salt and whisk. Transfer to fridge to chill, overnight if possible. Freeze in an ice cream machine according to manufacturers instructions.

Do you ever wish you lived in a different country? Sometimes I do.

Sometimes I like to think I could live in Paris and bake French pastries in some little shop owned by a little fat french man who swears in French and constantly seems bothered by something, but really he likes me and sends me home with goodies daily.

Sometimes I wish I was born in Canada, if only for the health insurance.

Sometimes I imagine I live in the English countryside, in a big old brick house like Jamie Oliver’s, filed with beautiful children who help me tend our immense garden and take care of our chickens.

For now I’ll just make myself an English pie. My take on Banoffee pie that is. Banoffee pie is just what it sounds like. Bananas and toffee. It’s a very British thing, and very tasty. Sweetened condensed milk is cooked down into a thick creamy carmelly toffee. It’s layered with bananas in a pie crust and topped with loads of cream. I decided to throw in a custard and make it a Banoffee cream pie.

I also made my own sweetened condensed milk, as things that come in cans tend to freak me out a bit these days. Making the milk was ridiculously easy, although next time I think I’ll try a different method of caramelization. I did so on the stove top and almost burned it. Most recipes call for doing so slowly in the oven.

I also threw some grated chocolate among the layers of this pie, and honestly you could probably even give it a layer of peanut butter if you want to go all out.

For now, while I’m still living in the Midwestern United States, this pie will have to do until I get rich and buy a country house in Europe.

Banoffee Cream Pie

Adapted from the Joy the Baker Cookbook and http://www.kitchenstewardship.com

Condensed milk toffee (Dulce de Leche):

1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 unrefined sugar
3 Tbs butter
1 tsp vanilla

Crust:

1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup butter

Filling:

1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 ripe bananas
Grated chocolate

Topping:

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
Grated chocolate

1. In a small saucepan mix all ingredients for the toffee. Heat over medium until simmering. Continue to simmer stirring occasionally for approximately 1-2 hours until thickened and caramelized. Pour into a small bowl and set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the crust. Melt the butter and mix with graham cracker crumbs. Press into a 9 inch pie plate. Bake for approximately 12 minutes until slightly golden. Allow to cool completely.

3. Pour half of the toffee into the crust. Arrange a single layer of banana slices on top of the toffee. Pour remaining toffee over bananas. Grate chocolate over the top. Put aside to set.

4. Prepare the filling. In a medium saucepan combine the milk and cream, over medium heat. In another bowl mix sugar, cornstarch, salt and egg yolks. When milk mixture is hot slowly add to egg mixture to temper. Continue to add milk until fully combined. Strain mixture back into pan and return to heat. Stirring constantly heat until thickened. Remove from heat add butter and vanilla, strain into a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

5. Pour half of the custard mixture over bananas into pie pan. Top custard with another layer of sliced bananas. Grate more chocolate over the top. Pour remaining custard over the top.

6. Whip cream and powdered sugar in a mixer until slightly stiff peaks form. Dollop onto pie. Top again with grated chocolate. Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving. Pie tends to be soft so a half hour in the freezer before cutting will make the slices come out cleaner. Will last refrigerated about 3 days.

Is it okay to call it summer yet? It’s 84 degrees here in Wisconsin today, which is about 12 higher then I like so I’m going with summer. There are a lot of lovely things about summer.

Sunshine, farmers markets, my own produce right from my backyard, refreshing cocktails which I sadly will not be indulging in this year. There is one thing, which you may already know, that I hate about summer.

The heat. I can’t stand being hot. I’m paler then pale and that’s how I intend to stay and my fair skin burns immediately. I over heat in an instant.

Monday was beautiful. It was in the 70’s, it was breezy and I bought a bunch of vegetables. On the whim of my husband I made a mexican inspired chicken dish complete with homemade salsa. The first salsa of the season.

Tomatoes meet corn, onions, peppers, garlic and cilantro. The corn mellows out the spice and adds a hint of sweetness. We ate it with chips and we ate it with shredded chicken stewed with some of the salsa and spices, on tortillas with spinach. It was pretty darn good.

If we hadn’t devoured almost the entire jar in one night I’m sure it would have been even better after having time to sit and marry its flavors. I may just have to make another batch of it tonight!

Summer Corn Salsa

Makes one medium jar

Ingredients

2 medium tomatoes
1/4 of a large red onion
1/4 of a red pepper
1/4 of a green pepper
1 ear corn
jalapeño pepper to taste (I used about 1/4 of one pepper, I could have done more)
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Chop tomatoes, onion and red and green peppers into a small dice. In a large bowl stand the corn upright. With a large knife strip the kernels off of the cob. Mince jalapeño pepper and garlic until finely chopped. Chop cilantro. Add all ingredients to a jar, adding salt and pepper to taste. Shake vigorously until well mixed. Set aside until ready to use.