Sour Cream Ice Cream...

Ingredients:

1 cup sour cream (Daisy brand NOT light)
2 cups half and half
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Whiz in blender until smooth. Chill in refrigerator for at least an hour. Freeze according to your ice cream freezing device's directions. Transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze until firm. Yum.

Some variations I plan to try, eventually:

Brown sugar instead of regular sugar.
1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp almond extract.
Almond milk in place of part of the half and half.
Caramelize sugar, add half and half, stir until smooth, chill until cold, use in place of part or all of the plain half and half.
Caramel sauce swirled in at the last minute.
Chocolate sauce swirled in at the last minute.

Oh, by the way...

The sherbet was delicious. It was even better a couple of days later. The flavors had mellowed and the texture was perfect.

I might have to call it Chocolate Gelato... Except it still didn't have any egg in it.

Also. It was gone before I remembered to take pictures. I don't even have any pictures of other things on this computer, and I can't remember my Flickr login to post pictures to alleviate my guilt.

Sigh.

Another day, another dinner...

One of these days I'll remember to take pictures before eating my food. New habits take time to form. Especially when one his very hungry at the time.

Boneless Pork Ribs with Honey-Rosemary Glaze
from my very own brain

serves 2

4 boneless country style pork ribs
salt
pepper
2 TBSP oil

2 medium garlic cloves
1 4-inch stem of rosemary (about 2 TBSP)
salt
1/2 tsp or to tastefreshly ground black pepper
1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4-1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup warm water

Heat oil in medium frying pan. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Brown pork in hot oil. Turn heat to low when second side has browned. Meanwhile make the glaze.

Finely mince garlic and rosemary leaves with a generous sprinkle of salt. Place in liquid measuring cup. Add black pepper, cayenne pepper and cumin. Add cider vinegar and whisk to blend. Add honey and warm water. Whisk to dissolve honey. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Pour over pork in pan. Cover and cook over low heat until pork is cooked, basting occasionally (about 10 minutes). Remove meat from pan and cover. Turn heat to high and bring sauce to a boil. Boil with out stirring until reduced to to a sticky glaze (about the consistency of honey, about 5 minutes).

Serve with rice (I used good old long grain brown because that is what was in the house, but feel free to use your favorite) and green salad.

Very yum. Just ask my husband.

Mmmm, chocolate...

Chocolate Sherbet
(modified from the Williams-Sonoma Frozen Desserts recipe for Chocolate Sorbet)

1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used King Arthur Flour's Double Dutch Cocoa)
2 cups half-and-half
2 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. (scant) espresso powder

Whisk sugar and cocoa powder together in a medium saucepan. Add half-and-half slowly, whisking all the time. Over medium heat bring mixture to a boil and cook for about a minute, whisking almost constantly (I took a couple short breaks to look at the recipe, it didn't hurt anyone). Remove pan from heat and add the semisweet chocolate. Let sit for a minute to partially melt the chocolate (I used the time to wash some dishes, I'm very efficient when the mood strikes, don't count on it happening again any time soon). Whisk the chocolate mixture briefly. Add the vanilla and espresso powder. Whisk until smooth. Pour into a medium bowl and let cool to room temperature. When cool, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold (at least three hours and up to 12). Freeze according to your ice cream maker's directions. Eat immediately, or scoop into a container and freeze until firm (about 3 hours). Best when eaten within the first 24 hours (as if that will be a hardship).

I'll have to let you know how it turns out. Also, pictures to follow.

Note: Sorbets have no dairy, so this isn't really a sorbet, but it's not ice cream either because it doesn't have any cream or eggs. It's most similar to a sherbet, although sherbets are usually fruit flavored (and sometimes have eggs). It's a hybrid, this. Judging by the pre-frozen stage, a delicious, delicious hybrid.

Peanut Butter Swirl Chocolate Brownies Part Deux

All I have to say is YUM! Next time I'll probably go with slightly smaller amount of the peanut butter batter so the swirls will be more dramatic, but the flavors balance each other out delightfully.

I didn't mention that I used 100% White Whole Wheat Flour instead of All Purpose. I really prefer whole wheat brownies to all purpose flour brownies. They tend to stay denser, but with a little more structure so you really get the best of the cakey and fudgey brownie worlds. Even when you do a fudgier brownie recipe.

Peanut Butter Swirl Chocolate Brownies

Since I don't have any cream cheese in the house, and all of the recipes I could find for swirled brownies called for cream cheese...

Your favorite brownie recipe (for 9x13) pan (I used the "On the Fence Brownies" from The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion)
1/3 cup peanut butter

Put peanut butter in a small mixing bowl. Mix together all the ingredients for the brownies except the chocolate. Remove about 1/4-1/3 of the batter and put in bowl with peanut butter. Add chocolate to remaining batter (reduce amount of chocolate by about 1/4). Pour chocolate batter in prepared pan. Stir together peanut butter and batter. Dollop peanut batter on top of chocolate batter. Swirl lightly together. Bake according to brownie recipe directions.

It's still baking, I'll let you know how it turns out. Also, pictures to follow...