TWD...just the wrong week

I had all the intentions of making the lovely Quick Classic Berry Tart chosen for this week's TWD challenge by Cristine of Cooking with Cristine...but sadly, once again, I was sidelined by illness.  I don't know what is going on, but it seems like right about every 3 weeks I get sick with a fever.  It is probably just related to my CFS/fibro/broken body, but it is annoying.  My house was crying out to be cleaned but I accomplished NOTHING all weekend.  Didn't even get to cook or make dessert for mothers day!  I did pry myself out of bed to go see my mom, and thankfully had some leftover casserole that I was able to scoop into a smaller dish and reheat... And I had the leftover ice cream from last week's TWD which I never posted about!  So here is my ice cream post...a week late. 

When I saw the Burnt Sugar Ice Cream (chosen by Becky of Project Domestication) I was SO excited because it was going to be my first time making ice cream...and with my new kitchenaid ice cream attachment!  Woohoo!  (and it was my birthday, which is also fun (; )  Being the ice cream virgin that I am, on Monday night I got all my ingredients out and ready and then grabbed the ice cream attachment..still in the box...out of my cabinet.  I started reading the instructions...Ohhh...the ice cream attachment has to be frozen for...15 hours!!!...before you can use it...hmmm....looks like there will not be any ice cream tonight.  So into the freezer my ice cream bowl went, and back into the refrigerator went all the ingredients.

Now, I had wanted to make it the night before so I would have time to post on Tuesday because, of course, Tuesday was my birthday and I had dinner plans with my parents (stupid hubs had a game to film.  boo.) But obviously that didn't work and I decided that I would make and post the ice cream on Tuesday night.  (you see how I don't understand ice cream?  it needs time)

So after my wonderful Mexican birthday dinner where I stuffed my face with chimichangas and mexican mush (and talked about some super exciting things that I will be able to reveal in about 3 weeks) I came home, spent a bit more time with my mom and then started on the ice cream.  Again. 

Just like Dorie says, the caramel mixture seized up like crazy and it actually took me a while to get it to smooth out--probably because I was using a pan that was way too small.  When I would stir the "custard" things would slosh and slur and then fizzle on my burners.  bah.  I also had my trusty instant-read thermometer out but the mixture really did not thicken like I think it should have.  It reached the required temperature, and in my impatience I decided to go ahead and pull it off the stove. 

Now I was ready to churn some ice cream! 

Oh wait...

The mixture has to cool?!?!?  After I've just spent all that time getting it up to 170 but not over 180 degrees?  BOO!!

So I stick the mixture into the fridge, and my ice cream bowl back into the freezer.  and wait.

30 minutes...still warm to the touch.

45 minutes...still slightly warm...

60 minutes.  Forget it.  I'm making ice cream!!

Well.  That didn't really work.  I poured it into the ice cream container and churned for at least 30 minutes but all it did was get cold and maybe a tiny tiny bit thick.  But hey, anything liquid will freeze right?  So I stuck it in a container in the freezer anyway hoping that magic would happen overnight.  

But it wasn't magic.  The next day I basically had sweetened frozen cream.  Very icy texture.  It still tasted good though.  

I spent a few days scraping bits of ice milk out of the container before I had the genius idea to put it in the fridge to let it melt and then (since it would be cold, right?) try to churn it and make ice cream.  

And guess what?  

It worked!!!!   

I made real, honest-to-goodness, Ice Cream!!!   I could tell that it was going better since it really thickened up as it was churning and I was so excited!

So even though I was too sick to make anything for Mother's Day, I had for real homemade ice cream that we ate over toasted croissants with sliced strawberries.  And it was quite lovely if I do say so myself :)

(oh...with the whole impatience thing...I didn't let my caramel cook long enough so I didn't get quite the depth of flavor that some of the TWD-ers got, but I think this suited the people I was feeding quite well.)

little kitty friend was very interested in the ice cream...

I don't know why I was such an impatient person with this challenge because I am normally very patient and don't mind waiting for things, but ice cream brings it out in me I guess!  Well, thanks so much to Betty for choosing this recipe, and sorry to Cristine that I didn't get to the berry tart--hope to do that soon!

Happy Mothers Day! A tribute to my wonderful mother :)

Yeah, yeah, you think you're mom is great...but that's just because you don't know my mom.  She is the most amazing wonderful mother that anyone could ever ask for!

my parents...B.C. (before children...)

I am my parents' first child and was born with a perforated intestine.  My dear sweet mother (and father) spent countless hours at the hospital while I underwent several surgeries and recoveries during the first few months of my life.  On her very first Mother's Day when their church asked all the mothers to stand up and be recognized, she stood up in tears while her new baby daughter was in the NICU.

in the hospital wearing a face mask in order to care for her newborn daughter (me!)

My mother has been self-sacrificing from the very beginning!  She stayed home with all her children so that she could raise us in a godly manner.  She home schooled us for periods of time, taught us a love of reading, how to be frugal, the joy of being a hostess, and exemplified what it means to be a loving wife and mother.  She has joyfully opened her home for nearly 30 years to college students who need a "mom" while at school.  She has served innumerable meals to hungry teenagers and college students, made treats to minister to her children's teachers, and blessed everyone with her gift of hospitality.  She is one of the few people that I know who truly has a servants heart. 

So many people joke about becoming their mothers, but I can honestly say that I aspire to be just like her--when people say that we are similar I take that as such a complement!  (and it is true...just look in our houses--they are even decorated the same!)

our family Christmas picture last year--mom is so beautiful!

Mommy, I love you so much.  Thank you for all the sacrifices you have made to teach us to love the Lord and be good stewards of what we have been blessed with.  You are truly one of my very best friends and I adore this season of life that we are in right now.  I'm thankful that I can encourage you and "love-on" you now, even it it's only a fraction of what you have done for all of us over the years.  Thank you for modeling a godly marriage to me, it is so rare these days.  You are a woman of God and I am so blessed to have you!  I love you!

a brunch for special ladies

Sorry that I have been MIA for a bit...life has been ca-razy.  I will update more on this later, but here in Bowling Green, KY we've also had some of the horrible flooding that has affected the midsouth lately, and it was my birthday, and I have some developments coming up in the next few months that I will tell you at the beginning of June,  and my house is a mess!

Before I post about recent happenings, I decided that I would like to give you some yummy yummy recipes that would be perfect if you want to have a mother's day brunch.  I will be having a family cookout, but I made these yesterday for some other very special ladies--Nurses!  That's right, today is Nurse Appreciation day--so get out there and hug a nurse or bring her (or him...there are male nurses, just not at my office) some goodies!

 some of our lovely nurses in front of their breakfast table

the spread :)

And now for the recipes...

So this coffee cake...when I saw it in one of my holiday baking magazines (you know...when i freak out and spend all my money...) I had to make it.  However, I did not need one this big for me and hubs (i'm already too fat...).  So I made it for my sister-in-law and her girls.  It got rave reviews...but I hadn't gotten to try it!  So when I started planning on what to make for Nurse Appreciation breakfast I couldn't get this one out of my head.  I actually scoured the rest of my recipes for an easier overnight coffee cake, but nothing looked this delicious, so at 8:50 pm I began to make the cake...not even my butter was softened!  I generally go to bed right around 10 and, needless to say, that didn't happen last night.  But I think it was worth it!

YUM!

Cinnamon-roll coffee cake
Cuisine at home Holiday baking 2009

For the Caramel Topping:

• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• pinch table salt
• 1 cup chopped toasted pecans

For the Streusel:

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp table salt

For the Cake:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. table salt
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt (I used regular sour cream)
• 2 eggs
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350* F.  Coat a 9 inch round, 2 inch deep cake pan w/nonstick spray (i did not have this size pan, and used a 10 in. round springform pan.  a bit of the filling leaked out of the bottom, so if you go that route I would recommend lining your springform pan w/parchement, or at the very least, set it on top of a baking sheet--which i did)

Stir together the 3/4 cup brown sugar, cream, and a pinch of salt for the caramel topping in a measuring cup (not sure why the measuring cup is "necessary").  Pour caramel into the prepared pan, spreading to coat bottom of the pan. Sprinkle pecans over caramel.  Also, I was a bit "off my game" last night and measured this out backwards at first...1/4 cup brown sugar to 3/4 cup cream.  Then I realized it was WAY too liquidy...anyone know a recipe that calls for that mixture that has already been combined??


Process the 1/2 cup born sugar, 1/3 cup flour, the 1/2 stick butter, cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp. salt fo rthe streusel in a food processor, pulsing until the mixture is sandy but without clumps; set streusel aside.

Whisk the 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, and 1/2 tsp. table salt for the cake in a bowl; set dry ingredients aside.

Whisk together buttermilk, yogurt (or sour cream), and eggs in a measuring cup with a pouring spout (pouring spout is helpful here...); set aside.

Using a hand mixer (?? I used my kitchenaid), cream together the 1 stick butter and 3/4 cup granulated sugar in a bowl, only until combined.  Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk mixture to the creamed mixture, strating and ending with dry ingredients.  Blend only enough to incorporate the dry ingredients into the batter.

Spread half of the batter over teh caramel in the cake pan, then sprinkle w/half the streusel.  Carefully spread remaining batter over streusel in cake pan; top w/the remaining streusel. Okay, I don't think the seperation of the streusel is necessary.  Half of what I had on the bottom just made a mess and fell off, so when I make this again I will at least do 3/4 in the middle, maybe all of it.

Bake coffee cake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 50-60 minutes.  Cool cake for 5 minutes on a rack, then run a paring knife around the sides to loosen cak.  Invert onto a serving platter while hot.  Let cake cool slightly before serving. 


Next is an overnight sausage breakfast casserole, a la Sarah!  I got some basic guidelines from Cooks.com and then threw together a dish based on what I had on hand.  Here it is!

Overnight Sausage Breakfast Casserole

• 1--1 1/2 pkg. Kings Hawaiian Bread 
• 1 lb. pork sausage, cooked and drained
• 6 large eggs, beaten
• 2 cups milk (or one cup skim milk + one cup cream)
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 cup fiesta blend shredded cheese
• 1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (i really just eyeball the amount of cheese...) 

Tear Hawaiian bread into bits and layer across the bottom of a greased 9x13" pan 
Layer half the sausage over bread, followed by half of the cheese.  Then repeat layers.
Whisk together eggs, milk, and spices until combined.  
Pour over bread/sausage/cheese mixture, pressing down on the top of the solid ingredients to make sure that egg mixture reaches the top.
Refrigerate overnight if desired.
When time to bake,  preheat oven to 350* F.  Bake for 35-45 minutes until set.

**I also think this would be GREAT with veggies mixed in...peppers, onion, mushrooms, etc...but there are some picky eaters at my office so I stuck to meat and cheese ;)