Posts Tagged ‘Heavy Cream’

Souper Simple

Tuesday, January 3, 2012



Nothing melts away winter’s cold better than a piping hot bowl of soup. Even the smallest amount of vegetables and meat simmered in a rich broth and dotted with rice, pasta, barley or beans can make a satisfying meal.

Whatever your taste, a few simple tips will start you down the path to creating delicious filling soups.

  • Break out of your box—experiment. Find a recipe that peaks your interest and tweak it to fit what you have on hand or what your nose and taste buds tell you to cook.
  • Try using an immersion blender to create creamy soups without the need for high fat heavy cream. Or, blend only half the soup, leaving the other half chunky.
  • Use vegetables you have on hand; root veggies in winter, asparagus in spring, tomatoes in summer and squash in fall. Soups adapt well in any season.
  • Keep a well stocked pantry with staples like onions, garlic, spices and herbs, broth, rice, beans and barley, and you’ll never be far from a hearty bowl of soup.
  • Cook down chicken carcasses and beef bones into homemade broth and freeze to use later as soup base.
  • Garnish soups with fresh herbs, croutons or shaved Parmesan cheese and pair with a salad and some crusty home baked bread for a simple elegant meal.

Whether you fancy a roasted mushroom soup, a spicy red pepper or a smooth herbed tomato soup start your recipe search (and collection) today.

Creative Commons License photo credit: I Believe I Can Fry

homemade ice cream
I don’t know about you folks, but financial crisis or not, chores or not, homesteading or not, I gotta have my creamy dessert – preferably fresh made – and I don’t want to wait long to get it either. If you suffer from this same affliction have I got news for you…

…super quick, super easy and super fresh made ice cream from your very own kitchen. There’s no complicated recipe to follow. No fancy ice cream maker needed. Just a few ingredients and a glass pan is all you need, then you too can dive into your own creamy creation.

Here’s the recipe.

Blender Ice-Cream

5-cups fresh strawberries, sliced OR 24 ounces frozen strawberries
½ cup sugar
1 ½ cups heavy cream

If using frozen berries take out and let stand about 20 minutes so you can slice them.

In a blender, combine berries and sugar, stopping several times to stir and make sure berries are finely chopped.

Slowly add cream while blending, stopping a few times to stir, until thick

Pour mixture into a shallow glass pan (about 9”x13”x2”) and freeze for about an hour, or until it’s scoopable. To use later, freeze solid, then remove from freezer and let stand for about 15 minutes to soften and become scoopable. Can be stored in the freezer for up to one month in an airtight container.

Can’t wait an hour for the mixture to freeze? Not to worry.

This ice cream will send you to the moon it’s so easy. Imagine – ice cream in seconds!

I discovered it purely by accident. Wanting a dessert of berries and cream, but not having any fresh berries on hand, I poured half-and-half over a bowl of frozen raspberries. The milk didn’t pool in the bottom of the bowl, but coated and froze to the berries, top to toe, completely covering them in a luscious frozen creamy snow.

Frozen Berries and Cream

¼ cup half-and-half
1 cup frozen berries (raspberries and blueberries work best)

Place berries in a bowl. Pour cream over the top. Gently stir to coat. Enjoy!

Now you can have homemade ice cream faster than it takes to run to the ice cream parlor and back. And, you’ll be avoiding the expense and the unwanted funky chemicals that are in commercially made ice cream. Plus, it tastes so much better.

Once you’ve mastered the, oh so difficult recipes above, experiment with your favorite berries or other kinds of fruit. Summer’s just around the corner and trees and canes and vines will soon be bursting. So get creative folks! And enjoy those lazy summer dazes with your own creamy delights.

Creative Commons License photo credit: Rain Rabbit