Thin Mint Ice Cream

Just before St. Patrick’s Day I set out to make ice cream and couldn’t find any mint extract. Is that because of the green-ness for the holiday? The store had lots of other extracts: rum; banana; orange; hazelnut, lemon, almond,  raspberry; and vanilla. I found green food coloring and then scrounged around to find mint flavors I could add into my would-be mint chip ice cream. I was psyched to put my new ice cream containers to use!
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I found the generic Thin Mint cookies and figured why not?! I got fresh mint. Then I peeked around the dairy section finding York Peppermint Creamer. Sure, join this mintfest.

Ingredients:
1 cups milk (I used 1%)
½ cup half-and-half
½ cup peppermint coffee creamer
20 fresh mint leaves
3/4 cups sugar
dash of salt
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4-6 drops green food coloring
10 thin mint cookies, crushed
2 tbs mini mint chips (or chunks)

Directions:
Cook milk, half and half, creamer and mint leaves in a medium pan, over medium-high heat. Heat about 5-8 minutes until the milk mixture gently bubbles, but doesn’t boil.
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Remove from heat and let the mint steep for about 10 minutes.
While mint is steeping, in a small bowl, mix sugar, salt and egg yolks. Whisk to mix throughly.
Pour milk mixture through colander to separate the mint leaves. Press all the milk out of them and disgard.
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Return mint mix to pan over medium heat.
Slowly add the egg/sugar mixture, stirring for five minutes.
Remove from heat, add vanilla and a few drops of green coloring.
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Refrigerate for a few hours, stirring occasionally, until completely chilled.
Add the rest of the green drops until it becomes your color of choice.
Mix according to manufacturer’s instructions (I mixed 35 minutes).
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Mix cookies and chips in by hand.
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Freeze for at least 30 minutes before serving.
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Makes just over 1 quart.

Ohh my minty ice cream. I worried about the mintiness since I couldn’t find mint extract. Apparently, when you add every other mint thing you can find, it tastes minty enough. It wasn’t perfectly creamy. There was a tiny edge of an icy texture. I really think the non-dairy creamer is at fault for that. Whole fat milk is best and that non-dairy stuff is a little bit creepy now that I think about it….

When I smelled the mint, I immediately wanted a mojito. Is that bad? I smell mint and bypass toothpaste wanting a mixed drink?

Mint oreos would have been good, but they seem to sell out for St. Patrick’s Day too. I brought this to our green/St. Patrick’s Day potluck. I didn’t photograph it, let’s just say it wasn’t our finest potluck. Maybe next time.

Dying Easter Eggs

Happy almost-Easter! Sis and I dyed eggs and got really into it! There were techniques and tools. Ohh my!

I cut painter’s tape to make a chevon egg.
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We did some rubber banded dyed eggs. They came out like tie-dye!
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We broke out some nail polish. That made the easiest dots. Crackle top coat polish made a white-wash looking on.
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I haven’t dyed eggs in years and it was really fun. I’m glad we tried our hands at some different techniques.

Don’t forget: cooled eggs will dye better; white vinegar will make the dye more vibrant. Have fun!

Smoky Sausage Pasta

I don’t always cook pasta, but when I do….I’m glad I did. Pasta tends to be my go-to option when I haven’t planned anything else. Dried pasta + kitchen ready tomatoes = fast dinner. I rarely start out with pasta as part of my meal planning. Seriously, the last one I blogged about was bolognese (which was really about the sauce) or mac & cheese. This one was awesome and I totally need to make it again.
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This is totally a one pot wonder. It is based off of America’s Test Kitchen’s: The Best Simple Recipes. I saw it on a few blogs, here was one of them. Several took a spicy approach with hot sauce, spicy rotel, and spiced sausage.  I added spinach to mine to increase the nutritional value but wheat pasta would be hidden really well here.

Ingredients:

1, 12-oz pkg turkey kielbasa or chicken sausage
1 pound box short pasta
1 cup milk
2 cups chicken broth
1, 16-oz can crushed tomatoes
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tsp liquid smoke
1 tsp smoked paprika
3-4 cups baby spinach
1 ½ cups shredded monterey jack cheese
2 stocks of green onion, chopped

Directions:

Saute kielbasa cut into coins, in a large hot skillet with 1 tsp olive oil. Stir until evenly (but lightly) browned over medium heat.
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Add tomatoes, broth, crushed tomatoes and milk. Bring to a gentle boil.
Add in dried pasta, garlic, liquid smoke, and paprika. Stir and cover to cook for about 8 minutes.
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After that, pasta will be mostly cooked, but still a bit firm. Cover the pasta with 1 cup of cheese and spinach. The sauce will have reduced and thickened.

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Reduce to medium low temperature, stir, and cover again for 3-5 more minutes.
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Serve topped with more cheese and green onions.
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I didn’t think it was especially smokey, but the flavors were great. The light tomato flavor is great in the cream.

I went with Kevin & Amanda’s choice of pasta shape: campanelle. They were great little cones to hold the sauce. Mr. J thought they reminded him of a krimpy pappardelle. I remember having campanelle regularly growing up.

It reheated perfectly the next day for lunch! It was suuuuper cheap. It is a great reminder of how easy and cost-effective it is to cook at home. This would be easy for lunch for the week or even halving the recipe.

There is also easy potential to add in other foods you have laying around. I think the base of pasta + protein + enough liquid = endless options. A slight Mexican twist uses hot sauce/rotel/salsa/pepper-jack cheese/jalepenos. An Italian twist could use chicken sausage/basil/Parmesan/artichokes. A BBQ twist could have bbq chicken/bbq sauce/liquid smoke/onions/peppers.

See what I mean? Endless possibilities.

Cost Breakdown:

turkey kielbasa $4.49
pasta: $1.00
chicken broth: $0.80
canned tomatoes: $1.49/2
spinach: $1.85
Monterey jack cheese: $2.50
green onions: $1.00/2
total: $11.89 (or $2.97 per person, 4 servings)

What I Ate: Easiest Banana Muffins

What I Ate is a series that might not necessarily require a recipe but these muffins are a prime example of a recipe to file away and whip it up when the time is right.

Pinterest introduced me to a shortcut banana muffin recipe just like the pumpkin muffin shortcut I loooove. Do you follow me on Pinterest? They’re so quick and really easy to make. I’m not a big baker but these came out perfectly!

I made these guys before I knew how badly I’d need warm banana goodness. Work has gone bananas…to put it mildly. Bananas I tell you. Thank goodness I had these for the week. I think my crisis is averted. I’ll be sure to shower my local co-workers with these soon to thank them for all their support. When the goings get tough, the tough get going. For sure.

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Ingredients:

1 box yellow cake mix
4 very ripe bananas (small or 3 large)
2 eggs

Directions:

Mash bananas or use a mixer, or food processor.
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Mix in eggs and cake mix.
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Add in cinnamon, nuts, dried fruit, chips, or anything you like! (I added cinnamon & cinnamon chips)
Fill muffin cups or a sprayed loaf pan.
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Bake 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out cleanly.
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These are suuuuper easy and are such a good use for discount bananas. I love discount produce and these bananas were a steal. Forty-three cents for 6 bananas. Forty three cents. I froze some of the least ripe bananas in chunks for future smoothies.
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Cost Breakdown:
uber ripe bananas: $0.43
cake mix: $2.25
2 eggs: $0.30
cinnamon chips: $1.35 (1/2 bag)
total: $4.33, or $0.30 per muffin

Guy Fieri’s Chorizo and Polenta

I was thumbing through a Food Network magazine when I stumbled upon this. I actually love Guy Fieri’s way of cooking and recipes. For as many burgers he slams down on Diners, Drive-ins, & Dives, he cooks really interesting and quality food. He often grills, uses a lot of marinades, and fresh greens. I wasn’t at all surprised to see swiss chard in this recipe.

This as good, but not amazing. I liked it to as a different dinner, but it probably won’t be part of my regular rotation.
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Chorizo and Polenta Lasagna
by Guy Fieri

Ingredients:

1 cup quick-cooking polenta
2 cups water (or chicken stock)
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 tbs butter

Chorizo:
Olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 pound ground pork
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
2 tbs paprika
1 tbs granulated garlic
1 tbs onion powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
2 tbs red wine vinegar
4 cloves garlic, minced
One 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 bunch Swiss chard
1 clove garlic, minced
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 cup grated mozzarella

Directions:

For the polenta: Bring the water to a boil in a large pot. Add the polenta and whisk until fully incorporated, 3 to 4 minutes.
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Sprinkle with the salt and cook, covered, over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes. Finish by folding in the butter. Keep warm while you prepare the chorizo.

For the chorizo: Coat a large saute pan with olive oil and set over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until almost translucent, and then add the ground pork. Brown 4 to 5 minutes while breaking the pork pieces up with the back of a wooden spoon.
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Add the paprika, granulated garlic, onion powder, chili powder and cumin, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook 1 minute longer to toast the spices, and then add the vinegar, garlic and tomatoes. Simmer until the sauce is thickened and reduced, 8 to 10 minutes. Taste and season once more with salt and pepper. Keep warm while cooking the chard.
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Wash, drain and finely slice the chard. (Cutting off the center stalk is optional). Heat the garlic and some olive oil in a large pan and saute, 3 to 4 minutes over low heat.
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Season with salt and pepper. Drain in a colander and squeeze out any excess moisture.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease an 8-by-8-by-2-inch dish or a 9-inch pan. Pour half of the polenta in and spread out evenly. Top with half of the chorizo and half of the Swiss chard. Sprinkle with half of the cheese.
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Repeat with a layer of the remaining polenta, then the remaining chorizo, swiss chard, and finally the remaining cheese. Cover with foil, place the dish on a sheet tray and bake 30 minutes.
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Remove the foil and bake until the cheese is golden and bubbly, 15 minutes longer. Let sit 10 minutes to set up, then cut into portions and serve.
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I liked this, but didn’t looooove Fieri’s Chorizo and Polenta. I think it had some good flavors between the corny polenta and woody Swiss chard. The pork isn’t exactly what I think of as chorizo, but the spices were good.
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I cooked the polenta as the package directed, but now I know it would have had more flavor if I had used chicken stock. I don’t make much polenta but I suppose it is like rice or risotto which is considerably better when made with stock or wine. I also followed the package which thinks that 2 cups of dried polenta will be 5 servings. Let me tell you friends, that’s a good 8 hefty servings. Seriously. I used some leftovers in a different way, so stay tuned for that!