Elements » Desserts

Chocolate Banana Cardamom Jam and Swiss Orange Banana Almond Ice Cream (No Ice Cream Maker Needed)

Sheila — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 18:55:37 +0000

I saw a couple of recipes for chocolate banana cardamom jam, and made it a few weeks ago.

It’s wonderful for spreading on bread or vanilla cookies.

It’s also great to eat it right from the spoon.

But guess what else you can do with it? You can make a batch of it and then combine it with some other ingredients to make a Swiss orange banana almond ice cream

that tastes incredibly rich and delicious! And guess what…you don’t need an ice cream maker. How cool is that!!

I still have some in my freezer. I’m savoring it…a few creamy bites at a time because I want it to last. And it’s so full of flavor that only a few bites satisfies me.

The chocolate and the orange flavors come through loud and clear, and this makes a wonderful summertime treat.

Give it a try sometime and see for yourself.

I’m having a blast making small-batch ice creams this summer. They’re really so much fun to make! What about you? What have you been having fun with in the kitchen lately?

Recipe Source for the Chocolate Banana Cardamom Jam: Chef in Disguise who adapted the recipe from Baking Obsession.

Inspiration for the Swiss Orange Banana Almond Ice Cream: Chef in Disguise who adapted the recipe from Baking Obsession.

Ingredients for the Swiss Orange Banana Almond Ice Cream (No Ice Cream Maker Needed):

All of the ingredients listed at Chef in Disguise’s recipe for chocolate banana cardamom jam plus:
1 cup frozen banana slices
1 cup almond milk
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp. orange extract
1 tsp. dried orange peel
Optional: 1 tsp. Cointreau

Note: Don’t add the Cointreau if you’re going to be serving this to children.

Note: The chocolate I used when making the chocolate banana cardamom jam was 1 bar of Chocolove Orange Peel in Dark Chocolate.

Instructions for Making the Swiss Orange Chip Banana Almond Ice Cream:

Set your frozen banana slices on the counter top and let them thaw out a little bit.
After they’ve thawed out some, put them in your blender along with the almond milk, chocolate chips, orange extract, orange peel, and the chilled chocolate banana cardamom jam.
Puree the mixture.
Then pour into a shallow plastic freezer container.
If you’re going to add in the Cointreau, this is the point where you want to do it. Just stir it into the mixture before freezing.
Secure the lid and freeze.
If you’re going to be home, you can stir the mixture every couple of hours but it’s not necessary. You can just freeze it overnight and in the morning your ice cream will be ready.
Just let it soften about 5 minutes and then scoop it out.

Hot Chocolate Ice Cream (Made without Using an Ice Cream Maker)

Sheila — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 18:29:28 +0000

Making ice cream without an ice cream maker is very easy to do. I’ll tell you how in a minute so you can do it too. If you can make hot chocolate, you can make your own yummy chocolate ice cream like I did!

I made it the other day for my father who was interested in learning more about making ice cream without an ice cream maker. And I made this ice cream for my honey bunny who can drink my hot cocoa every day of the week. I figured if he loves my hot chocolate, he’ll love it frozen too. And I also made it because..well…I love chocolate ice cream.

Anyway, speaking of my Dad and my honey bunny, well…here’s some pictures I took of them a few months ago when they were being very silly!

I love these pictures! Their smiles are priceless!!!!

Anyway, you see why I was so inspired to make this ice cream for them.

It turned out great!!! So rich and chocolaty…not to mention ice cold and creamy!

I could go as far as to say it’s dreamy…and if anything could take your cares away…it’s this ice cold hot chocolate ice cream

which is perfect on a hot summer day!

So whatcha waitin’ for? Let’s go make some chocolate ice cream!!!

Pssssst…You can use this recipe to make any flavor ice cream you want. If you want vanilla ice cream, just skip the cocoa powder and add more vanilla. Want cookies and cream ice cream? Crumble in some cookies to either chocolate or vanilla ice cream. Want strawberry ice cream? Make vanilla ice cream and add some fresh or frozen strawberries. Want rocky road ice cream? Add some marshmallows and peanuts to this chocolate ice cream. Want cherry cordial ice cream? Add some chopped up maraschino cherries to vanilla or chocolate ice cream.

Can’t do dairy? Use coconut milk, coconut cream, almond milk, soy milk, etc.

Use your imagination. Have fun! Eat ice cream!!

Edit: By the way, check out the ice cream social going on at Kitchen Bouquet to learn about the history of ice cream and to see all kinds of wonderful recipes. You can add your ice cream links there too.

Hot Chocolate Ice Cream (Made without Using an Ice Cream Maker)

How to Make It:

First, make a batch of Hershey’s Favorite Hot Cocoa
When it cools down, pour it into a freezer container, secure the lid, and place in your freezer overnight. That’s it. If you’re awake while the ice cream is freezing, stir it every hour or so if you want, but it’s not necessary.
Take it out of the freezer to soften some before serving.

Cashew Sesame Seed Fudge and Cashew Nut-Sesame Seed Ice Cream (No Ice Cream Maker Required)

Sheila — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 13:31:53 +0000

I felt like fudge the other night so I decided to make Kaju burfi which is a popular Indian fudge-like dessert. I made it somewhat different than the recipe because I added some sesame seeds to it to give a bit of a different texture and flavor.

I really liked the flavor of the fudge, but the added sesame seeds did make it just a tiny bit on the dry side.

The day after I made the fudge, I was in the mood for some ice cream, so I decided to use my fudge to make a cashew nut-sesame seed ice cream.

It was really easy. I just crumbled up some of the fudge, stirred in some milk, as well as some So Delicious French vanilla coconut milk creamer, smashed it all up a little, and then froze it.

After the mixture froze overnight, I put the frozen ice cream in my blender with a little more milk and pureed it so the ice creamy would be creamier. Then I froze it again, and that’s all there is to it!

While I really liked the fudge, I loved the ice cream even more! It totally hit the spot!

What’s your favorite ice cream flavor by the way? It’s hard for me to decide but I think it’s vanilla bean.

Cashew Sesame Seed Fudge

Recipe Source: Manjula’s kitchen

Cashew Nut-Sesame Seed Ice Cream

Adapted from: Manjula’s kitchen

Ingredients:

3 cups cashew sesame seed fudge, crumbled
1/2 cup So Delicious French vanilla coconut milk creamer
1/2 + 1/4 cup milk

Instructions:

Make the fudge (recipe can be found at Manjula’s kitchen.
Crumble the fudge.
Stir in the milk and So Delicious French vanilla coconut milk cream.
Smash the crumbled fudge into the milk/creamer mixture.
Pour into a freezer container with a lid.
Freeze overnight.
In the morning when the ice cream has hardened, scoop the ice cream into your blender.
Add 1/4 cup milk and puree to smooth out nuts and seeds until the mixture is smooth.
Pour the mixture back into the freezer container and re-freeze over night.

Watermelon Margarita and Watermelon Granita

Sheila — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 05:18:44 +0000

There’s nothing better than ice cold watermelon on a hot summer day…except for maybe a watermelon margarita

or watermelon granita.

Both are super easy to make.

You do need a blender for the margarita and the granita because you’ll need to puree your watermelon.

For the margarita,

it’s just a matter of mixing together some pureed watermelon (strain out any seeds), lime juice, tequila, and Cointreau. Then salt your glass and enjoy your drink!

The watermelon granita makes a great dessert because it’s just pureed watermelon, some lemon juice, and a tiny bit of agave nectar and/or sugar. (I used agave nectar.) It’s a low sugar frozen dessert that I have been enjoying indulging in this past week.

Both the margarita and granita are refreshing and taste fabulous! Give them a try this summer and see for yourself.

What your favorite summertime fruit flavor by the way? Is it Strawberry? Mango? Watermelon? Peach? Raspberry? or maybe Blueberry? I’m not sure I can decide ’cause I love ‘em all!

Recipe Source for the Watermelon Margarita: Sweet Life

Recipe Source for the Watermelon Granita: Kahakai Kitchen

Rosewater Sorbet

Sheila — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 05:41:16 +0000

Roses are so fragrant, and their petals can be used for many purposes, including my favorite candy, Turkish Delight (also called lokum).

You just pluck the rose petals, wash them, and then steep them in hot, boiling water. The fragrant, perfumed rosewater can them be used to splash on your skin to freshen yourself up, used in bathwater, or you can even cook with it. If you plan to to use the rose petals for cooking, make sure that no pesticides have been sprayed on the roses.

You can also buy food-grade rosewater in many health food stores. That’s what I do since I don’t have any rose bushes.

Anyway, I saw a recipe in my Turkish cookbook for rosewater sorbet and knew I had to make it! I just heated some water and sugar in a pot on my stove, and stirred it until it came to a boil. Then I stirred in a tablespoon of rosewater, a tablespoon of lemon juice, took it off the heat and let it cool. After it cooled, I put it in a freezer container with a lid and left it in the freezer for about 12 hours. Then I got a spoon and enjoyed every rose-scented and flavored bite!

By the way, there’s really no need to measure the water and sugar. Just put some water in a pot and add some sugar. How much sugar you add will depend on how sweet you want your sorbet.

The sorbet was very soft. Unlike the watermelon granita I made a few days ago (recipe will be posted soon), it didn’t get extremely hard in the freezer. The consistency of the rosewater sorbet was almost too soft. I would have liked it to be just a little firmer. But I’m not complaining. It’s really quite wonderful and has such an exquisite flavor. Give it a try sometime and see what you think!

Recipe Source: “The Complete Book of Turkish Cooking by Ghillie Basan”, (page 226, Rose Petal Sorbet); published by Hermes House, an imprint of Anness Publishing Ltd.

In Search of the Perfect Mango Bar (Two Recipes…Mango Lime and Mango Strawberry)

Sheila — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 05:45:33 +0000

In the past week or so, there have been three people at work who have had birthdays, so I’ve been busy making all kinds of yummy desserts, including two different types of mango bars…mango lime and mango strawberry.

I made the mango lime bars

for Rosa, one of sweetest gals I have the pleasure of working with.That’s her on the left and me on the right.

Mango is her favorite fruit so I thought these bars would be perfect for her. She really liked them a lot but did share some with Gaby and Ishmael, two other really great people I enjoy working with. Both Gaby and Ishmael loved the mango lime bars, and Ishmael said he would love to have mango bars for his birthday so I made him some.

I used a different recipe when I made Ismael’s mango bars. Why? Well, the crust of the mango lime bars was awesome, but I felt like the filling didn’t have a very strong mango flavor. Rosa, however, said she thought the mango flavor came through just fine but Gaby felt like the mango flavor could be stronger.

So when I made Ismael’s mango bars, I used a recipe which called for the freshly diced mango to be paired with peach jam. Since I didn’t have peach jam, I substituted strawberry jam instead. Here’s a picture of the mango strawberry bars.

I loved the mango strawberry filling a lot, but the strawberry flavor seemed to overpower the mango flavor. I wonder if the peach jam would have let the mango flavor come through better?

I wasn’t too impressed with the crust of the mango strawberry bars. It had a nice flavor, but it was too hard. Ismael said he loved the filling, and Gaby said the tartness of icing matched great with the sweetness of the filling.

So after trying two different recipes, I have to say I’m still in search of the perfect mango bar. Gaby said the Mexican grocery store she goes to carries some kind of mango concentrate, so one of these days I’m gonna try to get there and purchase some so I can make some mango lime bars using the added mango concentrate.

Anyway, in addition to making two types of mango bars and a strawberry vanilla roll-up cake for Gaby’s birthday (I’ll tell you more about that in another post), I also was the lucky recipient of Rosa’s famous “Dump Cake” which is basically a butter cake with a pineapple strawberry filling.

It’s called a “dump cake” because you just dump all the ingredients in a baking pan.

It’s an incredibly delicious cake that I just love! It’s so moist you wouldn’t believe it! The recipe has been passed on in Rosa’s family for several generations, and she made it for me for “just because.”

I thought that was just so sweet of her to make me a cake without it being my birthday, a special occasion, or anything. And let me tell you Kemal and I sure did enjoy it. (Although I must admit I ate most of it.)

Anyway, I’m gonna leave you with links so you can check out the recipes I used when I made the mango bars .

I don’t know which recipes is better.Gaby and Rosa said they preferred the mango lime bars. Gaby said the mint that I put on top of the mango lime bars was wonderful, so if you guys make it, make sure you add some fresh mint on top.

Ismael and I preferred the mango strawberry bars; however, I must say that when I make the mango strawberry bars again, I’m gonna use the crust recipe that I used to make the mango lime bars.

If y’all have a recipe for mango bars that you love, please let me know so I can try it! I’m still searching for the perfect recipe!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Mango Lime Bars

Adapted from: www.shareyourtable.com

Cooking Notes:

I used lime juice instead of lilikoi juice. I couldn’t taste the mango or lime juice, but the filling was wonderful nonetheless. The crust was awesome! It was rich, buttery, and flaky. I put a mint leaf on top of each square. It not only looks pretty but adds a beautiful flavor.

Mango Strawberry Bars

Adapted from: www.landolakes.com

Cooking Notes:

The filling was wonderful, but I couldn’t detect much mango flavor. I’d suggest using two mangoes instead of one; that might make the mango flavor come through better. The crust tasted good but it was a bit too hard. It wasn’t as flaky as the crust in the mango lime bars.

The icing drizzle on top was fantastic, but I only used half of what was called for in the recipe. I think if I had made the amount of icing drizzle called for in the recipe it would have been way too sweet. I also used lemon extract instead of lemon zest since I didn’t have any fresh lemons on hand.

No Bake Chocolate-Banana Granola Tart

Sheila — Tue, 31 May 2011 20:59:47 +0000

I hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day! Kemal and I enjoyed both great food and wonderful company at our friends’ home where we grilled out and had one heck of a feast!

Vanja grilled some mouth-watering steaks, Kemal made some fantastic veggie kabobs, Vesna made a lovely Greek salad and the best baked potatoes ever, and I made a refreshing no-bake chocolate-banana granola tart.

Unfortunately, I was unable to photograph our lovely meal because after drinking one of Vanja’s incredible margaritas, I was barely capable of walking let alone taking pictures.

Now it wasn’t Vanja’s fault. I drank the margarita on an empty stomach, and instead of sipping it like I should have, I uh…well…basically guzzled it. Needless to say I learned my lesson. No more drinking on an empty stomach!!!

Anyway, after dinner we played several games of cornhole.

It was a lot of fun, but I totally sucked at it! The food helped sober me up, but I still couldn’t manage to score many points for our team. Me, Kemal, and Vanja were on the losing team, and even though we lost, we still had a lot of fun.

Here’s a picture Kemal took of the winning team (Fedja, Sasha, and Vesna).

They were really good, but I’d love a re-match! I’ll bet our team would give them a run if I wasn’t off-balance from that margarita!

Anyway, it was a fun way to spend Memorial Day.

I’m glad I made this no-bake dessert

that didn’t take much time or effort since the day was a scorcher. It was extremely hot and humid, and at one point the thermometer said it was 102 degrees Fahrenheit. Yikes!

Anyway, before I tell you how I made the tart, I want to tell you that if you get chance, make Katie’s raw chocolate fudge cake. The tart I made was adapted from that recipe, but I also made her raw chocolate fudge cake it’s awesome! Here’s a picture of it.

It’s silky, creamy, and really hits the spot on a hot, summer day! It also freezes really well.

I’m not sure how the chocolate banana granola tart would hold up after freezing it, but I haven’t had luck with freezing anything with granola in it, so I’m not sure that I would try it.

Anyway, here’s the recipe for the no-bake chocolate banana granola tart which extremely easy to make and tastes great!

No-Bake Chocolate Banana Granola Tart

Adapted from: Chocolate-Covered Katie’s raw chocolate fudge cake

Ingredients:

3 whole bananas
8 tbsp. coconut oil
8 tbsp. raw honey
12 tbsp. cocoa powder
10 tbsp. tahini + 1/2 cup tahini
1 cup granola (I used Nature’s Path Organic Hemp Plus Granola)
3 tbsp. salted butter, melted
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. lemon juice
pinch of salt

Instructions:

Mash two of the bananas in a large bowl.
Add the following ingredients to the two mashed bananas: 8 tbsp coconut oil, 8 tbsp. raw honey, 12 tbsp. cocoa powder, 10 tbsp. tahini, 1 tsp. cinnamon, and a pinch of salt.
Stir well to combine everything, and then pour the mixture into the parchment-lined pan.
Refrigerate overnight.
The following morning, melt the butter in a small pot.
Stir in the the granola.
Add the buttered granola to the mixture you refrigerated overnight.
Stir well to combine everything.
Press the mixture in a tart pan.
Slice a banana into round discs.
Brush each of the banana slices (top and bottom) with lemon juice. (This will keep the bananas from turning brown. I couldn’t taste the lemon juice on the bananas so don’t worry that it’ll make the bananas tart.)
Place the bananas on top of the tart.
Serve chilled.

Enjoyin’ Rum Cake (Among other Things) on Vacation

Sheila — Sun, 15 May 2011 15:50:13 +0000

Spending time with my family on vacation this past week has been wonderful, but it sure did go by way too fast! Seems like we no sooner got there than it was time to head back home. Time always seems to go by so quickly when you’re having fun and enjoying yourself, doesn’t it?

Anyway, while we were at my folks’ house, I not only enjoyed visiting, reminiscing, and hanging out with them, but I also enjoyed a lot of good food! Truth be told, I enjoyed the food way too much and ate like there was no tomorrow!

Mom and Dad sure can cook, and let me tell ya, Kemal and I sure can put it away! Reckon we ate enough to pack on a few pounds while we were there, but I’m not too worried about it. I’m sure we’ll work it off soon enough.

Anyway, today I’ll share with you a wonderful dessert my Mom made…a rum cake that is out of this world!!

It’s incredibly moist, and every bite is just heavenly! It has a wonderful rum flavor, and the fluffy coconut frosting is beyond delicious! It’s perfectly sweet and doesn’t come across as heavy at all. On the contrary, the entire cake is light and airy, and believe me, it’ll melt in your mouth!

The recipe Mom used is very, very old and comes from a recipe she clipped out of a magazine about 30-35 years ago. I found the recipe posted at www.cooks.com if you’re interested in making it.

Anyway, I’m sure if you make the cake, you’ll enjoy it as much as I did! Just keep in mind it might be hard to keep from going back for seconds. By the way, I’m curious about something. If you go back for seconds, is it usually for desserts, for the bread, or for the main course and side dishes?

Vanilla Lime Green Cupcakes for One

Sheila — Mon, 02 May 2011 17:24:02 +0000

spring raindrops splatter and plop,

transforming the the world from brown to green,

and together they form a symphony,

awakening nature from its sleep.

spring raindrops splatter and plop,

sending ripples throughout the earth,

and together they nourish this earth

so life beings to flourish and bloom.

spring raindrops splatter and plop.

I wonder…will it ever stop?

Vanilla Lime Green Cupcakes for One

Recipe Adapted from: What Katie’s Baking

and Katie adapted her recipe from Jessica at Sweet Eats.

The recipe makes two small cupcakes. You only see one ’cause I scarfed one down before taking pictures.

It’s easy to change up the recipe a little. I did. And I had fun! And I sure did enjoy eating them too!

I wanted some lime zest in my cupcakes but I didn’t have any fresh limes on hand. I only had lime juice. Bummer! I didn’t have any pumpkin puree either so I used yogurt instead.

I made a butter frosting but didn’t measure anything.

All you do is soften a little bit of butter, stir in a tiny bit of lime juice. Then add enough powdered sugar to the butter and lime juice until you get the consistency you want. Add a few drops of lime green food coloring and there ya go!

If I would have had fresh limes on-hand, I would have added some lime zest to my frosting as well. It would have added a much better flavor and make them prettier too.

Ah well…next time I make them I’ll make sure I fresh limes in my fridge.

Citrus Slushie

Sheila — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 05:20:50 +0000

I love slushies because they’re cold and refreshing, and they’re also a great way to cool down when you’re really hot. But let’s face it, they’re just not very nutritious, and I always hate it when all the flavoring is sucked out with my straw and I’m left with a bunch of flavorless ice. Yuck!

But the good news is that there’s a way to make slushies that are not only nutritious but that also will be full of flavor from start to finish…no flavorless ice!

The trick is to make your slushies from fruit juice and/or fresh fruit that you’ve pureed yourself in the blender….with or without any added sweeteners.

Just put the juice and/or pureed fruit in a freezer container with a lid, and then pop it in the freezer. There’s no need to stir the mixture…just let it freeze.

When you’re ready to enjoy your slushie, just set the frozen fruit juice out on the counter to thaw out some (it won’t take long), and then when it starts to melt and get slushy, just transfer it to a glass, add a straw, and slurp away!

There’s another way to do it. I saw a neat trick at www.marthastewartcom. All you do is pour your juice into ice cube trays, freeze, and then put the frozen cubes into a food processor until it breaks down. Easy, huh! I would have done it, except I don’t have any ice cube trays (we have an ice maker).

Anyway, this is a great way to let your kids enjoy a cold, refreshing slushie…especially if you make them without any added sugar or sweeteners. And not only can they enjoy slurping them down, but they can also have fun making them as well.

Another idea is to make these at your next barbecue get-together with friends. And instead of making frozen alcoholic beverages with ice, just make them with all fruit. After the mixture gets a little slushy you can add your favorite tequila, rum, or vodka.Yum!!!

Of course, the kids would have to drink the virgin ones.

Keep this recipe in mind if you ever have any juice or citrus fruits in your fridge that needs to be used immediately. Freezing it to use later makes good economical sense because you won’t be wasting food.

Citrus Slushie

Recipe Sources: Simply Cooking and www.marthastewart.com