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Homemade French Vanilla Ice Cream

Note: I was sent samples of Vanilla Bean Powder, Vanilla Beans, and Vanilla Extract from The Sweet Bean in order to write this post for Homemade French Vanilla Ice Cream. All opinions are my own.

I am still madly in love with my ice cream maker (paid link) and the delicious homemade ice creams I can now make! Today, I am excited to share a classic: Homemade French Vanilla Ice Cream, featuring The Sweetest Bean‘s Pure Vanilla Bean Powder.

The Sweetest Bean, a woman-owned company based in Colorado, sources its organic, whole-bean vanilla from Uganda where they employ a team who hand cures all of their gourmet vanilla. The company has a purpose of building an economy on the other side of the world, and is committed to one-single-supplier, their workers, their children, their futures, with the hope of true sustainable economic growth. Ugandan vanilla beans are known for their strong vanilla flavor, so the flavor stands out more in recipes.

The Sweetest Bean’s Pure Vanilla Bean Powder is made from 100% pure, ground, Ugandan bourbon vanilla beans. The vanilla beans spend months curing our beans in the sun, and then are ground fresh, to produce a fine powder rich in flavor and aroma. Pure vanilla bean powder was touted recently by the Wall Street Journal as the next spice you need to own. The powder can be used in both savory and sweet recipes, including barbecue rubs, soups, stews, fish, pork, smoothies, and coffee — vanilla adds a touch of sweetness without additional sugar.

The Sweetest Bean sent me their 3 Product Gift Set and have generously offered an additional set to one lucky I Can Cook That reader! Details for the giveaway after the recipe.

So let’s get churning! This Homemade French Vanilla Ice Cream has just 6 ingredients. The egg yolks, which makes this ice cream “French Vanilla,” adds wonderful richness without competing with the vanilla flavor.

Recommended tools (paid links):

Ingredients (makes 1 pint, multiply as desired):

4 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Bean Powder (or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract)
1/4 teaspoon salt

Continue reading Homemade French Vanilla Ice Cream

Irish Vegetable Soup

The weather has yet to turn cold (in fact, we just had a week-long heatwave!) but I’m already thinking about colder weather foods. One of my favorite comfort foods is traditional Irish Vegetable Soup.

Unlike a chunky vegetable soup commonly found in the US, Irish Vegetable Soup is a blended soup made of potatoes, leeks, carrots, and onions that feels creamy and comforting without any cream!

The absolute best way to enjoy an Irish Vegetable Soup is with some Irish Brown Bread, but because that’s somewhat difficult to come across in the US, I substituted in a loaf of Italian bread to sop up all that vegetable goodness.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 leek, cut into half moons
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
3 large carrots, peeled and chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 (32 oz) container vegetable stock
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
minced chives, for garnish (optional)

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Grilled Rosemary Lamb Tenderloin

Note: I was sent a bottle of Domaine Paul Jaboulet Aîné Côtes du Rhône Parallele 45 Rouge in order to write this post for Grilled Rosemary Lamb Tenderloin. Opinions are mine alone.

I love a good wine pairing with my recipes, and boy, do I have a great pairing for this Grilled Rosemary Lamb Tenderloin recipe! A perfectly paired wine can really enhance a dish! Côtes du Rhône wines are a perfect transitional wine as we move from summer into fall. They pair beautifully with barbecued or low and slow cooked meats. (And it is absolutely delightful with this Grilled Rosemary Lamb Tenderloin!)

But first, some info about Côtes du Rhône wines…

Côtes du Rhône is a wine-growing AOC for the Rhône wine region of France. There are different tiers: Côtes du Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages, and Côtes du Rhône Villages with Geographic Indication. Knowing a bit about each tier ensures you can choose the perfect bottle for every occasion!

First, a bit about some of the most popular of the 23 grape varieties that can be used to make Côtes du Rhône AOC wines: Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre.

Grenache is the most widely grown grape in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. It grows well across a variety of terroirs, and in blends, it embodies the warmth and generosity that Rhône wines are known for. It’s bursting with sweet cherry and raspberry fruit, cinnamon spice and classic Mediterranean garrigue.
Syrah is stylish and complex, but difficult to grow, requiring careful cultivation. More common in the Northern Rhône, Syrah has powerful dark fruit flavors, delicate violet aromas and characteristic pepper notes. In blends, it contributes a full-bodied yet balanced savory element that wines from this region are known for.
Widely cultivated on the sun-drenched slopes of the Southern Rhône, Mourvèdre has a robust structure and strong tannins, delivering notes of blackberry and plum, a meaty savory-ness and a slight floral character.

Within the region, there are three distinct tiers of quality:

Côtes du Rhône represents 171 villages, 180,800 acres of vineyards and 6,000 vine growers. Côtes du Rhône wines are known for their berry fruit flavors, well-structured and velvety tannins, and bright acidity. These wines are known for their distinctive freshness that makes these reds easy to be served chilled. They also pair beautifully with lighter fare such as vegetables and fish, the robust roasted meats of fall, and can help keep drinkers cool while enjoying the rusticity of barbecue.
Côtes du Rhône Villages AOC represents the unique character of specific villages within the valley and is the next step up in terms of sophistication and distinctiveness. Showcasing villages that have proven their wines have exceptional quality and character, there are 95 villages that may label their wines as Côtes du Rhône Villages. There is an enormous range of Côtes du Rhône Villages wines in terms of style, depending on the nature of the soil. Red wines make up 96% of the production from the Côtes du Rhône Villages AOC. Village’s AOC’s generous, more complex wines pair with richer, more elevated dishes, such as herb-crusted chicken, lamb, or spice-crusted pork tenderloin.
Côtes du Rhône Villages with Geographic Indication is reserved for the wines made in the 22 Villages that are identified for their specific terroir. Wines labeled as Côtes du Rhône Villages with Geographic Indication come from 22 communes. The communes have a standard of quality authorizing them to add their village name to the labels of their wines. Some of these communes include Plan de Dieu, Valréas, Visan and Chusclan. With stricter production standards and lower yields, Côtes du Rhône Villages with Geographical Indication wines are typically truer expressions of their terroir and can age for 5 to 10 years. These wines have deep layers of flavors that express their terroir and are perfect for holidays and special occasion meals.

For Labor Day weekend, I paired this Grilled Rosemary Lamb Tenderloin with a bottle of Domaine Paul Jaboulet Aîné Côtes du Rhône Parallele 45. Made with a blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah, the wine has notes of wild berries, white pepper, and cherries. Those notes complement the woodsy flavor of the rosemary while enhancing the natural flavor of the lamb.

Ingredients:

4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed (paid link)
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1 lb lamb tenderloin
1 lemon, halved

Continue reading Grilled Rosemary Lamb Tenderloin

Homemade Ceviche

Note: I attended a tasting of Ripe Life Wines at Spring Lake Seafood and received additional bottles of Ripe Life Wine in order to make this Homemade Ceviche. Opinions are mine alone.

Before I go into the Homemade Ceviche recipe, I want to highlight a wine company that I recently tried and love. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen that I went to a wine tasting of Ripe Life Wines at Spring Lake Seafood in Spring Lake, NJ. I was given the opportunity to try a bunch of Ripe Life Wines’ selection paired with delicious food offerings of Spring Lake Seafood.

Ripe Life Wines grew from owner Mary McAuley’s desire to create the perfect wine for a clambake, and the Clambake Unoaked Chardonnay was born. The company now offers its Clambake Unoaked Chardonnay, a Clambake Rosé, a seafood-friendly red called Fisherman’s Red, and Moules Blanc de Blancs Brut, a dry American sparkling wine.

You can pop into Spring Lake Seafood in Spring Lake, NJ or Dock and Claw in Beach Haven, NJ to enjoy a tasting. To see my experience at Spring Lake Seafood, including the yummy food pairings, you can see that here and here.) The food and win pairings really are not to be missed!

For this post, I wanted to highlight Ripe Life Wines’ OG. The Clambake Unoaked Chardonnay. Chardonnay is commonly “oaked,” in which the wine is aged in oak barrels, resulting in flavors of butter, vanilla, or caramel. Unoaked Chardonnay, like the Clambake Chardonnay, is instead aged in stainless steel barrels, resulting in a lighter, crisp, clean finish that doesn’t compete with the delicate flavors of seafood. Clambake Chardonnay has a lovely lemon/apple/pear flavor to it, making it the perfect accompaniment to both raw seafood dishes, and richer seafood dishes such as lobster and clams with drawn butter.

As soon as I had my first sip of the Clambake Chardonnay, I knew I wanted to try to pair it with a homemade ceviche.

Ceviche, originating in South America, is a dish consisting of diced raw seafood that has marinated in acid (typically lime juice) to “cook” the seafood. The seafood is then mixed with onions, cilantro, and other ingredients to create a colorful and flavorful dish. Although homemade ceviche can sound a little intimidating, it’s actually really easy to make at home! My knife skills aren’t great, so if yours aren’t as well, the recipe will turn out just fine.

Ingredients (serves 4 as an appetizer):

1 Fresno pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon salt, divided
16 oz halibut, cut into bite sized pieces
1 avocado, chopped
1 peach, chopped
3/2 cup cilantro, minced
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup fresh lime juice (2-3 limes)
1/2 cup fresh orange juice (~4 oranges)
corn tortilla chips, for serving

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Cantaloupe Tomato Panzanella Salad

Note: I was given a box of produce from Penn Farm and used some of the produce in order to make this Cantaloupe Tomato Panzanella Salad recipe. Opinions are mine alone.

One of my favorite things about this blog is the opportunity to spotlight amazing restaurants, ingredients, and food organizations when I come across them. So when I heard about this CSA, I knew I had to share their amazing story ASAP, even if it is toward the end of the CSA season (note: bookmark this post so you have all the info you need to sign up for this CSA next year!) I also have an awesome recipe for Cantaloupe Tomato Panzanella Salad that shows off the bounty of Penn Farm’s CSA, so be sure to check that out at the end of the post!

Source: https://www.colonialschooldistrict.org/pennfarm/

William Penn High School is a public high school in New Castle, Delaware, where students enrolled in the school’s Agriculture classes help maintain a farm nearby the school. Historic Penn Farm has been a tenant farm since its inception in the late 1700s, and the 100-acre farm is the last surviving farm of the original tenant farms. William Penn High School, through a partnership with the Trustees of the New York Commons, continues the legacy of Historic Penn Farm while educating students on agriculture and also supporting the local community.

William Penn High School’s “Farm-to-School” program gives students the opportunity to learn how to grow produce from seeds, maintain the farm throughout the growing season, and help to harvest everything at the end of the season.

Article: https://www.ffa.org/chapter-focus/william-penn/

Some of the produce is utilized in other programs within William Penn High School; agriculture students work directly with the school’s culinary students, nutrition services, and science students. Local produce from Penn Farm becomes delicious meals enjoyed by the rest of the student body. In addition to vegetables, other animal products such as eggs are also produced and used in school nutritional programs throughout the district.

All produce on Penn Farm is grown from non-GMO seeds and is grown following organic practices. The farm harvests A LOT of produce, so Penn Farm also offers a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) each year. The 10-week CSA at Penn Farm lasts from late June through August, where those who buy a share receive a fresh produce box each week. Each box is chock full of vegetables, enough to feed a family of four for a week! Sign-ups each season open in the spring. I received the following in my box this week (note: the cantaloupe had to go it its own photo because it was bigger than my head!):

Source: https://www.colonialschooldistrict.org/pennfarm/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2023/02/2023-CSA-Brochure.pdf

The CSA offering is a great way for Penn Farm, William Penn High School, and Colonial School District to provide a valuable service to the local community. In return, purchasing a CSA share serves as a method of monetary support for Penn Farm and the Agriculture Programs at William Penn High School.

To show off some of this beautiful produce, I knew I had to go for a summer classic: Panzanella Salad! This Cantaloupe Tomato Panzanella Salad highlights the cantaloupe, tomatoes, and cucumbers from my Pann Farm CSA Share, plus helped me use up some leftover Italian bread I had!

Ingredients:

Salad:

6 slices Italian bread, cut into bite sized pieces
olive oil, for drizzling
salt and pepper, to taste
1 medium cucumber, cut in half and thinly sliced
1 large tomato, chopped
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
3 cups cantaloupe, cut into bite sized pieces

Dressing:

1/4 cup olive oil
the juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed (paid link)
pinch salt
pinch ground pepper

Continue reading Cantaloupe Tomato Panzanella Salad

Homemade Avocado Ice Cream

I’m sure you’re thinking to yourself, “Avocado Ice Cream? Really??”

Me making a Homemade Avocado Ice Cream is actually a long time coming. I have a coworker who absolutely loves avocados. And years ago, I mentioned that (the now shuttered and very much missed) Capogiro Gelato in Philadelphia had an avocado ice cream, and that I’d buy her a pint the next time I saw it. Well. Capogiro sadly closed at the end of 2018 without me ever bringing her a pint. So, now that I am feeling more comfortable making my own homemade ice cream, it was time to finally deliver on my promise!

This recipe might be my easiest ice cream recipe to date. It has just 4 ingredients, does not require heating the cream mixture, and doesn’t even need to refrigerate overnight!

Ingredients (makes about 3/4 quarts, or 1 1/2 pints):

4 ripe avocados
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

Equipment Needed (paid links):

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Homemade Ube Ice Cream

When I first realized how surprisingly easy it is to make homemade ice cream, Homemade Ube Ice Cream was at the top of my list. I’ve been doing my best to space out my ice cream recipes so you don’t think this has completely changed into just an ice cream blog, but this one is too good to keep to myself much longer!

If you haven’t had ube before, ube is a sweet purple yam with a slightly nutty and vanilla flavor which lends itself perfectly for desserts. To add ube flavor, this recipe uses both Ube Halaya and Ube Flavor. Ube Halaya is mashed purple yam combined with condensed milk. Ube Flavor, or extract, obviously adds more ube flavor, but it also contains purple dye in it to amp up that beautiful purple color. Both ube halaya and ube flavor can be found at most Asian grocery stores.

Let’s get churning!

Recommended tools (paid links):

Ingredients:

2 cups heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
6 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon ube flavor
1/2 cup ube halaya

Continue reading Homemade Ube Ice Cream

White Peach Strawberry Salad

When I first started this blog, I was living in Old City and working in Center City Philadelphia, which meant I got to stop at Reading Terminal on my way home and get inspiration for my meals based on what looked the best that day. I stopped by the Historic Lewes Farmers Market recently looking for some inspiration while at the Delaware Beaches. While I was there, I was able to catch a demonstration by SoDel Concepts’ Pastry Chef Dru Tevis and Bennett Orchards’ Henry Bennett. I picked up some White Peaches from Bennett Orchards while I was there, which inspired me to make this perfectly summery White Peach Strawberry Salad!

This salad is very simple to make, and has less than 10 ingredients, but delivers a balanced mix of sweet, toasty, earthy, and acidic flavors, making for a truly memorable bite!

Ingredients:

Salad:

1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1 (5 oz) bag spring mix
2 sliced white peaches or nectarines
1 cup sliced strawberries
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese (if you don’t like blue cheese, you can substitute in feta)

Dressing:

1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
pinch of salt and pepper

Continue reading White Peach Strawberry Salad

Prosciutto Asparagus and Quail Egg Tarts

Note: I was sent some quail eggs from Spring Creek Quail Farms in order to write this post. Opinions are mine alone.

I love a recipe that looks fancy, but really takes minimal effort, like this recipe for Prosciutto Asparagus and Quail Egg Tarts, adapted slightly from a Spring Creek Quail Farms recipe, created by Chef Andrea Monzon. When Spring Creek Quail Farms contacted me with a bunch of quail egg recipes, I jumped at the opportunity!

Spring Creek Quail Farms, a small, family-owned, zero-waste farm in Saint Anns, Ontario, offers a small but powerful, nutritious alternative in the Egg aisle: quail eggs. Quail eggs have long captivated food enthusiasts with their exquisite taste, enticed health-conscious consumers with their remarkable nutritional benefits and have been viewed as a delicacy by many communities. Spring Creek Quail Farms eggs can be found in multiple stores across the US and Canada.

Quail eggs are an easy and effective way to elevate really any recipe where you’d use eggs. The quail eggs, buttery puff pastry, tangy goat cheese, salty prosciutto, and fresh asparagus result in an absolutely delicious dish that can be served either as an appetizer or as a smaller main course.

Ingredients:

1 sheet puff pastry
1 (4 oz log) goat cheese
~40 pencil asparagus spears
4 slices prosciutto, torn into pieces
1 tablespoon milk
8 quail eggs
chives, chopped, to taste

Continue reading Prosciutto Asparagus and Quail Egg Tarts

Strawberry Frose

Note: I was sent bottles of Fresh Vine Wine Rosé in order to make this post. Opinions are mine alone.

It is absolutely rosé season! And what is better than a refreshing, cold glass of rosé? An ice-cold glass of Strawberry Frose, of course!

This recipe is a simple way to upgrade your normal glass of rosé, making it perfect for warm summer nights spent with friends.

For this recipe, I am using Fresh Vine Wine Rosé. Produced and bottled in Napa, California, Fresh Vine Wine’s are premium, great tasting wines with careful attention to lower calorie, carb, and sugar content.

The Fresh Vine Wine Rosé is a blend of Pinot Grigio and Pinot Noir pressed then fermented and aged in stainless steel, with notes of nectarine, stone fruit, and melon with a bit of acidity, which will work perfectly with the balanced sweetness of strawberries!

Ingredients (makes 4 servings):

1 (750 ml) bottle of Fresh Vine Wine Rosé
2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
1-2 tablespoons sugar, to taste
1/4 cup vodka

Continue reading Strawberry Frose

Homemade Nutella Ice Cream

Well, I’m sure this comes as no surprise but now that I know how easy it is to make homemade ice cream, I’m trying out more and more flavors. This recipe for Homemade Nutella Ice Cream was one of my husband’s first requests.

(He’s a HUGE Nutella fan, which is why I have quite a few Nutella-filled recipes on my blog.)

This recipe is actually even easier than the pistachio one, so I was happy to make this for him. It does not have any egg yolks in the recipe, and you don’t even have to heat the cream mixture! With just five ingredients, it comes together in no time as well!

You will still need some equipment to help make this recipe (paid links):

Ingredients:

3 cups heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup Nutella
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon coffee extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

Continue reading Homemade Nutella Ice Cream

Tropical Margarita

Note: I was sent bottles of OCEAN SPRAY CRAN•TROPICAL™ CRANBERRY TROPICAL JUICE DRINK in order to make this post. Opinions are mine alone.

Outdoor summer events call for fun cocktails, don’t you think? And this oh so pretty (and tasty) Tropical Margarita from Ocean Spray is sure to become one of your favorites outdoor sips!

This spin on a traditional margarita uses Ocean Spray’s Cran-Tropical Cranberry Tropical Juice Drink to add the delicious flavors of cranberry, mango, guava, and orange.

The result is a super refreshing and summery drink you’ll enjoy all season!

Ingredients (makes one serving, multiply as needed):

1 lime, sliced into wedges
salt or sugar, for garnish
2 1/2 ounces Ocean Spray® Cran∙Tropical™ Juice Drink
1 ounce tequila
1/2 ounce triple sec
1 teaspoon agave nectar

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Homemade Pistachio Ice Cream

It’s no secret how much I love ice cream, but I haven’t really tried to make much at home. With the beautiful weather we have been having, I figured it was time to try! I happened to have some shelled pistachios on hand, so why not make some Homemade Pistachio Ice Cream?

Pistachio ice cream is one of my absolute favorite flavors, and I had no clue how easy it was to make my own homemade version!

Recommended tools (paid links):

Ingredients (makes 2 pints):

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cups shelled pistachios, divided
1 (12 oz can) evaporated milk
3 cups heavy cream
3/4 teaspoon salt
6 egg yolks
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 tablespoon almond extract

Continue reading Homemade Pistachio Ice Cream

Sambal Chicken with Peppers and Tomatoes

Did you know that I have over 1,000 recipes on my blog? That’s a lot of cooking inspiration! So it’s probably not a surprise that I like to look back on old recipes I’ve made and either use them as is or change them up a bit and make a new recipe! This recipe for Sambal Chicken with Peppers and Tomatoes is heavily inspired by my old post for Spicy Moroccan Chicken Skewers, which is originally a Cooking Light recipe.

The chicken has a light heat to it, which adds nice flavor to the overall dish. I grilled my chicken, but you can also sauté it on days where the weather isn’t cooperating for grilling!