Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

Everyone knows that when life hands you lemons, you make lemonade. But when life hands you strawberries -- big, ripe, juicy strawberries straight from your neighbor’s garden -- what do you do with them? Well, you eat a couple handfuls right away until your hands and face are good and stained, and then you use the rest to make ice cream.

This isn’t the strawberry cheesecake ice cream you typically see in the store -- the vanilla ice cream base with chunks of cheesecake and strawberries in it. In this version the strawberries are pureed right in so they lend their sweetness to the entire batch of ice cream. The cream cheese and chunks of graham cracker really do make this taste just like cheesecake, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice adds the perfect tangy element. Best of all, this ice cream doesn’t have a custard base, so it comes together in no time. Any fresh berries would be delicious using this method -- I’m trying blueberries next!

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
source: adapted from Epicurious

3/4 pound (1 quart) strawberries
8 ounces softened cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon lemon juice
A pinch of salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 roughly chopped graham crackers

To make the ice cream, puree the strawberries with the cream cheese, sugar, milk, lemon juice, and salt. Stir in the heavy cream, chill completely, then freeze in an ice-cream maker. Stir in graham crackers. I served my ice cream in martini glasses rimmed with graham crackers and sugar, which is completely unnecessary but really pretty. :)

Spinach and Artichoke Macaroni and Cheese

Ahhh, spinach and artichokes. It’s one of those classic ingredient combinations that almost everyone seems to love. Spinach and artichokes are delicious in dip, even better in lasagna, but they may never taste better together than they do in this macaroni and cheese.

I can’t say enough good things about this dish. It’s fast, flavorful, budget-friendly and so incredibly delicious. Joe and Andrew both loved it too, and it was a great way to sneak some extra vegetables into my toddler. I’ve found I can hide just about anything in macaroni and cheese and he’ll eat it. Needless to say, this dish will be making many repeat appearances in our house!

Spinach and Artichoke Macaroni and Cheese
source: adapted from Rachael Ray

1 pound short-cut pasta
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 cups milk
1 10-ounce box frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and drained
1 can chopped artichoke hearts in water, drained
2 cups shredded Italian cheese blend, plus additional for sprinkling on top
1 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus additional for sprinkling on top

1. Place a large pot of water over high heat to cook the pasta. When the water is boiling, salt it well and drop in the pasta. Cook to al dente, according to the package directions. Drain the pasta and reserve.

2. While the pasta is cooking, place a medium pot over medium-low heat with the olive oil and the butter. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook the veggies until very soft, about 10 minutes.

3. Turn the heat up to medium-high and sprinkle the flour into the pan. Cook for about 1 minute, then whisk the chicken stock into the pan, cooking for another minute. Whisk the milk into the pan and bring up to a bubble. Add the vegetables and salt and pepper to taste to the sauce and simmer until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cheeses to the sauce and stir until melted.

4. Toss the prepared sauce with the cooked pasta and transfer to a casserole dish. Sprinkle more of the cheeses over the top and broil under low heat until the cheese has melted and the top is golden brown.

Lemon Tassies

These lemon tassies are by far the most time-consuming cookies I’ve ever made. And to be honest, normally I would have passed this recipe off as too complicated without a second look. But these were Martha Stewart’s Cookie of the Day on an afternoon when I was really craving something lemony, and I was powerless to resist.

I’m so glad I took the time to make these, because they were absolutely delicious. The dough was really easy to work with, the filling was creamy and smooth, and together they had the perfect amount of lemon flavor without being too tart. They lasted for a few days in the refrigerator and I really loved the way they tasted cold. I did decide to forego the candied lemon zest listed in the original recipe, since that seemed like a lot of time to dedicate to a mostly decorative element, but I kept the rest of the recipe the same. (But in the interest of full disclosure, I should tell you I added a couple drops of yellow food coloring to the filling just to make them look a bit more...lemony.)

These cookies are so adorable and elegant-looking, but they really aren’t complicated to make at all. In fact, I’ll probably even make these again using orange or lime zest. Yum!

Lemon Tassies
source: adapted from Martha Stewart

For the crusts:

5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks, plus more for pans
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Pinch of salt

For the filling:

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
3 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with rack in upper third. Lightly butter a 24-cup mini-muffin pan; set aside.

2. In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, combine the flour and butter. Pulse until mixture is the consistency of fine crumbs. Add the sugar, egg yolk, vanilla, lemon zest, and salt. Process until evenly incorporated and smooth; do not overprocess.

3. Divide the dough into quarters. Divide each quarter into 6 pieces. Shape into balls. Place each ball in a muffin cup; press down in the centers so that the dough fits the cups snugly. Set muffin pan on a baking sheet.

4. Bake until lightly browned all over and slightly darker at the edges, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer baking sheet with muffin pan to a wire rack to cool.

5. Make the filling: In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese, sugar, egg, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla until completely smooth.

6. Using a 1/4-ounce ice cream scoop, fill the cooled crusts. Bake until filling is set and just beginning to color at the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer muffin pan to a wire rack. Let cool completely before serving.

Weekly Meal Planning, Week of 7.5.10

Hi guys! I'm posting the menu a day early since tomorrow is the Fourth of July, and we have a busy day planned. And Monday we'll be even busier. I have to say, though, that I'm really looking forward to it all, because the Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays. I love everything that goes along with it: the parades, the fireworks, the cookouts, the patriotism. Plus, it was on the Fourth of July seven years ago that my now-husband proposed to me. So that's a great memory, needless to say. :)

Anyway, without further ado, here's next week's menu. Have a Happy Fourth, everyone!

Monday: Grilling out for the Fourth of July

Tuesday: Southwestern sausage and egg bake

Wednesday: French onion pork chop skillet, roasted asparagus (carry-over from last week)

Thursday: Chicken salad sandwiches, chips, cucumbers and veggie dip. I just use the store-bought dip because I have a particular brand I'm very loyal to (Marezetti's ranch veggie dip) (and no, no one paid me to say that).

Friday: Leftovers

Saturday: Broccoli, salami and mozzarella stromboli

Sunday: Chicken bacon ranch pizza

Empty-the-Pantry Taco Soup

I know, I know, you’re like, “Soup? On the first day of July? [Side note: Can you believe it’s July already?] Is she crazy?”

Well, here’s the thing. Yes, I may be a little crazy, but I love soup year-round. Especially a soup like this that can be thrown together in five minutes and tossed in the Crock pot to cook all day. That means I get to come home to a delicious meal that I didn't have to put any effort into, and also one that doesn’t heat up my kitchen to 100 degrees. And this soup? It tastes like a taco. Seriously, you just can’t go wrong with this combination of ingredients.

This soup is absolutely delicious, and easily customizable to whatever you have on hand. Use creamed corn instead of whole kernel, which would probably give the soup great texture. Use chili-ready tomatoes instead of plain old diced tomatoes to bump up the chili flavor. Use black beans instead of pinto beans (I did). Use any toppings you want. I promise, you really just can’t go wrong with this flavor profile. It’s good in any season!

Empty-the-Pantry Taco Soup
source: adapted from Krista’s Kitchen

1 pound ground sirloin

1 chopped onion

3 cloves of garlic, finely minced

1 envelope ranch dressing mix

1 envelope taco seasoning mix

1 can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can Rotel tomatoes, undrained

1 can green chilies, undrained

1 can chili beans, undrained

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can whole kernel corn, drained

4 cups beef broth

Shredded cheese
Sour cream
Crushed tortilla chips

1. Cook the ground sirloin and onion in a skillet until beef is browned, breaking it up as it cooks. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Stir in the ranch dressing and taco seasoning packets and cook and stir for another minute.

2. Transfer to slow cooker. Add the diced tomatoes, Rotel tomatoes, green chilies, beef broth, chili beans, black beans, and corn. Cook for 8 hours on Low or 4 hours on High.

3. Top each serving with a sprinkle of cheese, a dollop of sour cream, crushed tortilla chips, and any other taco toppings you like.