french vanilla ice cream

for my bday present my mom and dad gave me money to buy my own present, and i bought the kitchenaid stand mixer ice cream attachment and it was the best idea ever! i made the first recipe listed in the little hand book - the french vanilla ice cream recipe and it was super tasty. its been in the freezer for a while and its been holding up pretty well.

Ingredients

2½ cups half-and-half

8 egg yolks

1 cup sugar

2½ cups whipping cream

4 teasp vanilla

⅛ teasp salt

Method

In a medium saucepan over medium eat, heat half-and-half until very hot but not boiling, stirring often. Remove from heat; set aside.

Place egg yolks in sugar in mixer bowl. Attach bowl and wire whip to mixer. Turn to speed 2 and mix about 30 seconds, or until well blended and slightly thickened. Continuing on speed 2, very gradually add half-and-half; mix until blended. Return half-and-half mixture to medium sauce pan; cook over medium heat until small bubbles form around edge and mixture is steamy, stirring constantly. Do not boil. Strain mixture, and transfer half-and-half mixture into a large bowl; stir in whipping cream, vanilla, and salt. Cover and chill thoroughly, at least 8 hours.

Assemble and engage freeze bowl, dasher, and drive assembly as directed in attachment instructions. Turn to Stir Speed 1. Using a container with a spout, pour mixture into freeze bowl. Continue on STIR Speed 1 for 20 minutes, or until you hear a loud audible clicking noise. That indicates the ice cream is done. Ice cream will be a soft serve consistency, freeze in an airtight container.

i would definitely make this again. sooo creamy and delicious. but it didn't taste awesome until about a day in the freezer, such a lengthy process for such a tasty treat

*from the kitchenaid manual

sugar cookies are so tasty

this is my all time favorite sugar cookie recipe, i found it on food gawker, gasp, instead of food network

Ingredients

1½ cups granulated sugar

2½ cups all-purpose flour

½ teasp baking powder

½ teasp salt

14 tbsp unsalted butter (1 3/4 sticks) softened

1 tbsp vanilla extract

2 lrg eggs

Method

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350°F. In a bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together and set aside.

Beat the butter and1 1/2 cups sugar together in a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3-6 minutes. Beat in the vanilla, then the eggs, one at a time, until combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl & beaters as needed.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly mix in the flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds. Give the dough a final stir with a rubber spatula to make sure dough is combined.

Line large baking sheets with parchment paper. Using wet palms, roll 2 Tablespoons of dough at a time into balls. Place balls on parchment-lined baking sheets, spaced 2 inches apart. Flatten cookies with the floured bottom of a drinking glass.

Bake cookies, one sheet at a time, until the edges are set and just beginning to brown but the centers are still soft and puffy, 10-12 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then serve warm or transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

sooooo good.

adapted from * http://www.delish-blog.com/2009/12/soft-sugar-cookies/

i love nuts (and cookies)

still on this food network kick, and first thing i made with my brand new stand mixer was alton browns chewy chocolate chip cookies. same recipe, just added walnuts because i love nuts

ingredients

2 sticks unsalted butter

2¼ cups bread flour

1 teasp kosher salt

1 teasp baking soda

¼ cup sugar

1¼ cups brown sugar

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2 tbsp milk

1½ teasp vanilla extract

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

2 cups walnuts

method

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

1. Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.

2. Pour the melted butter in the mixer's work bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. Add the egg, yolk, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts

3. Chill the dough, then scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for even browning. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

these were soooooo easy. i should probaly get back into taking pictures, but i was too busy eating. ( p.s. bread flour helps make the cookies chewy)

success! made a ton of cookies though. sad to say, had to throw some away...

* http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/the-chewy-recipe/index.html

Not so scary Ghoul-ash

so i watch alot of food network, and when i see something tasty, i like to try it out. but the recipes kinda freak me out sometimes so i normally tweak it a little bit. heres my take on paula deens goulash recipe

Ingredients

2 lb lean ground beef

1 lrg onion, chopped

3 cups water

1 can tomato sauce (29-ounce)

2 cans diced tomatoes (15-ounce)

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp Italian seasoning

3 bay leaves

black pepper

garlic powder

salt

3 cups dried elbow macaroni

1. In a Dutch oven or a large stock pot, saute the ground beef over medium-high heat, until no pink remains. Break up meat while sauteing; spoon off any grease.

2. Add the onions to the pot and saute until they are tender about 5 minutes.

3. Add 3 cups water, along with the tomato sauce, tomatoes, garlic, Italian seasoning, bay leaves, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Stir well. Place a lid on the pot and allow this to cook for 20-25 minutes.

4. Add the elbow macaroni, stir well, return the lid to the pot, and simmer for about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the bay leaves and allow the mixture to sit about 15 minutes more before serving.

paula deen's original recipe calls for soy sauce and a lot of salt but i read a lot of complaints about it being too salty so i just added it to taste. turned out very tasty. then her recipe said to let the pasta simmer in the water for 20 minutes, then let it sit for another 30, but the pasta would have gotten too mushy so i pulled it earlier. (the simmering for 10 min is really cooking the pasta, and then the resting part is just the pasta soaking up the goulash juices, yum)

but it was a success! i'm on a roll....

* http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/bobbys-goulash-recipe2/index.html

Okonomi-yaki!

Okonomi-yaki

pretty straight forward... but i made it from a premix! i dunno where to find mountain yam ...:(

to the premix, i added:

cabbage

green onions

zucchini

tempura flakes

bacon!

finished with kewpi mayo and okonomi-yaki sauce

it was alright. aha dunno if i'll make it again

yum lasagna

i made a lasagna! serves eight, takes a very long time to make. so this is a leisurely weekend food for sure, but it keeps for a long time so i packed some for leftovers for the rest of the week! oh just a tip, make it in one of those big disposable aluminum foil pans so you can get all the benefits of the many many layers this recipe makes

- adapted from tyler florence's ultimate lasagna

Ingredients

1 lb dried lasagna noodles

Extra-virgin olive oil

1½ lb ground beef

1½ lb ground Italian sausage

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, sliced

2 tbsp chopped fresh basil

¼ cup finely chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley

1 tbsp chopped oregano leaves

1 cup red wine

2 cans tomatoes (28-ounce) (recommended: San Marzano crushed)

3 tbsp heavy cream

3 tbsp sugar

1 qrt ricotta cheese (1 container)

1 eggs, lightly beaten

½ cup grated Parmesan

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 lb mozzarella cheese, shredded

Grated Parmesan and mozzarella, for topping

Method

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Cook the lasagna noodles in plenty of boiling salted water until pliable and barely tender, about 10 minutes. Stir with a wooden spoon to prevent sticking. Drain the noodles thoroughly and coat with olive oil to keep them moist and easy to work with.

3. Coat a large skillet with olive oil, add beef and sausage and brown until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Drain meat.

4.In a food processor, combine the onion, garlic, basil, parsley, and oregano. Process until pureed, add to the pan with the ground meat and stir to combine. Stir in the flour. Add the wine and cook until it has reduced by half. Stir in the tomatoes and add the heavy cream and the sugar.

5. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta and the parmesan. Stir in the eggs and season with salt and pepper.

6. To assemble the lasagna: Coat the bottom of a deep 13 by 9-inch pan with olive oil. Arrange 4 noodles lengthwise in a slightly overlapping layer on the sauce. Then, line each end of the pan with a lasagna noodle. This forms a collar that holds in the corners. Dollop 1/2 of the ricotta mixture over the pasta, spread to the edges with a spatula. Spread 1/2 of the meat mixture over the ricotta. Sprinkle 1/2 of the mozzarella on top of the ricotta. Top with a ladle full of sauce, spread evenly. Repeat with the next layer of noodles, ricotta, sauce, and cheeses. Top last layer with noodles, sauce, shredded mozzarella and Parmesan.

7. Tap the pan to force out air bubbles. Bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven. Let lasagna rest for 30 minutes so the noodles will settle and cut easily. Cut into 2-inch squares and serve.

success! the lasagna was a success, i'd definatly do it again

* http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/the-ultimate-lasagna-recipe/index.html

The ones from the sea, not on your arms

so for my dad's 55th birthday me and loan wanted to make something to bring to his birthday dinner so we decided we would make a dish with our new friend - mussels!

and seeing that my mom and dad are picky eaters and refuse to eat anything we make, we decided to do a test run on the mussels for our dinner the day before so if it was a success we could make it on saturday. (and if it was a failure, not make it saturday)

Steamed Mussels with Leeks Garlic Thyme White Wine and Butter

* 3 pounds mussels
* Extra-virgin olive oil
* 4 tablespoons butter
* 2 leeks, white parts only, finely chopped
* 4 garlic cloves, minced
* 1/4 bunch fresh thyme
* 1 cup white wine
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Rinse the mussels under cold running water while scrubbing with a vegetable brush.
Remove the stringy mussel beards with your thumb and index finger as you wash them.
Discard any mussels with broken shells.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large pot over medium heat.
Add the leeks, garlic, and thyme and cook until the vegetables cook down to a pulp, about 5 minutes.

Add the mussels and give everything a good toss.
Add the white wine.
Cover and steam over medium-high heat, until the mussels open.<>
Stir occasionally so that all the mussels are in contact with the heat.
Add the remaining 3 tablespoons butter and a drizzle of olive oil to the sauce remaining in the pot and swirl to incorporate.

Season with salt and pepper.
Sprinkle with the parsley and serve immediately
Adapted from http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/steamed-mussels-with-leeks-garlic-thyme-white-wine-and-butter-recipe/index.html

so. we over cooked the mussels. and added the flat leaf parsley in with the leeks (oops) but all in all i think it was an alright dish. it was an interesting experience and my mom took a bite of a mussel but didn't get to mop up the juices with the crusty french bread which i thought was the best part, but she ate one! and didn't spit it out, or say she could make it better, so success! but not enough to make us determined to share it with our dad for his birthday.

note to self for next mussel dish -

- more butter (yum)

- count on 1/3 of the mussels we buy to be dead

- don't over cook the mussels

so over all this meal was a ...

fail?

( question mark because it was alright, just not something i could eat every day for the rest of my life)

- Vien

- Not Vien