UPDATE **Seen & Sharing** Ice Cream

UPDATE: I have no idea what all happened with this post. I think I ran it once, but I am not sure if I had all the photos included. Here is the post just as if I never ran it before and with some good photos. I have since learned to make the ice cream with chocolate and also with nuts. This post only includes what I have done with the vanilla version.

I am SO going to start sharing some of the very cool stuff I run across online. I'm going to tag the posts as Seen & Sharing and since I see cool stuff all the time, I'll have lots of posts in the future,

This week, while I was laid up not feeling well, I saw a video that really cheered me up because it brought back childhood memories of my mom's kitchen skills. It is this one from Tasty and it shows how to make chocolate ice cream - without all the equipment and stuff that Mama used. Stuff I will never have around my tiny kitchen!

Homemade Vs. Store-bought: Ice Cream

Shut UP, right? How freaking cool is that? I'm going to try making a batch when I am feeling better and I will post about it. Once I saw the video, I checked out the Tasty YouTube channel (and subscribed) and found out that there is an app from Buzzfeed for Tasty.

If you thought the video was cool, you are going to be blown away by the Tasty phone app. It's unlike any other recipe app I've ever heard of. Not only are there a ton of recipes that are really easy to search through (and save as "favorites"), but there are short video clips for each step in a recipe. I have issues so visuals make life so much easier.

By the way, after I saw that ice cream video, I wanted to know if I could do a batch minus the chocolate without throwing things off balance. I didn't find the answer on Tasty, but I found one over on Kitchn.com.  This is a 2-ingredient, NO CHURN ice cream. The recipe is especially awesome recipe because options like adding fruits and different flavorings is explained. I sent that one out to my friends. Go check it out. And by the way, if you don't have the sweetened condensed milk around... Yep, there is a recipe for that too. The internet can be lovely.

Okay. So the other cool thing I saw and want to share is this info for how to make a homemade bleaching gel pen. Just like the person who posted the info, I think the storebought pens are outrageously expensive - but I have used them and love them. Anyway, I wanted to pass it along in case anyone wants to be a maverick and try it out.

So, big thanks to Tasty and Kitchn for this episode of Seen & Sharing.

Here are photos of my first try at the ice cream. It turned out AMAZING. I did add 4 cups of cream because I didn't want anything to be too sweet. That was overkill and next time I will do 3 cups (not the recipe suggested 2 cups). My neighbor who loves ice cream gave me a big thumbs up! Yay, me.

This is at the point I am starting to fold the cream into the condensed milk mix. This is also where, when I made the chocolate flavor, I added the melted chocolate chips. I learned to add some of the chocolate fully melted and add some of it just crushed up. That made a really nice texture to the latest batch. (I gave that batch away to my SIL before I took photos!)

This is what the batter looks like once the cream and condensed milk are all blended and ready to pack into a container and freeze.

This is what the batch looked like after about 4 to 6 hours in the freezer. The wax paper kept the top from developing frost crystals.

And this, my friends, is what the delicious ice cream looked like at serving. It was SOOO good. My family loves when I whip this up and I can't wait to make some for my little DJ when I go see him. The taste is a lot like what I remember McDonald's ice cream being like several years ago.

Once again, I am so sad that I didn't get photos of the chocolate. I will try to remember to add some the next time I make a batch.

After experimenting with different additions and flavorings, I have decided that the chocolate version is best when using bittersweet chocolate and leaving some of the chocolate unmelted. I wasn't crazy about adding nuts (I did walnut and pecan), but I did learn a trick when I do add them: don't put the nuts in until the ice cream has been in the freezer long enough to start thickening (about 1 1/2 to 2 hours). That way, you can stir in the nuts (gently) and not have them all clump together or sink.

Peace
--Free

**RECIPE** Chicken Pot Pie (for Dummies like Me)

Okay, folks, this is a recipe that I modified (slightly) from the one found here. I have never, ever made a chicken pot pie - not unless you're counting the ones I get on sale in the Frozen aisle at Walmart, bring home and toss in the microwave...

I really wanted to make a homemade chicken pot pie and I was, for some reason, terrified. When I cook, I usually stick to what I know. I didn't know pot pie.

Now the recipe that I linked to is super easy, but I did make a couple of modifications. Also, I wanted to make suggestions that I think first-timers could use.

INGREDIENTS (Pay attention to the variations!)

• I used a GLASS 8" square pan but you can use a 9" round also
• 1 bowls for the pot pie mixture & another if you're going to use a biscuit mix for the topping 

• 1 can of condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 cup of milk to be used with soup (I used whole fat milk)
• 1/2 cup milk to be used in biscuit mix. (I used 1 box of Jiffy Buttermilk Biscuit mix)
• 1 package thawed frozen mixed veggies (I used an 8 oz pack and added 4 oz thawed spinach)
• 1 cup  chicken or turkey (I chopped up the meat of some leftover chicken breasts I'd cooked the night before)
• 1 egg (this is ONLY if you are going to use a biscuit mix for the topping & not a pie crust)
• 1 cup biscuit baking mix OR 2 pie crusts

NOTE: For those who want, here is recipe for biscuit mix that lets you adjust recipe to different serving sizes.

STEPS: (Read through these BEFORE you start!)

If you are using pie crusts for the bottom, make sure to brown them for a few minutes before adding the filling!

• Heat oven to 400 degrees
• In a medium/large bowl, mix 1/2 cup of milk with the condensed soup and add the veggies and meat. (I also added some turmeric, salt, and pepper to taste).
• If using a biscuit mix, IN A SEPARATE BOWL, add to the dry mix the egg and 1/2 cup of milk. 
• Pour the meat/veggie mix into the pie pan.
• Cover the meat/veggie mix with the biscuit batter or the pie crust.
• If using a biscuit batter topping, make sure to cover the edges and middle of pie. I added a bit more liquid to my batter because it was too thick to spread.
• If using a pie crust topping, dab the top with some melted butter for better browning. Don't forget to knife or fork in a few holes into the pie crust.
• Bake for about 20 minutes or until browned. (Mine took only 17 minutes)

Super easy, right? The one thing that annoyed me when I first read the original recipe is the part about using the biscuit mix and the soup. Your instinct might be to go by the instructions on the labels of those items. DON'T. Just pretend the instructions don't even exist. (And, yes, I was cheap and used store branded soup!)

Keep in mind that this will make enough for at least 4 people. I had so much left over that I ended up sending it home with my brother and his family. Next time, I will try reducing the entire recipe so that I can make a smaller pie. Maybe I can pre-make the filling and make mini-pies throughout the week. 

I love that this recipe was so cheap, easy and quick. Also, clean-up was simple, and the pie...

Oh my goodness! It turned out so tasty. Of course, I couldn't eat it all. I put some away for later and called my brother to come get the rest for his wife and kids. This was about a 9 inch pie and it was perfect for their dinner. After a few bites, I was stuffed. I need to find a way to do smaller servings but I'm not sure how well they will keep for more than a few hours.

Next time, I'm going to do leftover boneless pork. I will probably try adding kale instead of spinach. One thing I noticed is that most of the spinach rose to the tip of the pie!

Some other cooks on the site where I got this recipe said that they added things like shallots and potatoes. For me, I think potatoes would be great if feeding a family, but a bit too much for a single.

One last thing: the next pie I make, I won't be adding a crust to the bottom. Even though it turned out well, it wasn't necessary, in my opinion.

Hope your pie turns out great. Happy noshing!

Peace
--Free