If you follow me on Instagram, you probably noticed that I pick up a student-run CSA share every week from a high school in New Castle, Delaware, which means I have a bunch of fruits and vegetables in my home that need using! (If you’re in the area, definitely check out Penn Farm CSA!)
The last couple of weeks have included beautiful peaches so this week, I knew I had to make a homemade peach ice cream!
This rich and creamy homemade peach ice cream can be made in an electric ice cream maker (paid link). This recipe includes small chunks of fresh peaches as well as the juice of the peaches, so it’s chock full of peachy flavor!
Ingredients (makes 1 quart):
2 cups peaches, peeled and roughly chopped (about 3 peaches)
We hosted friends recently at our house for the weekend. Whenever we have guests, I prefer to do as much of the prep work ahead of time as possible. So it should come as no surprise that I lean on recipes like this make ahead breakfast casserole as a go-to breakfast option when entertaining people for the weekend.
Not only is this recipe super versatile, but you can assemble it entirely ahead of time and then pop it into your oven when ready to eat!
The vegetables and protein in the below Make Ahead Breakfast Casserole recipe are honestly more of a suggestion than a rule; I was using up a bunch of vegetables I had on hand, so feel free to use whatever sounds good to you as well!
Note: I was sent a DREO ChefMaker Combi Fryer for review, which I tested using this recipe for Teriyaki Chicken Wings. All opinions are mine alone.
I am super late to the air fryer band wagon, but I am kind of happy I held out long enough to instead try a DREO ChefMaker Combi Fryer (paid link)! I am still becoming acquainted with all of the delicious options this appliance has, but I was so impressed with my first test run making these Teriyaki Chicken Wings that I had to share it immediately!
The ChefMaker is described on DREO’s website as “the most professional air fryer for making Michelin-starred meals.” The appliance uses “CombiCook technology” which translates professional cooking methods into intelligent algorithms that allow ChefMaker to become a fully automated master cooking machine that handles temperature, time, and atomization by itself. It also includes a water atomization system that replenishes evaporated moisture and reduces the chamber temperature to prevent food from charring and ensure the core gets evenly cooked.
There are a ton of ingredient-based presets to take a lot of the guesswork out of cooking, as well a three professional cooking modes: Chef Mode (ingredient-based master chef presets), Classic Cook (choosing a cooking style including air fry, defrost, reheat, broil, roast, toast, bake, and dehydrate), and Probe Cook (take full control of cooking temperature to create new recipes).
In addition to the appliance itself, the DREO app includes step-by-step videos for recipes while also tracking the cooking process on your phone.
Sounds kind of awesome, right? I wanted to try the ChefMaker out as soon as possible! Using the app, I found a recipe for Teriyaki Chicken Wings that I miraculously had all ingredients already on hand. I adapted the recipe slightly, but tried to stick to the step-by-step videos as possible to get a sense of the benefit of the app as well.
I am having way too much fun making all these different types of ice cream! Homemade ice cream is so SO much better than store bought, and this Homemade Coffee Ice Cream is absurdly delicious!
If you’re a coffee lover like I am, you may have just found your new favorite ice cream.
This recipe for Strawberry Shortcake Whoopie Pies was a result of my desire to bring a different dessert to a gathering with some of my college friends. My friend who was hosting is a big fan of Strawberry Shortcake. That, plus my love for whoopie pies made Strawberry Shortcake Whoopie Pies a no brainer!
These Strawberry Shortcake Whoopie Pies are made of fresh whipped cream and sliced strawberries sandwiched between two vanilla cake-like cookies.
Ingredients:
Whoopie Pies:
1 1/4 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon white vinegar
5 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
Note: I was sent a bottle of Valdo Marca Oro Prosecco DOC Brut and a bottle of Valdo Marca Oro Rose Prosecco in order to write this post and recipe for Rosemary Grapefruit Prosecco Cocktail. Opinions are mine alone.
I love a simple cocktail that still somehow feels celebratory. That’s where Prosecco cocktails come in! Prosecco tends to be my sparkling wine of choice. A little bubbly always makes everything feel a bit more special, don’t you think?
Later this month, (June 24-30) is National Prosecco Week so I wanted to celebrate a bit early! National Prosecco Week is the largest nationwide celebration of Prosecco DOC. It’s a nationwide campaign that is supported by the Prosecco DOC Consortium. Every year, National Prosecco Week reaches 1,000+ e-commerce, restaurants, and brick-and-mortar stores across the US!
For this Rosemary Grapefruit Prosecco Cocktail, I’m using Valdo Marca Oro Prosecco DOC Brut. Made with 100% Glera grapes and aged for three months using the Charmat method, this bubbly is characterized by a crisp palate and fine effervescence. This prosecco is structured yet bright, making it a beautiful pairing with the woody rosemary and tart grapefruit.
Ingredients (serves 1, multiply as needed):
Rosemary Syrup (makes enough for about 5 cocktails):
So, I’ll be honest. I was actually trying to make a different ice cream than what I ended up with. But this oh so chocolatey Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream is so delicious, it was quite a happy mistake!
My original goal/inspiration was to recreate the now defunct Capogiro’s scuro gelato – the most decadent and beautifully silky dark chocolate gelato. It was my mom’s favorite gelato ever and she’s basically been chasing the high of Capogiro’s scuro gelato ever since they sadly closed in December 2018.
I didn’t quite get to dark chocolate status this round (don’t you worry, that will be a future post!), but I am pretty sure this is the best chocolate ice cream ever. EVER. Don’t believe me? Try this recipe out for yourself!
If you’ve never had a Paloma Cocktail before, you are in for a treat! This 3-ingredient cocktail is a refreshing tequila-based drink perfect for warm weather!
Originating in Mexico, Palomas are sometimes compared to margaritas, but they are really closer to a greyhound, which is made with gin and grapefruit juice.
The Paloma Cocktail is one of the most simple cocktails to make. It is made right in the serving glass so you don’t need any bartending equipment to make it!
Ingredients (makes one glass, multiply as needed):
2 ounces blanco tequila
the juice of one lime
4 ounces grapefruit soda (like Jarritos – paid link)
My niece’s first birthday is soon, and my sister asked if I would make her smash cake; what an honor!
My sister requested a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, and as this will be my niece’s first taste of chocolate, I have to make sure it’s tasty with a few more baby-friendly adjustments.
This Chocolate Smash Cake is a fluffy, chocolatey mini cake perfect for (obviously) first birthdays, or for smaller get togethers.
Ingredients:
Chocolate Cake:
3/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 cup flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup applesauce
Chocolate Frosting:
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
Note: I was sent a copy of Ticket to Ride The Official Cookbook in order to make this recipe for Homemade Poutine. Opinions are mine alone.
During the pandemic, my husband and I, like many others, did a lot of puzzles and played a lot of board games that could be played with just two people. One of our favorites is/was Ticket to Ride (paid link), which is described as “a cross-country train adventure in which players collect and play matching train cards to claim railway routes connecting cities throughout North America.” We also love playing Ticket to Ride with friends and other family members now that restrictions have lessened.
So when I was contacted about a cookbook based on the board game, I knew I had to try it! TickettoRide: The Official Cookbook (paid link) offers dining car menus inspired by destinations throughout the United States and Canada.
The 75+ recipes are organized by the Destination Tickets from the core TickettoRide game, featuring unique dining-car menus inspired by the cities through which you travel. Each of the 15 routes includes an appetizer, a side dish, a main course, a dessert, and a cocktail (with or without alcohol)—all with deliciously strong ties to destination cities. Inside you’ll find easy-to-follow recipes and full-color photos for local favorites, regional desserts, and cocktails.
As I was paging through, I couldn’t stop thinking about how fun it would be to do a potluck game board night with some of these recipes! I really had a difficult time choosing just one recipe to highlight for this post but finally settled on the Poutine recipe for the Vancouver – Montreal route. If you’ve never had poutine before, it is an absolutely delicious dish of French fries topped with cheese curds and gravy that originates from Quebec. Once I saw the recipe, I couldn’t get the idea of a Homemade Poutine out of my head!
Note: I was sent a review copy of A Return to Ireland by Judith McLoughlin in order to make this Vegetarian Shepherds Pie. Opinions are mine alone.
You may have noticed I have quite a few Irish (and Irish-American) recipes on this blog. I truly love traditional Irish cooking; it is pure comfort food to me.
But Irish food has come a long way from just traditional meat and potatoes, and Judith McLoughlin’s A Return to Ireland (paid link) showcases some beautiful modern interpretations of classic Irish cooking.
As a Shepherd’s Pie fanatic, I was intrigued by a recipe within the cookbook for a meatless version that substitutes a mixture of lentils and mushroom for the traditional ground beef or lamb, and then enhances the traditional mashed potato topping with a mixture of other mashed root vegetables.
The result is a wonderfully hearty and delicious Vegetarian Shepherds Pie!
Ingredients (serves 6):
Vegetable Base
6 tablespoons butter (substitute olive oil to make vegan / dairy free)
1 (8 oz) container sliced mushrooms
2 medium onions, chopped
1 leek, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 ribs celery, finely chopped
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce (or coconut aminos to make gluten free)
2 1/2 cups green lentils
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 bay leaf
6 cups vegetable broth
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Mashed Topping
2/3 lbs celery root, peeled and chopped
2/3 lbs parsnips, peeled and chopped
2/3 lbs carrots, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
4 tablespoons butter (or olive oil to make vegan / dairy free)
I love Oreos. They are easily my favorite cookie since childhood, and I used to eat them almost every day as my after-school snack. So, it probably goes without saying that Cookies and Cream Ice Cream is one of my favorite ice creams.
I have no idea why it took me so long to make my own homemade cookies and cream ice cream, but after making this recipe, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to go back to the store-bought stuff!
This recipe for Homemade Cookies and Cream Ice Cream uses just 6 ingredients. Because there are no eggs in this recipe, there is no heating of the milk mixture so it comes together pretty quickly. Note that this recipe does still require you to refrigerate the mixture overnight and churn the ice cream the next day.
Ingredients (makes 1 quart):
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 sleeve Oreos (regular, not Double Stuf), chopped
Note: I was sent some baking tools from OXO in order to write this post. Opinions are mine alone.
It’s the holiday season which means another cookie recipe inspired by some goodies from OXO! This year, I’m making something a little different for me: Christmas Pinwheel Cookies.
I tend to gravitate toward drop cookies because they are simple, decidedly not fussy, and still delicious! These Christmas Pinwheel Cookies are slice and bake cookies instead, which means you roll them into a log, slice them into equally sized slices, and bake.
Every year, OXO supports Cookies for Kids’ Cancer and the fight against pediatric cancer. Before I share my cookie recipe, I want to share a bit about Cookies for Kids’ Cancer.
Cookies for Kids’ Cancer (CFKC) is a nonprofit founded by two OXO employees after their son, Liam, was diagnosed with pediatric cancer. Through grassroots bake sales across the country, CFKC raises funds to develop new, improved and less toxic treatments for childhood cancer. Liam Witt’s legacy lives on as the organization works toward a cure for pediatric cancer, helping children and families everywhere.
For every cookie baked, OXO donates $1 to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer up to $100,000, so here is my new cookie this year to support the cause and spread the word!
Here are some of my old cookie swap and Cookies for Kids’ Cancer posts, in case you’re in a baking mood:
I personally did not grow up eating Potato Farls, probably because around me, there was no such thing as leftover mashed potatoes. (I am still a mashed potato fiend, but I’ve managed to turn it down to a more respectable level.)
But when I am visiting family in Ireland, Potato Farls is one of the foods I am most excited to eat (along with Irish Brown Bread and the rest of the components of a beautiful Ulster Fry.)
Potato Farls is just mashed potatoes kneaded with some flour, butter, salt, and pepper, then fried up into tasty little pieces, making them the perfect recipe for the day after Thanksgiving!
Pureed Rutabaga is a staple of basically every extended family gathering I have ever been to. But my family always refers to this dish as Turnips, which used to confuse me quite a bit because, well, there is also a vegetable called a turnip.
Apparently, rutabagas are also known as yellow turnips which is where this confusion comes from. Rutabagas are actually a hybrid of a turnip and a wild cabbage!
Anywho, I love pureed rutabaga / turnips. They are fluffy, creamy, with a little bit of spice.
This recipe is particularly perfect for large gatherings because you don’t have to use your stovetop or oven at all, saving space for other dishes.
