HOME MADE ICE CREAM!

I love home made ice cream.  Especially peach!  Growing up, my mom would always make home made ice cream in the summer and we would take turns as kids going to check and see if it was ready!  I still remember the noise of the machine turning the tube around and the big pieces of rock salt scattered all over the patio.  Here is what you need for the ice cream and how to make it.  This is great with summer right on the way!

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds fresh peaches - peeled, pitted and chopped
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 pint half-and-half cream
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups whole milk, or as needed

Directions

1. Puree peaches with the sugar and half-and-half in batches in a blender or food processor.
2. In a gallon ice cream freezer container, mix together the peach mixture, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and vanilla. Pour in enough whole milk to fill the container to the fill line, about 2 cups.
3. Follow the manufacturer's instructions to freeze the ice cream.

LEMON BARS

Here is how to make lemon bars!  They are simple and delicious!! :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnVzvVfbwAE

Baking

Although I do love cooking, because I love great tasting homemade meals, but I do love baking more because it is just more fun to me!  My favorite cake of all time is red velvet cake.  I  usually always make them into cup cakes though because I like cup cakes more!  I also feel like they are more moist than a cake.  Unlike this recipe, I usually make a cream cheese frosting that is to die for!  Unfortunately, that recipe is in a box while I have been moving.  To make the frosting more thick on top of the cupcakes, you can stick it in a zip lock bag and cut the tip off to squeeze it out.  I hope you enjoy these!

INGREDIENTS 

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons cocoa
• 4 tablespoons red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. Grease two 9 inch round pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Cream shortening and 1 1/2 cups sugar WELL. Add eggs and beat well.
3. Make a paste of cocoa and red food coloring. Add to creamed mixture. Mix salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla and buttermilk together. Add alternately the flour with the milk mixture to the creamed mixture. Mix soda and vinegar and FOLD INTO CAKE BATTER. DON'T BEAT OR STIR NOW.
4. Bake for 30 minutes.
5. To Make Icing: Cook 5 Tablespoons flour and milk over low heat till thick, stirring constantly. LET COOL THOROUGHLY! While cooling, cream 1 cups sugar, butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat this well till light and fluffy. Add to flour mixture and beat until of a good spreading consistency. DON'T ICE CAKE TILL COOL. 

Mac and Cheese!  A kids favorite meal, only this one is more healthy as well as baked!  I don't know any little kid that does not love mac and cheese, so why not make it so the whole family will enjoy?  It has a great flavor from the different combinations of cheese.  I also love the cheese on top that gets crunchy and gives it that great mix in texture.  I haven't made this for my family since I am up in college but I plan to when I go home again.  I made it for my cousins here and they loved it!  Especially my cousin who is 16.  I will have to double it next time so he can eat it for left overs!

Ingredients:

4 1/2 cups uncooked Penne noodles
1 carton 2% low-fat cottage cheese
3/4 cup finely shredded sharp cheddar-cheese, divided
1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cooking spray

3 tablespoons panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1 tablespoon minced fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional)

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 375
2.  Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.  Drain; place in a large bowl.
3.  While pasta cooks, place cottage cheese in a food processor; process until smooth.  Combine the cottage cheese, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.  Add cheese mixture to pasta; stir well.  Spoon mixture into an 11x7- inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray.
4.  Combine the remaining 1/4 cup cheddar, panko, and parsley, if desired, in a small bowl.  Sprinkle evenly over pasta mixture.  Bake at 375 for 10 min
5.  Preheat broiler (do not remove dish from over)
6.  Broil 1 minute or until top browns.

Since I love broccoli so much, I decided to try the Roasted Chile-Garlic Broccoli.  I also love spicy foods so I thought it would be perfect to try to add to such a  basic vegetable.  I really enjoyed it and it is super fast!  From start to finish it only takes 15-18 minutes.  I got this recipe from the magazine Cooking Light.  My friend Sarah and I, made it together.  We try and cook a nice healthy home made meal at least once a week.  Although I do love just plain-old steamed broccoli, I did enjoy this a lot and will definitely make it again.

Ingredients:

6 cups broccoli florets

2 tablespoons dark sesame oil

2 teaspoons sambal oelek (ground fresh chile paste)

3/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon sugar

6 large garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

Directions:

1. Place a small roasting pan in oven.  Preheat oven to 450.

2.  Place broccoli in a large bowl; drizzle with oil.  Toss to coat.  Add sambal oelek, salt, and sugar to broccoli mixture; toss.  Add broccoli mixture to preheated pan; toss.  Bake at 450 for 5 minutes; remove from oven.  Add garlic to pan; stir.  Bake an additional 5 minutes or until broccoli is lightly browned.

 Since I have mostly done dinner recipes, I decided to do a breakfast recipe.  Banana Crumb Muffins.  Muffins are always a basic recipe that kids love.  I love these because of the crumbs!  I also love them because they are homemade and have actual fresh bananas in them, which gives them that real banana flavor.  This is a great Saturday or Sunday morning breakfast.  My family loves muffins especially because my mom always makes them homemade.  These were very satisfying and a great mix from the usual blueberry crumb muffins I make.  You must try these!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 bananas, mashed
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.
2. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
3. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

 This was not my favorite recipe.  My mom has made ranch chicken before and it was a lot better.  Being at school I just googled a recipe and this was what I got.  It was still fairly tasty, I just enjoyed my moms a lot more!  It is very easy to make though and takes very few ingredients, which makes it a great college meal!  I always love broccoli and some type of salad with my chicken.  Steamed broccoli is also simple and very yummy as well as healthy.

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breast halves
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 packet of Hidden Valley® Salad Dressing and Seasoning Mix
• 3/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a shallow bowl, mix the mayonnaise with the Ranch Dressing Mix. In a second shallow bowl, place the breadcrumbs. Dip each chicken breast in the ranch dressing mixture, removing any excess, and then dip in breadcrumbs. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet until chicken is cooked through, about 25 minutes