First Ice Cream Maker Creation!

Strawberry Lemon Cake Batter Frozen Yogurt

I FINALLY got to use my new ice cream maker!! (You may be wondering: the first thing I make is frozen yogurt..?) That's right! After browsing on Pinterest, (a favorite site of mine!) I found a recipe for Strawberry Lemon Cake Batter Frozen Yogurt - and I had to make it! I love light, refreshing desserts, and lemon-anything is always a big hit in my family! (Don't get me wrong though, I'm always in the mood for warm brownies or a hot fudge sundae, too! Pile on the whipped cream!) At the same time, this frozen yogurt was the perfect finish to a busy day of gardening and yard work! Find the recipe here (at iheartnaptime.net). With 3 simple ingredients and a bit of patience, it was fantastic!! 

3 Simple Ingredients

After whisking these together, I covered the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge to chill, so I could get the ice cream maker all set. Of course before that could happen, I managed to get into a fight with the plastic wrap box...and I lost.

A nurse's work is never done

Me vs. Plastic Wrap: All day I had been thinking to myself how miserable plastic wrap was, and how much I despised it.. all day! And then it attacks me!? I just wanted one piece to cover the batter, and it had to be the difficult piece. So, after the bleeding stopped and my mom (thank goodness she's a nurse!) bandaged me up, I continued with dessert!

The ice cream maker was SO EASY. I inserted the frozen bowl, poured in the batter, slid in the paddle, covered it, and viola! (Well, I plugged it in too, that helps). Within 30 minutes, I had beautiful, pink soft-serve frozen yogurt!

Fortunately, I made this up before dinner, rather than during - so I had enough time to put it in the freezer and let it get to a more 'scoop-able' consistency. (As a note, I think next time I'll make it up in the morning, so it has more time to 'chill out' (aha, get it?) in the freezer.) By dessert, it had reached a semi-soft-serve state, and was easy to serve!

For some added "posh," I sprinkled extra lemon cake batter mix over the top, and placed a fanned strawberry on each. (Mini chocolate chips were added later, amazing!) *To fan a strawberry, carefully slice towards the top, stopping about 1/4 inch from the green cap. Spread, or "fan," out the layers and it's done!*

A little posh on top!

Wasn't this recipe super easy!? I have so many ideas/plans for my ice cream maker this summer! At some point I will make traditional ice cream, yet for now I'm loving this yogurt lifestyle! There are tons of recipes out there, and I aim to find them! (And then add my own splash of 'posh!') Pinterest, here I come! And thank you Jamielyn at "i heart nap time" for this recipe!

With love (for food),

Ellen

--A dash of posh can make all the difference in your next dish!--

Cupcake Berry Trifles

I'm all for making simple, yummy dishes (and desserts) in fun and creative ways. Even the most basic recipe can be dressed up with some 'posh!' These trifles are just one example...

If you'll recall, I made chocolate cupcakes earlier this week, and didn't end up stuffing them all with ice cream. I also had leftover berries from the salad (if you're totally lost, be sure to visit my Sunday Dinner post to see where I got these ingredients!) One trip to the store for instant pudding mix (plus stuff for dinner) later, and I was ready to make this fun, light dessert!

There are so many different types of trifles, ways to layer them, methods to serve them - this is just one way! I encourage you to try it with whatever flavors you like, or with any leftover sweets you may have on hand!

I wanted to make small individual servings as a light, refreshing end to our taco dinner, while also using up some of the leftover 'supplies.' Plus, why not have some fun in the kitchen?? Hence, I began! I started by preparing my ingredients (and taking lots of pictures).

Once the pudding was made (well, whisked for 2 minutes and left to set) and the berries and cupcakes were ready, it was time to assemble! I started with cupcake chunks on the bottom (although I'm sure you could start with whichever layer you like), then used a small cookie scoop to add the pudding into the jars. Next, I sprinkled in a couple berries, and repeated layers until I reached the top! (I used small, half pint jars from our canning supply and they worked great!)

With some room still left in the jars, I spread more pudding on top and sealed them up - and in the fridge they went until dessert! To serve, I spread the tops with cool whip and mini chocolate chips (totally optional, but if you knew me, you'd realize I can't leave any dessert undecorated!) They were the perfect end to dinner, so light and refreshing! (plus, the white chocolate pudding paired really well with the juicy berries and chocolate cake - a huge hit!)

I really encourage you take simple, everyday (and maybe leftover) ingredients, and give them a new spin! Let your true posh shine! --See below for the recipe--

With love (for food),

Ellen

--A dash of posh can make all the difference in your next dish!--

Sunday Dinner - Salad and Cupcakes

This was not your "traditional" Sunday dinner.. Tonight's dinner was my family's twist on tradition. Celebrating the end of finals (for both my brother and myself), Mother's Day (missed because of finals), and my grandmother's return to NH for the summer, we had the family gathered around a smoked beef brisket, smoked beans, grilled vegetables, warm rolls, summer salad, and ice cream filled cupcakes. These latter two were my department - I mean, what better way to kick off the summer (and summer break!) than fresh greens topped with berries and treats, and finish with a cool, indulgent dessert? Allow me to share...

Let's start with the salad!
While Daddy was tending to the smoker and the juicy, tender brisket being gently cooked by maple infused smoke, I was in the kitchen with Mom, beginning to create..
This salad is very basic, and has many variations! I was introduced to the 'simple salad' concept at my grandmother's house when she tossed lettuce, pears, and some nuts together as a side with dinner. The fruit made it wonderful and to a vinaigrette-lover like myself, it needed none! The fresh pears gave it the perfect amount of sweetness and juice. Ever since then, I have been creating simple side salads with seasonal fruits, arranged atop beds of freshly torn lettuce. For this salad, below, if you still like a little bit of extra 'tang' and dressing, I recommend Ken's Light Option Raspberry Walnut vinaigrette - it pairs very well!

Now for the cupcakes... A few extra steps are totally worth this decadent kick on the average ice cream & cake!

Straight from my book

First, let's begin with the chocolate cupcake part. I'm sure you could use a box mix.. but something about homemade chocolate cupcakes (made with real buttermilk) is so much more fun! I used a Taste of Home recipe from my "Bakeshop Favorites" cookbook (I LOVE Taste of Home - and I highly recommend their recipes, website, books, cooking shows, everything! You'll be seeing many more of their recipes here....) I made this recipe through the first step, and rather than heat up the oven and wait 12-15 minutes per batch, I used my Babycakes Cupcake maker. It makes a dozen regular sized cupcakes (and muffins) right on your counter top in about 10 minutes!  

I just plugged it in while I was making the batter - and it was ready to go!This recipe made 19 cupcakes (all with nice, puffed up tops - no wimpy flat cakes here). Of course, another fun part of this recipe is tasting the batter... 

Me: (takes beaters out, dripping with cake batter) Mom, I have a very important question for you...

Mom: YES! YES! Please!

Me: Is that your answer!? I didn't even ask!

Mom: (takes beater) Yumm...

Is it me or have the roles been reversed here..? Mom gets the beater (and the bowl) now!?

Even so, I can't blame her! This batter is delicious! Within 10 minutes, after putting the first dozen in the cupcake maker, the house smelled like a chocolate-infused dream! 

Once cooled, it was time to core them (using the little green thingy in the center of the picture below) and fill them with ice cream. I used plain vanilla ice cream (what we had in the freezer - feel free to use whatever flavor you'd like! I think a vanilla with chocolate swirl or small brownie bits would be awesome, too) I microwaved the carton for about 30 seconds, then whipped it up with a spoon so it'd be easier to scoop into the cupcakes. (Note: Once you start to fill them, be sure to act fast so the ice cream doesn't melt everywhere!)

*I left a couple cupcakes whole and saved the insides to use for mini chocolate cake trifles later this week.* Next, I stuck them in the freezer and waited until dessert...and waited... and I kept waiting....And after a great meal, it was time! This is where true 'posh' arrives. I started by chopping up two squares of dark chocolate and sliced a few leftover strawberries from the salad earlier as my 'decoration.' After arranging the frozen solid cupcakes on a cake platter, I went a little crazy with the whipped cream... and then gently sprinkled the chocolate bits all over them! As a final touch, I wedged a strawberry slice into the whipped cream on each one - and served! 

Let's just say, they were a huge hit and a great finish to our Sunday Dinner! (My brother was still talking about them the next day..) I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as my family and I did! And add your own creative twists! Find fruits you like for the salad, or use our favorite ice cream and cupcake flavors in the dessert! Also, whereas this is my first 'food' post, comment and let me know what you think, any ideas/changes you may have, or anything! I'd love to hear from you! 

With love (for food),

Ellen

--A dash of posh can make all the difference in your next dish!--