Monday, March 1, 2010
Let’s just make one thing clear. I. Love. Ice Cream. I love it year round. I love frozen yogurt too. If it’s cold and creamy… I’m there! That’s why having the ice cream maker attachment for my Kitchen Aid mixer is a DANGEROUS thing! I do love ice creams that are rich, fattening, and delicious; like this Butterscotch Ice Cream, or Maple Ice Cream and with Pumpkin Pie Fudge. But I can also get my “fix” from ice creams that aren’t AS bad for you, like this Key Lime Pie version from Cooking Light. This ice cream, luckily, is on lighter end of the fattening scale, and similar to the Key Lime Pie version in it’s creamy-but somewhat-icey texture.
Another thing I love with all my heart is coffee. I was first introduced to a specific version of coffee where you add sweetened condensed milk from a world-traveling blogger I follow, Cate from Cate’s World Kitchen. She drank it while in Thailand, and wrote a blog post about the perfect Thai Iced Coffee. Also, around the same time, I discovered the “Iced Cuban”, which has sweetened condensed milk in it, at a great Nashville coffee shop, Crema. And on my most recent visit to New York City, I ate at Baoguette, a Vietnamese gourmet sandwich shop, where I couldn’t leave without ordering a delicious Vietnamese iced coffee with the wonderful, sweetened condensed milk. And most recently, I enjoyed a tasty Vietnamese iced coffee when Lindsay and her husband introduced The Boy & I to Pho, at a Vietnamese restaurant in Nashville. To say I like that flavor combination, would definitely be an understatement.
My point here is, whether you call it “Thai”, “Cuban”, or “Vietnamese”, when you add sweetened condensed milk to coffee, you get a delicious, addictive treat. Because of my love for all things coffee, my love for ice cream, and my newfound love of the coffee + sweetened condensed milk combo; the minute I saw this recipe I knew I’d be making it. Besides, the ingredients list was only 3 lines long, all of which I already had on hand. I made this back BEFORE I left my Aeropress in Florida; and it was a great, easy way to make the espresso. This was so simple and easy to prepare. The flavor is not the rich, full fat flavor of other ice creams, but it has all the taste of the Vietnamese Iced Coffee, and therefore satisfies all my desires for a cool, cold, creamy treat. It’s lighter on the waistline than the fully decadent ice creams, clocking in at 205 calories, and 6g of fat per 1/2 cup scoop. My only suggestion is, due to the amount of caffeine in this, I don’t recommend a big scoop late in the evening! It’s probably best enjoyed as an afternoon treat.
Print
Vietnamese Iced Coffee Ice Cream
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups brewed espresso or very strong coffee
1/2 cup half-and-half
Big pinch of finely ground dark-roast coffee
Directions:
Whisk together the condensed milk, espresso, half-and-half and ground coffee. Cover and chill thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions. Transfer to a covered container and freeze until firm enough to scoop.
Per 1/2 cup serving: 205 calories, 5 g protein, 32 g carbohydrate, 6 g fat (4 g saturated), 27 mg cholesterol, 81 mg sodium, 0 fiber
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
I’m the kind of person who gets bored if I’m stuck in the same routine over and over again. I also get bored if I eat the same thing repeatedly. Breakfast is a meal where I love to experiment, but I also want to keep it healthy. I need something that sparks my tastebuds, but can also keep my belly full for a couple hours. This dish definitely satisfied both parts of my body; and was a refreshing change from the ordinary routine.
This is called breakfast couscous, but it could easily be called afternoon snack couscous, or evening snack couscous. 🙂 When I saw this recipe I knew I’d like it; because I must admit, I ate this previous couscous recipe for breakfast more than once! The flavor of this version had some sweetness from the brown sugar, raisins*, and dried cranberries. I also loved the nutty crunch provided by the walnuts; they paired well with the cinnamon. And, the addition of nonfat dry milk gives it a hint of creaminess that the other couscous recipe doesn’t have. I love that it was quick and easy to prepare, easy enough for a weekday! This recipe is a definite keeper, and has a place in my ever changing morning routine.
Print
Tony's Breakfast Couscous
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups water
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk
1/2 cup uncooked couscous (I used whole grain couscous)
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup raisins*
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
Directions:
Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan; stir in milk and remaining ingredients. Remove from heat. Cover; let stand 10 minutes. (Mixture will thicken as it cools.)
Nutritional info: Calories: 305; Fat: 6.9g (sat 0.7g,mono 1g,poly 4.8g); Protein: 9.6g; Carbohydrate:
53.7g; Fiber: 3.3g; Cholesterol: 2mg; Iron: 1.1mg; Sodium: 169mg; Calcium: 174mg
*I used currants because I happened to have them on hand, so they are a little bit smaller than raisins.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
So… If you’re really bored this weeked, feel free to head over to IHeartCuppycakes and VOTE FOR ME!!!! Please and thank you!
Now, I almost forgot! My friend, fellow food blogger, and most knowledgable gal of the Nashville food & drink scene, Beth of Eat.Drink.Smile tagged me to post 7 random facts about myself. So… here they are!
1. I recently decided that if I were to have a “Native American name” it should be “Long-Winded”. If you know me, I am one of the most long-winded people ever! Before I ask a question, or make a statement, I often feel the need to preface it with as much background information as possible. I try to reign in this aspect of my personality, because I know how long-winded my mother is, and that’s where I got it!
2. I am one of THE MOST forgetful people EVER. Ever, ever, ever. This was worsened when I worked the night shift for a year, and had a really erratic sleep schedule. But, my work schedule has changed, and already I’m noticing a bit of difference in my memory. I’ll still be forgetful, but hopefully not as bad as it has been the past year!
3. I used to hate nuts. I thought they ruined ice cream and brownies (actually, I still feel that way). Sometime a while back I slowly realized I liked nuts to just snack on. So as I learned to like nuts alone, I then learned to like them in cookies & candy. But I still want to keep them OUT of my ice cream.
4. I have this house plant my aunt gave me when I moved into my first apartment, over 4 years ago. I often forget to water it. It get near death, then I pour some water in, and within hours it perks back up. It’s even gotten to the point of having yellow and brown leaves. The Boy laughs at me, and calls me a “plant-killer”. I think it’s just the most resilient plant on the planet.
5. I ration candy out for The Boy. I have a secret hiding place where I hide candy I’ve bought on sale. Then I portion out a Reese’s Cup about 2 or 3 a week, max; or a small bowl with Skittles or Peanut M&Ms. If I didn’t he would eat 2-3 Reese’s Cups a day, and an entire HUGE bag of Skittles in a day or two. Yes, I am a food-nazi.
6. My number 1 favorite candle scent is always vanilla. I also love pumpkin, country apple, or anything that includes a combination of vanilla, such as my current “Air Wick Flameless Candle” scent, lavender vanilla.
7. I currently subscribe to the following magazines: Martha Stewart Everyday Food; Bon Appetit; and Food Network Magazine. For one whole month I was a Gourmet subscriber. I was so disappointed to learn right as I was FINALLY subscribing, they were folding. 🙁
I’m not going to tag anyone, however, all the bloggers (food bloggers AND non-food bloggers!) in my blogroll can feel free to do these 7 random facts!
Oh, and don’t forget, GO VOTE FOR ME!!!!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
A couple weekends ago Nashville got hit with a pretty big snowstorm (for us). People were totally freaking out, businesses closing left and right, and hibernation set in. I live in a pretty busy part of town, and pretty much every restaurant was closed (except the Chinese place of course!), even the grocery store across the street was closing early. Because of the snow, The Boy wasn’t going to come home for his dinner break either. So without needing to prepare dinner, I spent that time baking these cookies!
I’ve been meaning to bake Snickerdoodles for quite a while. It’s such a delicious cookie. It’s not a sugar cookie, but similar; and not overly cinnamon-y. I’m not sure about you, but my school system growing up served Snickerdoodles on a regular rotation. I’d always get excited when they appeared on the menu. After snacking on these the entire snowed-in weekend, I took the rest to work on Monday. One of my coworkers & I went to the same school system, and he came and gave me two thumbs up for the cookies. He said they reminded him of all those school lunches!
I had planned on using the recipe from my Martha Stewart Cookies cookbook, until I realized her recipe in the book doesn’t include cream of tarter, which is a traditional ingredient, that gives these cookies a very slight tang. A quick web search revealed the exact same recipe on the Martha Stewart website, except it had the cream of tarter, and also used half butter and half shortening. The shortening helps the cookies from spreading too much. So, that was the recipe I ended up using. YUM! These cookies were a great way to “weather the storm”.
Print
Snickerdoodles
Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup pure vegetable shortening
1 3/4 cups sugar, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, plus more if needed
2 large eggs
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, with one rack in top third and one rack in bottom third of oven. Line baking sheets with Silpat baking mats or parchment paper; set aside.
Sift together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine butter, shortening, and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add eggs, and beat to combine. Add dry ingredients, and beat to combine.
In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar and the ground cinnamon. Use a small (1 1/4-ounce) ice-cream scoop to form balls of the dough, and roll in cinnamon sugar. Place about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the cookies are set in center and begin to crack (they will not brown), about 10 minutes, rotating the baking sheets after 5 minutes. Transfer the sheets to a wire rack to cool about 5 minutes before transferring the cookies to the rack. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week.
The scene at the local park, a couple hours after the snow began to fall.
My street, Friday night. On a typical Friday night, the parking lot, the street, and even the bank’s drive up window are all packed with cars at the nearby restaurants.
Bookmark/Share
Subscribe to RSS Feed
Subscribe via Email
Follow Me on Twitter