Peach Cheesecake Ice Cream

We're fortunate to have a local peach orchard not too far away and I recently picked up half a bushel of my favorite late summer fruit.  That worked out to be 22 pounds, in case you're wondering.  (yes, I did haul out my kitchen scale to weigh them.....I just had to know.)

That's a lot of peaches.

I stuck at least half of them in our extra fridge in the garage so they wouldn't ripen too fast and left the rest on the counter.  My constantly hungry kiddos would make fast work of them, I was sure.

I had every intention of making peach freezer jam, and even bought the pectin for it.....but when I saw that the recipe called for a cup and a half more sugar than peaches, I just couldn't bring myself to make it.
Should have bought that less-sugar required pectin.

Also on my list of things to make was Peach Cobbler Scones.  Those I made on Saturday - the recipe will be coming soon.  Delish.

But above all else, I wanted to make peach ice cream.
But not just plain peach ice cream - peach cheesecake ice cream!
I couldn't get the idea out of my head.

So what I basically did was take the basic vanilla ice cream that I usually make and added a bunch of pureed peaches, with a block of cream cheese replacing one of the cups of cream.  I toyed with the idea of swirling in crumbled homemade ginger snaps or something of the like, but ended up just deciding to sprinkle individual servings with crushed graham crackers.

It was so. good.

Grant (aka Mr.Chocolate) was admittedly skeptical of it.  He was convinced that he wouldn't really care for it.  But after one spoonful, he was SOLD.  

In my opinion, nothing you buy at the store can hold a candle to homemade ice cream.  It's so rich, satisfying, and free of weird ingredients. (carrageenan, anyone??)  And this version, with so many sweet, juicy peaches in it, must have a full serving of fruit per scoop.  What store-bought ice cream can boast that?

Peach Cheesecake Ice Cream
Makes a generous 2 quarts
(a Rebekah original)

1-1/2 pounds fresh peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced
1 8 (oz) package cheese, room temperature
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1 1/4 cups sugar (I used organic evaporated cane juice sugar)
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
2 cups heavy cream
Graham crackers for garnish (optional)

1. Place peach slices and cream cheese (cut into small pieces) into a blender or food processor.  Puree until smooth.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, combine the milk and sugar and mix for a few minutes on medium speed, until sugar is completely dissolved and mixture is smooth. I test it by rubbing a small amount of mixture between my fingers to make sure there's no grittiness left.
3. Add the peach cream cheese mixture to the milk and stir to combine.  Add the vanilla and cream and stir gently.
4. Pour into your ice cream maker and proceed according to your manufacturer's directions.

Mine nearly overflowed my Cuisinart 2-quart ice cream maker - so if yours is smaller, reduce the recipe in half or only freeze part of it at a time. 

Lemon Zucchini Bread - SRC

This month I had the pleasure of getting introduced to Lea Ann from Cooking...On the Ranch for my Secret Recipe Club assignment. Lea Ann lives in Colorado and has seriously one of the best views in the entire world from her little town.  You HAVE to click over to her About page to see it.  Go ahead....I'll wait.

Didn't I tell you???  Looks like a little piece of heaven to me. I need to go on vacation there.

So I was tempted by so many recipes on her blog - from Chicken Macaroni Salad (definitely making that one soon - I bought the ingredients for it, just haven't gotten to it yet) to this mouth-watering Baked Zucchini and Tomato side dish.....but I had some organic zucchini that was desperately calling to me from the bottom drawer of the fridge to be used soon, and I had never tried Lemon Zucchini Bread before, so that was the big winner.

I was the designated "snack-bringer" to my ladies' Bible study that week, so I decided to double the recipe and share this treat with friends.  And I must say, it was a HUGE hit.  I got loads of compliments from the ladies and kids alike.....and everyone was super surprised that the bread had zucchini in it.

That's mostly because of an error I made.

See, I just got my first food processor a few weeks ago and was super excited to use it to shred the zucchini. Sooooo much faster than hand-grating it, right?
But silly me, I neglected to take the blade out of the bottom of the processor, so the zucchini got not only grated, but basically pureed.  It was a nice, fine pulp.

I just tossed it in the bread anyways and it essentially disappeared.  I don't think anyone would have guessed that there was zucchini in the bread - but it definitely did its magic of adding moisture to the bread.

The best part was the glaze - the tangy, vibrant lemon glaze.  It just made the bread explode with flavor.

You really have to try it - Lea Ann swore it was amazing and she was Oh. So. Right.
Definitely double the recipe - you'll be so glad you did.

Next year I am totally planting some zucchini in my yard so I can make this bread all summer long.


Lemon Zucchini Bread
Adapted slightly from Cooking...On the Ranch
(makes one 9x5" loaf)

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil (I used expeller-pressed coconut oil)
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
Juice of 1 lemon (or 2 Tbsp. lemon juice)
Zest of 1 lemon
1 cup grated zucchini

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
Juice of half a lemon (or 1 Tbsp. lemon juice)

Preheat oven to 350°.
In a large bowl, blend flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
In a medium bowl, beat 2 eggs well, then add oil and sugar and blend well.  Add the buttermilk, lemon juice and lemon zest and stir to combine.  Fold in the zucchini.
Add wet mixture to dry mixture and blend gently; don't over mix.
Pour batter into a greased 9x5" loaf pan and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool in pan 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Combine glaze ingredients in a small bowl - add more juice or sugar if necessary to make a good drizzling consistency.  You don't want it really thick, but super liquidy isn't good either!  Spoon glaze over bread evenly and let set before serving.

Chocolate Chip Chocolate Cheesecake Bites

I know it's just the beginning of August - and there are lots of people who are still soaking in the love of summer for another month - but around here, we're already two weeks into our home school schedule.

We're attempting a new routine - one that I started last year but was completely disrupted by our move; six weeks on, one week off year round - with an extra ten weeks to take off whenever we want.  I'm sure a chunk of those will regularly be taken in the summer, plus we'll have extra time off in December and whenever grandparents come to visit. We'll see how it goes.

A couple of weeks ago, the leaders of our church hosted a dinner for the families who were new to the congregation in the past several months.  We were asked to bring a dessert (you know they had to twist my arm on that one) and I decided to make this variation on these Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Squares.  That's my second most popular blog post of all time - and well deservedly so - but I always like to try new things.

The recipe that inspired me was made in a 8x8" square pan.  Now, I know for some people, that's a reasonable amount of dessert to have around, but when you have a family of 7 and might like a dessert to last more than one meal, that's just not gonna cut it. Not to mention that we were taking it to a potluck.

So double it I did.  

Okay, I have a confession to make.  Any time a recipe calls for an amount of cream cheese that doesn't use up the whole block, I adjust the recipe to use it all  - unless I already have a purpose for the remainder. I just can't stand leaving 4 ounces of cream cheese in the fridge, knowing that I'll never have a recipe that uses so little or I'll forget all about it and end up throwing it away in 3 months.  (cause that's about how often I clean out my fridge.  I know. Ick.  But it's my least favorite chore.)

Sooooo.....I not only doubled the recipe but increased the cheesecake layer so I avoid having the icky cream cheese in the fridge.  The result was that my cheesecake layer was a little taller than the original and took a bit longer to bake - which in turn meant that the cookie layer on top got slightly brown.  I was worried about that at first, but you know what?  It still tasted fabulously delicious.

The proof was that people kept asking "Who made these bars??" with glowing eyes and blissfully happy smiles on their faces at the fellowship meal - and my family couldn't get enough of them.  I'm afraid my kids might have taken more than their share.  And the small pan that I saved at home and took to my parents the next night were equally as well received - my dad and brother LOVED them.

Oh, and another nice thing about making a huge pan - although I didn't have the chance to freeze any, I know they'd freeze perfectly and you could have little cheesecake bites just waiting for you any time the chocolate urge hits.
Or you have surprise company.
Or an accomplishment to celebrate.
Or you just like cheesecake with cookie dough.  Like me.  :)

Chocolate Chip Chocolate Cheesecake Bites

Adapted from Baby Gizmo

Crust:

3 cups chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs (about 27 cookies)

1 stick (8 Tbsp) butter, melted (I used salted)

Cookie Dough:

10 Tbsp. salted butter, partially melted

2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

6 Tbsp. granulated sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cheesecake Filling:

3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

3 large eggs, room temperature

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a 13 x 9" pan with foil or parchment paper allowing a little overhang.

Mix the melted butter and cookie crumbs until thoroughly combined.  Press into the bottom of the prepared pan.  I use a metal measuring cup to press the mixture in well.  Bake in preheated oven for 6 minutes.  Remove pan to a cooling rack.

While the crust is baking, prepare the chocolate chip cookie dough.  In a large bowl, beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, and vanilla until smooth.  Mix in the flour just until incorporated.  Stir in the chocolate chips. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth.  Mix in the eggs and vanilla on low speed just until combined. Add the melted chocolate and mix gently.  Pour the cheesecake batter into the prepared crust.

Flatten clumps of cookie dough in your palms and distribute onto the top of the cheesecake batter.  Get it as evenly spread out as possible.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the cookie dough feels dry and firm and the entire pan looks set.  If it's really jiggly, give it a few more minutes.  If the cookie dough starts to brown too much, you can cover the top of the pan with foil.

Move bars to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.  Refrigerate for a couple of hours before cutting.  Remove from pan using the foil overhang and cut into desired size squares.  Keep refrigerated until serving.

Bars can be frozen also - just allow to thaw before serving.  

Blueberry Crumb Bars

One of the best parts of early summer is fresh blueberries.  There are so many things you can do with them, from pies and crisps, muffins and cakes, smoothies and toppings for granola or oatmeal.  Not to mention eating them plain, which is what we do most.

And there's just nothing like going to pick them yourself.  I was so happy to discover that there is a blueberry farm just 20 minutes from our house - we went twice in June to pick and ended up with a total of 4 gallons.  I managed to freeze 2 gallons - the rest were eaten plain or baked into this mouth-watering dessert.

 Ellia (3.5) - she ate more berries than she contributed to the bucket. :)

Picking berries with my friend Kim and her children.

top  left - Jenika with Marissa and Annika

top right - Miranda with Hadassah

bottom left - Me with Kim - we've been friends for 23 years!!  

bottom right - Elisha and Corban - great buddies.

The second time we went to pick berries, it was so chilly out that we had to wear jackets - and our hands nearly froze from the wet bushes.  Unusual weather for June around here for sure.


These Blueberry Crumb Bars are really simple to make and just burst with berry flavor. A little lemon zest and juice add that extra special zing to the filling.  I highly recommend using organic lemons if you can find them, especially since you're using the zest.  I can actually get a bag of organic lemons at Walmart for just a marginal amount more than the conventional lemons cost.  Definitely worth it.

They store really well in the refrigerator and taste good chilled, but I definitely preferred them warmed up a little.  A scoop of vanilla ice cream would really take them over the top.  

Blueberry Crumb Bars
adapted slightly from Smitten Kitchen

1 cup white sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
3 cups flour (I used half white whole wheat, half all purpose)
1 cup cold butter (I used salted)
1 egg
1/4 tsp. salt (omit if using salted butter)
Zest and juice of one lemon
1/2 cup white sugar
4 tsp. cornstarch (use organic if possible)
4 cups fresh blueberries 

Preheat oven to 375° F. Grease a 13 x 9" pan.
In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder.  Mix in salt and lemon zest. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the butter and egg.  Dough will be crumbly.  Pat half of dough into the prepared pan.
In another bowl, stir together the lemon juice, 1/2 cup sugar, and cornstarch.  Gently mix in the blueberries.  Sprinkle the blueberries evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.
Bake in preheated oven for 35-45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. (My oven cooks fast, so I always check early.)
Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Busy Day Goulash - SRC

We have really been loving our new church and getting to know the families there.  It's not a big church, probably around 200 people or so.  I recently became acquainted with a really great lady named Ginny.  Shortly after, we became Facebook friends - and I saw on her page that she had a food blog, Cooking with Chopin, Living with Elmo.

"That's awesome!" I thought to myself. "We have something else in common!"

As I browsed through her blog, admiring her fantastic recipes and gorgeous photography, it quickly became apparent that Ginny and I had something else in common.

She is a member of the Secret Recipe Club also!!

She's in Group A - and I hadn't run across her before.  It was such a thrill to both of us to discover that we actually met someone in person who was a member of the club.  What are the odds, ya know?  Super cool.

Anyway.  On to July's feature.

I had the great pleasure of being assigned to Miz Helen's Country Cottage  for the Secret Recipe Club this month.  This delightful lady is just the sort of person you'd love to have as a next door neighbor.  A mom of 7, grandma to 13, and great-grandma to 3, she's gifted with hospitality, has gorgeous gardens and landscaping, something scrumptious always baking, and has tips for home-keeping from canning to meal-planning.  Not to mention a lengthy list of recipes, with tempting titles like Key Lime Cake, Cream Puffs, and Baked Tilapia Cakes.

Now if only I can get her to move from Texas to Northwest Arkansas......

This Busy Day Goulash jumped out at me.....because as a mom of 5 kids, I have lots of busy days.  Don't we all???  And I love using my slow-cooker in the summer - saves heating up the oven and all that jazz.

This dinner is easy to get together and cooks in just a few hours. It's a great combination of meat, veggies, pasta, and cheese, making a very satisfying meal that will please the whole crew.

I changed just a few things, using vegetable broth instead of beef and omitting 2 tsp. cinnamon (I just didn't think my family would like that....).

My only issue was that the pasta was a little overcooked - my family didn't complain and rather liked the noodles a little mushy - but I would have preferred them a bit firmer. That could just be because my slow-cooker cooks really hot and fast.  So next time I'll wait an hour or so to add the pasta.

All in all, it was a great meal that lasted us for two dinners and I will definitely add it to the menu rotation.

Thanks, Miz Helen!!

Busy Day Goulash
adapted slightly from Miz Helen's Country Cottage

2 lbs lean ground beef or ground turkey
2 medium onions, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce or 1 (14 oz) can
1 3/4  cups frozen corn
1 qt. vegetable broth or beef broth
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. oregano
1 Tbsp. parsley
2 tsp. cinnamon (I omitted)
2 cups dry pasta (I used Cellentani)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Dash of Cayenne pepper
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup Monterrey Jack cheese, grated

Brown ground turkey, onion, and pepper in a hot skillet.  Add 1/2 cup water to the skillet to remove all the goodies from the bottom if you want. Pour the mixture into the slow cooker.  Add the remaining ingredients, except for cheese.  Mix well and cover the slow cooker.  (Note: I will add the pasta after the first hour next time)
Cook on high for 1 hour, then on low for 3 hours.  At the end of 3 hours, put the cheeses on top of the Goulash, replace the lid and cook for 30 more minutes on low.

Spinach Strawberry Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette

I can't think of a kind of salad I enjoy more than spinach with strawberries.  

Add in some candied almonds and it's practically dessert.  

Seriously.

And y'all know how I like dessert. 

Ahem.

So when we had some spinach and strawberries on hand last week, I had to make a salad.  My dear friend Christen makes an awesome spinach salad with bacon and strawberries - I wanted to make it but didn't have raspberry vinegar for the dressing, or any spare bacon lying around (what was the matter with me...we should always have bacon!) so I had to search for something else. 

When I saw this strawberry vinaigrette, I knew I had to try it.  

It's simple, goes together quickly, and only has 2 Tablespoons of oil in the whole batch - so it must be low fat....right????

And it adds simply marvelous strawberry flavor to the spinach salad.  I just loved it.  

Spinach Strawberry Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette
(dressing from The Gracious Pantry)

Dressing:
(makes 1 1/3 cups)

1/2 pound fresh strawberries
2 Tbsp. honey (or more to taste if your berries aren't very sweet)
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar (use organic, raw vinegar if possible)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Adjust honey to taste.

Salad:
1/4 cup sliced/slivered almonds
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
8-10 cups fresh spinach
Sliced strawberries

In a small skillet over medium heat, stir almonds and sugar until sugar is dissolved and almonds are toasted. Be careful not to scorch them, stirring often and reducing the heat if necessary.  The sugar takes several minutes to melt.  Pour onto a plate and crumble into pieces once cool.

In a large bowl, toss spinach, sliced strawberries, and candied almonds. Pour dressing over to taste.

Soft and Chewy Double Chocolate M&M Cookies

Remember the Strawberry Dream Cake I told you about last week - that we took to our friends' home when they invited us for dinner?  (In case you need a plug for how good that cake was, my friend caught up with me on Sunday at church and requested the recipe, saying that she had woken up that morning with that cake on her mind - that it was the best strawberry cake ever!)

These are the other dessert I decided on making.  Just in case anyone didn't like cake or strawberries or whatever.  And because I really don't need an excuse to make something chocolate.

These cookies have an ingredient that I'm not really used to seeing in cookies - cornstarch. 
Just a couple of teaspoons - but apparently it's the secret to making the cookies soft and tender, and they stay that way for several days.

I couldn't get enough of these cookies, to tell you the truth.  The texture was absolutely perfect, and I loved the combination of chocolate chips and M&Ms giving it plenty of chocolate flavor and a little crunch from the candies.  They were definitely popular with kids and adults alike.

Note: You could, of course, use only chocolate chips or only M&Ms - the original recipe called for using the mini M&Ms, which I'm sure would be lots of fun.  Personally, I like the combination of candy and chips in these cookies.

Soft and Chewy Double Chocolate M&M Cookies
adapted slightly from Tracy's Culinary Adventures

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey's Special Dark)
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
M&Ms (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners

In a medium bowl, sift the flour, cocoa power, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt together.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Beat in the egg and then the vanilla.  With the mixer on low, gradually add the dry ingredients, beating just until combined.  Mix in the chocolate chips.

Using a medium cookie scoop, portion the batter onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart.  Press a few M&Ms on top of each cookie.  Bake for 7-8 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are set.  The centers may look underdone - don't overbake!  Let the cookies cool a few minutes on the pans then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.  Repeat with all the dough.