Ice Cream Dessert with Peanut Butter Crust

 

For my hubby's birthday celebration with the family, I used the barn wood box that he made for me, filling it with faux hydrangeas, greenery and two rose bowls holding some votive candles.   The rose bowls are sitting on hidden tin cans for some added height. 

 

 

Since we're having an Italian themed meal, I'm using the dish towels that I made into napkins, along with our Mikasa plates, our  Reflections, by Rogers flatware and our Dollar Tree goblets. 

My sweetie wanted comfort food for his dinner, requesting spaghetti, chopped salad, artisan bread and his FAVORITE ice cream dessert.

 

 

Our whole family LOVES this dessert, which I've been making since 1982.   It's a request for many birthdays.  I do hope you try our family favorite!

1/2 gallon of vanilla ice cream, softened in the fridge for 30 minutes.

1/2 c. peanut butter

1/2 c. light corn syrup

2 1/4 c. oven-toasted rice cereal


Mix the peanut butter,  and the corn syrup together in a bowl.  Add the crisp rice cereal and mix well.  Pat into the bottom of a 9 x 13" pan.  Add 1/2 of the ice cream & smooth out on top of the crust.  Put in the freezer for 1 hour.  Put the rest of the ice cream in the fridge to use later.

In the meantime, make the hot fudge sauce: 

3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. cocoa
1/2 c. heavy whipping cream
1/4 c. butter
1 t. vanilla

In a 2 qt. saucepan over medium heat, cook sugar, cocoa, heavy whipping cream & butter until mixture is smooth & boils, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat & stir in vanilla.  Cool fudge sauce slightly.

Pour 1 1/4 cups fudge sauce  over the ice cream.  Return to freezer & freeze about 20 minutes. 

Take dessert out of freezer & spread the remainder of the ice cream on top.  Drizzle remainder of fudge sauce over the top.  Sometimes I need to re-heat the sauce a little in order to drizzle it.

Cover dessert & return to freezer.  Freeze until firm, at least 3 hours. 

When ready to serve, let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Makes 12-15 servings, depending on size of slice


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              Thank you for your visit!  xo

Gentleman's Casserole for Father's Day

 

For Father's Day, I made a super- easy,  no-sew table runner out of some leftover chalk cloth.  It fits perfectly on my kitchen island.  I scalloped the edges by using a glass, marking the design and cutting it out.  Snack plates (Trade Days) are used, with the rooster mugs (Ross) and striped napkins bought years ago, on clearance,  at Sur la Table.  The heart basket was made back in 1985, when I lived in Michigan,  before moving to Texas. 

 

Of course my hubby is a Dad worth crowing about!  This runner would be great for a buffet in labeling food, cheese, and special messages for  family and friends.  The fabric can be ordered at www.fabric.com .  I marked one short side and long side, folded it in half, marked the opposite sides, and cut it out.  Make sure you rub the chalk cloth all over with chalk to season it, wipe it off and then it's ready for writing.

 

This recipe is aptly named and perfect for Father's Day, although, I must say,  women like it, too!! It's really a misnomer because it's actually NOT a casserole at all.  The recipe comes from my Southern Living Cooking for Christmas 2012. The cheese sauce is truly delicious!  You can bake the pastry shells the day before and then just reheat on a baking sheet at 350 for 5 minutes.  You could instead, hard cook the eggs, chop them up and add them to the sauce, which would be really easy.  Here's how it's made:

For 2 servings:  (You can easily double this recipe)

1 package of frozen puff pastry shells
1 T. butter
1/3 cup chopped cooked ham
1 T. chopped green onions
4 eggs

Cheddar Cheese Sauce (recipe follows)

1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese (see NOTE)
Dash of paprika
Chopped green onion, for garnish

Bake 4 of the pastry shells and reserve the remainder for another use.

Melt butter in a nonstick skillet. Add ham and green onions. Sauté 2 minutes or until green onions are tender. Add eggs and cook gently, without stirring for 1-2 minutes or until they begin to set on the bottom. Draw cooked edges away from sides of pan to form large pieces. Cook, stirring occasionally, 1-2 minutes, or until eggs are thickened and are moist. Gently stir in cheddar cheese sauce.

Spoon egg mixture into prepared pastry shells. Sprinkle with cheese and paprika. Garnish with green onions.

Cheddar Cheese Sauce

3/4 cup milk
1 T. butter
1T. flour
1/2 cup extra sharp white cheddar cheese (see NOTE)
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper

Microwave milk for 1 minute in a 2-cup microwave- safe glass measuring cup.

Melt butter in a small, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour. Cook for 1 minute, whisking constantly. Gradually whisk in warm milk, whisking constantly for 3-5 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat, whisk in cheese, salt and pepper.

NOTE:  Gruyere cheese can be substituted. 

I am sharing this with:

On the Menu Monday

Make It Pretty Monday

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Tips, Tutorials and Tidbits
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Full Plate Thursday
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              Thank you for  your visit!  xo

Spaghetti and Meatballs

 

These wonderfully tender meatballs happen to have ricotta cheese as an ingredient.  The recipe makes  about  24 large  meatballs.  I prefer to bake the meatballs.  You can use some over pasta and still have meatballs leftover for  several subs.   Getting two meals out of one recipe is always a plus!!

Meatballs

Baking for me is less messy than frying!!

1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. Italian sausage
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
2 t. Italian seasoning
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup milk
pinch of crushed red pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients together/  Do not over mix because it will cause meatballs to be tough.  Form the meat mixture into balls.  Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil.  Spray the foil  with non-stick spray.  Place the meatballs on the sheet.  Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Makes 24 large meatballs

Marinara Sauce

2 T. olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
pinch of crushed red pepper
2 T. tomato paste
2 (28 oz.) cans crushed tomatoes
Italian seasoning to taste
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven.  Add the garlic and cook about 30 seconds.  Add the crushed red pepper and tomato paste.  Add the crushed tomatoes, and the seasonings.  Stir to blend.  Bring to a boil and then turn the heat down to a simmer.  Add the meatballs.  Cover the dutch oven and keep at a simmer for about an hour, or put the covered dutch oven in a 200-220 degree oven and cook several hours.  You can also put all this in your slow cooker.

Serve over pasta.

Buono Appetito!

I am sharing with:

Mix It Up Monday
On the Menu Monday
Make It Pretty Monday
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com
You're Gonna Love It Tuesday
Cowgirl Up
Full Plate Thursday
Foodie Friday
Potpourri Friday
Weekend Potluck
Seasonal Sundays

Feel Better Hot Fudge Sauce

We have four grown children and our third child recently had spinal disk fusion surgery. We asked him to let us care for him in his recuperation, as he can't drive for awhile and I wanted to make his meals and do his laundry. One day, my hubby and I bought him 10 pints of different flavored ice creams. Now, mind you, he is 6' tall and weighs 155lbs, so he can afford the calories. One evening I asked him which flavor he wanted and he responded that he wanted the classic vanilla. He said, "Do you have any hot fudge sauce?"   I said, "No, but I'll make you some!"  Don't we always take care of our babies, no matter how old they are??!!

I have been making this sauce for a l-o-o-o-n-g time!  It's fudgy, creamy and as our son said, "This is delicious!" (I updated this recipe to include some corn syrup, which I have found prevents the sauce from getting sugary in the fridge).

3/4 c. sugar

1/2 c. cocoa

1/2 c. heavy whipping cream (or evaporated milk can be used as a substitute)

1/4 c. butter

1 tablespoon corn syrup ( new addition)

1 t. vanilla

In a 2 qt. saucepan over medium heat, cook sugar, cocoa, heavy whipping cream,  butter, and corn syrup,  until mixture is smooth & boils, stirring constantly. Remove from heat & stir in vanilla. Cool fudge sauce slightly.

Refrigerate leftovers and reheat briefly in the microwave. 

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Make It Pretty Monday

                                                 Mix It Up Monday!

                                                                On the Menu Monday

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Tabletop Tuesday

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Seasonal Sundays

Patriotic Ravioli with Light Alfredo Sauce

For my 4th of July table, I used my basket of geraniums, with Cody, a Brass Button Bear.

I made this Big Star quilt table topper.

I used one of my favorite sets of dishes, Brentwood, by Adams, which are English Ironstone, insulated red tumblers from Wal Mart and ruby red King's Crown wine glasses, bought off ebay several years ago. The star tealight holders are from Wal Mart and the red flatware is by Cambridge, from Homegoods.

Pitcher is from a good friend and it is from  Marshall, TX.

I saw this fun ravioli at Costco recently and had to buy it.  It is so colorful and really delicious.  I wanted to make a light alfredo sauce to complement it.  Here's the recipe that I put together, after reading several on the internet. 

Ravioli of your choice, cooked according to package directions

Sauce:

1 can evaporated skim milk
1/4 cup flour
1 1/4 cup chicken broth
1/2-3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/8 t. pepper
1/8 t. garlic powder

DIRECTIONS:

Gradually combine milk and flour; stir in broth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until hot. Blend in cheese, pepper and garlic powder.

Serve over ravioli or other pasta.

Happy 4th everyone!!

I am sharing this with:

Mix It Up Monday!
On the Menu Monday
You're Gonna Love It Tuesday
The Bunny Hop
Let's Dish!
Full Plate Thursday
Foodie Friday
Weekend Potluck
Seasonal Sundays

Anniversary Baguettes with Dipping Oil

Happy Anniversary to Us!!

Today we are celebrating 42 years of marriage!! How can that be? We were both born in Pennsylvania, moved to Ohio and met our freshmen year in high school.  We were both still in college when we married  in Columbus, Ohio.  I taught Home Economics for several years and then our four children came along.  We lived in Michigan for a short period before moving to Texas and we've been here almost 26 years.   Lucky for us, we were high school sweethearts. I always tell my hubby that with  today's match.com we probably never would have met, as we're so different. He likes to hunt, loves sports,  vegetable garden and I like to read, bake, cook and sew. However, we've just always loved each other, had FuN together, had four great kids and now six wonderful grand kids. My hubby's the most loyal, hard-working, committed, dedicated person. He's had cancer for the past almost 7 years, been on chemo for nearly 2 years and you would never know it. He's MY HERO.  He's the one I,  and our family, can count on and who I LOVE. Happy Anniversary to us!!

Our oldest son's in-laws (and our friends!) share the same anniversary as us.  Isn't that a coincidence?

I made this basket when we lived in Michigan, before moving to Texas, dated 1985!

Elyse pattern wine goblets by Franciscan ($7.99 in 1970, $47.99 today!)

I made an easy meal for us...just summer sausage, grapes, strawberries, cheese, a trio of stuffed olives and French baguettes. The recipe for the crunchy baguettes is from www.kingarthurflour.com and can be found here.  I have another French bread recipe that I love, but it is a softer texture, and can be found  here.   This time I wanted something crunchy and these baguettes made us feel like we were eating at a bistro in Paris, even though we've never been!

These plates were a gift from a dear friend.

We love to dip our bread in an olive oil, which I tried to copy from a favorite Italian restaurant. Here's my rendition:

About 1/3 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
About 1 t. Italian seasoning
About 1/4 t. Basil, dried
About 1/4 t. Oregano, dried
A sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes

Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan. Add the garlic and simmer for about a minute, just to get the raw garlic taste out. Add the rest of the herbs. Let cool. Enjoy as a dipping sauce for French bread.

Baguettes rising on parchment paper

My tip for Yvonne's  Tips, Tutorials and Tidbits party  over at stonegable.blogspot.com/, is when  baking breads, such as french baguettes, or pizzas, is to put the shaped dough on parchment paper and slide this onto a rimless cookie sheet. When you're  ready to bake, you can then slide the parchment paper onto the baking stone that's been heating in the oven. Who needs a pizza peel??!!

I am sharing with:

Mix It Up Monday!
On the Menu Monday
Table Top Tuesday
The Bunny Hop
Let's Dish!
Tablescape Thursday
Full Plate Thursday
Tips, Tutorials and Tidbits
Foodie Friday
Weekend Potluck
Seasonal Sundays

Chocolate Nut Crackle Sauce

I cut this recipe out of a magazine YEARS ago.  It's like the Magic Shell sauce that you buy, only BETTER!!  It hardens on ice cream & is SO good.  Of course, if you're making it for kids, you may want to leave out the nuts.  Here's the recipe.


1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 cup medium-fine chopped walnuts, pecans or almonds
1 6 oz. package semi-sweet chocolate chips

Melt butter or margarine in heavy skillet over moderate heat.  Add nuts & cook, stirring to prevent burning, until light golden brown.  Remove from heat & stir in chocolate pieces until  melted & smooth.  Heat to serve over ice cream (sauce will crackle & become firm). 

To give, put in a jelly jar with instructions to heat the sauce before serving.

Makes 1 1/4 cups.

Serve over  my Vanilla Bean Ice Cream recipe for a scrumptious treat!!!

NOTE:  I re-heat the sauce in the microwave on medium power until melted.

I am sharing this with Foodie Friday & On the Menu Monday at Stonegable & Tea Party Tuesday  & Rock 'n Share Party, Crazy Sweet Tuesday

Ice Cream Dessert with Peanut Butter Crust

For my darling hubby's birthday we're having all the family over which is a celebration in itself!  I'll be sharing this with On the menu Monday at Stonegable & Tea Party Tuesday.   Here's the menu:

Bobby Flay's Grilled Stuffed Jalapeno Chilis, recipe coming soon!

Roasted Corn & Black Bean Dip, recipe coming soon!

Oven Barbecue Ribs, recipe is here
Mediterranean Pasta Salad, recipe is here

Cucumber Salad, recipe is here
Fresh Fruit Salad
Artisan Bread, check here
For dessert, a family favorite, which is:

Ice Cream Dessert with Peanut Butter Crust

Our whole family LOVES this dessert, which I've been making since 1982.   It's a request for many birthdays.  I do hope you try it.

1/2 gallon of vanilla ice cream, softened 

(this time, my darling requested coffee ice cream)
1/2 c. peanut butter

1/2 c. light corn syrup

2 1/4 c. oven-toasted rice cereal

Mix all ingredients together & pat into the bottom of a 9 x 13" pan.  Add 1/2 of the ice cream & smooth out on top of the crust.  Put in the freezer for 1 hour.  Put the rest of the ice cream in the fridge to use later.

In the meantime, make the hot fudge sauce:

3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. cocoa
1/2 c. heavy whipping cream
1/4 c. butter
1 t. vanilla

In a 2 qt. saucepan over medium heat, cook sugar, cocoa, heavy whipping cream & butter until mixture is smooth & boils, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat & stir in vanilla.  Cool fudge sauce slightly.

Pour 1 1/4 cups fudge sauce  over the ice cream.  Return to freezer & freeze about 20 minutes. 

Take dessert out of freezer & spread the remainder of the ice cream on top.  Drizzle remainder of fudge sauce over the top.  Sometimes I need to re-heat the sauce a little in order to drizzle it.

Cover dessert & return to freezer.  Freeze until firm, at least 3 hours. 

When ready to serve, let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Makes 12-15 servings, depending on size of slice