Blood Orange Ice Cream

I know there are people out there who don't like ice cream.

I mean, I get it if you are lactose intolerant.

But...just NOT liking it is a little odd. What's not to like?

Surprise, surprise - Sue isn't a huge fan of ice cream. But then, she's weird so......

Anyways...
I am loving my dad's ice cream machine. It makes making ice cream a breeze.

I still dream of making Salted Caramel Ice Cream - just mentioning the name starts me drooling. Unfortunately I have given up on my attempts to make that for now. See here for my tale of woe.

Instead, I decided to make blood orange ice cream.
There is not a lot of recipes out there for orange ice cream - orange sorbet, yes, ice cream, no. As for BLOOD ORANGE ice cream, I couldn't find any.

I decided to see what I could come up with on my own. I was pretty happy with the result.

Blood Orange Ice Cream

Ingredients

6 blood oranges

 1/3 cup orange juice

1 avocado, peeled & seeded

2 cups whipping cream

1 cup half & half

1/2 cup white sugar

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla

Directions

In a food processor or blender, puree blood oranges, orange juice, and avocado until very smooth. You should end up with about 2 1/2 to 3 cups of puree.

In a stand mixer, on low speed, combine whipping cream and half & half. Add in sugar and mix until sugar is dissolved. With mixer running on low, add in lemon juice, vanilla, and blood orange puree. Mix until well combined and smooth.

At this point you will want to strain some or all of the pulp out of the mixture by pouring it through a strainer into another bowl. I strained approximately 3/4 of the mixture and left the pulp in 1/4 of it to add some texture.  

Chill the mixture in a covered container until it is chilled.

Pour into your ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer's instructions. Store in freezer.

If it becomes too hard in the freezer, simply let it sit out for 15 minutes or so before serving to soften.

My samplers said it tasted like an Orange Julius and/or a creamsicle. It has a lovely blood orange flavor and the color is really pretty. I was hoping it would be a darker pinky-orange but was happy with the light pink it ended up. I suppose you could add food coloring if you wanted to.

The avocado is a strange ingredient, I admit,  but it certainly does help to create the smooth texture of the ice cream. And, don't worry, you can't tell it is in there at all as far as flavor or color goes. It's a good way to sneak some extra nutrients into a delicious treat.

Be sure to pop over to Carole's Chatter for tons more orange recipe links. 

Smorgastarta (Sandwich Cake)

Looks like a cake, doesn't it?

It's got layers, like a cake.

It's frosted, like a cake.

It's decorated, like a cake.

BUT....it's not a cake. It's a sandwich!

A smorgastarta is, according to Wikipedia, a Scandinavian dish.

Those Scandinavians are a pretty clever bunch.  I saw one on Pinterest and had to make it. I mean...it's a CAKE SANDWICH.

Sweet.

The only thing that is difficult about it is deciding what ingredients to put in the layers.

Smorgastarta

Ingredients

1 recipe Bread Dough

Filling Ingredients I used:

Top layer

2 cans devilled ham

2 medium pickles, finely chopped

1/4 cup onion, finely chopped

mustard

mayo

Bottom layer

approx 1 1/2 cups cooked, ground turkey

10 slices of bacon, chopped

4 large slices jalapeno jack cheese

pesto

mayo

"Frosting"

2 8 oz packs cream cheese, softened

1 Tbsp Oh! So Garlic

(You could just use garlic flavored cream cheese)

1/3 cup sour cream

Decorations

carrots

cucumber peel

cherry tomatoes

cheddar cheese

Directions

Prepare your bread dough according to instructions. Divide into 3 equal parts and press into lightly greased 8 inch baking pan. (See photo below)

Let proof and then bake according to directions in recipe. When they are done, remove from pans to wire racks to cool. (See photo below)

When they are cool, carefully cut off outside crusts and top crusts. This will make the bread easier to cut through when you serve it. I even removed the bottom crust of the middle layer and top layer of bread to make it easier to slice through. This is not a necessary step but I do recommend it - if you have to cut through several layers of crust you may end up smooshing your sandwich when you go to serve it.

Place the bottom layer on your serving tray.

Spread with mayo and pesto.

Spoon on your turkey and bacon. Lay cheese on top, being careful not to have any cheese overhanging the edge. Just break any cheese off that sticks out so your "frosting" will be smooth.

Top with middle layer of bread.

Spread with mustard and mayo.

Spoon on your devilled ham, pickles, and onion. (To make things easier - pre-mix these ingredients together in a little bowl)

Top with top layer of bread.

In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, Oh!So Garlic, and sour cream until smooth and creamy. Spread on sides of sandwich and then on top of the top layer of bread.

Decorate with whatever vegetables you would like. (I used a tiny, round cookie cutter to cut circles out of carrots, cucumbers, and cheese)   

The possibilities with this dish are endless. I think next time I will do a layer of tuna salad and a layer of egg salad, I love that combination.  

I would have added a lot more veggies - ie: tomatoes, cucumbers, etc... - but I was making this for a co-worker's birthday and I wasn't sure what she did or didn't like.

If you Google "smorgastarta" there are some really fancy schmancy ones decorated with shrimp and egg slices and all sorts of things. Some of the flavor combinations are a little questionable to me but, hey, to each their own.

At first I thought the bread might be too thick but, as it turns out, with all that cream cheese on the outside it comes in handy to have that thick bread in the middle to eat it with.

Don't forget - you can enter our first blog giveaway until January 22nd. Winner will be announced on January 22nd! Go HERE for more details.
You might win 2 fabulous cookbooks and a bottle of Oh!So Garlic seasoning!
Giveaway is now over. Thank you for your support.

Coffee Cake

Want to hear my story behind this cake?

It's pretty amusing, I promise.

Okay.... I am on theNew Year's resolution bandwagon to eat healthier. (Holy, 2 weeks in and still going strong! A new record for me.) I decided to go buy some low fat Greek yogurt to have instead of regular yogurt as, apparently, Greek yogurt is "in" right now and supposed to be very rich and creamy.

Anyways...I wanted plain so I could Magic Bullet it with fruit to make smoothies.

I went up and down the aisle in the grocery store and finally found the Greek yogurt,

Hmmm.... it's all flavored....no plain....

Wait....there is a plain one. There is no colors on the label to indicate a fruit flavor... I'm good to go.

I get home and excitedly try out my first smoothie. A scoop of yogurt and some fruit and I am on my way.

Yup, sure is thick. I guess people were right about it.

Then I go to get more to make my lunch for the next day and I see a weird looking colored line in the yogurt. Like someone used a dirty spoon to steal some and left trace evidence.

Nope...no one in the house touched it.

I stick my spoon in to see if it's mold and there is more of this weird looking stuff under the yogurt.

What the heck is this?

Oooooooooooooh...it's STRAWBERRY Greek yogurt. You know, fruit on the bottom...

Yes...apparently STRAWBERRY Greek yogurt was on the label, I just can't read. 

Okay, that's no problem. I like strawberry yogurt. I'll eat it.

On my next trip to the grocery store I was determined to get PLAIN Greek yogurt.

Down to the where the Greek yogurt was... okay....plain...plain...plain...there has to be plain...

Yay! Plain Greek yogurt...is it low fat?

Yes.....there is the low fat label.

Okay, let's give this one a try.

Now I am really excited to try my new smoothie with plain Greek yogurt.

Yup...nothing on the bottom of this one. Good to go...

Hmmm...boy this sure is tangy.

Really tangy.

Is greek yogurt really THAT strong? Where's the carton? I have to read the label.

Oooooooooooh....it's not plain, low fat Greek yogurt.

It's plain, low fat GOAT yogurt.

Apparently I can't read. Again.

I guess that is why there is a little cartoon goat on the carton. 

FYI - goat yogurt is really, really, REALLY strong. Even the low fat version.

Like - BAZAAM! Here's your yogurt...

BUT, on the up side - it is high in protein and makes for an incredibly moist coffee cake.

Coffee Cake

Ingredients

1 cup butter, room temp

1 cup white sugar

3 eggs

3 cups flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

pinch salt

1 tsp maple flavoring (You can use vanilla if you prefer)

1/2 cup water

1 cup yogurt (or sour cream)

1 cup chopped pecans (or whichever nuts you prefer)

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9 inch bundt pan or a 9 X 13 pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until combined.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir into creamed mixture.

Stir the maple flavoring into the 1/2 cup of water. Mix this and the yogurt into the batter until just combined. Do not over mix.

In a small bowl, combine pecans, brown sugar, and cinnamon.

Spread half the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with half of the nut mixture.

Top with remaining batter. Sprinkle with remaining nut mixture.

Bake for approximately 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Depending on what size pan you use you will have to watch your cooking time.

Remove from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes before inverting onto wire rack to cool completely. If you bake it in a 9 X 13 dish you may want to serve it right from the pan, in which case you do not need to remove it from the pan.

I was going to be all clever and call this "Goat Yogurt Coffee Cake", like I used the goat yogurt on purpose,  but I didn't. I think if people read "goat yogurt" they would be scared away and I wouldn't want that. This cake is worth making - with or without goat yogurt - so I hope you give it a try.

Oh, and in case you were wondering. I have given up my search for plain, low fat Greek yogurt for now. I don't know what I would bring home next but I'm a little afraid...I mean...GOAT yogurt...really?

Don't forget - you can enter our first blog giveaway until January 22nd. Winner will be announced on January 22nd! Go HERE for more details.
You might win 2 fabulous cookbooks and a bottle of Oh!So Garlic seasoning!
Giveaway is now over. Thank you for your support!

Curried Chicken Quinoa

I am a recent convert to quinoa so I don't have a huge repertoire of recipes to fall back on.

I found this one in a newspaper clipping that someone had cut out for future reference and placed in the "to make" recipe box. I'm guessing it had to have been from a fairly old paper as it was all curly and a crinkly.

Whatever the case....it turned out delicious.

Another plus?

It is a one dish meal.

Aaaaaaaand...

From start to finish was under an hour. Whoot! Whoot!

Just think....if you started this right now - you could be enjoying it in less than an hour.

Quick...go...now....

Curried Chicken Quinoa

Ingredients

about 1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces

1 small onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 15 oz can petite diced tomatoes

1 Tbsp curry powder

1/2 Tbsp chili powder

1 Tbsp Oh! So Garlic (optional)

1 cups chicken broth

1 cup quinoa

Directions

Spray a large Dutch oven (or heavy bottom pot) with cooking spray. Add the chicken, onion, and garlic. Saute for about 10 minutes, until chicken is almost completely cooked.

Add the tomatoes, undrained, curry powder, and chili powder (and Oh! So Garlic if using). Stir until combined and let cook for about 5 minutes.

Stir in the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Stir in the quinoa, bring to rolling boil and then reduce heat to medium low, cover and cook for 20 minutes.

Turn heat to low and keep warm until ready to serve.

Option 1 - you can add 2 cups of peas during the last minutes, if you desire.

Option 2 - you can serve on a bed of spinach leaves, if you desire.

A delicious dinner in under an hour. What's not to like?
Nutritional info (using myfitnesspal) - 329 calories, 5 fat, 37 carbs, 33 protein (That is for 1/4 of the recipe)

Just a reminder - joandsue.blogspot.com is hosting our first blog giveaway. There are lots of ways to get entries for a chance to win 2 fantastic cookbooks (Hershey's Classic Recipes and frame>by>frame baking: a visual step-by-step cookbook) AND a jar of Oh!So Garlic to try for yourself.

Approximate $40 value!

Click here for more info on how to enter! 

Winner will be announced on January 22nd.

Giveaway is now over. Thank you for your support :)



joandsue.blogspot.com's First Giveaway

No photos today! No recipes either....

Today's blog is about our first giveaway here at joandsue.blogspot.com.

In a perfect world we would like to host a giveaway a month but we will see how our first giveaway goes before making any promises.

Sue and I have sponsored this giveaway ourselves. We will be looking for sponsors for some of our future giveaways and contests but, for now, we are putting up the prize ourselves.

We have decided to give away a couple of cookbooks and a bottle of Oh! So Garlic seasoning.

Cookbook 1: Hershey's Classic Recipes

Cookbook 2: frame>by>frame baking: a visual step-by-step cookbook

The rules on how to enter:

1. This giveaway is open to everyone.

2. There will be one winner chosen by random drawing.

'3. The winner's name will be posted on our blog on January 22nd, 2012 and they will have 48 hours in which to respond. If the winner does not respond, a new winner will be chosen.

Ways to get entries:

1. Become a follower of the blog.

2. "Like" joandsue.blogspot.com on Facebook. (And, while it won't gain you anymore entries, we would love it if you posted this contest on your wall)

3. Follow @joandsue on Twitter and tweet this contest.

4. Blog about this giveaway and leave a link to your post on our blog giveaway post in a comment.

5. Get 1 additional entry for each one of our blogs that you pin on Pinterest. (Leave a comment on this giveaway blog to let us know what you pinned.)

6. Get 1 additional entry for each comment you leave on any one of our blog posts. (Of course we encourage you to actually read the blogs you comment on and not just comment for an entry.)

 

There you have it. There are tons of ways to get a lot of entries.

 

The Oh! So Garlic is an amazing seasoning that I have used often in our blogs. As for the 2 cookbooks - Hershey's Classic Recipes & frame>by>frame baking: a visual step-by-step cookbook - they are full of really great and delicious looking recipes.

If I had to estimate the value of the prize, I would say approximately $40.00.

 

This is our first giveaway and hopefully everything goes smoothly. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns about the giveaway.

Orange Date Muffins

This recipe is one that Sue brought home from high school home ec. class. So....what I am saying is that it is from a few years ago.

Don't try and guess how many years ago.

In fact, let's never do that.

It is an unusual recipe in that you use the entire orange, peel and all. It is unique in its flavor and texture as well. Quite different from a "regular" muffin.  I recommend you give it a try.

Orange Date Muffins

Ingredients

1 whole orange, quartered, seeded

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 cup pitted dates

1 egg

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup brown sugar

pinch salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 400. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray or use cupcake liners. (Makes 12)

Place orange in blender or food processor and blend until finely chopped. Add orange juice, pitted dates, egg, and butter. Blend until fine.

In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, brown sugar, and salt.

Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just blended. DO NOT overmix.

Divide evenly amongst 12 prepared tins.

Ready to go in the oven!

Bake at 400 for 15 minutes, or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.

Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 5 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool on wire rack.

These are great when still warm, cut in half, with a little bit of butter spread in the middle. They also are great to throw into the kid's lunch boxes for school.

Sue and I are excited to be hosting our first blog giveaway! We will be posting about it tomorrow to let you know how you can enter and what you can win.

Be sure to check back!!