Saturday Afternoon Quickie - Vanilla Ice Cream

Summertime quickies are the best! ;)

It's summer....it's HOT....let's cool off ~

This recipe needs no introduction - spend the time to pull this together, and I promise you'll be grinning ear-to-ear :)  Remember, this ice cream recipe is only a launching pad - you can morph the hell out of it by adding jam, nuts, broken cookies, peanut butter, chopped up chocolate - and instantly amaze everyone! Enjoy!

Sandy's Vanilla Ice Cream makes approx. 2 qts.

5 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups milk, 2%
1 whole vanilla bean, split and scraped
1 cup white sugar
1 TBL. pure vanilla extract
1 pinch Kosher salt

In your KitchenAid mixer or a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks and 1/4 cup of sugar until the mixture reaches the ribbon stage (glossy and smooth).

In a 2 qt. sauce pan, gently heat the milk, cream, 1 cup of sugar, vanilla bean and its contents, and salt.  Whisk constantly until mixture reaches 185° degrees.  Take off heat and discard the vanilla bean.

 VERY SLOWLY, temper the egg mixture with the hot cream - don't be tempted to complete this step too rapidly, or you'll end up with scrambled eggs.

Now, pour all of the ice cream base back into the sauce pan.  Under low-medium heat, bring the base to 175° degrees, whisking constantly.

Place sauce pan in an ice bath and bring base to room temperature.  Seal in a plastic food container, and refrigerate for at least 12 hours - however, overnight is best.
Now, it's time for your ice cream maker to do it's magic!  Follow the instructions to your maker.  The end result will be a very soft ice cream that then needs to be frozen as soon as possible!
After a couple of hours, there you have it...yummy homemade vanilla ice cream!! ;-)

Thanks for the QUICKIE (wink!), I'll see ya next week!

Saturday Afternoon Quickie - Dreamy Lemon Pound Cake

Summertime quickies are the best! ;)

It's summer....it's HOT....let's make dessert ~
My Oma adored pound cake.  In her fridge, come hell or high water, you'd find a bakery fresh, chilled pound cake ready for the daily Kaffee und Kuchen.
To this day, I can't make it through a month without sinking my teeth into a piece of pound cake - whether I purchase it or make it (WAY BETTER), it just has to happen.
The recipe I'm sharing with you today is fool-proof...delicious...and addictive. :)  Enjoy!

Dreamy Lemon Pound Cake *inspired by Allrecipes* serves 10-15
2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter, softened
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
5 TBL. FRESH lemon juice
1 TBL. grated lemon peel
1 tsp. pure lemon extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
1 1/4 cups sour cream

In your KitchenAid mixer or a large bowl, cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
Then, add your eggs one at a time.
Next, add the lemon juice, grated lemon peel, and lemon extract.  Combine well.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.  Now add it to the creamed mixture alternately with the sour cream.  Mix until just combined - don"t over do it!
Pour into a greased and floured (hello, I used Baker's Joy and it worked perfectly!) fluted tube pan.
Bake at 350° degrees F for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean.
Let cool for about 10-15 minutes, then remove to a plate lined with wax paper.
Let cake cool completely before serving - and personally, I think pound cake tastes better the next day. ;-)

Thanks for the QUICKIE (wink!), I'll see ya next week!