Tag: homemade

Pumpkin Bourbon Ice Cream Recipe

Published on by Krys3 Comments

Pumpkin Bourbon Ice Cream

Fall is almost here and that means one thing: PUMPKIN. Pumpkin flavored food has become an American tradition and our appetite for it only seems to be growing. Forget the leaves. Forget the sweaters. We want our pumpkin flavored foods and we want them now! Bring on the cookies, pies, and bread puddings.

I usually like to wait until summer is officially over before I indulge in autumnal themed foods, but this ice cream is the perfect recipe to transition you into fall. It’s a cool treat but with all the warm flavors of the season: pumpkin, spice, and bourbon.

It took a couple of tries but I think we nailed it with this recipe. The texture is light and creamy and all of the flavors harmoniously hit your palate. You can taste the pumpkin, spices, and bourbon without one outshining the others.

Ingredients

1 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
5 egg yolks
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup bourbon

In a bowl, mix together the pumpkin puree and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate.

In a mixing bowl with a whisk attachment, combine the egg yolks, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt, nutmeg, 1/2 cup cream and 1/4 cup brown sugar. Whisk until smooth and sugar is dissolved.

Then, in a 2 qt saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk, the remaining 1/2 cup of cream, and remaining 1/2 cup of the brown sugar. Cook until little bubbles form around the edges of the pan, about 5 minutes.

Remove the cream mixture from the heat. Gradually whisk about 1/2 cup of the hot mixture into the egg mixture until smooth. Then, pour the egg mixture back into the pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly at a low simmer for about 5 minutes and it is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and leaves a clear trail when a finger is run through it. Do not boil! Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl. Let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until chilled.

Note: You can cool the mixture in an ice bath by placing the bowl in a larger bowl partially filled with ice water, stirring occasionally until cool. This will cool the custard faster. Otherwise, place plastic wrap directly over the custard (to avoid a skin from forming) and let cool on countertop, before refrigerating.

Whisk the pumpkin mixture and the bourbon into the chilled custard. Transfer to an ice cream maker and freeze according to your machine’s instructions. For firmer ice cream, transfer to freezer safe container and freeze for an additional 2-3 hours.

Makes about 1.5 quarts

Serve with crumbled graham crackers or speculoos cookies for added delight.

Pumpkin Bourbon Ice Cream Recipe

 
Special thanks to Cuisinart®.

Advertisement

Easy Pumpkin Challah Bread Recipe

Published on by Krys2 Comments

Mmmmm bread! Get in my belly, gluten.  Fall means feeling the need to eat all things pumpkin, all the time…right? Well here’s a really easy pumpkin bread recipe. It’s basically pumpkin challah, hollaaaaa! (sorry, not sorry). You can slice this and use it for sandwiches, toast it up or French it for breakfast, or use it for bread puddings.

Pumpkin Challah

What you’ll need:

  • 1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 1/2 cup warm water
  • 6 large egg yolks, plus 1 large egg yolk for eggwash
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon allspice
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour

First, proof yeast by mixing the dry yeast with 1/4 cup warm water. Add a pinch of sugar and mix. Let stand for 10 minutes or until foamy.

Use an electric mixer to beat the egg yolks with remaining water. Add salt, oil, honey, pumpkin, and spices. Mix well. Switch to a dough hook and add yeast mixture to the bowl. Stir until combined. Slowly add flour 1 cup at a time until incorporated. Dump dough onto a floured work surface and knead by hand for about 10 minutes. Put dough into a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let stand in a warm place until it rises and doubles in size, between 1-3 hours. Dump the dough back onto your floured work surface and punch it one or two times.

Pumpkin Challah Dough

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and use your dough to form a loaf. Make light slices across the top. Let the it sit, covered with a kitchen towel, until it rises and doubles in size again.

Pumpkin Challah Dough

Use remaining egg yolk and water mixture to glaze the top of the loaf. Set your oven to 350 degrees and bake until golden brown, about 40-50 minutes.

Pumpkin Challah Bread

Now eat it.

Pumpkin Challah Bread

Chicken Jerky Dog Treats | Healthy Pet Recipes

Published on by Krys4 Comments

We are proud parents of two 11 year old Shih Tzu fur-babies that are like our children. Obsessed. Fully.

We take great care in watching what goes into their bellies. Our boy, Mango, has tummy issues and a list of foods he’s sensitive to. Our girl, Pandie, has a stomach of steel…usually. When they started showing strange signs of illness last year, we took a step back and reevaluated their diet. That’s when we heard about the FDA cautioning pet owners about chicken jerky dog treats. Complaints and concerns from consumers are still popping up on the regular, along with petitions to ban foreign made treats from shelves. Very scary stuff! Even though we thought we were buying a good product, we realized the treats are made in China and quite possibly making our dogs sick. We started purchasing only American made products for our dogs at our local specialty pet food stores. Since the switch we have not had any more severe bouts with vomiting or diarrhea.

While making room in the freezer we came across some left-over chicken breasts. That’s when Jvee decided to make homemade chicken jerky. I don’t eat chicken but Jvee does. So, whenever there is any left over, it goes straight to the dogs.

Chicken Jerky Dog Treats

We use good quality chicken breasts. Remove any extra fat. Cut VERY thinly with a sharp knife.

Grease a baking sheet with a small amount of olive oil to prevent sticking. Line the sheet with the raw chicken pieces. Don’t worry, small amounts of olive oil is safe for dogs.

Set your oven to 170 degrees fahrenheit and bake the chicken for about 8 hours until all the moisture is removed and it is dry. Be patient. Just let it hang out in there. Let the jerkey pieces cool completely. You can store these in airtight containers.

Mango and Pan are so obsessed. They wait by the oven every time we make them. Not only are they feeling better, but we can bribe them to do just about anything now. Worth it.

If your pups prefer biscuits, check out our Cheddar Peanut Butter Biscuit recipe.