An All New Sweet Nothings

Hello Blogger Buddies! I am writing a quick post to let you all know that I have moved this site! I can now be found at www.ChristinaSweetNothings.com.  I am posting and updating the site daily! Hope to see you there!!!

I will eat the roof, and Gretel, you can eat the window

It is a tradition in my home to make gingerbread houses every year. The kids help with the making of the gingerbread, then we have a decorating party! We even make haunted gingerbread houses at Halloween. I love how my house smells when I bake gingerbread. The aroma or ginger, cinnamon, allspice and cloves fills every corner of your home. It is the essence of Christmas time, good will toward men and perpetual joy. But why are these little houses so popular and where did they originate? I am fascinated with the origins of traditions we celebrate. So I began to investigate....

History
In my research I found that the gingerbread recipes we use in the United States today are of a German variety. Gingerbread, has been made in many different forms, has been enjoyed as far back as 992 AD! It has of course changed over time as it has been passed through the generations and into other countries and traditions. The gingerbread house didn't become a popular item until after The Brothers Grimm published Hansel and Gretel as they are similar to the witches house. Gingerbread was also well known in England as a fair food. Certain shapes were even associated with different seasons. One popular village tradition required young single maidens to eat gingerbread shaped husbands at the fair to increase their luck in finding a real husband.

Baking
So after my brief walk through Christmas past, I got all of the stuff ready to make our families gingerbread houses. Now, people often wonder how to cut the patterns and designs of the house. Here, you have a couple of options. The most simple option is to buy a gingerbread cookie cutter set like the one pictured below (this is made by Wilton and can be found at many craft stores or ordered from http://www.wilton.com/). You simply roll out the gingerbread, cut out your shapes with the cutter, bake and voila! OR you can make your own template, cut it out of paper or cardboard, roll out dough, cut around template, bake and voila! The choice is yours. The gingerbread house pictured above in the top left corner was cut from a template, the other house was made with the cookie cutter set. Either method works fine, It just depends on what you are wanting to accomplish. You can even find patterns out there for elaborate houses, lighthouses, churches and trains!

Below is the gingerbread recipe that I use. It is from a Betty Crocker book from 1963 and it is my favorite recipe for gingerbread I have ever tried. I hope you and your family enjoy it as much as my family does.

Gingerbread Cookies

• 1/3 cup shortening
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups dark molasses (use a good quality molasses, I have noticed a difference when I use a off brand)
• 2/3 cup cold water
• 7 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp cloves
• 1 tsp cinnamon

1. First mix the shortening, sugar and molasses thoroughly. Next stir in the water. Then blend all dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Then slowly add to the shortening mix and mix thoroughly. Then cover with a cloth and chill in the refrigerator for about an hour or two.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Once your dough has chilled, lightly flour a cutting board and roll dough until it is about 1/4" thick. You will need to break the dough into sections to roll it out. Also, the dough may seem a bit dry. I find this happens when I have used a cheaper off brand molasses. If it seems dry then break off a chunk you want to work with, get your hands wet with water and begin kneading the dough slowly working the water from your hands into the dough. Or you can add a tsp at a time to the bowl of dough and mix it up. Either way start slow and with small amounts to soften it  a bit.  You will know if it's too dry if it remains clumpy and does not roll easily. 
3. Once it's rolled out, cut the dough with your cutters. Place on a baking sheet slightly, spread out about an inch and a half apart. They will fluff up when they bake. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let them cool for about 10 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack. 

The Fun Part!

Now comes the fun part, decorating! I set up individual workstations for us, if I didn't there would be a holy war on my hands over all of the decorations. So to save my sanity, each kid got their own supply of decorations. For the candy pieces I use most of what is left over from Halloween and trick or treat. This way I can use up that old candy, we don't eat it, and I don't have to buy any candy for the house decorations, except seasonal things like candy canes. I put a handful of candy in cupcake liners for each child. Cupcake liners work great as you can just toss them out when you are done! Everyone also gets their own piping bag filled with royal icing that is to be used to put the house and decorations together. If you don't plan on actually eating your houses, I would recommend hot gluing the pieces to the board and to each other. It will hold a lot better than just the royal icing, especially if you have kids pushing and shoving on it. 

First you will want to attach your house to a piece of cardboard. I would suggest a cake board that you can get at a cake supply store or a craft store, or find a box and cut a square big enough to hold your cake and give your house a little bit of a yard. 

Next add your candy pieces, roof, yard etc. Go crazy and have fun! There are so many things you can do. I covered the roof of one house in Frosted Mini Wheats. It gives the effect of shingles and a snow covered roof. I covered another roof with Smarties candy. It gave the house a very cute Hansel and Gretel feel. I hope enjoy making these gingerbread houses much as we do.

Sources

http://santacla.us/christmas/gingerbread/index.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gingerbread

To Mix or to Scratch...Box Cake is the Question!

One hot topic among bakers, both professional and casual, is whether or not it is acceptable to use a box cake mix for their creations. Many people detest a box cake mix! I have read where bakers get into ridiculously heated debates on forums and blogs about this very topic. The simple truth is that bakers, experienced and novice, use box mixes. Some use them exclusively, some use them periodically while others may modify or add things to the box to make it their own. I have known of bakeries that buy cake mix in bulk. It is easier and more economical to dump a large bag of mix into a mixer than it is to use all ingredients separately sometimes. No matter how you decide to bake I would encourage you to experiment with different recipes (both scratch and box modifications). You never know what you may find that works well for you, your family and your clients. Here we will discuss a brief history of the box cake mix, what is in a box cake mix,  and how they can compare to scratch recipes. I will also give you some tips for making your box cake mix taste better. So lets begin!

A Little History...

Picture found at http://www.cookingmanager.com/cake-mix-america/

Once upon a time, 1936 to be exact, there was a young woman from Germany who moved to the United States with her young daughter and her name was Charlotte Cramer Sachs. In 1945 she married Alexander Sachs who a leading economist of the time. Alexander introduced Albert Einstein to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and was an advisor to President Roosevelt. 

Charlotte had an entrepreneurial spirit and a love of learning. She never went to college, as it wasn't appropriate at that time for women to go. However, Charlotte became a composer ("A Salute to Berlin"), a poet, artist, established a publishing company, and spoke three languages! In the early 1940's she developed Joy Products where they produced boxed mixes. She was a pioneer in her time. The Joy products were marketed as a great gift for the boys overseas. These products could stay fresh in transit around the world to our military. They also targeted housewives who were short on time, exploiting the ease and convenience of baking a home made treat from a box. Now, I have read before that some of these early boxes only required a person add water or milk. The early boxes included powdered eggs and a dehydrated oil (which is still found in many mixes today). I guess people didn't buy into that box mix idea because they couldn't understand how you could get a tasty product without eggs, water and an oil (fat). However, I had difficulty finding reliable sources about this, and I'm not clear if it was Joy products or some other. (The information about Charlotte and Joy products is from the Smithsonian, link below)

Charlotte refused an offer to sell her company and secrets. Later these secret mix recipes were copied and used by larger manufacturing companies supposedly without her consent. Charlotte went on to produce many more patents and inventions. She's probably best known for her wine cabinets that monitored temp and humidity. She was a brilliant woman who was fearless, clever and extremely talented. 

What's in a mix?

Box cake mix include the same ingredients you would find in your scratch recipes. There are however a few extra ingredients. Below is a list of ingredients from an off brand holiday confetti box cake mix that I had in my kitchen. The ingredients are all similar from brand to brand and even in the off brands. You really won't see very much of a difference.  I bought this holiday box on clearance for $0.59! And it will make 2, 8-inch 2 inch deep cakes. Just to give you an idea on cost and size of cake comparison. 

Now, I'm not going to go into each and every ingredient and how bad it all is for you, because let's face it, I think we all know cake in any form is not a power food. It is spongy fluffy carbs covered in a creaming frosting of carbs and fat. Yum, Yum. But that's not what we are talking about here. We are comparing box cake and scratch cake recipes. 

Some of the things that stand out are things like Carnauba Wax. This wax comes from the leaves of a palm tree in Brazil. It can be found in food items like sweets as well as shoe polish, car wax, and dental floss. Another item you wouldn't find in a scratch recipe is Xanthan Gum. This is an additive that thickens the cake and enhance texture. It is derived from natural sources and is considered safe by the FDA, however it is questionable how safe it really is according to some. Modified Corn Starch is another. It isn't harmful but could be made from genetically modified corn. Anyway, the point is you will find some extra things in the box cake mix that you wouldn't use in a cake from scratch. I read that in the 1960's some food scientist/chemist gained a patent on an additive to cake mixes for soap. Supposedly the soap would make it thicken up. Maybe Xanthan Gum is a biproduct of that, who knows. *I couldn't find anything where soap is still used.* Just an interesting tid bit.  

Scratch Cake:

Making a cake from scratch isn't difficult at all. I think many people are intimidated by trying recipes from scratch whether it be a cake, entree or side item. We live in a society that mass produces everything including the food we eat. Many people complain that buying fresh foods, like produce or even meat without hormone injections, is more expensive than buying all of the prepackaged goods like hamburger helper or spaghetti-o's. This can most definitely be true. But one important thing to remember is that you may be saving money now but in the long run those boxed dinners and fast foods will take a toll on your health. So it may actually cost you more in the long run with health problems, doctor bills, medications, etc. And trust me, I'm not innocent here, and I'm most definitely not throwing stones. I may buy things like spaghetti-o's from time to time to fix in a pinch. In general though, I do stay away from the boxed dinners and hormone injected meats.  But, nonetheless, people have become accustomed to pulling through the drive-thru, ordering carry out or eating one of those pre-packaged dinners with mystery meat. I even know many people that hardly use their kitchen for it's main function....cooking! In fact, a lot of people I've talked with think that a box cake mix IS a scratch cake! They would never know the difference! Cake comes in a box, and chicken nuggets are naturally shaped like dinosaurs, that's the way it's always been. Seriously though, don't ever be afraid to step out onto that limb and try your hand at baking a cake from scratch. Some scratch recipes are amazingly delicious and you would never be able to duplicate them with a box mix.  

Below is a basic yellow cake recipe that I use pretty regularly. It is a good standard yellow cake that goes well with many variations of filling and frostings:

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup (2 sticks of butter brought to room temperature)
2. 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3. 8 egg yolks
4. 3/4 cup of milk
5. 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
6. 2 cups flour
7. 2 tsp baking powder
8. 1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Either grease and flour 2 8 inch round pans or spray with something like Wilton's Bake Easy (can be found at many large craft stores in the Wilton aisle). Then mix the flour, baking powder and salt, set aside.

Next in a large bowl or mixer cream together butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy. Add egg yolks one at a time, then add vanilla. Now add in the flour mix and milk alternately until mixed. Pour batter into your prepared pans. 

Bake for 25-30 minutes. The baking time will vary depending on your altitude, sometime humidity in the air and your oven. Many ovens do not register temperatures correctly. So start watching your cake at around 25 minutes. You will know it is done when the sides are pulling away from the edge of the pan, but are not burned and by the top bouncing back when lightly pushed on. You can also stick a toothpick or a butter knife into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean (no liquid mix) then it is done. 

Let the cake sit in the pan for 10-15 minutes then flip them onto a cooking rack. If you let them sit for too long then the cake will re-stick to the pan and it will be very difficult to get the cakes out in one piece. 

Messin' with the Mix

There are many little tricks you can do to tweak a box cake mix. Books have even been written on how to mess with the mix and change it to make different flavors of cake. One book series is called The Cake Doctor. There are countless recipes in her books to change a box cake mix into something that tastes like it came from a bakery. My favorite trick is to use milk instead of water, add one extra egg to what the box calls for and butter instead of oil and double it. So let me demonstrate:

Lets say the box calls for:                      Then use:

1 1/3 cup of water                                     1 1/3 cup of milk  
1/2 cup vegetable oil                                  1 cup of melted butter
3 whole large eggs                                     4 whole large eggs

Whenever I do use a box cake mix I always make it with the modified ingredients above.  I have had people tell me that it is even the best cake they've ever had! Even people who have told me they despise box cake mixes have been fooled by this.  Even if you don't want to use all of the modifications, you could use one or two. Maybe just use milk instead of water or butter instead of oil. You can also add a pack of pudding mix to the batter to add a bit of extra moisture. If you are a die hard box cake fan then I highly recommend checking out the book series The Cake Doctor and tweaking your own recipes. I've even seen where people just add a can of crushed pineapple to a yellow box cake mix, bake it and it makes some delicious treat. Who knew right? 

In conclusion, box or scratch is really up to the baker. I know some may read this and snub their nose at it, and that's fine. I encourage each and every reader to try different things, find something that works well for you. Use family, friends, neighbors, co-works etc to be your taste testers. Keep a notebook or journal about your recipes you've tried. I can't tell you how many times I tried something new I found online or in an old cook book and didn't write it down! Keep track of your failures and successes and you will soon find that you have a collection of recipes that people will ask for and enjoy!

Sources:

http://www.organicauthority.com/health/whats-actually-in-boxed-cake-mixes-anyway.html

http://invention.smithsonian.org/resources/fa_cramersachs_index.aspx

2013 New Years Family Celebration

Whenever a holiday or special celebration comes around, I always start with the greatest of intentions to make a big deal out of it. My motto, "go big or go home". Well.... time, chores, kids, and work always seem to interrupt my grand plans and it's never quite how I pictured it. So to save myself some time and headaches, this year I delegated some of the party duties to my kids. Their first order of business, to make lanterns to decorate the house with. We stuck with the simple Chinese lanterns, as we could make them from bright construction paper and after all, that's what is important here, the bright colors! Bright colors are used in many cultures around the world because of their ability to attract good fortune. 

Chinese Lanterns

Supplies:

1. Multiple colors of construction paper
2. Scissors
3. Glue Stick
4. Glitter glue, markers or crayons (optional to decorate the lanterns)
5. Ribbon or string to hang

Directions:

1. Fold a piece of construction paper in half length wide.
2. Next Cut strips starting on the folded edge up toward the opposite edge. **Do not cut all the way through, only about 3/4 of the way, see the middle picture above.**
3. Next open up paper and glue one short side. 
4. Then wrap the glued edge around to the unglued edge and press to attach. 
5. Cut a small strip and glue on the inside of the lantern to make a handle. 
6. Decorate the lanterns with glitter glue or any other decoration you prefer.
7. Hang them up!

These are fun, quick and easy for kids to do. 

Balloon Drop

My kids never make it until midnight. I know if they did stay up that late they would be holy terrors the following day, so I'm thankful in a way they pass out early. However, they do stay up later than they normally would, and we celebrate as the New Year rings in around the world. We watch the times and countries and try to catch a glimpse of how New Years is being celebrated. This year we are incorporating a balloon drop! This is a very fun thing for kids to take part in! When London brings in the New Year, they pull the string opening a trash bag releasing a cascade of colorful balloons. 

Supplies:

1. Balloons
2. Draw string trash bag
3. Tape or something else to hook the bag to.

Directions:

Blow up the balloons, stuff them in a trash bag, tape or affix the bag to the ceiling. At the right time, open the drawstring and let the balloons drop!

P.S. I have also seen people cut open the trash bag so that it lays flat, then tape it to the ceiling, leave a small opening to stuff in balloons. Once it's filled with balloons then tape it closed. I didn't have the time or patients to do this part. 

Activities:

This is a night of family fun for us. We enjoy bringing in the New Year from the peace of our own home. We spend the evening playing video and board games, grazing on food, watching movies and seasonal T.V. programs. 

While my husband and I may enjoy a spirit or two (homemade eggnog, wine or champagne), I have always bought sparkling grape juice for my kids. They even have their own special "wine glasses" to drink from (they are cheap plastic but the kids feel pretty special with them). 

Grazing Menu of Choice

I incorporate some old favs along with things that people eat in other areas of the world. Whatever is on the menu, we snack on it all evening long. I suppose it's one last effort to gorge ourselves until our new year resolutions kick in. Every year the menu changes a bit. One of my favorite desserts is Watergate Salad, or the green fluff as we have called it. I have memories of my grandma making this for holiday celebrations and I LOVE it.  However this year I didn't have the time to make it. I wasn't sure what we would eat because a cold/flu has been circulating through our home. So I settled with shrimp, pigs in a blanket for the kids, guacamole, fruit,  cheese ball and crackers, eggnog, juice and I made for the first time a Dutch treat called Oliebollen (Click here to see how my Oliebollen turned out!). It's a pastry that is similar to a donut and is traditionally ate on New Years Eve in the Netherlands. 

One of my favorite things to do on a holiday is have chocolate fondue. It's a fun way to sit around the table as a family and enjoy a delicious treat. I reserve chocolate fondue for special occasions such as New Years Eve. The point is, have fun with your food selections, try new things, research what others may eat in different cultures and share in their traditions. 

Many Spanish speaking countries eat 1 grape for each of the last 12 seconds of the old year. 

New Year's Eve Traditions

Happy New Year!

Gelukkig Nieuwjaar

Hauoli Makahiki Hou

Bonne Année

Feliz Año Nuevo

While planning my families New Year's Eve celebration, I came across some interesting information about how others around the world celebrate this holiday. I LOVE things like this. It is my dream to travel to hidden, remote and populated places alike to experience other customs and cultures.....ahhhh, one day. In the meantime, I wanted to share with you some interesting info I found on world wide traditions for New Years Eve.

Happy New Year! It's a term given in greeting to family, friends, acquaintances, and strangers to welcome in the New Year. Along with warm greetings and well wishes, cultures going back as far as ancient Babylonian times have established traditions that are still practiced today such as shooting off fireworks or special meals, cakes or drinks. Most cultures slowly incorporated January 1st as the first day of the new year. Before this they considered the first day of Spring to be the beginning of the new year. Below are some of the well known and not so well known traditions. I encourage you to add some of these customs to your own New Years traditions! I am incorporating a Dutch pastry called Oliebollen that is normally  made for New Years Eve. (Click here to see how my Oliebollen turned out!) 

The Dutch: (Netherlands) They build massive bonfires with their Christmas trees and eat sugary treats called Oliebollen. It's a donut type of pastry covered in powered sugar. They are one of many cultures that partake in eating circular shaped foods that represent good luck or good fortune for the new year. 

Often, families will read Psalm 90 from the Old Testament in the Bible on New Years Eve. Psalm 90 is from the Old Testament. It was a prayer from Moses to humankind (much of Psalms was written by David). Psalm 90 inspired a hymn by Isaac Watts, "O' God, Our Help In Ages Past".  Psalm 90:12 "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." The "number our days" portion does not mean we should focus our energy on the limited amount of time we have but rather to cherish each and every day as a gift from God. Click on Psalm 90 to read it in its entirety. Psalm 90 explores depths of thought about the existence of humankind and our relationship with God. 

Spain and other Spanish speaking countries: They eat 12 grapes, one for each stroke of midnight. If consumed by the last stroke you will surely have good luck the next year. 

Denmark: In Denmark, people jump off of chairs right at midnight symbolizing "leaping into the new year". They also break dishes outside of family and friends homes. 

Philippines: People in the Philippines dress in polka dots! Just like in other cultures, anything round is considered to bring good fortune for the upcoming year. 

Puerto Rico: Here, some people throw buckets of water out of doors and windows at midnight, this represents the phrase "out with the old and in with the new".  Many also go on a cleaning spree. They clean their homes, cars, offices inside and out! And last, my favorite, is wearing yellow underwear.  Bright colors are associated with good luck in many cultures around the world for New Years Eve. Yellow is believed to bring luck as it is the closest color to money or gold. AND, very important, the yellow undies must be brand new! AND they are even luckier than lucky if you receive them as a gift.  

United States: Here in the Good Ol' U.S. of A, we have a multitude of traditions. An open house type of tradition started in New York where people would open up their houses to family, friends and neighbors to come, visit and eat. People would spend the day/evening going from house to house. Even George Washington took part in this. We also, like many other cultures, eat pork. Pork and Kraut are probably the most popular. Pork is chosen because the animal symbolized progress. Pigs push forward when rooting for food. Southerners often eat Hoppin' Johns, which consists of ham and black eyed peas (recipe: Hoppin' Johns). We also have our own tradition known around the world of the New York celebration. I grew up watching Dick Clark each New Years Eve, once the ball began to drop you could sense a rise in excitement and anticipation. I have always wanted to be there in Times Square for the celebration! 

These are just some of the customs adopted around the globe. I have decided to incorporate a few traditions in my families own New Years Eve celebrations! I hope you do as well!

Sources:

http://www.caliricans.com/2011/01/puerto-rican-new-years-traditions/

http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/holidays/newyearsday/luckyfoods

http://www.sj-r.com/top-stories/x65622509/Just-for-kids-New-Year-s-traditions-from-around-the-world?zc_p=0

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/288142/pinoyabroad/worldfeatures/old-traditions-around-the-world-for-the-new-year
http://abideintheword.com/?p=220
http://www.ministrymatters.com/all/article/entry/1884/article-group-study-god-is-forever

Dutch Oliebollen (Oil Balls)

What in the world is a Oliebollen? This very question danced through my mind while I was researching foods to make for New Years Eve. The name translates literally into Oil Balls. They are a donut like pastry that hails from the Netherlands. This delight is strictly a seasonal item and is made to ring in the new year and is traditionally consumed on New Years Eve.  I became intrigued by this little pastry and felt that I needed Oliebollen in my life. So today, I made a batch for our New Years Eve family celebration. In my opinion, if a donut and an elephant ear from your local county fair got married and had a baby, it would be called Oliebollen. They are a delicious spongy pastry with a slight crispy fried outside covered in a dusting of powdered sugar and cinnamon! All I can say is Nom...Nom...Nom. I found the below recipe at http://dutchfood.about.com/od/breadspastriescookies/r/Oliebollen.htm. I haven't changed anything about it since this was my first time making these. I did however make one batch without any fruit added and another with raisins mixed into the dough. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 small packets of (instant) dry yeast
• 4 cups flour (400 g)
• 1/4 cup sugar (50 g)
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups milk (475 ml)
• 1 tsp salt
• 8 cups vegetable/sunflower oil (2 liters)
• Powdered sugar
• Ground cinnamon

Directions:
In a small bowl, mix the teaspoon of sugar into 1/2 cup (120 ml) of hand-hot water. Sprinkle the yeast on top and allow to stand for 10 minutes. Stir to combine. ***Important: If your yeast/water mixture does not bubble then you will need new yeast as it is no longer active. Mine didn't bubble until I let it sit for 10 min and then stirred. Then those little yeasty boys woke up!

Flour/Sugar mix with well inside

Next, mix together the flour and sugar in a mixer then make a well in the middle of the mix. Add the eggs and yeast mixture to the well. Then warm up the milk in the microwave (it should be lukewarm). Add half of the milk to the well in the flour and mix until all ingredients are combined. Once combined add the rest of the milk and whisk until smooth. It will be very wet and this is normal! 

Cover the bowl with a damp dish towel and allow to rise in a warm area for about an hour. I just sat mine on top of my stove. The oven was not on or anything. It sat at room temp. Once the dough has doubled, stir in the salt (and fruit, if using). 

Heat the oil in a large, deep pan or in a deep fryer. To check whether the oil is at the right temperature, stand the handle of a wooden spoon in the oil. If little bubbles form around it, the oil is ready.

You will need two tablespoons to form and handle the dough, as well as a slotted spoon to remove the 'oliebollen' from the hot oil. Quickly dip the two tablespoons into the oil and form small balls of the dough with the oiled tablespoons, carefully scraping and dropping the dough into the hot oil. **I used a cookie dough scoop. It looks like an ice cream scoop but a little smaller. I was struggling with the 2 spoon method. So if you have a cookie dough scoop I highly recommend using one.**The 'oliebollen' will sink to the bottom of the pan and then pop right back up. You should be able to fry at least 6 'oliebollen' at a time, but don't crowd the pan (see Tips below). Fry until golden brown on both sides, carefully flipping when required. Drain on a tray lined with paper towels.

Sieve powdered sugar over the 'oliebollen' as well as a dusting of ground cinnamon, and serve warm.

If all of the Oliebollen are not consumed at once, then allow them to set out long enough to get "stone cold". Next, place them in an airtight container and store at room temp for no more than 2-3 days.

You can then heat up your leftovers in a preheated oven at 390 degrees F for 15 min or try in a microwave for 20 seconds. 

Snow Ice Cream

Snow Ice Cream!!!

This week Ohio, along with much of the mid-west, was blasted with the first real winter weather of the season. I read today that the central Ohio region received more snow this week than of ALL last winter! I really hope this is not a precursor of things to come. I love the snow but being snowed in and slipping and sliding on the road really does get old. So last night we were expected to get an additional 2-5 inches of snow on top of the 6 inches we got the day after Christmas! I decided that making some snow ice cream with the kids would be a fun way of enjoying all of this fluffy white stuff.

The base of the ice cream is from a Paula Deen recipe for Snow Ice Cream found here at http://www.pauladeen.com/recipes/recipe_view/snow_ice_cream/. And since I can't leave anything well enough alone, I tweaked it oh so slightly. So the next time you experience a snow storm do what I did, set out a large mixing bowl, make some hot cocoa, put on your favorite music of the moment (mine was Andrew Lloyd Weber's Phantom of the Opera) and make a delicious bowl of snow ice cream!

Ingredients

1. About 8 Cups of fresh snow. Mine actually ended up with about 11 cups. I set out a very large mixing bowl where it wouldn't be bothered by kids, animals, winds etc.
2. 1-14 ounce can of Sweetened Condensed Milk
3. Any flavor extracts of your choice. We used Vanilla, Lemon, Strawberry and Mint. The amount of each extract will depend on your personal preference and how many different flavors you want to make. We'll address this later on.  
4. Coloring of your choice.
5. Ice cream toppings such as sprinkles, chocolate syrup, etc. 

Directions

Bowl of Snow

First you will need to set out a large bowl or bucket to collect the falling snow. Once it's filled to about 8-11 cups you are ready for the next step! 

Next you will need to add the entire can of sweetened condensed milk to the bowl of snow. Mix thoroughly and set it into the freezer to keep it fresh and frozen. 

Now, READ THIS PART CAREFULLY, how you proceed with this next part is up to you. The Paula Deen recipe has you add 1 tsp of vanilla to the snow/sweetened condensed milk mixture and stop there. But since we were feeling inventive, I wanted to make four different flavors. So I separated the snow/milk mixture evenly into four different mixing bowls. Next we added the flavor extracts. I began with a 1/4 of a tsp of flavor in each bowl. I added more based on taste and our preference. By the time we were done I had added 1/2 a tsp of each flavor to it's own bowl. In retrospect, I could have really added another 1/4 tsp to make it a little more flavorful. So my recommendation is to tweak this to your personal tastes. 

Once you have the flavors how you like them, add the colors as you prefer. I like softer colors. In my Wilton classes, one book says that neon or bright colors are less appetizing. I would have to agree. 

Then cover your bowls with foil, and place them back in the freezer for about an hour give or take depending on the freezer. If you leave it in there for to long it will be frozen solid. If this happens pop them in the microwave for a few seconds and stir or let sit out for about 10-15 min.

Lemon Ice Cream with a Cherry On Top!

Once your ice cream has set up in the freezer, it's time to enjoy! You may need to stir it up a bit. I left mine in the freezer almost all afternoon so by the time we ate it, it was frozen solid. I popped mine in the microwave for a few seconds, gave it a good stir and we were ready to enjoy it! I hope you like your snow ice cream as much as we did.