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Red White and Blue Lavender Ice Cream

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Puddle of Love

I get ahead of myself.  Come Memorial Day, I think about the Fourth of July like it’s Christmas.  Try to make sense of that.  I’ve always said the Fourth is my favorite holiday- good weather, outdoor activities, no pressure to buy gifts, and explosives.  Oh, and food. Food made in the summer is supposed to be unpretentious with no real demand.  I’m thinking marinades, deviled eggs, and homemade lavender ice cream.  Ice cream?

My Dad prepared homemade ice cream each year on the star-spangled holiday, and it took, like, hours.   The ice cream maker would sit on the porch stoop and hum beautifully while spinning diligently, lest a glacier form. Then the beautiful churning hum occasionally turned to a sad grunt, and so the machine was surely kicked by someone (my Dad) until the salty ice fell back into place.  All in all, homemade ice cream felt like a half-day journey, but it was still worth it.  We prepped the same vanilla recipe every year since perfection holds its own.  You know the old saying- a watched ice cream maker never freezes.  Because of my impatience, I usually opened the metal container before the mixture was truly ready (frozen). The cold vanilla slush was still awesome.

Fast forward.  Ice cream makers are, of course, a different animal these days.  My Cuisinart ICE-21 Frozen Yogurt, Ice Cream, and Sorbet maker churns out the good stuff in about 20 minutes: Try the Red, White, and Blue Lavender ice cream this Fourth. It’s light in texture so the strawberry flavor is all the more prominent.  The lavender sits in the background, waiting for you to notice.

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Recipe by This Lovely KitchenCourse: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Medium
Servings

6

servings

Puddle of Love

Ingredients

  • fresh strawberries, hulled – 2 1/2 cups

  • whole milk – 3/4 cup

  • granulated sugar – 2/3 cup

  • salt – Pinch of

  • heavy cream – 1 1/2 cups

  • fresh lavender (or 1/4 cup dried lavender) – 1/2 cup

  • whole blueberries – 1 cup

  • pure vanilla extract – 1 1/2 teaspoons

Directions

  • Pulse strawberries in a food processor until finely chopped.  Set aside in bowl.
  • In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer on low speed or whisk to combine the milk, sugar, and salt until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the heavy cream and lavender.
  • Add cream mixture to a saucepan over medium heat.  Heat until mixture becomes warm and begins to bubble around the edges.
  • Remove from heat, add in vanilla extract, and let the mixture rest at room temperature for
    15-20 minutes to allow the lavender to seep.
  • Strain mixture through a fine, mesh sieve and discard the lavender.  Add mixture to a bowl.
  • Stir in reserved strawberries with all juices to mixture. Add blueberries.
    Cover and chill for 1-2 hours, or overnight.
  • Pour mixture into freezer bowl of ice cream maker.  Follow manufacturer directions to
    prepare ice cream.
Dark Chocolate Magic Cookie Bars

Dark Chocolate Magic Cookie Bars

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These dark chocolate magic cookies bars are so good and beloved by so many of my friends, maybe they are magic!

For me, the supernatural wonder can be traced to the dark chocolate chips, even though there is a supporting symphony of other delicious ingredients. Studies suggest a link between dark chocolate intake (just 1-2 small squares) and a reduced risk of heart disease and mortality, possibly in part by reducing blood pressure and inflammation!

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Recipe by This Lovely KitchenCourse: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings

These magic cookies bars are so good and beloved by so many of my friends, maybe they are magic!

Ingredients

  • Graham Cracker Crumbs- 2 cups

  • Butter, melted- 1/2 cup

  • Sweet Condensed Milk- 14 oz.

  • Dark Chocolate Chips- 2 cups

  • Coconut, shredded – 1.5 cups

  • Walnuts- 2 cups

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Line 16×9 baking pan with foil and spray with baking spray.
  • Mix melted butter with graham crackers and pour into the baking pan. Spread until evenly dispersed.
  • Pour sweetened condensed milk into the pan and evenly spread until evenly dispersed.
  • Mix remaining ingredients in a bowl. Spread on top of the sweetened condensed milk layer.
  • Gently compress all ingredients together.
  • Bake for 25 minutes.
  • Put in the freezer for 30 minutes to cool.
  • Peel off foil and cut into squares- this recipe yields about 40 1-inch squares.

Notes

  • These are great to give as gifts!

For more info on the health benefits of dark chocolate https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/food-features/dark-chocolate/

vanilla_cake_small

The Most Vanilla Birthday Cake Ever!

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ItemAmountUnit
Butter1Cup
Sugar1 3/4Cup
Cake flour2 3/4Cup
Egg Whites6
Baking Powder1Tsp
Salt1Tsp
Buttermilk3/4Cup
Vanilla1Tbsp
Baking Soda1Tsp
Vanilla Bean1/2Bean
Frosting
ItemAmountUnit
Butter1Cup
Vanilla Extract1Tbsp
Vanilla Bean1 1/2Beans
Salt1/8Tsp
Powdered Sugar10Cup
Cream Cheese2Oz
Milk2 – 8Tbsp
Directions:
Cake
1Cream / whisk together butter, sugar & egg whites.
2Mix in remaining dry and wet ingredients except for flour.
3Mix flour in on low then pulse high briefly to fully incorporate.
4Pour into 2 greased / papered 9″ cake pans.
5Bake at 325F until a knife in the middle comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes.
6Remove from pans and put into ziplock bags in fridge to cool
Frosting
1Cream / whisk together all ingredients, starting with 2 Tbsp of milk.
2Continue to add milk 1 Tbsp at a time until proper consistency is reached.
3Proper consistency is one that forms a slight crust after 30 minutes of drying.
4If it gets too wet, add more powdered sugar.
5Refrigerate slightly and load into pastry bag for piping onto cold cake layers.
Strawberry almond tart

Strawberry Almond Tart

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Make this easy delicious Strawberry Almond Tart tart with ready-made graham cracker crumbs if you like. Chill for 3 hours or overnight for a perfect dessert.

This Strawberry Almond Tart screams SPRING and SUMMER, but make it anytime you need a fresh-tasting, crowd-pleasing fruit dessert. This tart tastes as good as it looks, so if you’ve got guests, this is your dessert. I’ve been eyeing a version of this recipe that can be found floating on the web. I set out to prepare it and decided to make a few tweaks, including measurements for those who would like to use pre-crushed, store-bought graham cracker crumbs such as Keebler Graham Cracker crumbs. I used these Keebler https://www.amazon.com/Keebler-Graham-Cracker-Crumbs-13-5/dp/B00PC5D0RS (Original recipe from Cooking Light.)

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Recipe by This Lovely Kitchen
Servings

12

servings
Prep time

30

minutes
Cooking time

40

minutes

Ingredients

  • For the Crust:

  • 36 honey graham crackers (9 sheets) or 3 cups of crushed store-bought graham cracker crumb

  • 2 tablespoons sugar

  • 2 tablespoons butter melted

  • 4 teaspoons water

  • For the Filling:

  • 6 cups fresh strawberries, divided

  • 2/3 cup sugar

  • 1 tablespoon corn starch

  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

  • 2 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted

  • For the Topping:

  • 2/3 cup cream cheese

  • 1/4 cup sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • If preparing your own crust, place crackers in a food processor; process until crumbly. Add 2 tablespoons sugar, butter, and 4 teaspoons water to crumbs; pulse just until moist. Place cracker mixture in a 9-inch round removable-bottom tart pan (or 4 individual tart pans), lightly coated with cooking spray, pressing into bottom and up sides of pan to 3/4 inch. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack.
  • To prepare filling, combine cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, and extracts in a medium bowl; stir until smooth. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over bottom of tart shell.
  • To prepare topping, place 2 cups strawberries in food processor, and process until smooth. Combine strawberry puree, 2/3 cup sugar, and cornstarch in a small saucepan over medium heat; stir with a whisk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low; cook 1 minute. See the video below that shows the consistency you want to achieve when preparing the strawberry glaze. Remove glaze from heat. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.
  • Combine the remaining 4 cups strawberries and juice; toss to coat. Arrange berries, bottoms up, in a circular pattern over filling. Spoon half of glaze evenly over berries (reserve remaining glaze for another use- like ice cream!). Sprinkle nuts around edge. Cover and chill 3 hours.

Notes

  • Note: I baked this tart in a 9″ round tart pan with a removable bottom.