Affogato with Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream & Kahlua

Sometimes, it's the simple things that are the best!  Just three ingredients go into this Italian dessert.  Well, it's technically a drink, but I say it's both!  The word affogato means "drowned" in Italian.  Simply drown a scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream in hot espresso and a splash of Kahlua.  Voila!  You have a delicious dessert that will send coffee lovers to heaven!

Grilled Peaches with Ice Cream & Mint

Grilled peaches are a perfect dessert to finish off any cookout.  When you grill peaches, it enhances their sweetness and makes them even juicier.  They may look fancy but they are incredibly easy and fast to prepare.  After your guests have had their fill from the dinner grill, simply brush on a little honey and place the peaches on the already hot grill for a few minutes.  Once they are done, add some ice cream and serve.  

Homemade Strawberry Sherbet

This strawberry sherbet is sweet, refreshing and perfect for the upcoming summer months.  There is no cooking involved, so it is as simple as processing the ingredients together and pouring them in an ice cream maker.  If you are like my husband and prefer the absence of fruit pieces, simply strain the mixture through a sieve before pouring it into the ice cream maker. 

Easy Homemade Rocky Road Ice Cream

One Year Ago:  Campanelle with Tomato, Artichoke and Onion

 
I bought an ice cream maker last year and have experimented with all types of ice cream.  There is really no need for me to ever shell out money for store-bought again.  This rocky road ice cream turned out amazing!  The wonderful thing about it is you pretty much get instant gratification as there is no cooking involved at all.  Once it is finished processing in the ice cream maker, you can eat it soft serve immediately.  If you desire a more firm texture, store it in an air-tight container in the freezer overnight. 

Orange Ice Cream

One Year Ago:  Italian Chicken, Tomato and Mozzarella Panini on Rye

It is hot out there today!  I dusted off my ice cream maker and began to search of ice cream recipes.  There are so many tasty homemade ice cream recipes out there and I could not make up my mind.  I asked my daughter to give a suggestion and she asked for orange.  There are surprisingly very few orange ice cream recipes out there on the internet.  The Joy of Baking had an interesting one that sounded great and required no cooking, so I tried it out.  There was a beautiful pale orange color to it.  Because I was serving this to the neighbor kids, I wanted the color to be more vibrant, so I added orange gel coloring to it.  It is so refreshing and delicious!  Honestly, I skipped the chilling of the ingredients in the fridge before putting them in the ice cream maker and I noticed no difference. 

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Thanks to my wonderful parents, I used my birthday gift card for Le Gourmet Chef on an ice cream maker! Today was my first day using it and it definitely will not be my last. I cannot begin to explain to you how amazing having an ice cream maker is. The best part of it is that the ice cream comes out even better than store bought. Yes. I said it. It does! I see many calories in my future. YAY!

Ingredients:

• 1 c whole milk
• 3/4 c sugar
  
• 2 c heavy cream
• 1 1/2 tsp pure mint extract
  
• 4 oz semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
  
• 4 drops green food coloring

Directions:

• In a large bowl, whisk together the milk and sugar until the sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream and mint extract.
  
• Use ice cream machine according to manufacturer's instructions. Five minutes before the mixing is complete, add the chopped chocolate and food coloring.

• Transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and freeze for at least 3 hours, to desired doneness.
• ENJOY!

Banana Nut Sorbet Without an Ice Cream Maker

My sister is pregnant with her second child and we were talking today about what she was craving. She told me that she was craving sorbet. I suggested she make it since it is fairly easy to make and that conversation really put me in the mood for it. This will definitely satisfy your sweet tooth! The nuts compliment the banana perfectly. One of these days, I will purchase an ice cream maker but, in the meantime, I am content making frozen treats without one!

Ingredients:

• 3 ripe bananas
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 tbsp honey
• 2 to 3 tbsp chopped nuts

Directions:

• In a large bowl, mash up the bananas.
  
• Stir in the lemon juice and honey. Whisk together vigorously (or use a food processor) until there are virtually no lumps (I personally like a little lumpiness).
• Stir in the nuts.

• Pour into freezer-safe container. Freeze for 2 hours.
  
• Remove from freezer and whisk.
  
• Return to the freezer and whist once every hour for 4 hours.
• Enjoy! Feel free to drizzle with some chocolate or caramel!
  

Pistachio, Raspberry and Chocolate Deep-Fried Banana Split

There are so many wonderful elements to this banana split. Warm, crunchy bananas with sweet raspberries, salty pistachios and cold, creamy ice cream -- AMAZING!

I, along with many other featured publishers with Foodbuzz around the world, am making my own version of an ultimate banana split for a very good cause. Foodbuzz helped Electrolux and Kelly Ripa raise money for the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund by sending two Foodbuzz Featured Publishers to New York and giving them an opportunity to make banana splits with their kids. They then invited Foodbuzz members to join!

To help spread the word and raise money for the OCRF, Foodbuzz is sponsoring a posting challenge and Top 9 takeover! In a Top 9 Takeover, Foodbuzz asks all Featured Publishers to construct a post around a theme, and then for one day only, all Top 9 posts reflect that theme!

For this Electrolux Splits Top 9 Takeover, they wanted us to create the ultimate banana split and post it on our blog. Foodbuzz will also donate $50 for every Banana Split post by a Featured Publisher* created and uploaded to Foodbuzz before 12PM PST on Friday, July 16th.

Kelly Confidential Website - Click here to learn more information and donate money for this cause.

Ingredients:

• Pistachio ice cream
• Raspberry ice cream
• Chocolate ice cream
• Raspberries
• 1 tsp sugar
• Pisctachios, shelled
• Graham crackers
• Cool Whip
• Caramel
• 6 ripe bananas
• 1 c flour
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 c milk
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
  

Directions:

• Preheat deep fryer to 375 degrees.
• In a small bowl, sprinkle 1 tsp of sugar over the raspberries and set aside.
  
• In a large bowl, combine flour, 2 tsp of sugar and baking powder.
• In a medium bowl, beat eggs, milk, oil and vanilla.
• Cut each banana in half and then lengthwise.
• Dip each banana piece in the wet mixture and then dredge in the dry mixture.
• Deep fry for 6 minutes.
• Meanwhile, Arrange 1 package of graham crackers on a large serving plate.
• Spread whip cream over all.
• Drizzle with caramel. Set aside.
  

• Scoop pistachio, raspberry and chocolate ice cream and arrange the scoops over the whip cream on top of each other to form an ice cream mountain.
• Surround the ice cream with the fried banana.
• Top with raspberries and pistachios.

• ENJOY!