What's Baking May Round Up

This month is my month to host the What's Baking? group. It was a lot of fun seeing these as they came into my email! I know that a lot of us are away from our moms but it's still nice to make something that    we  think they might like!


Melissa of Melissa Bakes made Funfetti Cupcakes with Buttercream Icing



Heather from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks made Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream Frosting



Jen from Beantown Baker made Hummingbird Cupcakes with Pineapple Flowers





Jaida from Sweet Beginnings made Mini Cheesecake Cups



Lindsey from Our Share of the Harvest made Peach Tassies


Melissa from I Was Born to Cook made Raspberry Streusel Bars




Catherine from Pursuring Domestic Goddessness made Rainbow Cookies



Jessica from the Jey of Cooking made Raspberry Meringues

Amanda from Our Italian Kitchen made Lemon Blueberry Muffins



I made No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream


Looks like all of us had a wonderful time making something for our mom! The What's Baking? Challenge for June was picked by Hezzi D and she picked LAYER CAKES!!!

I know I am excited and already planning out this one!

May What’s Baking: No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream

I had the lucky privilege of choosing the theme for May and I chose “ Bake for Mom.” I wanted to create something that your mom or mother figure would love. However, for my own mom this would prove to be a little complicated.

My mom has recently been diagnosed as a diabetic so she is watching the amount of carbs in her diet. She has been really successful and lost over 30 pounds (since February) and also lowered her blood sugar by 60 points. I am so proud of her and didn’t want to bake something that would mess up her progress.

In the June issue of Everyday Food magazine, there is an ice cream section and one thing that my mom does love is Ice Cream. While I do have an ice cream maker, this recipe peaked my interest because it only had 126 calories and 10 grams of carbs per serving. Most ice cream per serving as about 18 grams of carbs so I loved the idea of making something low carb that my mom would love. We also learned that heavy cream has no carbs in this process!

This recipe was a hit! I think I might even try it in the ice cream maker next time!

No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream

recipe adapted from June 2011 Everyday Food

printable recipe

• 1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons bourbon, optional
• 2 cups cold heavy cream

Instructions:

1. In a bowl, stir together sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, and bourdon, if desired.
2. Using an electric mixer, in a large bowl, beat creamon high until stiff peaks form. (Will take around 3-5 minutes.)
3. With a rubber spatula, fold whipped cream into the condensed milk and vanilla mixture.
4. Pour into a loaf pan and freeze until firm, about 6 hours or, covered up to 1 week.

 Also Linked to Beauty and Bedlam Tasty Tuesday

Menu Plan Monday

Well I think we are finally getting settled after moving and ready for a normal week! We had a great cookout yesterday and celebrated Memorial Day early because we didn't think my husband would be off of work today. Luckily, he is off so we will try to relax some today! Hope everyone has a great week!

Monday-- Grilled pork tenderloin

Tuesday-- Chicken quesadillas

Wednesday-- Chicken Parmesan Crescents

Thursday- Breakfast for dinner

Friday-- Taco Salad


This is linked to Org Junkie Menu Plan Monday.

Blog Her Food 2011 Recap

(This post is going to be heavy on the pictures. Just a little warning!)
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It is really hard to believe that Blog Her Food is already over. I waited months and months for this event and was so sad that the weekend went by so quickly. One of the best parts of the weekend was getting to meet everyone that I did!!
Something that most conferences have are sessions to improve your skills. Luckily at food conferences, we get people like Tomato Tart and Eat the Love and Sweet Savory Life and David Lebovitz and Melissa Clark and Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan. I couldn’t say enough about the breakout sessions that we had. I learned something in each and every one of them and it is a shame if you don’t attend them. Even though food blogging is a hobby for me, it is a hobby that I love and I believe that no one is perfect and there are always ways to improve what you do.


You also get to go around and taste food and get swag and go “shopping” at Scharffen Berger Chocolate!

If you look closely in the last photo, you get to see David Lebovitz! Christy Jordan from Southern Plate is in the last picture on the 1st line.
There is also some food and lots of Cocktails and meet and greet parties.


I saw the biggest shrimp in my life at the Sweet Auburn Curb Market and that is what you see in the bottom line and middle picture.
But best of all you get to meet some longtime friends and take pictures of them taking pictures’

30 by 30 update….

Well, needless to say, I am two weeks away from turning 30.
That’s right. 14 days.
And there are 24 items left on this list that I’ve yet to make.
Which means that this list will probably become a 30 WHILE 30 and because I know I’m a procrastinator I’m totally okay with that idea.
And I’ve gotten nowhere on this list. I’ve gotten a great recommendation on the lemon curd. I just don’t know what to make next.

So dear readers, what should be next for me to make on my 30 by 30 list and I will update my blog with the selections you think I should make next.

The BlogHer Food update will be tomorrow. I needed a few days to process everything and to get some sleep!

Tonight….

Lalalala Tonight… lalala Tonight…..
ok anyone else remember New Kids on the Block besides me?
Anyway… does that tell you how excited I am? I’m singing old school NKOTB. And I seriously just wrote NKOTB. Sorry they are New Kids and always will be!
I am currently sitting outside of a Panera in ATLANTA (which felt like the longest hour and a half drive EVER) and awaiting the weekend that is about to unfold. I’ve got dinner plans and party plans (seriously Tasty Kitchen announced a TK relaunch and blogger party for tomorrow night!) and I’m hoping that I don’t become a crab in a shell like I can be sometimes and be my outgoing self. Because I seriously am so excited.
I probably won’t have any posts until Sunday but if you want to follow along in the Blog Her Food Journey come follow here on Twitter as I will be tweeting live as much as I can!

I hope everyone else has a wonderful week! and If you are at BlogHer Food Look me up!

Strawberry Buttermilk Ice Cream

The First Ice Cream of the Summer!!

 (Even though it was 50 something degrees outside when I made Ice Cream yesterday!)

This ice cream was absolutely wonderful. I am so glad I had buttermilk to use up! Now, I know what you are thinking. Buttermilk. YUCK. But honestly it make the ice cream creamier and have a slight tang. This ice cream didn't even last that long. After it was made, the husband ate it right up!

I think this recipe also helped me to stop having a love/hate relationship with my ice cream maker. The secret is chilling the mixture before putting it into the ice cream maker!

Strawberry Buttermilk Ice Cream

adapted from the Joy the Baker

2 cups cream, half and half or milk
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
heaping 1/2 cup sliced and diced strawberries (optional 1 Tablespoon sugar)




Rinse strawberries under cool water and slice. Create a mixture of sliced and diced strawberry pieces. If you find that the strawberries aren't very sweet, you can toss the sliced strawberries in 1 Tablespoon of granulated sugar and set aside until ready for the ice cream.

Put 1 1/2 cups of cream or milk into a small sauce pan. Add the sugar and salt and heat the milk over medium low heat. Keep and eye on the milk, stirring often so that the bottom of the pan doesn't get any burned milk bits.

While the milk is heating, measure out the buttermilk and vanilla extract and set aside.

Also measure out the remaining 1/2 cup of milk or cream. Stir the cornstarch into this 1/2 cup of milk, until smooth and no lumps remain.

The milk on the stove should be hot and steaming. The milk does not need to boil, it just needs to be steaming. With the milk over a medium low flame, stir in the milk and cornstarch mixture. Stir the milk constantly until you begin to feel it thicken. (I was out of cornstarch and substituted all purpose flour and it still came out wonderfully!)

The milk mixture should look like the above picture after it has been thickened by cornstarch. Once the cornstarch is added to the milk it only takes a minute or two to thicken up.

Once the milk mixture is thick, remove from the heat and add vanilla extract and 1/2 cup of buttermilk. Stir to incorporate.
Place the warm milk mixture into a mixing bowl, cover in plastic wrap and allow to cool in the refrigerator for 2 hours. I let mine sit overnight.
Once the mixture is cooled, remove from the refrigerator and stir in the sliced and diced strawberries. Follow the instructions on your ice cream maker and make some delicious ice cream!



This recipe is linked to
Tasty Tuesday at 33 Shades of Green
Tasty Tuesday at Beauty and Bedlam
Mouthwatering Monday at a Southern Fairytale
Mingle Monday at add a pinch

Menu Plan Monday

This post is linked to Menu Plan Monday at Org Junkie



I'm so excited to actually have a somewhat normal week ahead of us! My husband's restaurant opens this week, I start my new job tomorrow, and BLOGHER FOOD is Friday and Saturday!!!!WOOHOOO!!!!!

Monday--  Pulled Pork and Cole Slaw

Tuesday-- Taco Casserole

Wednesday-- Spaghetti with Roasted Zucchini (recipe from June 2011 Woman's Day magazine)

Thursday-- Pre-BlogHer Dinner with friends at Wisteria

Friday and Saturday-- BlogHer Food!!!!!

Sunday-- I want to surprise the husband and leave Atlanta a little early and go to Brunch at his new restaurant-- I hope it works out so I can otherwise I want to eat at The Flying Biscuit for Breakfast!!

Sunday Market

One of the many things we love about living back home is the Sunday Market. It’s held in a huge pavilion so it can be held rain or shine and there are over 15o vendors there of all different varieties. Today was Strawberry day and I can’t wait to use up these babies!
First recipe to be used (tonight in fact!) is
Strawberry Bruschetta from the Curvy Carrot!!!

Friday Fun Day!

Well, nothing new in the world but blogger being down as long as it was did mess up my plan to have something posted today. Hopefully I can get a few posts scheduled over the weekend. I start a new job on Monday and have no clue as to what it will entail as to time and access to internet as my old position I had pretty much unlimited internet access.
So here’s to the end of Friday the 13th! I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Wordless Wednesday

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mothers and Mother figures in your life!

In honor of Mother's Day,

 I am hosting a giveaway for a Gift Card ($29-- to honor my last few weeks in my twenties!) to one of my favorite places:

To enter the giveaway:

Tell me the name of your mom or mother figure in your life!

Please include an email address or a way that I can reach you.

The giveaway will end on Wednesday, May 11th.

(Disclaimer:This giveaway is sponsored by myself as Williams Sonoma has no clue how I am even though it would be nice to be affiliated with them in some way)

My Birthday Wish List!!!

Friends and Family! My birthday is a month from today!!! As you know, I normally have a wish list and a birthday plan months in advance and here is a little preview of what is on my list this year:






I've got the cupcake book and the cookie book so why not this one too!


   These are the 2 missing from my collection!!!! (2004 and 2005!)

I think I would LOVE this book!!!

  This book would be fun too!

 I want to read this but I don't think I would be able to. Too. Much. Crying. would happen!
My China! (Well our china ha ha!) I only have 6 settings and would like 8!




 

But this baby..... beautiful and I must make it mine! Raspberry Ice Susan G. Komen  Kitchen Aid from Williams Sonoma. Isn't she pretty!!!
And Look in person!