Sticky Ginger Cake with Caramelized White Chocolate Buttercream~ #TheCakeSliceBakers

New Year - New Cake Cookbook!

Sensational Snickerdoodles ~ #CreativeCookieExchange

Nothing says home like the smell of baking.

Italian Breakfast Cookies ~ #CreativeCookieExchange

Life is short.  Eat cookie for breakfast.

To Try Tuesday - Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

Growing up I had a choice of vanilla, strawberry, or chocolate ice cream. My favorite back then was always chocolate. Sometimes we had Neapolitan but the strawberry always seemed to be the last lonely flavor in the container. Times have certainly changed because I now love strawberry ice cream, especially home-made strawberry ice cream that tastes like cheesecake.
 

When I first saw this recipe over at Diethood I knew I just had to make it. Not only did the ice cream sound to-die-for, but Kate's photos are stunning. I know that the ice cream will be the first of many things I want to try from her blog - they all look so good!
 

It is hard to believe that this is not a custard-based ice cream because it is so creamy. It is also a snap to make because all of the ingredients, except for the strawberries, go into a blender or food processor. The mix then cools for about two hours in the refrigerator before heading into the ice cream maker.

This ice cream really is like eating a strawberry cheesecake. I loved it in a waffle cone because this kind of mimicked the base of a cheesecake. It might not look like there is much ice cream in the photo above but I made sure I pushed lots of it down into the base of the cone. I think this batch may have lasted just over 24 hours in our household, with lots of sad faces when it was gone. I know that I will be making it again very soon.

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients

• 8 ounces (1 package) cream cheese
• 1 lemon, zested
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup of half-and-half (I used heavy whipping cream)
• 2/3 cup of sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup of chopped strawberries (if you like more berries, add another 1/2 cup - I did)

Preparation

1. Cut the cream cheese into pieces.
2. Put all ingredients, excluding the strawberries, into a food processor or blender.
3. Mix until smooth.
4. Put the mixture into the refrigerator to chill for about 2 hours.
5. Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and freeze it according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
6. 3 minutes before the ice cream is done, pour the chopped strawberries into the mixture through the ingredient spout on the ice cream maker.

Recipe by Diethood via David Lebovitz (The Perfect Scoop)
 

To Try Tuesday - Cream of Broccoli Soup

It was a little bit of a surprise to find out it was Tuesday today.  It is always like this on a long weekend.  I think that the holiday Monday is Sunday, Tuesday is Monday, and so on.  It usually takes me a week to catch up with the right day.  However, I already had my To Try Tuesday made and ready to be blogged about.



This week's recipe comes from Deb at Kahakai Kitchen.  Deb also lives in Hawaii and we met up recently for coffee.  She is a great person and so easy to talk to.  If you haven't been over to visit her blog I strongly urge you to do so.  It is full of wonderful recipes, including the broccoli soup that I made for this post and her split pea soup that recently made the Foodbuzz Top 9.

This soup is souper-easy easy to make and so tasty.  To make it even easier I purchase a bag of broccoli from Costco that is already cut up.  Basically there is a little sautéing of the onions, celery, and garlic and then everything else goes in the pot until tender.  I used my immersion blender rather than transferring everything to a regular blender to purée it. I didn't have any thyme so I omitted it, but I will definitely add it next time.  I also added some cream and a little grated Parmesan cheese to finish the soup.  It was delicious!   We easily served 6 with left-overs.  I am sure it is going to be even better tomorrow.

Creamy Broccoli Soup

(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
• 8 cups chopped broccoli
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (optional)
• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp salt
• freshly ground pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Heat butter and oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until the butter melts.
2. Add onion and celery; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 6 minutes.
3. Add garlic and thyme; cook for about 10 seconds.
4. Stir in the broccoli.
5. Add broth and water; bring to a lively simmer over high heat.
6. Reduce heat to maintain a lively simmer and cook until very tender, about 8 minutes.
7. Puree the soup in batches in a blender (I used my immersion blender).
8. Stir in cream (if using), and season with salt and pepper.
9. This recipe can be made ahead - cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Recipe adapted from Eating Well Magazine, February 2011