You Scream, I Scream, I Made Some Ice Cream

I decided to make something colder for this post. I was searching the book and I came across a recipe for no-cook ice cream and I decided to make no-cook mint chocolate ice cream. First I gathered the ingredients "3 cups light cream,  1 1/2 cups sugar, 1 tablespoon vanilla, 3 cups whipping cream" (Darling 136). Next I mixed the light cream, sugar, and vanilla until the sugar dissolved. After that I stirred in whipping cream and mint syrup which I eyeballed because it asked for mint extract and I didn't have any so I substituted it. I also didn't have miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips so I improvised and chopped up the regular sized semi-sweet chocolate chips so they would be smaller and closer to that miniature size.

 I then mixed those in with the rest of the ingredients and then added about 8 drops of green food coloring to give it that mint green look. After I mixed it all together I poured it into a container and then put it in my freezer and left it there over night. I served it the next day and it turned out alright. I was surprised that it turned out so good and would definitely make it again if I couldn't buy real ice cream. The only thing that wasn't super great was that the chocolate chips all fell to the bottom.























I would like ask this question, what is your method to keep heavy ingredients from falling to the bottom of a mixture like mine did?

Darling, Jennifer. Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. Des Moines, IA: Meredith, 1989. Print.

Shortbread: Good Enough?

After my success with the brownies I decided not to press my luck and just make some shortbread. The recipe in Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book by Jennifer Darling only has three ingredients "1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1/2 cup butter" (120). I thought this would be simple and for the most part it was. I started out with gathering the three ingredients I would need. Next I mixed flour and sugar and then cut in the butter (Darling 120). Then the recipe said to make it into a ball and then knead it until it is smooth. After that I rolled it out until it was 8 inches in diameter. The recipe then called for me to use my finger to make scalloped edges.

 After that I then cut the dough into 16 pieces and then put in the oven, which was set to 325 degrees, for 30 minutes just as the recipe asked for. Once 30 minutes had passed I checked to see that the center had set and it had. I took the shortbread out of the oven and set it on a trivet to cool. After 5 minutes I moved it to a cooling rack to finish cooling. After it had finished cooling I ate it both plain and with some frosting and I didn't like it either way. I was super crumbly and bland which I suppose is what shortbread is and I just wasn't a fan of it. Even though I made the recipe correctly I didn't like the taste or the texture of it.

Do you like shortbread? If so, how do you like to eat it?

Darling, Jennifer. Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. Des Moines, IA: Meredith, 1989. Print.

Alright Brownies

For my second attempt at cooking I decided to bake brownies. I think that I succeeded better at brownies then I did at milkshakes. I think that I learned that following the recipe doesn't always get you exactly what you expected. The recipe called for "2 ounces of unsweetened chocolate" (107) and so I looked up the conversion chart for ounces to tablespoons and it was 4 tablespoons.

First I gathered all my ingredients and then in medium saucepan I melted butter and unsweetened chocolate (107). After that I took it off the heat and then I mixed in eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract. Then I mixed in the flour and poured it into a pan. I had previously heated the oven to 350. I put the brownies in for 30 minutes and then took them out and let them cool. I think that they tasted good.

Do you like chewy or not chewy brownies?

Darling, Jennifer. Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. Des Moines, IA: Meredith, 1989. Print.

Milkshakes: Not as easy as they seem

I am in no way a chef, baker, or any other sort of person that prepares or makes food. So I thought I would ease my way into the culinary world using Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book by Jennifer Darling...it was a mess. Since I am about as inexperienced as they come I decided to start easy with a milkshake. Well I learned even the simplest of tasks can easily become a disaster. Although the result was good and tasty the process wasn't very simple. First, I made the mistake of not asking how to use a blender so I took the container part of the blender off wrong. Of course I had failed to realize this until I had already put my pint of chocolate ice cream and 1/2 cup of milk into it. It almost immediately started spilling out the bottom leaving me in utter confusion. Eventually I got it under control, after losing all the milk and melted part of the ice cream to the floor and counter.

I then turned on the blender and put it on stir and stopped every once in a while to stir it (29). Once I thought it was smooth I poured it into some cool milkshake cups, but I still hadn't fixed my spilling issue completely so it got all over me and counters again. It was revenge of the milkshake and I wasn't expecting it. I then ignored the directions when they said "Serve immediately"(29). Going with the trend of me screwing it up it was a little milkier than when it had first been poured. I think that from this experience I have learned that I'm not yet a master of the blender or basic skills in the kitchen. 

As I venture into my next baking and easy food making adventure is their any tips or advice you would like to share with me?

Recipe:

• 1 pint of ice cream
• 1/2 or 3/4 cup of milk

1. Place ice cream and milk in a blender container
2. Cover and blend till smooth
3. Serve immediately

Darling, Jennifer. Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. Des Moines, IA: Meredith, 1989. Print.