A food blogger with a picky eater for a son is such a travesty isn’t it? Cooper is a very visual kid and he has a lot of distrust when it comes to food. For example, he loves red peppers, but if you try to mix things up and cut a red pepper into chunks instead of strips, he will not put the red pepper in his mouth. We also go through crazy power trips where one week he loves something and the next he’s over it. I know it’s totally normal, but gosh darn it’s frustrating when I make something special and he won’t eat it. Can you even believe he wouldn’t try a bite of my mom’s sour cream coffee cake?
The only thing that’s been working for us as of late is the reward system. You know…the you have to finish what’s on your plate or try 3 bites of vegetables before you get dessert, system. I was reluctant to try it because I don’t want him to think he’ll always get dessert. I mean…I grew up not eating dessert, he should too. The thing is…as a parent sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. If it means he’ll try something new, I think it might be worth it. The biggest drawback is that Cooper has always been sensitive to sugar so whatever we give him for dessert after dinner has to have a low amount of sugar or else he can’t sleep or will have nightmares. Poor guy.
This is where Frozen Yogurt Dots have come in handy. I found this recipe thru Pinterest and my friend Danielle made them too! I thought I’d give it a try. The other afternoon after Cooper woke up for nap, I surprised him with a batch. He was skeptical at first, but after convincing him they were ice cream dots, he went NUTS for them. The best part is that he thinks having 3-4 dots after dinner is a legitimate dessert for him. Crazy, right?
It’s really simple. Let me show you how:
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Last week I was plagued with strawberry malted milkshake fantasies and had no ice cream to make my dreams come true. With a little teamwork from my pantry and freezer I was able to quench my cravings.
By borrowing the base of my Raw Chocolate Milk and adding frozen strawberries as well as malted milk powder, I was able to come up with this deliciously smooth & creamy strawberry malted milkshake that’s almost dairy free…
One sip and I’m suddenly transported back to my childhood…fighting over a strawberry milkshake with my brothers in the back seat of my mom’s old green station wagon we referred to as The Pickle Mobile.
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I have a history of not letting things set. This means I’m the worst at letting my nail polish dry, but that’s because the second I finish painting my last nail something urgent comes up and I’m frantically trying to navigate through my life with wet polish! An important phone call, a scratch that needs scratching, a knock at the door, my son jamming bread up his nose, or picking up a bowl’s worth of Cheerios off the floor are all things that would happen the second I’m done painting my nails.
The reason why I don’t often make ice cream is that I’m totally impatient when it comes to letting ice cream set. About 2 hours after I put this ice cream into the freezer for its big deep chill, I dipped a clean spoon in to taste. To my dismay, it wasn’t finished but it DID taste totally awesome. Why didn’t I just let it set??!
OK so I let it set. Then I scooped out some ice cream, plunked in a lone gingersnap and got right down to business. Creamy pumpkin ice cream studded with gingersnaps and perfumed with hint bourbon? You know you want it! This is the ice cream recipe that made me realize that ice cream really is worth the wait. Perhaps after 32 years of living I will finally figure out patience?
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Here’s a weird fact about me! I always pay close attention to what my friends/family order when we’re at a restaurant. It’s only because I’m nosy, weird, and I desperately want to learn their taste buds. I also like figure out what they’ll order when they pick up a menu. I take a guess in my head, and when I’m right, I feel awesome. My brother and husband always order duck or some other MEAT. Carbs always seal the deal for their entrees. My dad orders fish or chicken and makes them sub greens for carbs (he’s that guy!). He also never orders dessert BUT that doesn’t stop him from eating mine. My mom will start with a beet salad, and for her entree she picks the lamb or something pork related. She always makes room for dessert when she sees profiteroles on a dessert menu. ALWAYS. This type of information comes in handy.
So, when it came to Mother’s Day last month (YES I’m SOO BEHIND!), I knew exactly what to make my mom for the special day. Profiteroles! I learned how to make them at my Sur La Table class a few months back and Mother’s Day & my 31 comes before 32 list put me to the test. #8 Make cream puffs for my mom. (She LOVES profiteroles!)= COMPLETED.
They were SCRUMPTIOUS and well received! A little bit of effort but totally worth it! My mom is worth it. As it turns out, Pate a Choux is pretty fun to make and the dough is kind of addictive if you’re into eating dough like I am. If you want to give someone a nice gift, make them something they’d order in a restaurant. Surprise them! I almost always go for the bread pudding, anything with bananas or homemade donuts. My birthday is in August. I’m just planning ahead here.
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Memorial Day Weekend is upon us!! Do you have a BBQ to attend? You should totally bring this Coconut Lime Semifreddo. With the exotic Thai flavor profile of coconut, lime & mango, your friends might think you worked really hard in the kitchen. Truth is– you didn’t. But go ahead, act like you did. My lips are sealed.
One bite of this Coconut Lime Semifreddo and you’re transported to a sunny beach in Thailand…. You’re sitting under a red striped umbrella eating creamy coconut- lime ice cream with a layer of toasted coconut, and fresh mango slices on top…. and when you turn your head, there’s a girl riding an elephant coming up behind you. What? You’re not in Thailand? Oh yeah, that’s right. You’re at a Memorial Day weekend BBQ and your friend with the elephant print shirt is asking you for the recipe. Whoops.
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I keep going back to this post on the kitchn….ONE INGREDIENT ICE CREAM. It’s absolutely bananas! That’s it! I started to preheat the oven today for banana bread and said SCREW IT. I couldn’t be bothered, so made ice cream instead! It’s the simplest little recipe. There’s no ice cream maker required. You just need a device that can puree almost frozen bananas and then you have banana ice cream! No wonder everyone’s been raving about it! It’s CRAZY DELICIOUS.
You’ll find that it’s pretty adaptable. A scoop of peanut butter mixed in would be good…cocoa powder would be dandy! Some cocoa nibs or some chocolate chips? Heaven! I put a scoop of unsweetened coconut flakes in ours tonight! It added a nice little crunchy texture. I topped it with a little chunk of pizelle my grandma made. Hummina Hummina!
The directions go something like this:
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You say SHER-BERT? I say SHER-BET! In this case, I say SURE-BET. Cuz it is one.
What makes it a SURE-BET?
-the tang
-the brightness
-the color
-the smooth texture
-the refreshing aftertaste
-that hint of milk
-the absence of guilt!!!!
We just enjoyed some out on our patio tonight. We sampled with putting a little Muscato (a white/sweet dessert wine) in our cups. OH BOY WAS THAT TASTY. I bet it would be killer with a lil Prosecco. NOM.
Perfect end to a day full of sun. Ahhhhh……..
Cherry Sherbet
(Sunset Magazine Recipe)
-2 cups frozen sweet cherries (juice included) or 3 cups very ripe pitted fresh sweet cherries
-1 cup sugar
-1 1/2 cups milk
- 2 tablespoons kirsch or other cherry liquor (I used grenadine)
-1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1. Put cherries in a small saucepan. Add 1/4 cup water and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower heat to medium and cook, stirring, until cherries have released their juice and pulp has softened.
2. Transfer cherry mixture to a blender and pulse 3 or 4 times to purée fruit pieces. Pour through a strainer into a medium heatproof bowl, using the back of a ladle to push any juice and purée through. Discard solids. Add sugar to hot liquid and stir until sugar has dissolved completely. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.
3. Add milk, liquor (grenadine in my case), and lemon juice and stir to combine. Pour into an ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer’s directions. Transfer to an airtight, freezer-safe container and freeze at least 4 hours. It’s torture…so try to make it in the morning!
p.s. LOOK AT ALL THE CHERRIES in there!!!
A glimpse inside my brain:
“Ok I am making baby food, cooking dinner, fighting off hungry cats, cleaning up my mess in the kitchen, feeding Cooper–what else can I do?? Well here’s a post of a Chocolate Sherbet recipe…hmmm…I have all the ingredients….I’ve already made a mess in the kitchen- WHY NOT MAKE SOME SHERBET IN ADDITION TO EVERYTHING ELSE I’M MAKING?! Come on Tracy! The mess will be worth it!!!”
So yes, I did just that. Because I decided to make it at 7pm last night, we didn’t get to enjoy it until today. It was worth the wait! The chocolate is DECADENT and rich.
The lack of heavy cream or a custard based ice cream makes it very very light. It doesn’t make you feel weighed down and guilty- like WHAT DID I JUST DO TO MYSELF. It’s more like “Oh! That was delightful. That jolt of chocolate is just what I needed.”
I used a small cookie scoop to fill my little dish. It was a perfect amount of chocolate.
It will give you that fix you are looking for.
My goal this summer is to have a banana split party– this was just a prelude. The banana slices on top gave me a lil glimpse of what’s in store for me when I take that dive into bananasplitsville.
You can find the recipe here. Thank you David! You are a genius.
Frozen Raspberry-Lime Pops!
-16 ounces low-fat or nonfat vanilla yogurt, preferably Greek yogurt
-2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
-8 ounces fresh or thawed frozen raspberries
-1 heaping tablespoon honey
-2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1. In a blender or food processor, puree the yogurt with 1 tablespoon of the lime juice & honey until smooth.
2. Now add the raspberries with the remaining lime juice and sugar-whir up until blended. (you might want to add more sugar if needed)
3. Stir mixture and fill your pops! Put in the freezer to set for at least 4 hours.
4. To unmold the pop: Run warm water over the bottom three-quarters of the mold. Let it stand for 10 seconds, then gently pull out the pop.
***The perfect balance of tart & sweet. It was nice to know that what I was eating wasn’t filled with crap & yucky preservatives. Extremely refreshing and satisfying! Something to make over and over again!***
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