Homemade strawberry ice cream

I've been having all kinds of fun with my grandma's old ice cream maker.  A few weeks back, I took a day off work to go strawberry picking at Berry Patch Farm in Nevada, Iowa.  I came home with 12 pounds of strawberries.  And it was really heavy to carry home!

After picking strawberries in the morning, I spent the rest of the day making strawberry jam, strawberry ice cream and strawberry pie.  Even as I'm typing this, I can't believe I did all that in one day!  Maybe I should relax on my vacation days, like a normal person, instead of spending all day in the kitchen! But how good does this strawberry pie look?

Even though I loved the pie, what I was really craving was ice cream.  So I looked through magazines and cookbooks and came up with a super-easy homemade strawberry ice cream recipe. I decided to go with another eggless ice cream recipe, because it was quick to whip up, and I needed the extra time to make strawberry jam.

Here's the recipe for homemade strawberry ice cream, if you want to try it at home.  FYI:  I doubled the recipe, and it turned out terrific. Enjoy!

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Strawberry ice cream

1 C. heavy whipping cream
1 C. half-and-half
1/2 C. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. salt
12-ounces fresh strawberries
1/4 C. sugar

Put the strawberries in a bowl and mash them a bit with a potato masher. Then add 1/4 C. sugar. Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Whisk together the 1/2 C. sugar, cream, half-and-half, vanilla extract and salt in another bowl until thoroughly combined. Add strawberries. Process entire mixture in ice cream maker according to manufacturer instructions. Transfer ice cream to a freezer-safe container. Freeze. Makes 4 servings (1/2 cup servings).

My grandma's fancy plates

 

I inherited these fancy blue plates from my grandmother.  My mom told me that she remembers how these plates were quite a big deal at the time (maybe the '50s or '60s?). My grandmother actually bought herself a set after her mom got these dishes.  They would use them whenever they had friends over for lunches or afternoon get-togethers, which probably involved a game of cards, because my grandparents loved to play cards.

A few weeks ago, one of my co-workers made cucumber sandwiches for a bridal shower for another co-worker.  I thought it would be fun to unpack these blue plates and put together a little tea party for my sister when she came to visit.  While these aren't the prettiest plates, they do look nice when they are covered by tiny sandwiches.

By the way, I made the cucumber sandwiches with a tiny loaf of rye bread (you can find it in the bread aisle), vegetable cream cheese spread, cucumbers and then sprinkled with dill. Very easy and quick to make.

Roasted banana bread

Every once and a while, I like to visit the bookstore and buy a bunch of cooking magazines, not necessarily to cook every recipe, but to keep up on all the latest food trends. I especially enjoy the Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publications. The photography and design are so beautiful and fun, even if the recipes tend to be a little above my cooking skill level. (But most everything is!)

I ended up buying a copy of the latest BH&G publication, "Cook's Secrets."  And, boy, is this issue a keeper.  I recommend you pick up a copy if you find one at the store.  Lots of basic recipes for a so-so cook like me.

The very night I brought the magazine home, I broke out my mixer and made the roasted banana bread recipe.  Unfortunately, I didn't remember to take a photo of the finished banana bread (but I'm sure you know what banana bread looks like).  I did snap a few photos of the roasted bananas as they came out of the oven.  Yes, they are supposed to look black!

The recipe says the benefits of roasting the bananas are that you can use bananas at any stage of ripeness, and you don't have to mash the bananas, just mix them in. Here's a video I found from BH&G that explains the roasting banana process and how to make the bread.  If you try it, let me know how it works for you.