Family Bites

7 Reasons to Make Homemade Ice Cream

 

1. It's easy.  And it's fun.  Your kids love it.

2. It's a great way to rid the fridge of half-used containers of milk, cream, buttermilk and sour cream.

3. No guars or gums. Just wholesome, real ingredients.

4. It makes for a great dinner when the incessant heat holds you back from putting together a proper one.

Tell me, do you make your own ice cream?  Would you?  Favourite flavours?

5. The creative juices get flowing and experimentation with exotic flavours is quite entertaining.  Isn't that why we get into the kitchen to begin with?  (the above is a sweet potato ice cream topped with candied pecans)

6. It's a good reason to buy this book.  And this one too.

7. It's yummy.  Like really, really yummy!

P.S - If you find yourself without an ice cream maker, here's a great article on how to do it without the fancy machines.

Frozen Banana Bites

My three boys have been living in the woods for the past few days.  And it's been above 33 degrees Celsius since the day they left.  I'm expecting that by the time they return tonight they will be looking for the coolest of treats and coldest of beverages I could possibly provide.  Enter the frozen banana bite.

I remember seeing something fun created with frozen bananas in an old issue of Bon Appetit.  I pulled my copies out last night and found exactly what I was looking for.  Bite-sized pieces of banana, dipped in sweet, dark chocolate, coated with an assortment of fun toppings and popped in the freezer until each piece is completely frozen.  Easy and oh. so. good.

When you bite into these little gems the texture of the frozen banana perfectly mimics that of a popsicle, albeit a more substantial one.  In addition to be tasty this is incredible adaptable.  Feel free to use milk or white chocolate and  roll them in whatever you have on hand: nuts, toffee bits, dried fruits, toasted coconut, cookie crumbs or nothing at all.  Whatever you prefer.  

If you're planning a soiree, serve these on a tray a la an hors d'oeuvres for a fun finish to a party meal.  And if you're trying to offer some creative summer-vacation-boredom-busters for your kiddies, this is a great activity for your little chefs.  With nothing more than three or four ingredients, a few bowls and a baking sheet these could be made almost completely unsupervised.

I'm armed and ready for the return of my lads.  I'm certain they'll be pleased with their welcome home treat.

Frozen Banana Bites, adapted from Bon Appetit

• 2 bananas, peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate, chopped
• 1 tbsp. olive or canola oil
• 1 tbsp. milk
• Assorted toppings

Stir chocolate, oil and milk in a small saucepan, set over medium hight heat, until melted and smooth.  Set aside and allow to cool slightly.

Line a baking sheet with parchment. Using a fork dip each piece of banana into the chocolate to cover completely.  Dip each chocolate-covered piece into one of the toppings and roll around to coat well.

Transfer to baking sheet and repeat with remaining pieces.  Place in the freezer for 2-3 hours or until frozen solid.

Boozy Popsicles

 

We celebrated the end of the school year last night with a Mexican spread. Spicy beef enchiladas, crisp salad, sweet lime dressing, chocolatey ice cream sundaes and tangy margarita popsicles. That's right...school's out for summer and mama's celebrating with her own little treat.

 

I've decided that boozy popsicles are going to be my thing this summer. Sort of the perfect serving size, I'm swapping these traditional sweet treats for the intoxicant kind!  Feel free to use your favourite slushy or regular margarita mixture and freeze as you would any other popsicle concoctions. If margaritas aren't your drink of choice, here are some other adult-friendly popsicles you might be interested in. 

Cheers to summer vacation!  We can't let the kids have all the fun, can we?

PS - I used this margarita recipe and thought the inclusion of cucumber was brilliant.  

Hot Chocolate Popsicles

 

Oxymoronic title aside, these popsicles have been our must-have frosty treat for the early-summer hot and humid days we've been experiencing of late.

Chocolate is the only flavour the boys unanimously agree on all of the time, and when popsicle making season snuck up on us two weeks ago, we set out to find "our" recipe for the summer.  Internet perusal and cookbook comb-throughs turned up nothing but sugary sweet concoctions sure to induce a confectionery coma in all of us.  

That's when I decided that "our" recipe would be a cold and frozen version of our hot-cocoa one.  One made from whole milk, cocoa, honey, cinnamon and baking chocolate.  Simple, somewhat sweet and not-too-bad for us either.

We've been using our new popsicle machine for these goods.  A birthday gift to me last winter, we've been holding out on using this until just the right time. Which happens to be now.  This little gem of  a gadget makes homemade popsicles in seven minutes.  The only requirement is that the beverage used is icy cold.  So I've been making hot cocoa, cooling it in the fridge and storing the liquid in a glass bottle.  Then, when the mood strikes, we whip out our machine and get to freezing.  

 

The special machine in not required though.  These could easily be made with regular icy-treat molds or paper cups and popsicle sticks.  

Do you make popsicles with you kiddies or do you prefer to buy them?  Favourite flavours? Popsicles or ice cream?  How about both?  Let's discuss!

 

Hot Chocolate Popsicles

• 2 cups milk, or milk alternative
  
• 1 baking square of semi-sweet chocolate
  
• 2 tbsp organic cocoa
  
• 2 tbsp honey
  
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  

Place the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat and allow to simmer to warm.  After three or four minutes add the chocolate and allow to melt.  Add the cocoa, honey and cinnamon and whisk to combine well.

Remove the cocoa from the stove and cool completely.  Pour into a glass bottle and store in the fridge. When you are ready, pour into popsicle molds and freeze until solid.