Category: home_recipes

by Alma

Lemon Ice Cream

I have something that you absolutely must put on your summer to-do list. And if you don’t have an ice cream maker, add “beg, borrow, or buy an ice cream maker” to your list right before this: MAKE LEMON ICE CREAM. So delicious. So refreshing. So summery.

The lemon ice cream recipe that I use is one I found by way of Cafe Johnsonia, who found it by way of Martha Stewart. What I love about it is that it’s not a typical lemon sherbet or sorbet, which you would expect. It’s a rich, velvety, creamy ice cream. I love me some creamy lemon. Find the recipe here.

(image used with permission from Cafe Johnsonia)

If you’re an impatient cook like I am, instead of letting the mixture chill in the fridge for three hours, I put it in a large ziploc bag and then put it in an ice bath (ice and water) and it works to chill it super fast. Yay!

I like to pair this with giant ginger cookies from my better homes and gardens cookbook, since lemon and ginger go so well together. TRUST me. You want to try these recipes as soon as … >> find out more…

Alma

by Kimberly

gazpacho


If you’ve never tried gazpacho, I recommend you do. It’s a perfect summertime meal: colorful, healthy, light and full of zesty garden goodness. Also great because there is zero cooking involved. Don’t you just dread turning on an oven in the summer months? Perfect for lunch or dinner, could be fun to take to your next cookout, served in clear plastic cups. We like this recipe at our house, a modification of Barefoot Contessa’s famous recipe. Mr. J prefers his less chunky than the recipe dictates, so after it’s processed to my taste, I remove half and just barely puree the rest for him.

1 English/Hothouse cucumber halved & seeded, not peeled
2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded
4-6 plum/roma tomatoes
1 small shallot, peeled
1 garlic clove, minced
23 ounces (3 cups) best quality tomato juice
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
a few leaves of fresh basil, chopped fine
lime wedges
sliced fresh avocado, optional
Roughly chop the vegetables into in inch pieces. Place separately into a food processor fitted with steel blade attachment and pulse until coarsely chopped but NOT pureed. After each

… >> find out more…

Kimberly

...by day, making a home where the buffalo roam. By night, pretty much the same thing, punctuated by the occasional fantasies of sunny beaches, italian movies and sparkling lemonade.

by Vanessa

Meal Planning for Part-Time Vegetarians

For almost two years we’ve been eating vegetarian or vegan twice a week and seafood twice a week. I guess you could consider us part-time vegetarians. Eating this way keeps us from overloading our diets with too much meat or dairy and cuts down on our grocery bill. It forces us to eat more fresh produce and to shop locally so the produce actually has flavor.

It is extremely eco-friendly to eat vegetarian twice a week; eating meat takes a toll on the environment big time. The beef, poultry and pork industrial farms notoriously contribute to water pollution, use large amounts of fossil fuels and generate prodigious amounts of greenhouse gases. The United Nations has actually issued a call for citizens of the world to go vegetarian one day a week to curb global warming.

My girls love fresh veggies and fruit on their own, but I also like to puree it and add it to other meals. I’m not trying to hide it but it’s another great way to add more essential vitamins to their diet. When my girls were babies I made their baby food and always used organic ingredients. Their teeth came in quickly and they moved … >> find out more…

Vanessa

by Kimberly

recipe for homemade ice cream cake.

This is one of my hubby’s favorite desserts. Though it’s not the least bit glamorous or gourmet, it’s great for casual celebrations.  My mother often made it for my summer birthday or Father’s Day. It can be made completely or partially ahead of time, and requires zero baking skills. It hardly requires any skills at all! Perfect.  And the kids can help, too. Really, do you know any dad that doesn’t love ice cream and cookies? Definitely an indulgence, which is why we reserve it for celebrations.  Note:  I’ve named specific brands in the recipe; they do make a difference here.
Ice Cream Cake
1 pkg. Oreo cookies
4 Tbsp. melted butter
half gallon of good quality ice cream
(some past winning flavors: mint chocolate chip,
vanilla bean, mocha almond fudge)
1 jar Mrs. Richardson’s Hot Fudge Sauce
4 oz Cool Whip (about half a carton)
garnish of your choice: sprinkles, maraschino cherries,
sliced almonds, oreos, toasted coconut
spring-form pan, bottom lined with wax paper
Step 1
Crush Oreo cookies–pulverize them until they look like fine soil. Transfer  to a large bowl and add melted butter. Stir to combine and press into  bottom of spring-form pan to make a crust.… >> find out more…

Kimberly

...by day, making a home where the buffalo roam. By night, pretty much the same thing, punctuated by the occasional fantasies of sunny beaches, italian movies and sparkling lemonade.

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by Allison

father’s day dinner homemade pizza recipe.

By guest mom Vanessa Brown.

“Don’t dumb down your kids’ food” is a motto we live by. Sure, we do fun kiddie snacks but we don’t change our dinner menu to fit the “kid palette.” This is in part due to my marrying a food snob but it is also in part due to the frustration while being a nanny for seven years and only feeding the kids three things: chicken nuggets, mac and cheese and pizza. I still remember the day I tried to have the kids help me make homemade chicken fingers–oh the tears! They were mortified! When I had kids I knew I could not and would not deal with that so I made a decision to not “dumb down” our food or recipes or get stuck in a rut of making four different meals every dinnertime.

My husband loves to cook and my girls stand on a chair beside us as we prepare our meals together. Most of the time in our home is spent together in our kitchen. This is where they feel safe and loved, where they can open up and chatter and feel a part of a family. I can see their self-confidence … >> find out more…

Allison

I'm Allison, founder and editor of Petit Elefant. I run the gamut from granola to glamour and love everything in between. I think the beach is always a good idea, as is Diet Dr. Pepper; on ice. Sometimes I put out the fires and sometimes I start them. Sometimes I really do have it all together. Sometimes my children say otherwise. We just like to keep it real around here.

by Allison

cooking as a family, by guest mom vanessa.

By guest mom Vanessa Brown

My family loves to cook together; we all love to pretend do be chefs and put on “cooking shows.” If you drive by my house at any given time don’t be surprised to see us lying in the grass, flipping through recipe magazines or reading a cookbook. The girls have been asking me to make “Nutty Jumbles” for a while. We eat a lot of nuts in our home for snack time and this is a fun way to spice up the same-old, same-old snack. I am careful with the amount of sugar we eat as a family but I figure if I’m lucky enough to have two little kids that will eat so many healthy things, they deserve some sugar… “just an itty bit,” as my daughter would say.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kR4eH4-YxQ]

Nutty Jumbles {Makes about 8-10}

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup mixed unsalted nuts
1/4 cup organic brown sugar
1 free range egg white
1 tsp vanilla
Pinch of sea salt

Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare a cookie sheet with a buttered piece of foil on top.

Mix all of the above ingredients well.

Drop spoonfuls on tray and cook for 7-8 minutes or … >> find out more…

Allison

I'm Allison, founder and editor of Petit Elefant. I run the gamut from granola to glamour and love everything in between. I think the beach is always a good idea, as is Diet Dr. Pepper; on ice. Sometimes I put out the fires and sometimes I start them. Sometimes I really do have it all together. Sometimes my children say otherwise. We just like to keep it real around here.

by Rachele Foushee-Beck

honey whole wheat bread with golden flax seeds.

FLAX SEEDS

Flax seeds have been around for thousands of years and have many health benefits. Flax seeds have been helpful in alleviating some allergies, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, depression, joint problems, and flax seed oil helps to reduce the drying and cracking of winter skin.

The recommended daily dose is 1-2 tablespoons per day. You can eat flax seeds as a whole seed, or as a powder. Flax seeds are most powerful when they are eaten as a ground seed. The grinding helps to release the lignan oils which is found in the outer hull of the seeds. Lignans are a rich source of antioxidants. Flax seeds are also one of the richest sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Just to give you an idea of how powerful flax seeds are, you would have to eat about 100 slices of bread to get the same amount of antioxidants as found in 2 tablespoons of flax seeds.

Where do you find flax seeds you might ask….You can find them at a health food store, Costco, and in many grocery stores that carry bulk foods. So now all you have to do is add flax seeds to your shopping list!

Here … >> find out more…

Rachele Foushee-Beck

by Rachele Foushee-Beck

nutritious recipe for chinese chicken salad.


May’s theme for the month is…………..Vegetables

Thanks for all your comments….. I feel so happy when I read how you are eating more veggies this month and trying out the recipes!! Great job!

This week we are taking a look at ways to eat more vegetables. How many of you buy the bag of broccoli, cauliflower and then it just sits in the produce drawer in the refrigerator until it goes bad? Here are some simple tips to help you eat up your veggies….everyday!!

1. Wash and cut your vegetables right when you are done unloading your groceries.

2. Prepare your menu for the week before you go to the store. Go with a plan.

3. Ask yourself everyday….”How many veggies have I had today?” Your goal is to eat 4 a day. This not only will be an incredible boost to your nutritional well being, but a great way to grab snack with out adding lots of calories!!

4. Try a new vegetable a week. Sometimes we get stuck with the vegetable rut…branch out and try a new vegetable. Here are some new vegetable suggestions.

Vegetable suggestions

Rachele Foushee-Beck

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by Rachele Foushee-Beck

how to: make homemade yam fries.

May’s theme for the month is…………..Vegetables

How was your spinach last week?? I hope you were able to incorporate more veggies and try some new recipes. This really is a great time of year to get eating more vegetables!! This week lets take a look at the power vegetables have against fighting heart disease. A wonderful benefit, of eating more vegetables.

A recent study showed that people who eat more vegetables have a lower risk of heart disease. The study tracked roughly 84,000 women and 42,000 men for 8 years, who averaged 5-6 servings of vegetables a day. They had an 18% lower risk of heart disease compared to those who typically ate only 1-2 servings a day. Eating more veggies can do so much for your body. Start by adding more and more veggies a day. Try to get at least 4 servings a day.

When you are thinking of grabbing a snack, grab the carrots first! Another great tip is to have the veggies all cut up and ready. I cut up jicama, celery, yams(peeled and raw), cauliflower, and sweet red baby peppers and just have them ready to snack on all day! It is amazing how … >> find out more…

Rachele Foushee-Beck