Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream

Stewart Farms

Not everyone is as lucky as we are. When strawberries are in season, we just head down the road to a neighbor's farm and buy some. It's a U-pick farm, but for those of us not looking for a farm experience they usually have some gallons ready picked. So I can grab a bucket and head home. Where we live, it's miles for us to go do anything. Unless you're talking about strawberries. (Or blueberries—another neighbor grows those.) With this first bucket, I made strawberry shortcake. And then my favorite—strawberry ice cream. 

I'm just going to repost the blog from 2016 with this super easy recipe. It's written for a    1-1/2 quart ice cream maker. Adjust amounts if you want more. Goodness, how that baby has grown! 

This time I only had a small can (5-oz) of evaporated milk in the pantry. I made up the difference with heavy cream. I couldn't tell any difference. I also had an issue with my little countertop ice cream maker. Might have something to do with the fact that it's over 20 years old. Whatever the problem was, the ice cream didn't freeze. So I poured the mixture into an oblong container (just like the one pictured) and popped it into the freezer. I stirred it several times as it was freezing. If you don't stir, you will have a solid frozen hard block. Stirring mixes some air into it, just like the dasher of a churn does. That makes it the ice cream texture you're after. Although homemade still freezes harder than commercial ice cream. We've been making our strawberry ice cream last as long as possible, dishing up small servings. It's delicious. So hard to make myself not scoop up that second bowl.

Now, let's time travel back to May of 2016...

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STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM

Strawberry Ice Cream (no eggs)

I had an ulterior motive when I brought strawberries to Georgia. I knew they would have to use them quickly and I would be here to taste all the recipes. 

 

Mommy made ice cream yesterday with part of her berries. If you have one of those 1-1/2 quart ice cream makers (the kind where you freeze the container before using--no ice required) in your kitchen, strawberry season is a good time to pull it out. Those tend to be forgotten appliances, but they really do work and making homemade ice cream is easy enough for a weeknight dessert. 

 

Everyone enjoyed the ice cream but maybe Baby Girl loved it most. She didn't waste a drop. I like her style. And when she was done, she said, "Mimi, it's tasty!" I totally agree. 

 

This ice cream tastes just like the kind my mother made--but it doesn't call for raw eggs. In this day and time, that's safer. 

STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM (no eggs)

1 (14-oz) sweetened condensed milk, such as Eagle Brand

1 (12-oz) can evaporated milk
1-1/4 cups fresh milk

about 1 cup cut up strawberries 

2 tablespoons sugar

a good squeeze fresh lemon juice (about 1 tbsp)

pinch of salt

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Sprinkle sugar over cut up berries. Stir and add in lemon juice and salt. Let stand while mixing milks. Mash slightly. 

Using a whisk, blend the 3 milks together thoroughly and chill for 30 minutes. (I like to chill the canned milks first.)

Mix strawberries and milk mixture. Pour into ice cream maker and freeze according to appliance directions. Freeze until done, about 20-25 minutes. 

While it might change the texture a little, you can use low-fat or fat-free milk for any or all of the milks called for. Just remember, lower fat content means it won't be as creamy. But it will still be "tasty" as Baby Girl says. 

 

Our Book Club Salad Supper

Our salad supper

We all have our favorite recipes that we use again and again. Today's post is about several of those recipes that go together really well. I'm documenting this combination so that when I need a supper plan again, I'll have this list ready. (I've linked each recipe title to the previous blog post if you want to see better photos, or read more about the recipe.)

Surely I have mentioned our book club here before—a small group of friends gather most weeks to chat, to catch up on the news, to knit, to share a meal...and occasionally we talk about books. This book club has also done pool walking, hula hooped and hiked. We are a versatile group. 

We take turns providing supper. Sometimes it's an adventure—like making açaí bowls. Supper has also been as simple as frozen pizza. It doesn't really matter as long as we get to eat together. I'm so sorry I didn't make photos of last week's meal. It included the best key lime pie for dessert. All I know is that Joanne needs to make one again so that I can get a photo and share the recipe here. And we would get to eat it again! 

Last night it was my turn. As I was setting out the food, I overheard someone saying, "The hardest part about bringing the food is deciding what to make." That's usually the case with me, but this time I knew exactly what I wanted to bring. All of these recipes are favorites of mine. All are easy to make. And all are served cold, so I could pack it all in coolers and not worrying about transporting hot foods or heating things up there. Even though these are favorite recipes, I don't think I've ever served them all at once. But I did love how these dishes went together.

I prepared the bean salad the day before so that the flavors could blend. And I cooked the chicken the day before, too. I told Carol I felt like I was guilty of "recipe appropriation" because we all think of the bean salad as "her" recipe. So happy she shared it with all of us years ago.

CAROL'S MARINATED VEGGIES

1 (15.5 oz.) can light red kidney beans

1 (15.5 oz.) can black beans

1 (6.5 oz.) can mushroom stems & pieces

1 (8 oz.) can sliced water chestnuts (I cut into smaller pieces)

1 (2 oz. ) jar diced pimento

frozen white corn (amount about equal to the kidney beans)

frozen green peas (amount about equal to the kidney beans)

1 bag frozen shelled edamame beans, cooked according to package directions

1 rib celery, finely chopped, optional (I used this)

1/4 cup canola oil

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2  to 3/4 cup sugar (I used 1/2 cup)

1/2 teaspoon salt

Drain and rinse canned vegetables. Cook and cool edamame beans. In a large bowl, mix drained beans, pimento, mushrooms, and water chestnuts. 

Combine oil, vinegar, sugar and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. When cool, pour over vegetables and refrigerate. Vegetables will keep in refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Yes, you add the corn and peas frozen. No cooking. I did cut the slices of water chestnuts into smaller pieces. I'm sure if there is something that you don't like here, you can leave it out. 

The next morning (day of the supper) I mixed up the orzo salad first. The hardest thing about making this is chopping the baby spinach. I like to take the large stems off and that can be done while the water comes to a boil and the orzo cooks. Then it's just all stirred together. My usual recipe, posted here, is actually half a recipe. This time I doubled everything since I was feeding more than the two of us. That might have been overkill, but we will happily eat leftovers for the rest of the week. 

ORZO SPINACH SALAD

1/2  box (16-oz) orzo, cooked according to package directions
1/2 bag (5-oz) baby spinach, roughly chopped
1/3 cup chopped red onion (use the amount that you want)
4-oz. container crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon pepper (I used a few grinds of fresh pepper)

While orzo is cooking, mix the dressing--oil, vinegar, basil, pepper. Set aside.
Drain orzo thoroughly when done. Stir in chopped onion, spinach and feta. Whisk dressing again. Pour dressing over the pasta and mix to coat thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.

After I put the orzo salad in the refrigerator, I chopped the chicken for the chicken salad. There are hundreds of ways to make chicken salad. And I've never had one I didn't like. I've made several versions, including a hot chicken salad. The yogurt version on the blog is delicious, too. But this time I just made the one I make most often. Because I make it regularly I can mix it up in a hurry. When I'm in a big hurry, I use a 12-oz can of chicken breast, well drained and broken up. It's surprisingly good. It makes great sandwiches. Make the celery, apple and cheese match the amount of chicken.

CHICKEN SALAD

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (that's 1 package at my store)
1/2 - 1 teaspoon Lawry's seasoning salt (I just give it a good shake)
1 large rib celery, diced fine
1 medium red apple, diced (I leave the peel on for color)
1/2—3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
sprinkle of salt
a good squeeze of fresh lemon juice
enough Duke's mayonnaise (or other good quality mayo) to make it spreadable

Cook chicken in water with seasoning salt added until tender, about 40-45 minutes. Let cool in broth, until cool enough to handle. Chop chicken medium-fine. In a large bowl, add in celery, apple and cheese. Add in enough mayonnaise to make it spreadable. I start with 3 or 4 big tablespoons full and stir and then add more, one spoonful at a time, until I get the right amount. (Because chicken breasts and celery and apples are different sizes, it's hard to be precise with a mayo measurement.) Stir until well blended.

Cheddar Beer Bread

Before lunch, all the salads were done with plenty of time to chill before I packed it in late afternoon for travel. After lunch I decided to stir up some cheese bread. If you say "but I can't bake bread" this recipe is for you. It stirs up like muffin batter. No yeast. No kneading. No rising time. And it's so so good. 

CHEDDAR BEER BREAD

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup shredded sharp yellow cheddar cheese, divided 

1/4 cup melted butter, divided

1 (12-oz) bottle or can of beer

Preheat oven to 375º. Spray an 8-1/2-inch loaf pan with PAM (or similar) cooking spray. 

In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, pepper, 3/4 cup shredded cheese, and 3 tablespoons of the melted butter. Add the beer and stir well. Batter will be sticky. Pour batter into loaf pan.

Top with remaining shredded cheese and drizzle with the remaining butter.

Bake bread for 45-55 minutes, or until top is golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

General rule is to check the bread at the shortest baking time and see if it needs more. All ovens are different.

I used my favorite set of nesting bowl to serve everything. These are melamine bowls with lids so they are perfect for packing. Because I was determined to use all five bowls, I put lettuce leaf cups for the chicken salad into one and found a box of gluten-free cheese crackers (Good Thins, Three Cheese flavor) to put in the tiny one. A well-known restaurateur told me years ago that food service is all about presentation. He was right. I really think that supper last night tasted better because of the pretty bowls. It's the first time I've used them all together. 

NOTICE:  If you subscribe to this blog by using the email widget on the sidebar (I have removed it,) that feedburner service is being retired in July 2021. It is not being replaced. There are other ways to sign up for an RSS feed. I do not know how to do that, but maybe you (or a grandchild) know how. If I can find someone to help me migrate the email list of over 1200 to a different service I'll do so. But at the moment, that is way above my skill set. 

 

Spring Break 2021

Last night's twilight

I've been quiet here on the blog because we've been on spring break. Actually it's Mommy and J-Daddy and the little girls who have truly had a school spring break. They opted to spend their vacation at the farm. So we came down to the lake to let them have full use of our house and yard and farm. It's been great all around. 

Like so many grandparents this past year, our time with the grandchildren has been nearly non-existent. We had not been close enough to touch them in almost a year. It was splendid to get to hug those little girls. Even if we had our masks on. 

Easter Dinner

Our lake house is only 45 minutes away from the farm so we've able to see them several times. The first time was on Easter Sunday. We were invited to our own back yard for Easter dinner. We are still being careful until everyone is fully vaccinated, so our backyard became the dining room. And it was perfect. Not too hot or humid. Not too cold. No mosquitos yet. "Delightful" is the word that comes to mind. We don't get many days like this.

Red velvet birthday cake

Baby Girl had a birthday just a couple of days before they came to the farm, so we saved the celebration until we were together. Last year she had the first Zoom birthday party of the lockdown. This was so much more fun. They got to the farm on Saturday afternoon. How J-Daddy managed to bake a cake in time for Sunday lunch, I'm not sure. It was delicious. I'll share the recipe soon.

Grilled Atlantic char, kale salad & grits topped w/prosciutto

Let me make it clear that our son-in-law was the main chef this week. This was his idea of a vacation. He enjoys cooking and especially enjoys cooking in my big kitchen. We were happy to be dinner guests. At our own house. Seriously. I could get used to this. (Mommy says she's ready to hand the holiday cooking back to me!)

After dinner that particular evening, we enjoyed dancing on the patio to some easy jazz. I loved it when Baby Girl told me, "This is a glorious night." Yes. Yes it was. We made some good memories this week. 

They have done some serious memory making of their own at the farm, too. We have lots of space there for riding bikes, scooters and roller skating. Two swings hang from the huge old oak tree in our front yard. And there is a river way back behind our house.

Riverside nap

They hiked across the field and through the woods to the river several times. A picnic by the river was a big treat one day. And at night the sky at the farm is really dark. Not much light pollution in the country. So they could look at the stars and find constellations.

See the red kite? 

Another day, kite flying was the activity. The pasture right beside the house is a perfect kite flying space. They are absolutely positive they set a record for flying the highest kite. One car passing by slowed down to watch the red kite gliding high above the ground. 

Meanwhile, here at the lake we've had a lovely time. It's quiet here in early spring. But with enough fishermen passing for us to not feel isolated. It is also the short weather window when we can leave the doors open and enjoy letting the outside come inside. I can sit comfortably inside and watch the sunlight sparkling on the water and hear the birds. Bliss!

Daddy-O fished. He even caught a couple. I brought my knitting and...call me crazy...but I bought a keyboard to leave down here so that I could keep practicing. My latest hobby? Learning to play jazz piano. If nothing else it's great brain exercise to try and learn a new way of playing. (It will be a better hobby when I get an adaptor to plug in my headphones. Daddy-O is getting tired of the ballad I've played about a thousand times this week.)

Lobster tail, baked sweet potato & broccoli

One night I was the single backyard guest. Daddy-O had a dinner meeting. Boy, did he miss a good meal. I have never cooked lobster of any kind. And surely never imagined having one in my back yard. 

Blueberry pie

The recipe for this blueberry pie is here on the blog. It's always a winner. And as pie goes, it's pretty easy to make. Nothing to peel or slice. J-Daddy has made this many times. I'm always happy to be around when he bakes one.

Low country boil & hush puppies

One evening they drove down to the lake. And brought the fixings with them and cooked supper down here. Could life get any better? Like I said earlier—I could get used to this. We love low country boil (recipe is in the index here) and the open pavilion here at the lake is the kind of place where this casual meal tastes best. It turned out to be a cool night so we rummaged around and found some of Mimi's sweatshirts for the girls. And rolled the sleeves way up. Why do kids love wearing borrowed clothes that are way too big?

It was too windy to stay on the pier very long. But they did have fun blowing giant bubbles. I can't wait for them to come back in the summer and do this again when the wind is not in charge of how big the bubbles are.

The nights we did not have dinner together, I would get pictures of what was happening in my kitchen at home. Yes. J-Daddy makes sushi, too. I think he has two more meals before their vacation is over. I will wait patiently to see photos of the last two dinners. He did some serious menu planning to make this all work out.

Then it will be time for all of us to pack and head back home to our respective homes. And my kitchen won't know what's happened next week when the only things being cooked are just plain ordinary food. We will miss them terribly. But goodness it's been fun!

I don't know about you, but I wanted to document the mask wearing. Many years from now, we need to remember this year and all of the ways COVID changed our lives. You know about the terrible things it brought to many. But some good things have come about, too. While others are itching to travel again, I have decided it doesn't get much better than here where we live. I learned that Dorothy was right—there's no place like home.