You are here: Home

Homemade Ice Cream Cake

January 23, 2012 by Leave a Comment

It’s not often that I have spare room in my freezer. So when I noticed that there was a little bit of room, the first thing that came to my mind was that I had to start trying to make Ice Cream Cake! Isn’t that the first thing that would come to your mind too? I didn’t follow any recipes or anything like that. There’s not a whole lot that goes into it. But the most important part of it is the center; the crunchy part! Wouldn’t you agree?

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

  • loaf pan
  • parchment paper
  • off-set spatula
  • half gallon of ice cream (if you are using two flavors, use half of each container)
  • hot fudge sauce
  • oreo cookies

ASSEMBLY

I decided that I was going to make mine in a loaf pan. It doesn’t take up a ton of room in the freezer and I figured it’d be easy to slice. So I started out by lining my loaf pan with some parchment paper. I cut a strip for it to go long ways, and then I cut another piece that would fit the other way. This way it would be easy to take it out of the loaf pan to cut.

I let the base flavor (chocolate) of my ice cream soften a bit before starting on the assembly of my ice cream cake. I wanted it to be easy to work with. I used a medium sized cookie scoop (you could use a regular ice cream scoop if you prefer) and scooped the ice cream out of the ice cream container and placed it in the bottom of the loaf pan. I placed one scoop right next to the other scoop so that they were closely touching. Once I was done that I took an off-set spatula and smoothed it all out so that it was a nice flat surface. You want the ice cream to come almost halfway up the loaf pan, but not quite all the way.

I don’t know about you, but my favorite part of the ice cream cake is the middle! I put some oreo cookies (maybe like 10 cookies?) into my Vitamix and broke up the pieces. I didn’t make it a fine crumb or anything. They were little round pieces of cookie. I tried getting it as close to those Dairy Queen “crunchies” as I could. It’s hard, though. I took half of the cookies and put them on top of your base layer. I pushed them in a bit so that they would stay kind of glue themselves to the bottom ice cream layer.

Next it was time for some hot fudge sauce! I recommend using some amazing homemade hot fudge sauce, and you can find the recipe here. Take some of your hot fudge sauce and drizzle it over the cookie pieces. It would be easiest to use a squeeze bottle, but make sure it can be heated up a bit so that it’s squeezable (recommendation: pancake syrup bottle that can be heated up!). If you can’t use a squeeze bottle then just take a spoon and lightly drizzle it over the cookie pieces. Once you have an even layer of hot fudge on top of the cookies, take the rest of your cookie pieces and place them on top of the fudge sauce. Push down a bit to make sure it sticks to the fudge sauce.

Take your top flavor of ice cream (in my case it was cookies n cream) and scoop the ice cream and place it on top of the cookie mixture (just like how you did it for the base). You want to make sure you cover the entire cake. Once that’s done take your off-set spatula (rinsed off, of course!) and smooth out the top. Do not cover it yet; place in the freeze for about 30 minutes and let it firm up a bit before covering.

After it’s firmed up a bit, cut a piece of parchment paper that fits right on top (so the length of the loaf pan) of the cake. Then take some saran wrap and wrap up the loaf pan and place in the freezer.

I know that Dairy Queen does that whippy icing on top, but I’m not a fan of that so I left it off. But if I were making a round ice cream cake for someone’s birthday I would probably pipe some real buttercream icing around the edges.

TRIAL & ERROR

Now on my first trial run of this ice cream cake when I was making the middle layer, I combined my hot fudge sauce and the oreo crunchies. That didn’t really turn out all that well. When we went to eat the ice cream cake the center was quite hard. So this is when I knew I had to go back to the drawing board to find “the perfect recipe.”  Don’t get me wrong, we ate that ice cream cake! But I knew it needed work.  So then I tried doing the cookie/fudge/cookie layer in between the two flavors of ice cream and that worked out so well. It was not hard and it had the right amount of hot fudge to go with the cookie pieces. I was so pleased with how it came out!

This is probably as close to Dairy Queen’s ice cream cake that I’ll get without buying a cake from them. I’m pretty happy with how it came out. There are so many different flavors you can use! I really want to try cake batter flavored ice cream with the chocolate ice cream.  I also plan on experimenting with middle layers – like perhaps a brownie batter middle layer. How amazing would that be?!

 

Filed Under: Desserts, Recipes · Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce

January 19, 2012 by Leave a Comment

So we’re currently on this Homemade Ice Cream Cake kick in my house. Now that we’re in a tiny apartment we don’t have an extra freezer, so I don’t have a ton of room to store frozen items. An ice cream cake from Dairy Queen is usually quite large (which is a good thing, don’t get me wrong!) but I don’t have room for it. So I decided to work with what I do have and I set out to make my own! I’m still working on “the perfect recipe,” but in the midst of it I made an amazing Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce. Once I get the Ice Cream Cake recipe down pat I’ll share that with you all. It’s definitely something that you should make at home as opposed to spending $20 – $25 for one.  I made mine for less than $5.

Okay – now let’s talk about this Hot Fudge Sauce! I used up the Hot Fudge that was purchased from the grocery store on the first Ice Cream Cake run. I needed some for my second Ice Cream Cake (since the first one was all gone!) and I didn’t have any more. I didn’t feel like going to the grocery store, so I started looking up some recipes online to make my own. I came across one on Allrecipes called Sue’s Hot Fudge Sauce. It got 4 1/2 stars and looked pretty simple so I figured I’d use that as a base recipe and make a few of my own modifications to it. You can find the original recipe here. The ingredients/instructions below include the changes that I made.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 1/2  cups white sugar
  • 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
  • 1/4 cup chocolate chips
  • 1 cup mini marshmallows
  • 1 teaspoon espresso powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine butter, cocoa, sugar, chocolate chips, espresso powder, marshmallows, and evaporated milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Use a whisk to combine everything. Continue to whisk while the mini marshmallows melt.

Bring to a boil and boil for about 7 – 8 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat; stir in vanilla. Pour the hot mixture into a blender and blend for 4 minutes.  I would not skip this step – it’s essential. Some people have used a hand blender – you could probably try that if you wanted. I used my Vitamix and it worked perfectly.

Once it starts to cool it will thicken up.  Store in refrigerator.

 

This Hot Fudge Sauce was amazing.  I really loved the addition of the marshmallows – it seemed to make it more fudgy. The espresso powder brings out that rich chocolate flavor. It’s not the end of the world if you don’t have the espresso powder. I think it’ll be fine without it. I don’t think I’ll ever buy jarred Hot Fudge Sauce again!

 

Filed Under: Dessert, Desserts, Recipes · Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Hashbrown Crusted Breakfast Casserole

January 18, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Sometimes I get tired of the same old things for breakfast: a banana, yogurt, raspberries, strawberries, a granola bar, etc. So I wanted to find something I could make ahead of time and have ready so I could grab & go while heading out the door to work. Now it doesn’t have to be something to eat on the go, because I like sitting at my desk to eat. I’m not a fan of walking down the street eating a breakfast burrito. If that’s your thing, that’s fine! It’s just not how I roll.

So I was browsing online and I came across a Hashbrown Crusted Brunch Casserole from Just A Pinch. I thought it looked pretty good so I figured I’d give it a try. I wanted to change a few things in it though, so what I put below includes my changes. You can see the original recipe here.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 package Simply Potatoes Shredded Hashbrowns
  • 1/3 cup butter, melted
  • 2 Shallots, chopped
  • 1 cup Bacon
  • 3 Scallions, diced
  • 1 cup New York Sharp Cheddar
  • 5 eggs
  • 1/2 cup Milk
  • Salt & Pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Mix the melted butter, hashbrowns, shallots,  salt and pepper.
Press into a 8 x 8 greased pan.
Bake 25-30 minutes or until potatoes start to brown.
Remove from oven and reduce heat to 350 degrees.
Top with Bacon and Scallions. Top with Shredded Cheddar Cheese.

Whisk the eggs, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and freshly cracked pepper. Pour over the top.


Bake at 350 degrees for 20 – 25 minutes until top is golden.

Okay, I must say this was very delicious! Sometimes I’m kinda leery about reheating eggs, but this tastes very good reheated in the microwave. I’d definitely make this again and try some different things inside. I think the next time I make it I am going to put mushrooms, onions and green peppers in place of the bacon. I think Canadian Bacon would taste great as well. So I’ll say this is a winner, and the recipe will definitely get filed away to be made again!
Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Recipes · Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Kelsey Nixon’s Carmelitas

January 10, 2012 by 1 Comment

Over the holidays I made a variety of baked goods to give to some of my family members. I love baking, but I never  have anything to do with all of the baked goods, so I don’t get to bake stuff as often as I’d like. Mr. Curly Fry doesn’t like any kind of nut, so if I make something with nuts in it I’m on my own to eat it. And while I’d LOVE to have an entire 13 x 9 baking dish full of Carmelitas for myself, I know it really wouldn’t be a good idea.

The night before I was going to make the Carmelitas, I decided to make the Salted Caramel Sauce. I wanted to give it plenty of time to cool and set up.

SALTED CARAMEL SAUCE:

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon gray sea salt, crushed or kosher salt

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar and water over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat and bring to a boil, without stirring. If necessary, use a wet pastry brush to wash down any crystals on the side of the pan. Boil until the syrup is a deep amber color, about 5 to 6 minutes.

Remove the sugar from the heat and carefully whisk in the heavy cream. The mixture will bubble. Stir in the unsalted butter, and salt. Transfer the caramel to a dish and cool.

I transferred it to the fridge once it cooled and let it set there over night. I took the caramel sauce out of the fridge about an hour or so before starting the Carmelitas.

CARMELITAS:

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 3/4 cups quick-cooking oats
  • 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup chocolate chips (I didn’t use the chocolate chips)
  • 3/4 cup chopped pecans
  • 1 1/2 cups Salted Caramel Sauce
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 13-inch pan.

Combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, and softened butter in the bowl of a mixer. Mix on low until crumbly. Divide the mixture into 2 equal portions.

Press half the crumb mixture in the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove and cool slightly.

 

Sprinkle the chocolate chips, and chopped pecans over the cooled crust.

Mix the salted caramel sauce, and flour together, and drizzle over the chocolate chips, and nuts.

Top with the remaining crumb mixture. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until the crust starts to brown. Allow the pan to cool, and refrigerate it until the caramel filling is set.


Cut into bars and serve.

They were all ready to be delivered to my family members!

I can’t even begin to tell you how delicious these bars are. The Salted Caramel Sauce is so good! The recipe really only made enough for these bars, so if you want some for the Milkshake or something else I’d double the recipe. I really loved the bars straight out of the fridge. They were very good when they weren’t refrigerated too. I highly recommend these and I’m plotting out the next time I can make these! I know it won’t be soon enough!

Filed Under: Cooking Channel, Dessert, Desserts, Kelsey Nixon, Recipes · Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Happy New Year!

January 4, 2012 by 2 Comments

How is it 2012 already?! Is it just me or did it seem like the whole Y2K craze was going on not too long ago?! I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays.

I’m not really one to set goals or resolutions. I kind of just go with the flow. I got quite a few kitchen related items for Christmas, so they have been fun to play with! I’m sure you’ll see posts about them coming up in the next few weeks!

I had some time off of work, which was fabulous. I would have to say the highlight of my holidays was being able to attend the 2012 Bridgestone Winter Classic and the Philadelphia Flyers vs New York Rangers Alumni game at Citizens Bank Park.  The Winter Classic didn’t end with the outcome I had hoped for, but it was truly an amazing experience. I’m so happy I had the opportunity to go.

What was the highlight of your holiday?

What was your favorite gift?

Filed Under: Philadelphia · Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Baking for the Holidays

December 21, 2011 by 2 Comments

Since I love baking, I always plan a day of baking around the holidays! This year I will be spending all day on Friday baking my behind off. There are so many different things I want to make. This is the perfect opportunity for me since I can give most of it away. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to keep it all for myself, but that is the last thing I need!

So here’s what I’m making…

I want to make a few other things – but I need some inspiration!

What are you baking for the holidays?

Filed Under: Cooking Channel, Dessert, Kelsey Nixon, Recipes · Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Cake Batter Cookie Sandwich

December 19, 2011 by 3 Comments

I’m baaaaaaack! I was out of touch last week because I was summoned for Jury Duty and I was picked to serve on the jury for a trial. So I was out of the office all week. This was the first time I was ever summoned for Jury Duty. I was picked for a criminal case and I have to say that I found it to be very interesting. I’m interested in that stuff  though – I could watch the Investigation Discovery Channel all day long! So pardon me for my absence – it was not intentional!

As we all know, I love cake. I also love cake batter. I love cookies. Put the two together and you have Cake Batter Cookies! I was catching up on my Google Reader and came across Lovin’ From the Oven’s blog post for Cake Batter Cookies. I knew from the second I laid eyes on them that I had to try them. So I did! I wanted to try them out before making homemade gifts for the holidays. So I did a test run. And I loved how they turned out. I decided to take it up a notch and make Cake Batter Cookie Sandwiches!

  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 1 1/4 cup funfetti cake mix
  • 1/4 tsp. baking soda
  • 3/4 cup softened butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 tsp. vanilla
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • sprinkles (optional)
  • buttercream icing

Note: The recipe on Lovin’ From the Oven’s post called for chocolate chips, but I didn’t want to put those in.

Cream together the butter and sugars. Mix in the egg yolk, egg, and vanilla until creamy.

Add in the flour, cake mix, and baking soda. Stir in sprinkles.

Refrigerate for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough onto cookie sheets. I used a medium sized cookie scoop.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the edges are golden.

Let the cookies cool on a baking rack.

Place a cookie upside down and pipe some buttercream icing on the cookie. Place another cookie (bottom side down) on top to make a sandwich.

These cookies are also delicious plain if you don’t want to make the sandwiches!

Filed Under: Dessert, Desserts, Recipes · Tagged With: , , , ,

Todd English’s Ça Va Brasserie in New York City

December 9, 2011 by 5 Comments

One day earlier this week Aly from Cooking in Stilettos and I paddled up to New York City in our canoe so that we could go see a taping of the Nate Berkus Show. I think it had to be the wettest day so far this year, but we didn’t let the rain put a damper on our trip!  The folks from Ça Va Brasserie got wind (via Twitter) that we were going to be in the city to see Nate Berkus and invited us to stop by for lunch. We were happy for the recommendation because we really weren’t sure what we were going to do for lunch yet. As you can see, social media is a powerful tool!

According to their web site, World-renowned Chef Todd English’s newest restaurant concept, Ça Va, is located in the heart of New York City’s Theater district. Ça Va is a modern twist on the traditional brasserie serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as a Pre-Theater dining menu.

We had the opportunity to experience their  Taste of Ça Va – 3 Course Menu. You get three courses for $24.07, and let me tell you that’s a steal! They change up the menu every so often, so it’s not always the same dishes on there. I think this is wonderful for those that are repeat customers.

I started off with a Cocktail (isn’t that how you have to start?!) and I chose the Ginger Sangria. I don’t remember everything that was in it, but I can tell you that they did not skimp on the alcohol. But I guess at $14 each, you really can’t.

FIRST COURSE

FALL VEGETABLE SALAD
brussel sprouts, fuji apple, pomegranate seeds, enokii mushrooms

PUMPKIN BISQUE
maine lobster, apple sage cloud, cinnamon croutons

RACLETTE CLASSIQUE
cornichons, onion, air dried beef

So as you see, I decided to go with the Pumpkin Bisque and it was a phenomenal choice. It was packed full of flavor and spice. I loved the addition of the cinnamon croutons. What a fantastic idea!

SECOND COURSE

RICOTTA GNOCCHI
roasted tomato sauce, arugula pesto, parmesan

ROASTED LEG OF LAMB
rosemary potato, glazed carrots, black olive jus

LOUP DE MERI ROTI
roasted mediterranean sea bass, lentil salad, braised greens, vadouvan butter

I don’t think I can say enough good things about this dish. It was absolutely delicious. The Ricotta Gnocchi was so light and fluffy that it melted in your mouth. The roasted tomato sauce was packed full of delicious tomatoes and the pesto had the perfect balance of flavors. I think I could eaten a few helpings of these! They’ve inspired me to try to make my own Ricotta Gnocchi. If I can make them taste as half as good as these, I’ll consider it a success.

THIRD COURSE

CANDY CANE CHEESECAKE
oreo cookie crust, cocoa nib tuile

AUTUMN FRUIT BREAD PUDDING
warm fruit compote, vanilla anglaise

SELECTION OF ICE CREAMS OR SORBETS

Now it’s no surprise that I love dessert. I knew that I was going to try the Candy Cane Cheesecake because I do not care for Bread Pudding at all. If that was my only choice for dessert I would skip it. I was a bit nervous to try the Candy Cane Cheesecake because peppermint + cheesecake doesn’t really sound all that good to me. But I was willing to take one for the team and try it. And honestly, it  was very good. I love being pleasantly surprised.  The chocolate sauce on the plate had a slight hint of peppermint to it, and it complimented the cheesecake very well. I really enjoyed the cocoa nib tuile. And the oreo crust? My fave!

And what’s dessert without a Vanilla Latte?

If you’re ever in New York City, be sure to stop by Ça Va Brasserie for a meal. You won’t be disappointed!

Ça Va Brasserie
310 W 44th STREET
NEW YORK, NY 10036
TEL 212.803.4545

Filed Under: Travel · Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Roasted Chicken, Potato Medley and Maple Gravy

December 5, 2011 by 1 Comment

I was in the mood for some Comfort Food. But I didn’t want the usual – which is usually a heavy casserole, Macaroni & Cheese, etc. Do you ever get tired of making the same things week after week? I do! So I decided that I’d Roast some Chicken and Potatoes but put a Maple twist to it! I didn’t really have a set plan before getting into the kitchen. I just kind of went with it, which is why there really aren’t exact measurements to this recipe. It’s one of those recipes where you just “eye ball” it.

  • 4 Chicken Leg Quarters (or Split Chicken Breasts)
  • Butter
  • About 8  Baby White Potatoes
  • 1 medium sized Sweet Potato
  • Maple Syrup
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 1 Tablespoon Corn Starch
  • 1/4 cup Water

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Wash the Chicken thoroughly, and pat dry with a paper towel. Season the bottom of each piece of chicken and place skin side up in a large baking dish. Make a small slit in the skin and stuff a small slice of butter under the skin. Repeat for each piece of chicken. Lay a small slice of butter on top of each piece.

Season with salt and pepper.

Wash the Baby Potatoes and the Sweet Potato. Cut up into bite sized chunks (make sure they are all about the same size so they cook evenly).

Arrange the Potatoes around the chicken. Season the Potatoes with salt.

Drizzle the Potatoes and the chicken with Maple Syrup. I didn’t put an exact measurement because you should use your judgement. Don’t drench everything with the Maple Syrup – remember that it’s sweet stuff!

Roast in the oven for about an hour. After about 30 minutes I took it out of the oven and mixed up the potatoes a bit. I also drizzled a little bit more Maple Syrup on everything. Make sure the Chicken is at least 160 degrees (use your thermometer!) and when it’s done take it out of the oven. I scooped the potatoes out of the baking dish and put them in a bowl.

Strain the juice/gravy into a measuring glass. You want to make sure you get the chicken bits, etc out of the liquid. Remove the fat off of the top. Pour the liquid into a small saucepan and heat under medium heat. Mix the cornstarch and water together. Add to the saucepan. Let it come to a boil. This will thicken it into a nice gravy.

Place the Chicken on a serving platter.

Plate it, and enjoy! The Maple Gravy is delicious on both the Chicken and on the Potatoes!

 

Filed Under: Poultry, Recipes · Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

5 Ingredient Friday: Chicken with Fresh Cranberries

December 2, 2011 by 1 Comment

This week we have a super easy 5 Ingredient Friday dish! I took some chicken breasts out of the freeze one morning before working with no clue what I was going to do with them that night for dinner.  Over the course of the day I remembered that I still had some fresh cranberries in my refrigerator, so I set out to come up with something to make using those. Then I remembered that I had a few oranges leftover, so I knew this was going to be a delicious dish! Check out what’s in my Chicken with Fresh Cranberries…

  • 1 lb of Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
  • 1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil
  • Salt & Pepper
  • 1/4 cup of Orange Juice
  • 2 cups of Fresh Cranberries
  • 1 cup of Brown Sugar

In a small saucepan, combine the cranberries, brown sugar and orange juice. Cook over medium heat until the cranberries start to burst, about 15 minutes. Reduce heat to low and let it simmer for another 15 minutes or so. It should thicken up very nicely. Remove from the heat and let it cool a bit.

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.  Coat a large frying pan with a tablespoon of olive oil. Brown the chicken breasts, making sure they are cooked on both sides.

Cooled Cranberries

Place the chicken breasts on a serving plate and spoon some of the cranberries over top. Serve!

 

Filed Under: 5 Ingredient Friday, Poultry, Recipes · Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
« Older Posts