Peanut Butter Banana “Ice Cream” (& a review)

Just ever now and then I will eat a banana.  I’ve been wanting to try this frozen banana “ice cream” for a while.  Well now I have.

Yesterday I finally made the frozen banana “ice cream”.  I processed a banana that I had cut into 1″ chunks and froze, with a tablespoon of natural peanut butter and Swerve sweetener to taste.

It reminded me of a soft serve ice cream.

Now, on to the review…

The good: Bananas are a good source of dietary fiber, Vitamin C, Potassium and Manganese, and a very good source of Vitamin B6.

The bad: A large portion of the calories in this food come from sugars.

So, while this is a reasonably healthy recipe for some, it’s highly unlikely that I will make this recipe again.  🙂

Old fashioned homemade vanilla ice cream is on my weekend menu!

I can’t believe I haven’t made any homemade ice cream yet, but I plan on changing that this weekend!

*(Please click on the picture to go to the original post with the recipe.)

Snow Cream!

(Recipe Re-run)

For all you with snow on the ground…

Here’s a real treat you can make with that white fluffy stuff!

Click on the photo to be taken to the original post.

…

Sharing with…

Snow Cream

I’ve made it different ways over the years, but

this is some of the best

Snow Cream I’ve ever made.

Kinda tastes like Homemade Ice Cream, which I love.

Snow Cream

1 can evaporated or Pet Milk

1 can condensed Milk

1 Tbsp vanilla flavoring

3/4 cups sugar

Stir all this together real well and then start adding snow until the mixture gets thicker.  My daughter went out twice for snow until we got it the way we wanted it.  I just told her to make sure it was CLEAN snow.  (lol) It was.

***Sugar Free Version – THM (S)***

Whisk together 3/4 cup heavy cream*,  dash of vanilla,  sprinkle of sea salt, and your favorite no cal sweetener to taste.  Make it fairly sweet since it will taste less sweet as you add the snow.

Add in 4 cups of fresh snow.  Stir well until soft serve consistency.  May need to add more or less snow.

*( I used a mixture of almond milk and heavy cream to make 3/4 cup)

Apple Dumplings: The Ultimate Fall Dessert

What other recipe speaks Harvest Time than an apple recipe flavored with sugar, butter, and cinnamon?

Pioneer Woman’s Apple Dumplings with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  Go here for this easy yet decadant recipe and enjoy the season’s bounty of  delicious apples.

Brownies and Ice Cream

This is my daughter B’s creation and attempt at food photography.   She’s always photographing different dishes for my blog, so I thought I’d honor her with this post.  Great job, B – Thanks, Mom

Old Fashioned Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

Updated pic below…

Ok, so not a very good photo.  It was melting fast!  I really needed to give the ice cream time to “ripen” in the metal container nestled in the salty ice.  But as it goes around my house when it comes to homemade ice cream – we just can’t wait!

Here’s the “recipe” I use.  It’s my mom’s.  That’s what I always strive to do, make it like Mom’s.  The only thing different I do from Mom is to heat the milk and temper the egg mixture.  Then I call the custard cooked just in case I’m serving finicky people who don’t prefer to eat “raw” eggs.

Old-Fashioned Homemade Ice Cream

• 6 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 each 13-ounce cans evaporated milk
• 1 can condensed milk
• 1 pint heavy whipping cream
• whole milk , as needed to fill line
• chipped ice
• rock salt (like this)

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs. Add sugar gradually, stirring constantly. Add salt, vanilla, condensed milk, and cream.  Heat the 2 cans of evaporated milk in the microwave until boiling.  Add the milk a little at a time to the egg mixture to prevent curdling.

You will need an ice cream freezer.  Mom used this kind.  Pour the ice cream mixture into the metal freezer can.  Add enough whole sweet milk until the mixture reaches the container’s fill line.  Stir.

Assemble the ice cream freezer. Add alternating layers of chipped ice and rock salt to barrel around freezer can.  If electric, plug the freezer in and let it do it’s thing, adding more ice and salt, as needed.  When freezer stops, unplug.  Remove top and dasher.

Ice cream may be soft on top (see pic above :D) but will be firmer near the bottom of the can.   Replace top. Cover can with more ice and salt. Cover ice with a towel, allowing ice cream to “ripen” for at least 1 hour, if you can wait!  🙂

Makes about 5 quarts of ice cream.

Enjoy!

Here’s to the happy days of summer!

..

And after it sets overnight…

Sugar-free Oreo Blast (low carb)

Want a quick and easy treat or a simple after-dinner dessert?  What about a Sugar-free Oreo Blast?

Sugar-free Oreo Blast (low carb)
 
1 serving Breyer’s CarbSmart vanilla ice cream
1 serving Sugar Free Oreos, broken into pieces
 
Place ice cream and cookie pieces into food processor. 
Pulse until blended.  Serve in a cute ice cream dish or
small glass.  Top with 1/2 a SF Oreo. 

Now, find a nice quiet spot outside in the swing on a warm sunny day and eat slowly.

Tomorrow…an easy 3 ingredient recipe for a quick supper.

My Valentine and Chocolate Cake

My Valentine gift turned 11 this year. 

I made her a layered chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream icing.  This started out being for the cake eaters at her party, since she had requested an ice cream cake from the local Dairy Queen.  DQ Ice cream cake has no cake and I wanted some cake, myself. 

After she saw this cake, she changed her mind on the DQ idea and I picked up some Vanilla & Chocolate Swirl Ice Cream to go with the cake.  No Neopolitan this time! 

Handyman grilled hamburgers and hotdogs and talked to the adults (family) while the kids (8 of them) played outside.  There was some type of mystery they were investigating.  They’re all into Nancy Drew at this age and are intrigued by any type of mysterious finding!

After her party, we went to the mall to spend some of that birthday money.  She found a fluttery cream and brown skirt, a cream sweater and a fancy top.  At Claire’s she got a small coin purse and at Bath and Body she got shimmery lip gloss.  She had a blast shopping and enjoyed her birthday very much!

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Below is one of the best chocolate cakes you’ll ever eat.  This recipe was given to me by a friend years ago and happens to be my mom’s favorite cake.  It can be made as a sheet cake or a layered cake.

Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake

2 C sugar
2 C flour
1 1/2 sticks butter
1 T baking soda
1 C buttermilk
2 eggs
1/2 cup baking cocoa dissolved in 1/2 cup hot water.
 
Mix all together.  Bake at 350 until done, about 40 minutes or until
toothpick comes clean.

Chocolate Buttercream Icing

2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

3 tablespoons cocoa

1/4 cup butter

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 t. vanilla

In a mixing bowl, cream  cocoa, butter, heavy cream and vanilla. Add confectioners’ sugar until desired spreading consisteny.  This makes a stiff icing.  If you desire thinner icing, add small amounts hot water or hot black coffee until desired spreading consistency is reached.