Ninja Ice Cream

Don't worry...this isn't a recipe for Ninja flavored ice cream (eeuuww!) but for ice cream made with our new Ninja NJ600 Blender.  Our previous blender, after 15 years of faithful service, started cracking and so we started researching for a new model.  After reading Consumer Reports ratings, and user reviews across several websites, we decided the Ninja was the best fit and value for our smoothie-making needs. We are thrilled with our new blender thus far, and pleasantly surprised that it came with a recipe for making ice cream.  We just made some scrumptious raspberry ice cream and are now frantically freezing more fruit!

Ninja Ice Cream

Ingredients

• 2 cups frozen fruit of choice (berries, peaches, etc.)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2-4 TBSP sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in blender
2. Blend on "3" or high until thickened (occasionally scraping down sides

Makes 3-4 servings

Waffles!

As a post-Christmas gift to ourselves, we bought a waffle maker from King Arthur Flour, and we couldn't be happier with these warm, heart-shaped treats. 

Below are two recipes that came with the maker. We've only made the "Quick Waffles" but they were great!

Quick Waffles

Ingredients

• 3 Eggs
• 1 cup Milk
• 1/2 cup melted Butter *
• 1 TBSP Vanilla
• 2 cups Flour *
• 1 TBSP Baking Powder
• 2 tsp Sugar
• 1/2 tsp Salt

Directions

1. Beat whole eggs in a bowl until thick
2. Beat milk, melted butter, and vanilla into eggs
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt
4. Sift into egg mixture, and mix well
5. Spoon a ladleful onto pre-heated waffle maker
6. Cook 2-3 minutes until lightly browned/steam stops escaping
7. Recommend serving with real Vermont maple syrup*

Note: These can me transformed into Cinnamon-Apple Waffles by adding 1 peeled/shredded apple and 1/2 tsp cinnamon to the batter.

*Vermont/New England ingredients recommended: Kate's Homemade Butter, King Arthur Flour, Slopeside Syrup

Chocolate Waffles

Ingredients

• 2 Eggs, lightly beaten
• 6 TBSP Sugar
• 3/4 cup Milk
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla
• 1/2 cup Chocolate syrup
• 4 TBSP Butter, melted
• 1-1/2 cups cake Flour (sifted)
• 3 TBSP Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Salt

Directions

1. Combine beaten eggs, sugar, milk, and vanilla
2. In a separate bowl, blend chocolate syrup and butter, then let cool
3. Stir egg mixture into chocolate/butter blend
4. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt
5. Add egg/chocolate mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until smooth
6. Spoon a ladleful onto pre-heated waffle maker
7. Cook 2-3 minutes until lightly browned/steam stops escaping

Adrienne's Chocolate Chip Cookies

While cleaning out the "cooking" cupboard today, I found my mother-in-law's Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe tucked behind a box of sugar.  I thought our cookbook blog might be a safer place to keep it.  

The ingredients and mixing instructions are spelled out, but not the cooking instructions...which my husband calls the "advanced chef" technique. So upon consulting Quaker Oats (which has a great, free recipe PDF) and Betty Crocker, we recommend baking at 350 for about 10-13 minutes until browned...or until you can no longer resist the aroma!

Our son if not a big fan of oatmeal yet, so when omitting that from the mix, reduce cooking time to 9-11 minutes.

Adrienne's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup Butter (2 sticks), softened
• 3/4 cup Sugar
• 3/4 cup Brown Sugar
• 2 unbeaten Eggs
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 tsp Hot Water
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 1-1/2 cups Flour
• 1 tsp Salt
• 2 cups Quaker Oats (instant)
• 1 cup Walnuts
• 1 pkg Chocolate Chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees*
2. Mix butter well on slow speed. 
3. Slowly add sugars, and blend well. 
4. Add eggs to butter, then beat well
5. Combine baking soda and water, then add to butter mixture
6. Add vanilla, then mix
7. Add flower and salt and mix
8. Add oats, walnuts, and chocolate chips, then mix until combined
9. Drop by spoonfuls unto cookie sheet*
10. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-13 minutes until lightly browned*

*Will consult with Adrienne and update accordingly! We'll also update with our own picture soon!

Harvest Rice Salad

While looking for vegetarian recipes for a fall pot-luck, I stumbled upon a "Wild Rice Cranberry Pecan Salad" recipe on Simply Recipes.  I made some adaptations, and the resulting Harvest Rice Salad received rave reviews--and an empty bowl--in return.

Harvest Rice Salad

Ingredients

Rice:

• 1 cup Wild Rice mix
• Water or Vegetable stock (amount per rice package instructions)
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Butter

Stir-ins:

• 1/2 cup dried Cranberries
• 1/2 cup dried Apricots
• 1/2 cup toasted Pecans, chopped
• 1/4 cup sliced Scallions

Dressing:

• 1 TBSP Lemon Juice
• 2 TBSP Olive Oil
• 1/2 tsp Sugar
• 1 tsp grated Orange Peel
• Salt and Pepper to taste (freshly ground optimal)

Directions

1. Follow instructions on the rice package for cooking 1 cup of rice. Add butter.
2. While rice is cooking, make the dressing: combine dressing ingredients (lemon juice, olive oil, orange peel, salt and pepper) then mix thoroughly. Set aside.
3. Combine the "stir-in" ingredients (cranberries, apricots, pecans and scallions) in a medium serving bowl.
4. Once rice is done and fluffed, cool completely.
5. Add cooled rice to the bowl with "stir-ins." Mix thoroughly.
6. Mix in the dressing just before serving. 
7. Salad can be served warm, room-temp, or chilled.

Serves 4-6.