Cabbage & Apple Saute

Two posts in one day? Will wonders never cease?

I've actually got to get this written down because I made it up last night and I want to remember how I did it so I can recreate it.

Now some people are not big cabbage fans. I'd have to say that once upon a time, I would have considered myself part of this group. However, my strong German ancestry is starting to make itself more and more known in my taste buds (hmmm, they probably never ate Thai food though....hmmm). Anyway, cabbage is now very much part of my diet. This is my first year growing it in the garden. It is one of those veggies that are just so cheap, why bother growing your own? I'm glad that I am though!

Alright, here's the recipe:

1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup onion, sliced
6-8 cups rough chopped cabbage (green or red)
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup apple juice
1 Tbl sugar
1 large apple, cored and sliced
Salt & pepper to taste

In a large, deep saute pan, soften onion in the olive oil over medium heat. Add the cabbage, vinegar, apple juice, and sugar. Stir to make sure the cabbage is tossed with the liquids. Cover and allow to cook down - about 7 minutes. Add the apples, salt & pepper. Stir again. Cover, allow to finish cooking - approximately another 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

We ate this with venison sausage and hot buttered noodles tossed with basil & chives. Enjoy!

Yes, Strawberry Ice Cream

I asked the kids the other week, "What kind of ice cream do you want me to make?" In my mind, the fruit and ice cream really don't go together but the answer was unanimous - any kind of ice cream that has berries!

In my fridge was a big ole package of strawberries from Fareway. We had used some but I knew the others needed to be used quickly so it was really the perfect use for them. A quick search on the internet came up with this recipe.

Strawberry Ice Cream

Rated: Submitted By: Christy J. Photo By: Trisha Prep Time: 25 Minutes Cook Time: 15 Minutes Ready In: 1 Hour 40 Minutes Servings: 6

"This vibrant frozen dessert offers fresh berry flavor at its best."

Ingredients:

1 quart fresh strawberries, hulled 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, divided 3/4 cup white sugar

3 egg yolks 3 tablespoons light corn syrup

Directions:

1.	Place the berries into the container of a blender or food processor, and puree until smooth. Pour into a large bowl, and set aside.
2.	Heat 1 1/4 cups of the cream in a saucepan over medium heat until it begins to bubble at the edge of the pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, egg yolks, remaining 1/4 cup cream, and corn syrup. Gradually pour the hot cream into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Return the mixture to the saucepan, and heat until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon, about 5 minutes. Do not allow the mixture to boil. Strain custard into the berry puree through a sieve, mix, and refrigerate until chilled.
3.	Fill an ice cream maker with the mixture, and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Now, some people suggested leaving some of the strawberries out of the puree. I, emphatically think this is a bad idea. I mean, a frozen berry in your mouth when you are eating a smooth and creamy dessert? No thank you! So I blended all the berries. Here are some before and after pictures.


As you can see, the pureeing really makes a difference in the total volume (as opposed to the mass - can you tell I'm married to an engineer?).

I didn't get a picture of making the custard. I did use a wooden spoon as opposed to a metal spoon. When you can swipe a finger across the back of it and see the trail it is done. It really doesn't take that long. What takes a longer time is for the ice cream base to cool down before you put it in the ice cream maker!

Here's one last picture just because I thought it was so pretty when I poured the custard into the strawberries:

I didn't get a picture of the finished product but it was a very lovely color and what is more important - it tasted awesome! The strawberry flavor was very intense. It was awesome with chocolate syrup and whipped cream on top. I think some cut up bananas would have made the sundae over the top! We also used this in smoothies. Very good!

Menu Plan Monday 6/22/09

Whew! Summer has most definitely hit Iowa! This week is VBS at our church and I get the privilege of helping with the "game" station. So are outside and it is muggy and hot and very rewarding! But I definitely don't feel like heating up the kitchen anymore than I need to so here's the menu I came up with for the week:

Monday: Fish Tacos & Black bean-Red pepper-Quinoa Salad
Tuesday: Cheese Filled Ravioli with Red Sauce & Salad
Wednesday: Sloppy Joes & Chips
Thursday: Sassy Grilled Chicken, Cous Cous & Dilled Peas
Friday: Grilled Margerhita Pizza & Salad

Soon to come (I promise!), my attempt at making Strawberry Ice Cream. Mmmmmm.....