Roasted Banana Ice Cream

Posted by: Maggie

This is the second recipe I've made from David Lebovitz's "Perfect Scoop" cookbook, and I think it's safe to say that I'm now addicted to making ice cream. I selected this recipe because I had 3 overripe bananas languishing on my counter, and I wanted to use them up on something other than banana bread. Plus, the oh-so-reliable Wikipedia says it's National Ice Cream month, and who am I to let such an occasion go by without celebrating?

For those of you who also like to make homemade ice cream, I wanted to share this company that I recently found. They're called Sweet Bliss, and make plain white pint and quart sized disposable ice cream containers. The first time I made ice cream, I stored it in a regular tupperware, and it turned into a freezer burned rock hard mass. I searched and searched online for a place to purchase a more appropriate storage vessel for my frozen treats.

I wanted disposable containers, but most places make you buy eleventy billion of them at once. Not happening. I live in a 600 square foot studio in a high rise apartment building. Closet space is at a premium, and there is not a shot in hell that I'm storing enough ice cream containers to last the zombie apocalypse, especially when there are shoes and purses to be stored.

Enter, Sweet Bliss. I was able to purchase a reasonably sized 25-pack of pint containers and a 25-pack of quart containers, that will surely last me for many, many years. As an added bonus, they fit neatly on a shelf in my closet. Sweet Bliss has no idea who I am, and are not paying me to advertise their product - I'm just a fan and wanted to share!

Here's what you'll need for the ice cream:

3 medium-sized ripe bananas, peeled
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 cups whole milk (do not sub low-fat or skim - the texture of the final product will be off)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cut peeled bananas into 1/2 inch chunks. In a 2 quart baking dish, combine bananas, brown sugar, and butter. Gently toss with your hands to thoroughly combine, and bake for 40 minutes, stirring once halfway through.

When banana mixture is done, add the bananas and the syrup that has formed in the baking dish to a food processor or blender. Add in the milk, sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, and salt. Process or blend for about 30 seconds, or until smooth.

Chill the mixture in the fridge for at least 12 hours (I waited for about 20 hours,) and then freeze chilled mixture in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. For those of you who use the popular Cuisinart model (the kind I have,) the ice cream took a little less than the recommended 20 minutes to be done.

Makes 1 pint.

Addendum: I have never posted nutrition information on here before, but I often figure it out for stuff I make and thought it might be useful to others if I shared! I won't be posting it for everything because that will be tremendously annoying to figure out, and frankly, I don't always want to know how much damage I've done. I hope on the occasion that I decide to figure the nutrition stats that you all find it helpful! Also, I usually calculate nutrition stats using a program like fitday.com, or by adding up the data on the products I use, so be advised that there may be a slight margin of error when you make it! 

Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe
Nutrition per Serving: 255 calories, 7 grams fat, 49 grams carbs, 4 grams protein

Spinach Dip

Posted by: Maggie

Happy Monday!

Not.

Please pardon my attitude...it is hot as sin here in DC today, which makes me unreasonably grumpy. In honor of this miserable weather, I present to you a recipe that requires no stove, no oven, and no microwave.

Those of you who have been reading A Bitchin' Kitchen for awhile may remember that I shared a recipe for Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip back around Christmas. Hot spinach dip will always be my personal favorite, but this cold version of spinach dip is so simple and delicious that it deserves a place on the blog as well. It uses a packet of salad dressing mix, so any readers who are strictly against packaged stuff like that may want to avert their eyes now, and come back for Wednesday's very homemade recipe! (Hint: It is in celebration of National Ice Cream Month!)

Here's what you'll need for about 2 cups of dip:

2 packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed, and thoroughly wrung out (I used my potato ricer to wring out the spinach and it worked like a charm!)
1 cup mayonnaise
1 packet ranch salad dressing mix
Pinch of nutmeg
2 scallions, green parts chopped

In a medium bowl, combine the wrung out spinach and scallions. In a small bowl, thoroughly mix together the mayonnaise, salad dressing mix, and nutmeg. Add the dressing mix to the spinach mix, stir together, and chill until you're ready to serve. Tastes best when served with crackers, tortilla chips, or a spoon!

Source: My lovely Mom!

Bittersweet Chocolate Cherry Cookies

Posted by: Maggie


Does anyone else wind up with random baking ingredients left over from other recipes in their cabinet? Do they stay there for all eternity, or at least until a desperate chocolate craving hits and you end up eating that last quarter cup of chocolate chips from the bottom of the bag.

Yeah...me too...until these cookies.

This cookie was intended as a way to use up some dried cherries I had floating around from when I made baked brie last month (it's not on the blog, it was too dark to photograph when I made it), and the bittersweet chocolate was left over from when I made frosting for these bad boys.

I probably wouldn't have gravitated towards this recipe unless I was trying to use up ingredients, but I am so. glad. I. did.

The slightly bitter chocolate chips, the tart dried cherries, and the perfectly sweet chocolate cookie dough   complement each other perfectly, and I am super excited for Jeff to come over and taste test them himself.

I slightly adapted this recipe from one of my favorite bloggers, Jessica, of How Sweet It Is. Also, check out this post that she did where she rips cookies in half and stacks the halves (did that make sense at all? She explains it better...) Instead of rolling my cookies in a ball like I usually do, I used the rip and stack method, which made the tops nice and jagged, like a bakery cookie.

Here is what you need:

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
Heaping 1/2 cup dried cherries
Heaping 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cream together the butter and sugars until smooth. Add in the eggs and vanilla, and beat until combined.

In a separate bowl, stir together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually beat in to the butter mixture on low speed, until just combined.

Fold in cherries and bittersweet chocolate chips. Refrigerate dough for 10-15 minutes, just so it's easier to work with and doesn't spread as much.

Using the "rip and stack" method, form your cookies and place on baking sheet, spaced about 1.5 inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes, and cool on cookie sheets for 3-4 minutes.