Cannoli Ice Cream

I saw a recipe for vanilla ice cream that didn't need an ice cream maker and a recipe for ice cream with cannoli inspired ingredients that looked like it didn't quite have enough cream in it for me and I didn't want to make homemade, fried cannoli shells, so I took the two recipes and morphed them with a few little changes and tweeks into one that resulted in the above pictured dessert.

Cannoli Ice Cream

2 cups heavy cream
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 - 15 ounce container ricotta cheese
4 ounces softened cream cheese, cut into small chunks
    Pour all of these ingredients into a mixing bowl and beat on medium to high for about 5 minutes or until soft peaks form.  Then gently fold in the following:
1 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pistachio nuts (I prefer the roasted and salted)
2 sugar cones, broken into small pieces
    After folding, pour the mixture into a loaf pan, cover with plastic wrap and freeze at least 6-8 hours.

Let the kids have the pink bubble gum stuff.  This is definitely a treat for adults with a discriminating palate!

Split Pea Soup (Freezer to Crockpot)

I thawed the soup overnight and in the afternoon put it into the crockpot.  One adjustment that needs to be made to the recipe is the cooking time.  I ended up cooking it on high for 6-7 hours.  The low setting on my crockpot was not enough heat to allow the peas to cook and break up to become that creamy split pea soup they are meant to be.  When it is finished cooking you need to give a really good stir to break up the peas and mix them into a creamy soup.  Having made that disclaimer, I have one more tiny one.  The potatoes and carrots are a little softer than I typically care for, but that is due to being in the crockpot all day.  Once again, the ease and convenience of the "set it and forget it" crockpot makes it acceptable to occasionally have softer veggies for me.  I am going to post the original recipe for this soup because it is the way that I usually prepare it and you will end up with firmer potatoes and carrots if you use the stovetop method.  The flavor for either technique is the same, amazing!  I wasn't a fan of split pea soup until this recipe!

Split Pea and Sausage Soup

1 1/2 cups green split peas
6 cups chicken broth
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 Tbsp. oregano
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 bay leaf
1/2 lb. bulk pork sausage
1 cup chopped carrots
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup potato, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1/2 cup chopped celery

   Rinse peas.  In a large saucepan combine split peas, broth, garlic, oregano, pepper and bay leaf.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, for the pork sausage into 25 - 1/2 to 3/4 inch balls, place in a 9x13 baking pan and bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until no pink remains.  Remove from pan and place on paper towels to drain.  After peas are cooked add carrots, onions, potatoes, celery and sausage balls and stir into the soup.  Reduce heat and cover.  Simmer for 20 minutes.  Uncover and simmer 10-15 more minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Remove bay leaf before serving.

Crockpot Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches

I am posting photos of the crockpot meals after I cook them to go along with the before pictures.  These were a big hit!  I buttered and toasted the rolls and then melted slices of Provolone cheese on top of the meat, peppers, onions and mushrooms.  The meat was very tender and even though the peppers were a little overcooked, having been in the crockpot all day, it was worth it for the convenience factor!  We will definitely be making these again!  See "Freezer to Crockpot" post for pictures and recipes.  The recipes are at the very bottom of the post!

Breakfast Bowls

Now that I have freezer dinners and freezer lunches under control, it's time for some freezer breakfasts!  This is a new one that I just put together last week.  We love breakfast burritos and I was making a big batch of them and decided to try a few breakfast bowls while I was at it.  I decided to change the ingredients from the burritos just a bit.  I used shredded cheese instead of the con queso and I added sauteed onions and green and red peppers.  I mixed the ingredients in a bowl before adding them to the freezer containers and then added the bacon garnish on top.  Microwave uncovered for 2 minutes, straight from the freezer.  They turned out really well!
Ingredients for 12 bowls:
1 - 20 ounce pkg. of tater tot rounds, baked until crispy (follow pkg. directions)
16 ounces of ground breakfast sausage, cooked and drained
1 dozen eggs, scrambled
1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese (frozen works better!)
1 onion, diced and sauteed
1 green pepper, diced and sauteed
1 red pepper, diced and sauteed
8 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled

Chicken Pot Pie and Blueberry Handpies

 I "cheated" and used a premade roll of pie crust for these.  I grill my chicken and season it with McCormicks Montreal Chicken and then shred it and freeze it in ziploc bags.  I pulled out a bag and thawed the chicken.  I made a simple rue:  4 Tbsp. butter, melted in a sauce pan over medium heat, add one chopped onion and cook until translucent, then add 1/4 cup flour and cook until bubbly (approx. 2 minutes.) Slowly add 1 cup of chicken stock/broth and 1 tsp. chicken bouillon and simmer until thickened.  In a larger pot I cooked 3 medium russet potatoes (diced) and 3 medium carrots (sliced).  Drain when cooked and add 1/2 cup frozen peas.  Mix in the liquid.  Spoon into circles cut from pie dough, fold over, dab edges with a tiny bit of water and press with a fork to seal, or fold edges up.  Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes or until pie crust is lightly golden.

For the blueberry handpies I used the same premade crust.  The filling is: 2 cups fresh blueberries, 2 Tbsp. sugar and 1 Tbsp. lemon zest.  Combine and spoon into cut circles.  Fold over, wet edges and crimp with a fork.  Bake on a parchment lined cookie sheet at 425 for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden.  Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes.  Then pour glaze over the pies.  Glaze:  1 cup powdered sugar and 2 Tbsp. milk.  Mix together.

Freezer to Crockpot Dinners

Philly Cheesesteaks

Hearty Beef Stew

Maple Dijon Chicken

Hawaiian Chicken

Chicken Cacciatore

Ginger Beef Broccoli

Split Pea and Sausage Soup

Beef and Mushroom

 

 

Orange Teryiaki Chicken