Super Easy Ice Cream and Cookies

I love to cook with my kids. However I do get scared that they will burn themselves on the stove.

To prevent this I try to stick to recipes that are not too complicated and that do not require a lot of fussing with hand appliances. Try the following if you want to please your youngsters.

No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookie

Butterscotch chips
1 cup peanut better
4 to 5 cups corn flakes
1 cup dry roasted peanuts
Coconut flakes
Melt the butterscotch chips and peanut butter together in a large microwave-safe bowl in the microwave. Then stir in 4 to 5 cups of corn flakes and 1 cup of dry roasted peanuts and a handful of shredded coconut. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls on wax paper. Store in an airtight container between layers of wax paper.

Homemade Ice Cream Without An Ice Cream Maker

Did you also know you can make ice cream in quart size bags without an ice cream maker?

Here are the basic ingredients you will need –

/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon sugar
4 cups crushed ice
4 tablespoons salt
2 quart size Zip-loc bags
1 gallon size Zip-loc freezer bag
a hand towel or gloves to keep fingers from freezing as well!

Mix the milk, vanilla and sugar together in one of the quart size bags. Seal tightly, allowing as little air to remain in the bag as possible. Too much air left inside may force the bag open during shaking. Place this bag inside the other quart size bag, again leaving as little air inside as possible and sealing well. By double-bagging, the risk of salt and ice leaking into the ice cream is minimized. Put the two bags inside the gallon size bag and fill the bag with ice, then sprinkle salt on top. Again let all the air escape and seal the bag.

Wrap the bag in the towel or put your gloves on, and shake and massage the bag, making sure the ice surrounds the cream mixture. Five to eight minutes is adequate time for the mixture to freeze into ice cream.
Freezer bags work best because they are thicker and less likely to develop small holes, allowing the bags to leak. You can get away with using regular Zip-loc bags for the smaller quart sizes, because you are double-bagging. Especially if you plan to do this indoors, I strongly recommend using gallon size freezer bags.

Parenting Tips
, , , , ,

Eggs and Pesto – Perfect Recession Protein

Eggs are great. They are cheap!! You can scramble, fry, poach and bake eggs or cook them in their shells. You can use eggs to make pancakes, waffles, French toast and omelets, too. Eggs are also the main ingredient in some dishes that came to the U.S. from other countries, such as a frittata, egg foo yung, quiche or souffle.

 

Eggs do many jobs in recipes and often help form the structure of cakes, cookies and other baked goods. Eggs also help make creamy custards and keep ice and sugar crystals from forming in foods like ice cream and candies. Eggs are important, too, in making some dressings and sauces, including mayonnaise. All I know is they are an incredibly nutritious food that is a wonderful source of protein.

 

But, in addition to all the ways you can cook or bake them, you can play with eggs. You might decorate them for a holiday or use them for an egg toss or other game.

 

For now I want to share with you one of my favorite and most nutritious egg recipes and the kids just love it.

 

10 oz fresh broccoli steamed for 10 mins and cut into small florets
4 large mushrooms chopped and lightly fried
4oz grated yarlsberg/emantal/edam
6 eggs
1/2cup milk
3 tblsp plain flour
In lightly greased 1 1/2-quart casserole, gently toss together broccoli, mushrooms, and cheese. Beat together eggs, milk, dressing, and flour until thoroughly blended. Pour over vegetables and cheese. Bake in preheated 350ºF oven until knife inserted near center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

 

I also like to add pesto to eggs because my kids love it. I mix up some eggs in a frying pan and then ad cubed bacon, fried until crispy and finely chopped mushrooms. To that I add finely chopped shallots and crème fraiche to bind it all together.

 

This homemade pesto sauce is good on pizza or pasta dishes.

 

INGREDIENTS:
• 2 cups fresh basil leaves (packed)
• 2 cloves fresh garlic
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (fresh grated, preferably)

 

PREPARATION:
Blend all ingredients in blender or food processor. This amazing concoction will keep for month in fridge if covered with a small amount of olive oil. You can just add it to an omelette whenever you like. Note that this also makes an excellent sauce for pizza instead of something tomato-based.

Parenting Tips
, , , , , , ,