I bought a large box of mangoes in the summer and thought I'd be eating mango everyday and doing all sorts of desserts but things came up and suddenly these oval, fragrant fruits all seemed to get ripe at the same time.
Knowing I would not be able to use them up, I started sharing with my friends. I hate wasted food. We ate a few and then it came down to 3 left and I felt like mango ice cream. However, I couldn't make a typical custard based ice cream because I didn't have any eggs on hand so I scoured some of my cookbooks and the Internet.
I had a hard time finding something that fit the bill so this is where I decided to experiment. Every once in a while, I get the urge to do this and it takes me back to my days of being a lab rat and throwing chemicals together. Very similar practice, baking/cooking and chemistry, is what I say often to people.
The recipe turned out well enough, though it was really HARD to scoop. You have to let it warm up a bit from the freezer. Maybe another hit of vodka would have made it a bit easier. I'm talking about a shot into the ice cream, not for myself. haha.
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Mango Ice Cream
makes about 1 liter
600g (pulp of 3 mangoes) pureed mango
1 tsp lemon juice
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup table cream (18% mf)
1 cup sour cream
1 tbsp vodka
Puree the pulp of 3 mangoes in a food processor until smooth. Blend in the lemon juice. Set aside.
In a saucepan, dissolve the sugar with the cream over medium heat. Remove from heat. Add pureed mango, sour cream and vodka.
Chill for a couple hours or overnight. Freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.
The frost that hit us the last week caused a big harvest of vegetables and fruit at our home. I thought I'd share the HUGE tomato my hubby grew.
And for your reference, that is a QUARTER in the picture. Not a dime or nickel.
A quarter. Uh huh.
We're still eating that sucker!
At my home, the calendar is the boss. If an event or appointment doesn't go onto the calendar, it doesn't exist,
at least to me, or until someone calls me up and asks "
where the heck are you?". This has happened, unfortunately, one too many times. Sigh. I'm a slave to that dang calendar.
It was a Saturday and I knew we were visiting friends that evening. An hour before we are to leave, I walk past the calendar and noticed a "Bring Appetizer" note. Damn! I knew my fridge was low in terms of content too. Double damn!
"We'll just stop by the grocery store on the way there" my hubby says.
"No, I don't want a store-bought appetizer."
Think, THINK!
I stand in front of the refrigerator, with the door wide open, cooling my house, while I rummage through the drawers, trying to get inspired. I swear I hear an annoying cackle come from the direction of my calendar. The beeping of the fridge door, due to it being open, was just making it more stressful.
A small container of homemade
hummus but nope, no pita chips. Carrots, ketchup, eggs, cucumbers.
Cucumbers! Ah-ha!
And this is where I do a dance of joy, thinking, hot-diggity-damn, I'm one smart cookie. Hummus in cucumber cups. It is a perfect little finger food idea and a great 1-2 bite appetizer. And you can use a variety of ideas for garnish.
Score: Me - 1, Calendar - 0. Until next time, Mr. Calendar.
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Hummus in Cucumber Cups
hummus
long english cucumber
garnish ideas:
grated carrots
paprika
cilantro or parsley or sprig of dill
toasted pinenuts
Using a carrot peeler, peel strips off the outer skin of the cucumber to give a design or leave as is.
Cut the cucumber into 1 inch or 1.5 inch sections. Scoop out and discard half of the insides, creating a cup.
Scoop prepared hummus into each cup and sprinkle with your choice of garnish. Serve.
Upon removing the first loaf from the bread machine, I thought,
why is it shaped like that? It wasn't anything like the typical loaf of sliced bread you purchase from the supermarket, the perfectly rectangular block with no dents or grooves. But, I have to say I have grown to love my breads quirky appearance.
Just look at those sweet cheeks! I just want to pinch them!
When I buy or make breads, I prefer multi-grain versus white breads for sandwiches. I used an 8-grain cereal, as that is what I had on hand, but you may use the 12-grain version too. This simple recipe is great for sandwiches as it turns out light and fluffy.
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Multi-Grain Bread: Bread Machine Recipe
makes 1 large loaf
1- 1/3 cup warm water
2 tbsp oil
2-1/3 cup white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup 8-grain cereal
2 tbsp brown sugar
1-1/2 tsp salt
1-1/2 tsp yeast
Place the warm water and oil into the bread pan. Put the rest of the dry ingredients in order.
Place the bread pan into the machine. Choose the basic bread or whole grain, if you have it, setting. Remove from pan and let cool on rack.
Recipe adapted from: Multi-Grain Loaf, Canadian Bread Machine Baking
I don't think I mentioned that I bought a bread machine. I bought it back in the spring and have been making a bread loaf once every week and a half or so. (We're not very big bread eaters at this home, though, now with school lunches, the consumption has risen.)
When I first brought it home, I was very excited. Read the manual, cleaned it out, plugged it in.
Woo hoo, gonna make me some fresh bread. I measured all the ingredients, which took me 5 minutes, poured them into the bread machine pan, and then hit go and walked away.
It was all very anti-climatic.
This bread machine kinda took the joy out of making bread. I felt a little like someone who paid for an "escort". Yes, you get the goods but there is no romance.
I didn't get to feel the dough or knead it to get the right consistency. Didn't do peakaboo's under the dish towel to see how far along it was rising. Didn't get to poke it lovingly every chance I get during the proofing. I didn't feel that I could say that I
made bread.
Now truth be told, before I bought the bread machine, I would usually use my stand mixer to knead the dough but it still is more hands on work. With the bread machine, there is very little clean up too. Felt so strange. As I said earlier, you get the goods, but there is no romance. No butterflies building along the way, no falling in love or getting-to-know your bread before you consume it.
Am I the only one who feels a little dirty after buying a bread machine?
