Fruit Sherbet

Here's the recipe I followed to make this fruit sherbet.Take note - you will need an ice cream machine.

2 tablespoons cold water

1/2 teaspoon unflavored powdered gelatin

1 pound fruit – I used 1/3 pound raspberries and 2/3 pound blueberries

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon fine salt

1 cup whole milk [try adding more milk or cream for a smoother result]

2 freshly squeezed lemons

1. Place the water in a saucepan and sprinkle on the gelatin. Set this aside.

2. Blend the berries until smooth.

3. Heat the gelatin mixture on a low heat, stirring until smooth (about a minute). Then add the berry puree, sugar, and salt. Stir continuously and keep on a low heat for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and strain out and solids with a fine mesh strainer. Refrigerate this mixture until cold – at least an hour.

4. Add the milk and lemon juice to the chilled berry mixture and stir to combine. Freeze in an ice cream maker following the manufacturer’s instructions.

 

 I liked the color of the result. I'm planning to add more milk or maybe use heavy cream next time for a creamier result.

Frosted Brownie with M&Ms

This is a brownie made from a package, covered in frosting and a swirl of M&Ms. No recipe; just enjoy the visual.

I want to do this on a cake some time, but I'd prefer one of those seasonal packages of M&Ms with more muted colors.

Oreo in a Chocolate Chip Cookie

Inspired by a pin on Pinterest, I made these cookies. They came out very large but delicious.

2 Sticks Butter
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
2 Large Eggs
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
3 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
Bag of Chocolate Chips
Package of Double Stuffed Oreos

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream butter and sugars in a mixer until well combined. Add in eggs and vanilla until well combined.

2. In a separate bowl mix the flour, salt and baking soda. Slowly add to wet ingredients. Finally add the chocolate chips. Take two scoops of dough and sandwich the Oreo. Mold the dough until it completely covers the Oreo. Cook for about 10 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Note: This recipe calls for what I think is a lot of flour. I think this makes it easier to mold the dough. It worked and the consistency was good.


I saved half the batter. I crushed up a bunch of Oreos and made chocolate chip cookies with that.


They turned out great!

Ultimate Cookie Brownie Oreo Bar

Mom, Sara, and I made this dessert inspired by a pin that led t0 this website. It's a dessert with Toll House chocolate chip cookies at the bottom, double stuffed Oreos above that, and brownie on top. Of course you can pair it with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream as a finishing touch.

First we made Toll House cookies from the directions on the chocolate chip package.


We spread the cookie dough on a 9 x 13 pan coated with parchment paper.


Then we put a layer of double stuffed Oreos.


We made a box of brownie mix and poured it on top.

The brownie mix couldn't cover the whole thing, so I just centered it.


Follow the website from above. It takes a long time to cook but here's what you get.


My favorite part was the warm Oreos. The cookie at the bottom came out a little too thick, heavy, and dry. The whole thing was a little dense. Honestly it would have been inedible without the ice cream to lighten it up.

Couscous with Vegetables and Chicken

1/4 cup of couscous
1/2 cup of water
tablespoon of olive oil
spinach, carrots, broccoli, and red pepper (left over from a salad)
diced chicken breast
Italian spice mix



Chop the vegetables.


Bring the water and olive oil to a boil. Add the couscous and let it steep on low heat for about 5 minutes. Add the vegetables and continue to steep.


I microwaved the chicken and put it on top. There is also a layer of tomato sauce in there, but it wasn't necessary and I wouldn't use that again.

Cake Balls!

This was our first time making cake balls, but the recipe is very straightforward.

First we baked a white cake (we used only egg whites to make the batter whiter). When the cake cooled, we pulverized it. Once it was just powder, we added about 3/4th a can of vanilla frosting and hand-mixed it. Then we formed the mix into balls, placed them in waxed paper on a cookie sheet, and placed the sheet into the freezer.


We bought some candy disks from A.C. Moore - white and red. We heated the candy in a bowl in the microwave. I would have used a double boiler if we had one. We dunked the chilled balls into the candy coating and set them on another tray. We put sprinkles and sugar on most of the balls.



And here's the finished result. They look a little weird, but they tasted great. The balls probably would have been rounder if we had put them on sticks like lollipops, but they are easier to deal with stickless.

Next time, Sara wants to use a peanut butter coating. I'd like to add some cinnamon to the cake mix with a vanilla candy coating.