Food

A re-post originally entitled  “Cheater-Cheater-Ice-Cream-Eater” – because that’s exactly what this is… and it’s delicious!  In case any of you are  short on time time and have offered to bring the “home made ice cream” to a gathering today or tomorrow, I thought I’d remind you of this little secret.  Instead of “home-made” it’s “made-at-home.”  I promise… no one will complain one bit!  Enjoy~

Need a quick “cheat” for “homemade ice cream”? I learned the most clever idea last night. At a church fellowship, both Patsy and Billy (2 separate households) brought “made at home” Butterfinger ice cream. When I commented about them looking just alike, they both laughed and shared this fabulous secret. I snapped a picture so I could pass it along to you.

Homemade Butterfinger Ice cream
(Keep in mind: Homemade = made at home. Right?)

1 galon of good vanilla ice cream
24 snack size or 8 regular size Butterfinger candy bars

Here’s the “Home-made” part: Let the ice cream soften a little. Crush the candy bars. Billy used a blender. Patsy used a meat tenderizer. Doesn’t matter how – just crush ’em. Then mix them into the ice cream and refreeze. Voila! Home prepared, made, created, however you want to say it, ice cream. Easy and delicious!

If you want it to look extra homemade, you can even transfer it to an ice cream freezer canister. (grin) If anyone asks you if you made your ice cream yourself, you can honestly say yes. 😉

My mind is swirling with ideas for this. Basically any type of candy or cookie would work, as well as caramel or chocolate drizzle stirred in. Oreos, snickers, chocolate chip cookies, Heath Bars, M & M’s, Reeces Pieces, Peppermint Patties… Anything Dairy Queen can put in a blizzard, you can put into a gallon of vanilla ice cream. I can’t wait to make this myself!

Thanks Patsy and Billy! From now on, for occasions when I don’t have time to make home-churned ice cream, I’ll definitely become a “Cheater, Cheater, Ice-Cream Eater!” Thanks for letting me pass it along~

Jennifer

We’ve found a new favorite Crock Pot recipe that the entire family adored.  The best part about it?  It fit all of my preferred cooking categories: 1) quick   2)easy   3)inexpensive, and   4)delicious.  It was especially appreciated since this past Sunday’s-After-Church-Dinner was what I deemed “FYOF” – Fix Your Own Food.  Go ahead and feel sorry for my family… Sometimes I do, too. Grin.  The kids loved the FYOF since they could raid the freezer and fridg and eat whatever they wanted.  I loved it.  James – not so much.  So for Monday’s supper, I fixed this new Red Beans and Rice recipe from Plain Chicken, and my man was happy… and so were the kids. And that made me happy.

We have friends that are originally from Louisiana, and they fix Red Beans and Rice every Monday because that was a tradition in their families.  Many years ago, before the electric washing machines and dryers, Monday was “wash day.”  Since doing the laundry was an all day job {PTL for our modern-day appliances}, they needed an easy nighttime meal.  So the ladies would put their pots of red beans on the stove in the morning and let them cook all day.  Spoon the red beans and sausage over a plate of rice, and voila ~ the meal is served.  Though Monday isn’t my “wash day” – I’m thinking that Mondays might turn into Crock Pot Red Beans and Rice days anyway. 

It couldn’t get any easier than this:

Crock Pot Red Beans {and Rice} 
(Recipe from Plain Chicken)

• 1 pound dried small red beans

• 1 pound andouille sausage, sliced (we used turkey sausage)

• 5 cups water

• 1 cup tomato sauce

• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp pepper

• 2 Tbsp cajun seasoning

• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion

• 1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on low 8-10 hours. Serve over hot white rice.  How easy is that?  And to serve it truly “Louisiana style” according to our friends, serve it with a dollop of mayonnaise {or as one friend pronounced it: my-O-ness} on top. Y.U.M!