Scoopable Strawberry Ice Cream

This is, basically, the same recipe as the vanilla I'd previously made and posted. Results were the same as well-delicious! Several days later it still scoops easily and is creamy.

I had a pic to post. But I'm either at a pic limit here on Blogger or there's some sort of glitch in their system.  I've seen others posting in various forums that they are having the same problem. But there's been no resolution, as far as I have read. Not sure what to do about it yet.  Grr.

Scoopable Strawberry Ice Cream 
(from Becky @ Becky's Place)
1c half & half
1/2c xylitol
20 drops liquid vanilla stevia
30 drops liquid strawberry stevia
pinch salt
1T homemade vanilla extract
1tsp xanthan gum
2c heavy whipping cream
1/2c chopped strawberries, thawed, liquid drained, or fresh 

Pour h&h, xylitol, stevias and salt into a bowl.  Stir and let xylitol dissolve.  Add vanilla extract and xanthan gum, whisk until blended.  Pour in hwc.  Cover and refrigerate at least one hour.  Follow directions for machine to make ice cream.

 
 

Doughnut Mini-Muffins Recipe - NOT LOW-CARB!

... though I may like to experiment and make them lower-carb...

I made these for my daughter, A.  She's quite thin and needs all the calories and fattening foods that she can get.  Plus she's at college and this is just the kind of stuff those kids like to eat.  Yes, I was "naughty" and tried one.  Fortunately I have never been a huge doughnut fan so I can stop with one.  But I certainly couldn't have A share them with her dormmate without taste-testing first.  I've had this recipe bookmarked for quite some time and wanted to "get 'er done" so as not to find myself continuously looking at all those sugary goodies on that site.  They do taste a lot like a cake doughnut... pretty darn good.

Doughnut Mini-Muffins
(adapted from Tasty Kitchen)
(makes 24 minis)
1 & 3/4c flour
1 & 1/2tsp baking powder
1/2tsp pink salt
1/2tsp nutmeg
1/2tsp cinnamon
1/3c grapeseed oil
3/4c sugar
1 egg
1T homemade vanilla extract
3/4c milk

Topping
1/4c butter, melted
1/4c sugar
1T cinnamon

Combine flour, baking powder, salt & spices.  In another bowl, mix oil, sugar, egg, vanilla and milk.  Add wet ingredients to the dry mixture.  Stir just until all's moistened.  Drop into sprayed mini-muffin pan wells.  Bake at 350 for 15mns, or until done.  (My oven's a bit hot, so I set my temp for a bit under 350, but more than 325.)

For topping: Melt butter in bowl.  Make cinnamon sugar in another bowl.  While muffins are still warm, dip each top in butter then the cinnamon sugar.  Let cool on wire rack.

Contrary to most everywhere else in the country...

Winter is not over.

School was cancelled this morning.  Unfortunately for J, work was not.  He had just finished shoveling the end of the driveway and was getting ready to leave when the plow went by and blockaded it all again.  The driver turned to wave as he went by.  I'd like to think it was an, "oops, sorry" type of acknowledgement. 

Pork Roast & Sweet Potatoes

Pork Roast & Sweet Potatoes 
(by Becky @ Becky's Place)
3-4lb pork shoulder roast*
2 small onions, peeled & quartered
2 small heads garlic, peeled & smashed
1/2 tsp pink salt
2Tbsp herbes de provence
2Tbsp rosemary
1Tbsp liquid smoke
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chunked, tossed with a dash of olive oil

Place roast in Dutch oven.  Add onions and garlic, salt, herbes de provence, rosemary and liquid smoke.  Cover and place in oven set to 350 for a half hour.  Reduce oven to 325.  Add sweet potatoes, cover and return to oven to continue to cook for 1hr.  Reduce heat to 300 for another 1hr & 20mns.  Remove from oven and let rest 15mns before serving.

*My roast was direct from the freezer.  You may wish to cook yours for less time if it is thawed.  Use a thermometer to test for doneness.

Drats!  I forgot to get a picture once it was completely done.  Well, it looked a lot like the second photo... just a little browner, I guess.  This was a very good combination and I'll make it again.  I was hesitant when adding the liquid smoke.  But I'm not sure it added much to the outcome, maybe a little additional saltiness.  Next time I would like to increase it to 2-3Tbsp. This fed 5 of us with leftovers for at least three more servings.

Great Scoopable Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe

Scoopable Vanilla Ice Cream 
(from Becky @ Becky's Place)
1c half & half
1/2c xylitol
30 drops liquid vanilla stevia
pinch salt
1T homemade vanilla extract
1tsp xanthan gum
2c heavy whipping cream

Pour h&h, xylitol, stevia and salt into a bowl.  Stir and let xylitol dissolve.  Add vanilla extract and xanthan gum, whisk until blended.  Pour in hwc.  Cover and refrigerate at least one hour.  Follow directions for machine to make ice cream.

*I experimented by using my homemade vanilla extract, which was made using vodka, in hopes of the alcohol helping to keep the finished ice cream scoopable.  I also decided to try xanthan gum with the same hope in mind.  This recipe is also higher fat than the first time I tried making lower carb ice cream.  Whether it was one of those reasons or all of them together, 48hrs later, my ice cream is easily scoopable and without crystals.  This tastes like DQ soft-serve to me.  Yummo!

Lemon & Coconut Popsicles

This recipe came about due to an accident.  Well, more like, due to my frugality.

When I have bought canned coconut milk I have bought the brand in a red can - Thai Kitchen brand.  I took a chance and purchased a cheaper brand - Imperial Dragon.  I had picked the can up from the shelf and brought it close to my ear where I proceeded to tip it/turn it upside down/shake it.  It didn't make any sloshy sounds.  That indicated to me that it was not going to be the watery type.  That was good.  However, I was expecting it to be like Thai Kitchen in that it would have an awesome, thick, dreamy creamy layer on top and the rest would be an opaque layer that I could drain off.  So I stuck it in the fridge for the day so that it would be easier to separate once the bulk of the fat/cream solidified.

Alas, it was not what I was expecting.  But it was somewhat thick (like yogurt) and very creamy, from the top to the bottom of the can.  The flavor was good, too.  While I couldn't make what I intended to with it,  I thought about making an ice cream.  I also had most of a lemon left after a previous meal.  So that's where I started.  But not where I ended up.

Lemon & Coconut Popsicles
(from Becky @ Becky's Place)
1 - 13.5oz can coconut milk*
2T xylitol
15 drops liquid vanilla stevia
2T fresh lemon juice**
1T lemon zest**
1tsp vanilla extract

Mix all in a jar or mixing bowl.  Pour into popsicle molds.  Freeze overnight or until firm.

Number of servings depends on your molds.  I have a 4pc set and will get 7 popcicles from this recipe.  I could have got 8 if I didn't fill them so completely.  These turned out smooth and creamy, no ice crystals after being in the freezer for one day.  The xylitol dissolved completely before I poured into the molds, too.  *The brand of coconut milk I used contains 3grams sugar and 6grams carbs in the entire can.  **Depending on how tangy you would like yours, you may want to start with less juice and zest.  I didn't measure mine, just eyeballed it.  Another good reason to begin with less.  You can always add more, too. 

I now need to bellyache.  (But I know it's my own damn fault, too.)  I gained 10 pounds in 4 days.  10 pounds in 4 days!?!  What the hell?!?  We took a mini-vacation with family.  Lots of food (everything offered was brown) and one night down at the bar is how it happened.  Man, but that bartender made a great mudslide...  Anyway.  I'm back to behaving (and feeling so much better for it, too) today.  I also resumed the walking videos, with weights even.  Oh, plus I rediscovered the chia seeds I'd bought some time ago and added them to a raspberry protein shake.  I love that, in my mind, they pass for berry seeds - makes it so easy to incorporate them into my diet.




 

Roasted Pork & Cabbage

I am  really loving my Dutch oven lately.  It just makes such succulent meals every single time.  Yes, this takes a bit of time since you are seasoning your meat and letting it tenderize for a short bit, browning it, then cooking for about two hours more.  But it turns out so tender... so good... it's worth the effort.  Will make again, though likely will use a little larger cabbage as we were all looking for more.

 
Roasted Pork & Cabbage
(by Becky @ Becky's Place) 
(served 5 w/few leftover slices of meat)
1tsp pink salt
1/4-1/2tsp black pepper
1Tbsp smoked paprika
1Tbsp herbs de provence
about 3.5lb pork shoulder roast
2-4Tbsp olive/coconut oil
8 or more garlic cloves, left whole but slightly crushed with side of knife
1/2 of a large onion, just cut into a couple of chunks
small head cabbage, cut into 8 wedges with core removed

Mix salt, pepper, paprika and herbs de provence in small bowl.  Rub all over meat and cover with plastic wrap.  Set in fridge for about a half hour.   When ready to cook, melt oils in Dutch oven.  Brown the pork well.  Once browned, remove most of the oil, turn off heat and add garlic cloves and onion.  Cover with lid and place in oven heated to 325 for about an hour.  (At this time, check your meat temp - mine was well above required temp.)  Reduce heat to 300.  Remove lid and add cabbage wedges.  Replace lid and return to oven for an additional half hour, then remove lid for twenty minutes or until cabbage has some browned edges.

I had a few small red potatoes that needed to be used up which I boiled and served alongside for the rest of the family.  I also thawed a container of homemade applesauce, which goes fantastically with pork, which I enjoyed a few tablespoons of.

Non-related to food... I have been using my Leslie Sansone walking dvd's the past two weeks.  While it hasn't affected my weight, I have noticed a definite decrease in the pain I've been having for months now in my left hip.  I started with the 1mile dvd and have now been doing the 2mile one, and planning on starting the 3mile this week.  I'm excited.  Yes.  Excited.  No, I'm not being a smarta$$.

Not sure what my blood pressure's been lately.  Suppose I should check it again soon.  Doctor put me back on whatever one I had been on last time-that was about 3 or 4 weeks ago.  Think it's called Atenolol.  He thought it was an appropriate choice, too, since it slows the heart rate, which he thinks would be good if my chest pain is due to anxiety.  (I had had an EKG done and blood test at that same appointment - he was not worried about my heart.) 

Coconut Milk Braised Turkey

I had started out tracking what I was eating again last week.  I deleted what I'd had.  It served its purpose in letting me realize just how much extra fruit and snacks I was indulging in, hence my inability to get off this plateau.  So for this week I decided to just forget about recording and be more mindful of what was going in my mouth.  I've cut back on some of the apples and other fruits I was snacking on and started buying berries again.  I skipped a couple of somewhat planned cheats and I've cut back on the artificially sweetened stuff.  Not perfect, by no means, but do-able.  Something else that sort of helps me is to discover new recipes and experimenting in the kitchen.  I made this super yummy supper tonight!  I had my serving over 1/4c of jasmine rice.  But next time I intend to try making cauli-rice... because I wanted to eat more!  Note my measurements for the soy and tamarind sauce - I used one measure cup and just used a 50/50 combo that equaled 1/3c (first time trying tamarind).  This served 6 of us with no leftovers.

Coconut Milk Braised Turkey
(adapted from Rachel Ray Magazine)
2 Tbsp olive/coconut oil
2 & 1/2 lbs turkey parts
s&p to taste
1 (14oz) can coconut milk
1/3c cider vinegar
1/6c soy sauce
1/6c tamarind sauce
1 head garlic, skins removed and smashed
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
8 oz kale, roughly torn from stems

In Dutch oven, heat oils on medium to high heat.  Add s&p seasoned turkey, in batches if necessary, and brown.  Add remaining ingredients, except kale, and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat, cover and simmer, turning meat after 10-15mns.  Cover again and let simmer until turkey's cooked through, maybe another 15mns.  Remove bay leaves.  Add spinach, squashing it down into the liquid.  Heat until just wilted.