"No-Churn" Vanilla Ice Cream

I could eat ice cream every day - that's how much I love it. I realized though, it's best to have it as a special treat - about once a month. I've thought from time to time about buying an ice cream machine, but then I probably would be eating it every day! LOL. This vanilla ice cream recipe doesn't require churning by hand or an ice cream machine. It does require an electric mixer though! My "dream," mixer is made by KitchenAid and is close to $700!! I do just fine and dandy with my hand mixer that was less than ten bucks from Bed, Bath and Beyond. Anyways, this ice cream is very rich, but oh my gosh is it DECADENT! I waited a few days after I made a batch before I went into the freezer to get myself a small bowl. About half the ice cream was already gone, so I was trying to figure out who the "culprit," was. One night that week I discovered it was my hubby. He had been going into the freezer, lifting off the top of the "Mason," jar and getting himself a spoonful at a time. I didn't know that, until I caught him, "red handed!"

Ingredients:

14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 pint heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup sprinkles (if desired)

Directions:

Pour the sweetened condensed milk into a small bowl and add the two teaspoons of vanilla extract. Mix well with large spoon and set aside. In a large bowl, put the pint of heavy whipping cream. With an electric mixer, beat the whipping cream on high speed for about three minutes or until soft peaks form. Gently "fold" into the ingredients in the smaller bowl with a large spoon. Add the sprinkles at this point if you wish and mix well with large spoon. When well combined, pour into a loaf pan (8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches) that is lined with parchment paper and then covered with plastic wrap (so ice crystals don't form) or use glass "Mason" jars. Put in freezer for a minimum of eight hours. Enjoy!

Baked Kale Chips

Lauren has wanted me to make kale chips with her for a while. I didn't want to and always came up with some excuse why we couldn't. I even went so far as to buy a bag of raw kale two or three times with good intentions of making them. I ended up throwing the bag away because by the time the two of us had free time, it had gone bad.  About a month ago, Lauren and I made these. We experimented with a bunch of different "seasonings," like curry powder, lemon pepper and salt/pepper. We discovered that the Taste of Home California Garlic Pepper seasoning was an A+++++! I'm not just saying that because I am a Volunteer Field Editor for Taste of Home - I have used the seasoning on white rice, baked potatoes and steamed broccoli and cauliflower! Since I didn't take any pictures of the baked kale chips when we made them the first time, I decided to make some more "chips," today!  Raw kale by itself doesn't have a lot of flavor, so you really have to add at least a little salt and pepper if nothing else.  Here is a bunch of raw kale I bought at Kroger:

 Here is what it looks like after it is baked and seasoned - YUMMY!!!!!

 

You can put the kale into a green salad or add some dried cranberries, salted sesame seeds, walnuts or pecans and raisins and you have an awesome homemade "trail mix!" One important thing Lauren and I found out the first time we made these kale chips is that you have to eat them immediately or at least within a few hours after you make them for maximum freshness!

Ingredients

1 bunch raw kale
Non-stick cooking spray
Seasoning of your choice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside. Using a pair of kitchen shears, remove the "leaves" from the tough "stalks," of the entire bunch of kale. Cut into bite-size pieces, put into a medium bowl and then rinse with water. Dry thoroughly with a kitchen towel to remove all the excess water. Place a single layer of kale on the two cookie sheets. Spray liberally with the non-stick spray and then sprinkle with your favorite seasoning. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until they are starting to crisp up. Remove from oven and let them cool slightly. Enjoy!