Quote

"I cannot live without books: but fewer will suffice where amusement, and not use, is the only future object." -- Thomas Jefferson

Sunday, December 11, 2016

Homemade Peach Ice Cream Success and more

While I am now in the process of assembling the next volume of Recipes from the Kitchen of a Frugal Non-Cook, which will take at least a year to complete, I still peruse recipes and try new ones.

During the process of looking for recipes to try for this volume of RKFNC, I asked my family and friends for some of their recipes. A cousin sent this one:

6 Threes Ice Cream Recipe

3 Cups sugar
3 Cups cream
3 Cups milk
3 mashed banana
3 Orange juice
3 Lemons juice

Stir and freeze.



While I had not intended to try all the recipes family or friends sent, I thought I’d give this one a try, especially since I had run out of commercial ice cream and wanted a dessert.

I thought the original recipe would make a lot of ice cream, so I cut the portions down and made a few changes:

Homemade Peach Ice Cream

Ingredients:

3/4 c sugar
1 Cup cream
1 Cup milk
4oz plain yogurt
1/2 Cup diced peaches
1 Cup Orange Juice
1 Capful lime juice concentrate
A dollop of honey

Process:

I used an empty Ovaltine jar which was about a liter in size for the mixture.
I added all the ingredients to the jar.
Then, I stirred the mixture, closed the jar and shook it until the contents appeared fully mixed.

While as a liquid it fit into the jar, there wasn't much space left.

I realized after putting it in the freezer and checking it every hour that the liquid needed space to expand as it froze, so I poured out a small amount of the mixture into a separate container and returned the mixture to the freezer.

I was surprised, every time I checked the mixture, it was partially frozen around the edges but not in the middle, so I stirred the frozen parts back into the liquid part.

I checked that mixture every couple of hours for 2 days. I was surprised how long it took to freeze but once it froze, it was ice cream and it was great.

Notes: I need to research the complexities of freezing various liquid mixtures. Plus, while the ice cream was sweet, it was too sweet for me, so I will reduce the sugar by half in my next batch.

Then, today, I decided I wanted a little dessert. So, I grabbed the container of leftover apple bread pudding I had pulled from the freezer a few days ago and heated it up. Then, I added a heaping tablespoon of the peach ice cream on top. Success! It was great.









Now, I can make my own ice cream at a savings. A local tienda sells 1 liter of ice cream for $56MX, my ingredients cost roughly $25MX.

As you can see, this ice cream recipe is adaptable. I added yogurt, honey and diced peaches for a delightful flavor. I suspect that other fruits or flavors can be used in this recipe to make a variety of homemade ice creams.


Other Recent Semi-Successful Recipes

Chicken Casserole with cheese topping, a variation on Amy Dacyzyn's Universal Casserole.




When I decided to use a can of chicken breast, I wanted a recipe that would make several meals, so I choose Amy's Universal Casserole Recipe, that recipe has never failed me.

Note: I topped the casserole with cheese slices, I should have torn the cheese up because the cheese slices hardened in the microwave cooking process.


Imitation Tuna Salad (without fish juice) topped with shredded carrots, no picture, see previous recipe.


Asparagus Rollup or Wrap
(This is the recipe that gave me the idea: http://www.cooks.com/recipe/5h5wk8ju/asparagus-appetizers.html)

1 tortilla
1-2 Asparagus Spear(s), canned
1/2 Tbspn Tomato, diced, drained
1/4 Tbspn horseradish sauce

Place asparagus spear(s) on top of tortilla
Add tomato
Add sauce
Roll up









Note: Every recipe can always be tweaked. For this one, the tomato juice did not make it possible to cut the rollup into pieces. Also, I used horseradish sauce instead of a white sauce. While the horseradish sauce was tasty, it overwhelmed the other flavors.


Toast Topped with Asparagus, Tomato, and Fried Egg

Ingredients:

Olive oil
Tomato slice(s)
1-2 Asparagus spear(s), canned
1 Slice of bread
Black pepper
1/2 Tbspn Horseradish sauce

Process:


Add oil to skillet
Place toast in skillet
Add pepper on toast
Heat medium to high
Cook until brown
Flip toast over and brown the other side
Remove and set aside on a plate

Fry egg in skillet, add extra oil if needed

Pour about a 1/2 tablespoon of sauce over toast
Add slice(s) of tomato
Add spear(s) of asparagus
Top with fried egg
Add more pepper





Note: While this was a tasty dish, asparagus, canned or fresh, has a delicate, delightful flavor, so choosing a sauce or accompanying ingredients can either enhance the flavor of asparagus or disguise it. Unfortunately, the use of horseradish sauce overwhelms the asparagus flavor. Knowing how to pair flavors is what makes a great cook.

Note to Self: Put on to do list, figure out how to pair flavors :-)


Hotplate: Turkey Reuben Sandwich

Hotplate: Turkey Reuben Sandwich Recipe


Ingredients:

2 slices of bread (Rye is recommended, but any type bread will do)
Olive oil
1 Slice of deli Turkey
1 Slice of Swiss or mild Cheese
1 Tbspn sauerkraut
French Dressing or DIY Thousand Island Dressing
Salt and pepper


Process:

In a skillet, add a dollop of oil.
Put in 1 slice of bread.
Cook at low-medium temperature.
Top with slice of cheese.
Add turkey slice.
Add sauerkraut.
Add dressing.
Season with salt and pepper to taste
When first slice is toasted on the bottom, put second slice of bread on top and flip the sandwich so the bread on the top can get toasted.
Once toasted, remove, place on plate and cut in half.



Enjoy!



Microwave: Mug O'Pinapple Bread Pudding

Microwave: Mug O'Pineapple Bread Pudding Recipe

This one worked right off the bat! It is easy, tasty and adaptable.

Ingredients:

1 8oz coffee cup
1/2 TB pineapple chunks
1 slice of bread, torn into pieces
1 egg
1 1-2 TB sugar
2 TB milk (or yogurt)
1 TB olive oil (or margarine)
1 tsp vanilla
2 Dashes of cinnamon

Process:

Add pineapple chunks to bottom of cup
Break bread into pieces, place in cup.
In separate bowl, mix rest of ingredients
Pour mixture over bread.
Push bread down into cup so all pieces are soaked in mixture.
I did not stir, I wanted the pineapple on the bottom.

Microwave 2 minutes on high.
Remove, let it cool for a bit before eating.

Cinnamon made it tasty.

Variations: use other types of fruit or no fruit.