Caramel Corn Ice Cream

My idea for this recipe came from a malt we had at Tudor House in Miami two weeks ago. (Tudor House is Iron Chef Zakarian's restaurant in Miami which sadly is closing this month. The lease was up and he plans to open a few new restaurants in the near future. I am a huge Food Network fan, so we had to go to a celebrity chef's restaurant on our vacation.)

After an amazing dinner. We shared a popcorn malt with caramel corn on the side and brown butter foam on top for dessert. The sweet and salty combo was so delicious, I had to create my own version. I used a basic creamy custard ice cream base from MarthaStewart.com. I made a few changes and infused it with caramel corn. Straining the custard is key to getting super silky ice cream full of flavor. I hope you find the effort worth it. It is so yummy. Enjoy!

Caramel Corn Ice Cream with Brown Butter Sauce and Caramel Corn on top.
Sorry for the terrible photo. I quick snapped it with my phone and the lighting was really bad.

Caramel Corn Ice Cream

By Rachel Sims Serves 4

• 8 large egg yolks
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups caramel corn plus more for serving
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons butter (optional)

Directions
1. In a medium saucepan, off heat, whisk egg yolks, sugar, and salt until blended. Gradually whisk in milk.

2. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until custard thickens slightly and evenly coats back of spoon about 10 to 12 minutes.

3. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla extract and caramel corn into custard. Cover and let stand 30 minutes.

4. Pour custard through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl set over ice. Stir in heavy cream. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until chilled. Churn in an ice cream maker until it sets. (It will be soft but not runny. Be careful to not over churn.) Transfer ice cream to a plastic container and freeze until firm, about 2 hours.

5. To serve. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter over medium just until browned (optional). Remove from pan and allow to cool. Pour over ice cream and top with caramel corn.

Grilled Jalapeno Poppers

I like to recreate delicious food I've had in restaurants. About a year ago, I had ordered Jalapeno Poppers from Rockwoods Grill in Otsego. Ever since, I've been craving these spicy smokey creamy bites of goodness. I've made them at least a half dozen times since July.

Last week, I was shopping at Aldi and they had a one pound tray of jalapenos for $1.59. I had to get them. I made these Grilled Jalapeno Poppers again on Saturday for the Sims' family as an appetizer before our Shrimp Boil. They are spicy hot and creamy with smoky, salty bacon bits stuffed inside and grilled to perfection. A must try for your next get together or tailgate party.

Grilled Jalapeno Poppers

8-10 jalapenos (or mini sweet peppers)

8 oz package of cream cheese

4 strips of bacon

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Slice jalapenos in half lengthwise. Remove ribs and seeds. (You may want to wear a glove. My hands have been burning for a week.) Arrange on a piece of aluminum foil and set aside.

Chop into bits and fry bacon until crispy. Mix with softened cream cheese, parmesan. Mix well. Spoon about one tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture into the jalapeno halves. Use a cookie sheet under the foil to carry the poppers to the grill. Carefully slide the foil with the poppers onto the grill. (Don't place your cookie sheet on the grill, it will warp. I've tried this.)

Grill, covered on medium heat until the peppers have softened and the cream cheese is hot and bubbly, about 10-15 minutes. Or bake in a 400 degree oven for 35-45 minutes. Enjoy! 

Homemade Fruit Rollups

About 3 years ago we discovered that Jack is very sensitive to food coloring and corn syrup. One summer evening, Josh and I decided to pack up our little munchkins and get some Red Lobster (one of our favorites!) for dinner. I think Natalie was with Gramma and Papa, so we just had Jack, 2 1/2 , and Levi, 1 year, that day. It was getting late and Jack was hungry already. He sucked down a yogurt squeeze  before we left the house.

By the time we arrived to the restaurant he was bouncing off the walls. We had to wait for a seat and I remember Jack being extra wild. People always say, "boys will be boys". But I'm telling you, this kid was on something. At dinner he was throwing things, yelling loudly, crawling under the table, jumping on the booth seats, looking over the divider at the couple next to us, and when we'd have him sit down, he'd be up again within seconds. Josh and I were both on edge. Our sweet toddler had never behaved this badly before. It was a nightmare. We were the parents with the crazy toddler at a sit down restaurant that I never wanted to be like. It wasn't funny. It was embarrassing.

I shared this with my mom and she asked, if he ate anything with food coloring. He sure did. That was the first and last time I bought those yogurt squeezes. Now I'm not saying we never have food coloring or corn syrup in our house. We do have these items and you can find them in almost all processed foods.  But I do try to avoid giving my kids, especially Jack, food with these ingredients when we are going in public or before he has school.

My goal as a parent is to raise my children to be a blessing to others. I want other people to enjoy being around my children. If I cannot control him when he's "on" food coloring or corn syrup, why would I subject others this unruly behavior. If a doctor evaluated him "on" that, he would probably suggest he be medicated. I'm not talking about being a boy or being active; it's that excessive disobedient crazy kid kind of behavior. I am very thankful to know what it is that causes him to behave this way. I haven't dove full on into the organic everything kind of lifestyle. For now I just limit the food coloring and corn syrup. This may not be the answer for everyone with a wild child. But it may be worth a try.

Today I'm trying a new recipe- Homemade Fruit Rollups. A little extra effort and time to keep chaos away, seems worth it to me. Enjoy!

Homemade Fruit Rollups
Adapted from Our Best Bites

2 1/2 cups frozen strawberries or other fruit
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Preheat oven to lowest temperature 140 to 170. Defrost fruit and place in blender. Melt sugar in water over low heat just until dissolved. Add to blender with fruit and lemon juice. Puree until smooth. Place a silicone baking mat on a baking sheet and spread fruit on mat to 1/8 inch thickness. Bake 6-8+ hours until center is no longer tacky. Allow to cool. Remove from mat and place onto parchment paper. Cut into strips and roll. Store in an air tight container or freeze. Enjoy!!

Favorite Magazines

I'm starting a go at blogging again. I'd like to do one at least once a week to start. See how much time it eats up and go from there.

This week's post is all about my favorite magazines. Busy moms need a way to zone out from time to time. I love to get lost in a good inspiring magazine. These are my top four.


(image from http://fleamarketstylemag.blogspot.com/) 

Flea Market Style
This magazine has inspired me to find beauty in junk. If you love yard sales, thrifting, and anything vintage, this magazine is for you. Flea Market Style is a new magazine that you can't even subscribe to yet. I purchased my copy at Coborn's.


(image from  http://www.foodnetwork.com/food-network-magazine/package/index.html )

Food Network Magazine
I am a Food Network junkie. If I have the time to sit and watch TV, it's usually a Food Network show. Chopped and Iron Chef are currently my favorites. I LOVE their magazine too. All the great recipes will keep you from getting bored in the kitchen.

 
(image from: http://www.cuisineathome.com/) 

Cuisine at Home
This magazine is perfect for cooks of all levels. They have pictures and step by step instructions for each recipe. I have tried many of the recipes and they come out perfect every time. A favorite recipe came from their last month's issue: lemon poppy seed pancakes with blueberry sauce. Delish!!


(image from: http://www.bhg.com/better-homes-and-garden-magazine/)

Better Homes and Gardens
This one has it all: decorating, gardening, style, recipes. It's full of inspiration for your home and life.

I love opening my mailbox to find a new magazine waiting for me. You can get lost in a magazine too, just click the links above to order yours. Do you have a favorite? I would love to hear about it.

Up at the crack of dawn.

Did your mother ever come into your room early in the morning singing in an opera voice, "oh, what a beautiful morning"? Mine did. All the time when we were young. Mostly on Saturday mornings when it was time to clean. Still gives me nightmares. Just kidding Mom. Confession: I do this to my kids now. Because it's funny. I laugh, they don't.

Anyway, getting up at the crack of dawn is a good thing. This school year I set a goal for myself. This isn't the first time I have had this goal, but it's a good one to start again. I want to be up before my kids, dressed and ready for whatever the day brings. Getting five kids ready doesn't leave a lot of time to get myself ready. I don't want to be screaming at them when it's time to go out the door because I feel like a mess. So if I can get up before them, be dressed with hair and make up done I can give my kids my full attention. Help them get breakfast, get dressed and ready for the bus and be ready to leave for my class at the YMCA. My the day will be so much better.

So I've made my goal. Now I'm trying to decide what time to get up. How much time do I need? What do I want to get done before they march down the stairs rubbing their eyes and smelling of a full diaper? I can at least be dressed and ready to go for the day before they come downstairs. I do have some other routines, thing I want to get done right away in the morning. More on that later. So I'm thinking I'll be up at 6:00 AM. I can be dressed, read e-mails and have a few minutes of quiet. My kids will be up at 7:00. An hour to myself sounds so good. We'll see how it goes in the morning.

What is the first thing you do in the morning?

There's love in the pot.

If you know a little about me, you know that someday I'd love to own a deli cafe. I make soup - good homemade soup. The kind that makes people feel good and loved. My deli cafe would be a place where I could serve a bowl of love. Until then my family gets test and enjoy lots of pots of soup. I'll share a few of my favorite recipes on my blog but not all of them. ;)

Today I made chicken noodle for my kids. My 6 year old is not feeling well. So just like my mother did for me, I made her a pot of soup. Chicken noodle. I don't know why but whenever my sick kids have some good homemade chicken noodle soup they seem to get better much faster. This is the first soup I ever made. I make it just like my mother did when I was young.

Chicken Noodle Soup

For the broth.
2 quarts water
chicken bones with meat
1 carrot
1 rib celery
1/2 onion
4 boullion cubes
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. whole peppercorns
1 bay leaf

Put everything in a 8 qt pot and bring to boil. Then reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes. Strain and reserve broth and chicken meat for soup. Discard bones and vegetables.

For the soup.
2 quarts broth (as prepared above or canned)
2 carrots sliced
2 ribs celery sliced
1 small onion diced
1 cup chicken (reserved from chicken bones)
1 cup uncooked egg noodles (any variety)

Bring broth to a low boil. Add carrots, celery and onions. Cook 3-5 minutes, then add chicken and noodles. Cook 6-8 minutes more until noodles are soft and vegetables are still slightly firm. Serve hot with crackers.
(note- if you like your soup chunkier, feel free to increase the amounts of chicken and vegetables).

Try a pot of this chicken noodle the next time your family needs a little love.