Sugar Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

adapted from good ol Betty Crocker

makes about 36 large cookies

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1 1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons cream of tartar**

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup sugar, for rolling cookies

1/2 gallon of your favorite ice cream

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fit with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time, beating for one minute after each addition.  Beat in vanilla extract.

Sift together the dry ingredients and add all at once to the butter and egg mixture.  Mix until just combined.

Form dough into 1 1/4-inch balls and roll in granulated sugar.  Place on a cookie sheet (lined with parchment is good) and bake until the edges are just slightly golden, about 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool on the pan for 5 minutes.  Let cool completely on a wire rack before scooping a generous scoop of ice cream on top of the bottom side of one cookie.  Top with another sugar cookie.  Refreeze before wrapping individually in plastic wrap.

** There isn’t a super great substitute for Cream of Tartar.  Cream of Tartar  and baking soda work together to create a double-acting baking powder of sorts.  If you absolutely can’t get your hands on Cream of Tartar try using 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 1 teaspoon of baking powder for the entire recipe.  I haven’t tried this myself… but I think it should work.  Let me know!

Ok.. let’s focus.  I’ve been making some version of this Wild Rice Salad for the last month.  For this particular recipe I used a really lovely mixture of black and brown rice from Goose Valley.  LOVE.  It’s hearty and healthy and holds up to these salad concoctions.  I’m a fan.

To my cooked wild rice I add just about anything and just about everything.  Aaaand, I made my own vinaigrette with fresh herbs and Greek yogurt.  Holy heckballs…. am I healthy, or what!?

First let’s make a yogurt vinaigrette.  This isn’t like baking.  We don’t need precise measurements… just a spoonful of this, a giant dollop of that… it’ll be good.  Trust me.

Whisk together a heaping spoonful of Dijon or whole grain mustard with a heaping spoonful of honey and about 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar.

Grind in some pepper and whisk in a few pinches of salt.  Then!  Add about a cup of Greek yogurt.  Whisk away.

Fresh herbs.  I’ve got parsley, chives, a young garlic up from there (with garlic chives attached) and a few mint leaves.  I minced these bad boys up and…

…added them to my dressing.  Give it a whisk.  Give it a taste.  Add more salt and pepper as needed.  This dressing will be tangy and super fresh tasting and will keep in the fridge for about 5 days.  Super.

What do we have here?  About 5 cups of wild and brown rice, a can of garbanzo beans and a can of roughly chopped artichoke hearts.  Superb.

I steamed some tiny potatoes, skin and all, and chopped then in half.

I also threw in some fresh baby spinach, a big handful of blueberries (yes… blueberries… yes… delicious) and tossed it all together.

With a big spoonful of the tangy yogurt vinaigrette… dang… we just got fancy and healthy all in one bite.  Let’s pat ourselves on the back… and go make something with cookie dough.  Win… win.

Oh.  You want to print out this recipe?  Sure…  

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Coffee Smoothie

serves 4

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1 cup strongly brewed coffee,  cooled

1 cup milk, cold (whole, 2 percent or skim, whatever you fancy)

2 heaping tablespoons instant vanilla pudding

1-3 teaspoons of sugar, depending on how sweet you like your coffee

2 cups of small ice cubes (feel free to add more to further thicken the smoothie)

Add all of the ingredients to the blender and blend until no ice chunks remain.  It’s not rocket science.

Bonus!

Coffee Smoothie Boosters

The Coffee Smoothie Base is all sorts of yummy on it’s own, but why not add a little something extra?

You could add:

Half a frozen banana (this will thicken the smoothie up even further)

2 Tablespoons of chocolate syrup

a dash of ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon instant coffee (for super coffee flavor)

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1/4 teaspoon coconut extract

whipped cream on top

Summer Sweet Raspberry Lemonade

adapted from Simply Recipes

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1 cup sugar, for a less sweet lemonade, take the sugar down to 3/4 cup

1 cup water to make the simple syrup

1 cup fresh lemon juice

4 cups cold water

2 Tablespoons to 1/4 cup raspberry sauce, depending on how much raspberry you like

 

Adaption:

Prosecco Raspberry Lemonade: Fill a glass with ice cubes.  Fill the glass half full with raspberry lemonade and top with Prosecco or Champagne.  Garnish with fresh basil or mint leaves.  Hey! Hey! Cocktail!

Fun and Festive Mother’s Day recipes.  Just click on the picture or the link to find the recipe!

Guacamole For an Army

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16 (yes 16) ripe avocados

1 small yellow onion, diced fine, very fine

2 tomatoes on the vine, seeded and diced fine, very fine

small handful of of cilantro, chopped

juice of 1 lime, maybe 1 1/2 limes

salt and pepper to taste.

Peel and pit the avocados and throw them in a large bowl.  Add the diced onion, tomato and cilantro.  Stir and mash.  Add the lime, salt and pepper.  Stir.  Taste and add more seasoning, lime and cilantro as needed.

Beef Wonton Empanadas

adapted from Epicurious.com

1/2 medium onion finely chopped

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon oregano

3/4 pound ground beef chuck

2 Tablespoons raisins

1 1/2 Tablespoon chopped pimiento-stuffed olives

1 (14-ounce) can whole tomato in juice, drained, reserving 2 tablespoons of juice, and chopped

1 package frozen empanada pastry disks, thawed, or 1 package wonton wrappers

4 cups vegetable oil

1 egg, for an egg wash

Cook onion in olive oil in a heavy medium skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until softened. Add garlic, cumin, and oregano and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in beef and cook, breaking up lumps with a fork, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes.

Add raisins, olives, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and tomatoes with reserved juice, then cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced but mixture is still moist, about 5 minutes. Spread on a plate to cool.

Preheat oven to 200°F with rack in middle.

In a small bowl, beat an egg for a egg wash.

Unwrap wonton wrappers and 6-12 square pastry pieces out at a time.  Spoon 1 teaspoon of cooled meet filling into the center of each wonton wrapper.  Using a pastry brush, brush two joining sides of the wonton wrapper.  Gently fold the dry ends of the wrapper onto the moistened ends.  Press with a fork to seal.

If using thawed empanada dough, lay a large sheet of plastic wrap on a dampened work surface (to help keep plastic in place), then roll out an empanada disk on plastic wrap to measure about 6 inches. Place 3 tablespoons meat mixture on disk and top with 2 slices of egg. Moisten edges of disk with water and fold over to form a semicircle, then crimp with a fork. Make more empanadas in same manner.

Heat 3/4 inch vegetable oil in a deep 12-inch skillet over medium heat until it registers 360°F on thermometer. Fry empanadas, 2 or 3 at a time, turning once, until crisp and golden, 2 minutes for wontons and 4 to 6 minutes for empanada pastry.

Transfer to a shallow baking pan and keep warm in oven. Return oil to 360°F between batches.

Cooks’ note: Empanadas can be brushed with oil and baked on an oiled baking sheet in a 425°F oven until golden, about 10 minutes. (They will not be as crisp as fried empanadas.)