Ice Cream and Summertime

July 3, 2013 By

 

Disclosure: I was provided with coupons to try each of these products free of charge. All opinions are my own and no other compensation was received.

Ice cream and Summertime

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, it has arrive. Summer, that is. I love the lazier days and letting the boys play in the sprinkler. For Nico’s birthday we got a bunch of great Nerf SuperSoaker water guns and then kids have been having a blast drenching each other. But something that really screams summertime is ice cream and Popsicle.  You all know I’m not huge on snack foods, but there is something about summer that makes ice cream a necessity. Like a right of passage.

I have to admit I have a hard time passing up a frozen treat on a stick. Unilever sent me some really great treats to try, and even if they aren’t non-GMO there is a time and a place for them. Summer happens to be the time, and the backyard happens to be the place. There really isn’t much better than being able to give your kids (and you too) a fun treat (remembering what treats really are, treats, not daily foods) after a hot day in the sun.

Larry and I enjoyed the Rocky Road Klondike bar. Larry has had a soft spot in his heart for Klondike bars for as long as I’ve known him. What wouldn’t he do for a Klondike?

The boys have been sharing their Popsicles with our neighbor’s niece. They all get outside in the kiddie pool or running through the sprinklers and all of a sudden then are all back inside, hot and drenched, asking for a banana, lime or root-beer Popsicle. I remember being a kid and doing the same thing with my cousins. We loved having Popsicles on hot summer days.

Probably my favorite summer treats so far have been the Magnum Gold? The ice cream bars truly have a golden hue, filled with vanilla ice cream and sea salt caramel. I was nice enough to share one with my neighbor (but just one!). These are a more adult ice cream treat, something that is fun to savor and dripping with more complex flavors like sea salt caramel, dark and white chocolate. They are for ice cream lovers with a sophisticated taste.

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I plan to have Good Humor York ice cream bars available to my guests for the 4th of July. I love the flavor of peppermint and chocolate. And I found out a great little tip the other day, simply by accident. I figured I needed to try these bars out before I could review them, right? Because how can you review something if you haven’t tried them, right? But before I could get more than one bite in, my youngest was calling me upstairs to put him back in bed. I spent a good 5 minutes with him and when I got back downstairs the Good Humor York ice cream bar has started to melt and was an amazingly satisfying texture. It was actually perfect.

My father has always been a big fan of Breyer’s Ice Cream so I plan to have a bit of that on hand too. He enjoys a good brownie covered in Breyer’s vanilla ice cream (and really, who doesn’t?). This is an easy treat to make and I can fashion a yummy gluten free brownie for the Breyer’s Ice Cream to rest on. OR, maybe I will really offer a huge throw back to my younger days and get some toaster waffles (gluten free of course) and make Waffle Ice Cream Sandwiches. My mother was FAMOUS for these.

The last treat we got to pick up was Fruttare Fruit bars. I, of course, had to get the lime bars. Summer  is better with lime. Limeade is a favorite in this house. The Coconut sounded amazing too.

I hope you get a chance to enjoy this summer with some of your favorite treats. What flavors make summertime really summer for you?

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Paleo Chocolate Coconut Milk Panna Cotta

May 9, 2013 By

 

Paleo Chocolate Coconut Milk Panna Cotta

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you probably know by now, I love desserts.  I like to bake desserts, to make desserts and especially to eat desserts. Hence why I am also on Weight Watchers – trying to lose all these desserts! But we are also trying to live a healthier lifestyle – whatever that is supposed to mean anymore. I don’t really know. I no longer try to label us. I guess if  you have to give us a name or label, then we probably follow the Weston A. Price Foundation principles of eating more than any other. But we also dabble in the Paleo or Primal lifestyle, so whenever I cook or bake I try to make it as REAL as possible with the least amount of “junk”.

Paleo Chocolate Coconut Milk Panna Cotta

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My boys LOVE having dessert and even though we don’t have it daily, I don like to have it for them on the weekends. Especially when I have time to make something yummy and delicious and of course HOMEMADE. This time I decided to make Paleo Chocolate Coconut Milk Panna Cotta. The boys gave it a bazillion thumbs up, especially on the batch I made with less gelatin. They seemed to prefer it a little softer. So when you read the recipe below you will see it calls for 2.5 to 3 teaspoons of gelatin. My boys liked it with the 2.5 teaspoons better than the one with the 3 teaspoons. It is really up to your preference. I hope you enjoy my Paleo Chocolate Coconut Milk Panna Cotta and let me know which way you prefer yours.

Paleo Chocolate Coconut Milk Panna Cotta Recipe

3 cups Coconut Milk
1/3 cup Pure Organic Maple Syrup
2.5 to 3 teaspoons Unflavored Gelatin
3 to 5 tablespoons Cocoa Powder
dash of sea salt

In a medium Stainless Steel Sauce Pan combine the coconut milk and maple syrup.

Sprinkle the gelatin over the coconut milk mixture and allow it to bloom for a moment.

Turn the heat to medium and add the cocoa powder and salt.
Stir constantly to combine the ingredients and bring the mixture to a scald.

Do not let the mixture boil, but allow small bubbles to begin to form around the edge of the pan.

Pour through a strainer to remove any cocoa powder that did not dissolve.

Pour mixture into ramekins, coffee cups or mold and refrigerate for several hours to allow it to set.

Serve in containers or unmold for presentation.

 

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Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Frosting Recipe

April 1, 2013 By

 

 

chocolate cookie dough frosting-1-2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I was a child my parents would always bake a ton of cookies for Christmas and my absolute favorite was the Chocolate Chip. Funny thing is, I wanted the raw cookie dough instead of the baked cookies. I know a lot of you out there feel the same way. Nothing quite compares to a good Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and that was the inspiration for this Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Frosting Recipe. I wanted to give my boys the taste of great chocolate chip cookie dough even if we can’t eat real cookie dough. That is how I came up with a Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Frosting Recipe. I love brown sugar and wanted an uncooked frosting, that could incorporate the rich flavor of brown sugar while still remaining fluffy and delicious.

I like it on a simple yellow cake, but I bet it would great sandwiched between soft vanilla cookies. Of course I also like it right off the spoon. Shh.

5.0 from 9 reviews
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Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Frosting Recipe
Author: 
Recipe type: Frosting
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
 
Ingredients
  • 2 sticks of butter, softened
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 4 cups Powdered sugar
  • 3 Tablespoon milk
  • chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. In a mixer, cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy and creamy.
  2. Add vanilla.
  3. Add one cup of powdered sugar and beat, repeat until all sugar is incorporated, add milk as needed to keep it smooth.
  4. Add desired amount of chocolate chips.
  5. Use immediately
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Homemade Chocolate Sauce Recipe Gluten Free

March 25, 2013 By

 

 

homemade chocolate sauce

 

 

 

 

I love to have a cup of mocha in the mornings, but there is no way I’m going to spend all that money at the fancy coffee houses when I can whip up something even better right here at home. I love using really good cocoa, because it makes the most delicious homemade chocolate sauce. This chocolate sauce recipe is simple, easily adaptable to whatever you have in your home and tastes better than any of the store bought products that are full of chemicals and words you can’t pronounce.

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5.0 from 7 reviews
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Homemade Chocolate Sauce Recipe Gluten Free
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup cocoa, unsweetened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1½ cups water
  • dash of salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
  1. In a medium sauce pan, over medium heat, combine the cocoa, sugar, water and salt.
  2. The mixture may seem like it will not come together but keep stirring, and as it heats up it will make a beautiful chocolate sauce.
  3. Cook uncovered for 10 to 30 minutes depending on how thick you want the sauce.
  4. Stir frequently so that it does not burn.
  5. Once it coats the back of a spoon and seems thick, remove from the heat and add the vanilla.
  6. As the sauce cools it will continue to thicken so make sure you remove it from the heat a little before it reaches desired thickness.
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I love to take 2 tablespoons of this and drop it into my coffee with cream to make the most perfect mocha ever. It is decadently chocolate, but not too sweet. Just right.

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