Why I Choose to Cook at Home

I want to first start by clarifying that this not an article meant to judge or make anyone feel bad. This is an important issue to me and I wanted to share my perspective. 

As a kid I grew up on a farm and was surrounded by fresh produce. Huge varieties of fruits and vegetables. We had meat that we raised and butchered, and fish that my grandfather caught every weekend. We ate everything fresh in season and for the off season our freezers were full of produce and meat. Honestly I took for granted living in this environment. As an adult I did not think about my food sources, I assumed that it was produced in the same manor that my family had done it. I feel very naive admitting to this. It was not until college when I started doing researching and realized that mass produced food is really nothing like the food small farmers produce.

In factory farms the animals are often raised in such tight quarters that they can not even move. They live their life in filth and are given antibiotics to combat the diseases! When we consume those animals we take in those toxins. 

I learned that many of our fruits vegetables are genetically modified to resist insects. Mansantos the top producing company of the preside “round up” engineers seeds that have the pesticide right in the genetic code of the food! The seeds produced by the fruit and vegetables don’t even produce viable seeds for planting the next season!

I took a course in nutrition this semester and further educated myself on the science behind food. I learned the negative effects of certain types of engineered fats, known as trans fats. In our bodies these fats causes inflammation, increased “bad cholesterol” and decreased “good cholesterol” and contributes to heart disease and cancer. That Soy oil the top used “cheap” oil in restaurants and processed foods leads to obesity, infertility, and inflammation in the body.

I am a mother and wife and I am the shopper and cook in our house. I take this responsibility very seriously and I am always educating myself and attempting to implement good nutrition. 

I am not perfect! Yes we eat sugar. On occasion (rarely) I may fry foods in my awesome deep fryer. My motto is everything in moderation. To be honest I am overweight and working towards a healthy weight, while making sure my daughter never faces that issue in her life. I want my family to live a long healthy life and feel that food is an important aspect of that goal.

The number one thing that I do in my home is to cook at home and to eat as little processed food as possible! Here is why!

I have a bachelors degree in Political Science and the number one thing that we were taught was to question the motivations of each person/company/organization ! What is the goal of that person/organization/business to do what they are doing and does their underlying motivation fit with yours. 

A restaurant’s goal is to make money. It is not a crime or a bad thing, its just the truth. We all know that when we buy food from a restaurant it is a business transaction, not a personal one. 

My goal when feeding my family is health. I do care about the cost because I have a budget but my most important goal is providing food that will improve the health of my family and provide us with the energy, nutrition, and taste that we desire and need.

For our family we have decided that we will eat the majority of our meals made at our home with ingredients that we trust.

Organic non-GMO fruits and vegetables, Healthy oils, humane free range meats and eggs. Milk, cheese, and yogurt made from cow’s milk not treated with steroids. We eat out at restaurants very rarely, usually for special occasions so less then once a month. My nutrition class reinforced the idea that food is really the building blocks of our whole bodies and honestly I do not trust restaurants or factories to care as much as I do when it comes to the health of myself and my family. Their goal is profit, and using lowering the quality food is often a tool for increasing that profit. Using GMOs, preservatives, cheap oils, high levels of salt, and unhealthy flavor enhancements increases the taste of the food but at a cost to the consumers health. There are hundreds of example were GMO’s, too much salt, poor oils, and preservatives are used so I can not list them all but here are a few.  

Subway is often hailed as the healthier option- One look at the ingredients for their egg for their breakfast sandwich tells us a different story. Their “eggs” are really a strange concoction that includes eggs and “premium egg blend.” Some things that are in this special blend include glycerin, a solvent found in soap and shaving cream, dimethylpolysiloxane, a silicone that can also be found in Silly Putty, and calcium silicate, a sealant used on roofs and concrete.

Resturant Salads-Unsurprisingly, most fast food restaurants don’t list the exact ingredients in their lettuce — you wouldn’t think they’d need to — but many places dust their salads with propylene glycol to keep the leaves crisp. While considered safe for consumption, propylene glycol can be found in antifreeze and sexual lubricants.

Gerber Babyfood-In the United States, all of the mainstream baby formulas that are not organic are made with GMOs. Families that are unable to afford organic baby formula have no choice but to feed their babies GMOs. Forcing toxic Roundup laced GMOs on infants is unacceptable.

Here are a list of common ingredients in processed and restaurant foods. 

INGREDIENT	WHY IT’S USED	WHY IT’S BAD
Artificial Colors	Chemical compounds made from coal-tar derivatives to enhance color	Linked to allergic reactions, fatigue,asthma, skin rashes, hyperactivity and headaches
Artificial Flavorings	Cheap chemical mixtures that mimic natural flavors	Linked to allergic reactions, dermatitis, eczema, hyperactivity and asthma Can affect enzymes, RNA and thyroid
Artificial Sweeteners (Acesulfame-K, As-partame, Equal®, NutraSweet®, Sac-charin, Sweet’n Low®, Sucralose, Splenda® & Sorbitol)	Highly-processed, chemically-derived, zero-calorie sweeteners found in diet foods and diet products to reduce calories per serving	Can negatively impactmetabolism Some have been linked to cancer, headaches, dizziness and hallucinations
Benzoate Preservatives (BHT, BHA, TBHQ)	Compounds that preserve fats and prevent them from becoming rancid	May result in hyperactivity, angiodema, asthma, rhinitis, dermatitis, tumors and urticaria Can affect estrogen balance and levels
Brominated Vegetable Oil (BVO)	Chemical that boosts flavor in many citric-based fruit and soft drinks	Increases triglycerides and cholesterol Can damage liver, testicles, thyroid, heart and kidneys
High Fructose Corn (HFCS)	Cheap alternative to cane and beet sugar Sustains freshness in baked goods Blends easily in beverages to maintain sweetness	May predispose the body to turn fructose into fat Increases risk for type-2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke andcancer Isn’t easily metabolized by the liver
MSG (Monosodium Glutamate)	Flavor enhancer in restaurant food, salad dressing, chips, frozen entrees, soups and more	May stimulate appetiteand cause headaches, nausea, weakness, wheezing, edema, change in heart rate, burning sensations and difficulty in breathing
Olestra	An indigestible fat substitute used primarily in foods that are fried and baked	Inhibits absorption of some nutrients Linked to gastrointestinal disease, diarrhea, gas, cramps, bleeding and incontinence
Shortening, Hydrogenated and Partially Hydrogenated Oils (Palm, Soybean and others)	Industrially created fats used in more than 40,000 food products in the U.S. Cheaper than most other oils	Contain high levels of trans fats, which raise bad cholesterol and lower good cholesterol, contributing to risk ofheart disease
Sodium Nitrite and Nitrate	Preserves, colors and flavors cured meats and fish Prevents botulism	Can combine with chemicals in stomach to form nitrosamine — a carcinogen

  We are what we eat! So I make sure that the food my family consumes is healthy, safe, and made from natural wholesome ingredients. Our health is worth the extra effort it takes to cook our meals at home. Nothing tastes better then homemade because it is always made with love and thought. No restaurant or company will ever care as much as I do for my family. 

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Making The Bird Nest Birthday Cake, and Reflections on Life’s Journey

Monday was my husband’s birthday. It was the day after Easter so he had to work. As soon as he was out the door, I started baking the cake. My daughter had preschool at 9:30 and I had a whole list of things to do ! I only had a couple of hours to bake and decorate his birthday cake.

Pinterest example

I had decided to make a bird nest cake that I found on Pinterest. I was scrolling through cakes ideas months ago, and my husband pointed at the bird nest cake and gushed how much he liked it!

I just want to say I am NOT a cake decorator. I have never taken a class or been taught. I like to be creative and I look at pinterest and youtube for inspiration. Please dont judge me too harshly, lol!

horrible process of carving the cake!

Step 1: I baked two Devil’s food cakes layers. The pinterest example used a double recipe(4 layers), but there was no way I was making that much cake for our small family(2 1/2 people), so I had to adapt. Once I baked and cooled the cakes I frosted the center and stacked them. I had to carve a whole in the middle. I thought this was going to be so simple! How can I mess up a hole! The cakes were too light and fluffy, and I should have used a pound cake recipe that was more dense and solid. It became a disaster very fast! I was very close to crying when I saw the misshapen cake I had created!!

gooey mess!

Step 2: The next step was to frost! I though I could save the cake with a nice even layer of frosting! As I tried to spread the frosting the cake started falling apart in chunks! This is when I actually started to cry! I was a gooey sticky mess and my dream cake was quickly turning into a Pinterest fail!

Fondant my miracle!

Step 3: I had not planned to use fondant, but I happened to have some left over from my daughter’s Birthday cake. Fondant is like edible sugar play dough. You roll it out and drape it over the the cake. Once I put on the Fondant the cake took on a much better shape. The roughness was smoothed out, and I started to feel a bit better.

Not too bad!

Step 4: I Frosted the cake over the layer of fondant. This process was alot easier and I was able to get the desired effect. The Pinterest example cake was covered in textured piping that gave the cake the look of being made of twings, I was running out of time so just textured mine with a butter knife to give it a softer look.

Step 5: Lastly I put on the birds I had gotten from the Dollar store and the Easter candy eggs! I was so happy to be done! I thought the cake looked good. Different from the example, but still cute!

In many ways this cake represents life’s journey.

This cake started as a disaster. I was ready to give up! I calmed myself down, took a breath, and just kept working it!

Thats life!

There are rough spots in life where nothing looks like it will work out but you can’t give up. Soon that mess will be shaped into something so much better. Nothing is as bad as it seems, it just needs more work. It may not go according to plan, but in the end it is something uniquely yours!

My husband had a beautiful birthday and loved his cake. A store bought cake would have been easier, but sometimes its more rewarding to take the harder route in life!

The Importance of Cooking with my Daughter

Hanging on daddys back while he helped mommy cook Paranthas

My daughter is three and since she was a newborn baby she has spent alot of time in the kitchen with me. As an infant she was either strapped to my back or sitting on the counter in a baby chair. As an early toddler she sat on the floor with a wooden spoon and pot making music. Around 16 months she began “helping” me cook. Honestly it was no great parent planning when it came to having my daughter in the kitchen. I needed to be able to cook and I needed her in my sight. My naughty little munchkin could not be left on own for even a moment. She can get into trouble faster than a blink of the eye.I learned that when I gave her things to do she enjoyed her time in the kitchen, which in turn made my job alot easier.

every baby loves a spoon and a pot

She is now three and every time I go into the kitchen she is right behind me grabbing her apron and begging me to help in any way that she can.She helps me mix atta ( chapati dough) with her hands. She helps roll out her own little messy rotis. I cut the veggies and she puts them on the sandwiches or on a homemade pizza. She loves to help measure and I even let her push the button on the chopper or blender! That is her favorite job! Sometimes its easier to work without her in there, but I know that it truly benefits her in so many ways so I find a way for her to help.

helping to form paneer koftas

1. Teaches a love of food and cooking

Nasreen loves all types of foods. Since she is a Masala child we have a mixture of Continental and Indian foods. I enjoy teaching her the traditions of both of these cultures in the food. I try to incorporate language learning into the cooking as well. I remind her that in Punjabi apple is called a Seb. She holds the apple and says the word seb, and I know this is better than looking at a picture and saying the same thing. Nasreen is more willing to try new food when she helped make it. What might have been deemed “gross” is now yummy because she helped put it on the pizza. I have noticed since I started working more and not being able to spend that time with her in the kitchen she has resorted to only preferring simple foods like chicken nuggets. We will be having more cooking sessions in the future to bring back that eater I love so much

2. Practical usage of measurement and counting and science

Whenever I measure flour for a cake or put yeast to rise, or even boil water I explain the process to her. She has started to understand the concepts of measurements ( cups, tablespoons). When I put warm water and sugar with the yeast she has learned that we are feeding the yeast so they grow because they are alive. The same goes when we make yogurt at home, she knows we must keep it warm for the yogurt to grow. The kitchen is a great classroom.

3. Learning how to follow directions and follow through from start to finish

Helping in the kitchen my daughter has learned the value of perseverance. To turn flour and sugar and eggs and other ingredients into a cake . Its a long process and it teaches them the steps to succeed. When she is in the kitchen with me I just keep talk to her telling her all the steps. Its amazing to create something from all those raw ingredients. I know that this process has helped her become a focused child. For example Nasreen is a pro at puzzles. You give her a 50+ piece puzzle and she will sit until its finished. I know that some of that focus has come from her time in the kitchen with me.

4. Forming a special bond between parents (other family member) and child.

Proud of her cooking achievement

Some of my greatest memories as a child are of my mom and I cooking. I especially loved cooking Thanksgiving dinner. Getting up early and stuffing the turkey, making the mashed potatoes, yams, and green beans. I loved the pleasure of seeing everyone enjoying the food I helped make. I also loved the relationship my mom and I had. None of my other siblings came in the kitchen it was just her and I. I am glad for the time that my daughter and I spend in the kitchen together. I hope cooking is a passion that we always share together. 

Aloo Bean ( Potatoes and Green Bean)

I recently discovered this wonderful recipe for Punjabi Aloo Bean. What I love most about this dish is that it does not have the traditional Tomato and Onion based gravy, which makes it taste unique. Its a wonderful sauteed dish that enhances the green bean and potatoes flavor and textures.

Totally different flavor than many subzis

Ingredients

• Green beans (French beans) – 2½ cups, cut into ½ inch pieces
• Potatoes – 1 cup, cut into square pieces
• Oil – 2 tablespoons
• Mustard seeds – ¼ teaspoon
• Cumin seeds – ½ teaspoon
• Turmeric powder – ¼ teaspoon
• Cumin powder – ½ teaspoon
• Coriander powder – 1 teaspoon
• Red chili powder – 1 teaspoon
• Salt – to taste
• Garam masala – ½ teaspoon
• Lemon juice – 1 teaspoon

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in pan on medium heat. Once hot add mustard seeds, let them pop. Then add cumin seeds, let them sizzle a bit.
2. Add aloo and beans along with salt, turmeric, coriander, cumin, red chili powder. Mix them well so all the spices and oil is coated to vegetables.
3. Cover the pan and cook till veggies are cooked. Keep stirring in between to make sure that it is not sticking to the bottom of the pan.
4. Once they are tender, add garam masala powder and mix.
5. Finally drizzle some lemon juice, stir it. Subzi is ready to serve.
   

   Great with Roti and Yogurt

Things I have learned as an American Girl Married to a Punjabi (Indian) Man

1. Foot Touching :        

Touching feet as a sign of respect

In many parts of India it is a sign of respect to elders to touch their feet. You greet the elder with your hands together and Say “ Sat Sri Akal” or whatever the greeting is for your religion, and you bend at the waist to touch their feet in a loving manner. Most people make it only to the knee before the elder pats them on the back and says “no need, no need”. I had never attempted to do this tradition while we were in the United States, but I had seen my husband do it many times. When we went to India I was going to be meeting all different relatives and I was told I needed to touch feet as a sign of respect, and not doing so could make me look stuck up.  There was a big discussion about who I was supposed to touch the feet of and who not, I was very lost and confused. There were some special people I was supposed to cover my head for and also touch their feet, but there was disagreement between my husband, mother-in-law, and sister- in-laws as to who was important and not. They were still disagreeing when the guests came! So not to disrespect anyone I pretty much touched most people’s feet and was laughed at by everyone because I didn’t do it right. I felt quite embarrassed and I glowed red! I pretty much hid in the kitchen at that point, volunteering to make food and such. I still get embarrassed when I think about this story; I am currently glowing red right now! Moral of the story I don’t really do the touch feet tradition anymore unless its someone a lot older and I see my husband do it first.

2. How to cook Punjabi food:

One of the biggest things I  learned from marrying my husband was how to cook Punjabi food. Food is really important to my husband, as it is for most men actually. I personally could eat anything really and be content. When I was single there had been many a dinner of cereal and milk or a cold sandwich. This is NOT the case with my husband and most Punjabis I have met. Food is paramount in the family. It must be hot, fresh, and homemade. In my husband’s family going out to eat is considered bad. It’s not even about the money spent. Home food is considered sacred in some ways, eating out is not even in the same realm as home food. I personally love eating out occasionally. I love getting new ideas and being inspired to make new foods. I am a foodie. I love to cook and bake and make sweets and try all kinds of different ethnic foods. When my husband and I first started dating we used to cook together and he taught me how to cook many Punjabi dishes. I learned the rest from my mother-in-law and from the internet.  Since marriage my husband has “forgotten” how to cook. I took me a lot of time to master the art of making round roti that puffs up when you cook it. For the whole first year of our marriage I failed miserably at making Roti! I would actually get frustrated and cry. When I went to India my wonderful mother-in-law finally taught me the art of roti making, and since then I am now a Roti Master!

The ideal roti!

My husband does not like food that is bland or does not have a sauce. Everything must be super seasoned and have chilies in it. My 3 year old daughter is the same way. Even as a baby she hated plain baby food. She loved subjis ( curries) and paranthas (stuffed whole wheat savory pan cooked flat bread). I love Punjabi food, but I also love things like mash potatoes and basic baked chicken.  He won’t eat this without a base made of onions, tomatoes, chilies and spices. We make a combination of food in our house, about 60% Indian and 40% everything else. I have introduced him to a lot of foods, and he likes them as long as they are very flavorful!  Here is out menu for this week.

Monday: Chana masala ( chick peas) and rice

Tuesday: Filled pasta with pesto sauce and garlic bread

Wednesday: Aloo (potatoes) masala with Puri ( fried flat bread)

Thursday: Rongi ( black-eyed peas)  and roti

Friday: Homemade pizza with Capsicum, chilies, mushrooms and olives

Saturday: Vegetable Biryani (rice dish)

Sunday: Yellow Daal and rice

 

3. Speaking  Punjabi :

punjabi alphabet gurmukhi

Learning Punjabi is an on going process. Punjabi is a language similar to Hindi and very challenging to me. I speak decent Spanish but Punjabi was nothing like anything I had ever learned before.  My Mother–in-law does not speak very much English and she will be moving in with is soon so I really need to learn as much as possible before she comes. My husband is a terrible teacher. He gets frustrated when I don’t pronounce things well. Its just not good to mix teaching and marriage.  I have learned to comprehend a lot of Punjabi . I have had to learn or get left out of the conversation.  I am working hard on learning to speak it as well. I started a great audio program through pimsleur and it has helped me with accent and retention. I started the program and learned secretly and then surprised my husband with a few good phrases and was shocked and happy, and said the accent was great. Here is a free lesson for all those that want to learn. http://www.pimsleur.com/Learn-Punjabi . I listen to the program with my daughter because she also needs to use Punjabi more. My husband speaks Punjabi to her and she understands it all and follows commands and such but avoids responding in Punjabi.  We have to force her to use Punjabi. For example she has to ask for things in Punjabi, like Dudh dedo ji ( give me milk please) and such.

4. Wearing Punjabi Clothes:

My first ever suit! Given to my by my best friend

This is one of my favorite things I have had to learn. Punjabis love to wear traditional clothes. Many women prefer Punjabi Suits over jeans and western clothes. I honestly prefer suits too. They are so colorful and shiny and pretty and so comfortable. It’s wonderful because in India suits are tailored to your size exactly. So for a curvy girl like me it’s great to have things made to my size and shape. A suit is a long pretty tunic, with a either straight pants or Patiala style, which remind me of the Aladdin look. The only that is hard for me to wear is the chunni. A chunni is a long scarf that is worn over the shoulders, and in a Gurdwara it is worn over the head.  I have sloped shoulders so my chunni falls and gets really irritating after some time. Whenever I see Punjabi Women I am always jealous of their ability to wear their chunnis so beautifully while mine looks all messy. My daughter at three is better at wearing a chunni then her Gorri mommmy.

5. Unexpected Guests and Indian Hospitality:

Love sharing a cup of Chai with friends

I love this tradition of guests coming over unannounced and the process for entertaining them.  In India it is totally acceptable and common for people to just drop in. There are many people who hate unexpected guest but I love it. Yeah your house has to stay clean, and you need to be dressed, and have some snacks on hand. I love it though. Neighbors in india all talk to each other and come over all the time. I never talk to my neighbors here in the USA , so I loved it in India! I feel like the USA is so formal and as a result people don’t socialize as much. I don’t see my friends as much as I want to.  I also really want to know my neighbors better, but everyone keeps to themselves. This is not the case in India. When I was in India people just came by and it was awesome! We also went and visited people anytime and it was awesome! In my husband’s house when someone comes and visits first your bring them water or soda, depending on the time of day you can bring out a salty snack, or fruit, or chai and cookies or cake. I just find the whole process to be so fun. In Punjabi culture a guest in your home a huge honor. I always loved visiting people in India and tasting all the different ways that people make chai. Going to people’s house is like an event and I loved it.!

6. Indian Sense of Privacy and Evil Eye:

My daughter when she was a few weeks old, with her black bracelet to ward off evil eye

I swear that my husband acts like everything above a whisper is a shout to the whole neighborhood! When we are out at a store I constantly hear shhhhhhh from my husband.  He always says “why do you have to talk so loud”, or “do you have to tell the whole neighborhood?”. He also has an issue with me sharing pictures and posts on facebook and other social networking sites, saying “cant this just be private, why share?!”.  Then there is the complicated issue of evil eye. Evil eye is when a person might be jealous or may wish bad things on you. As a result my husband does not like to share any of our plans for our lives for fear of the “evil eye”. When Nasreen was born he used to tie a black string on her wrist and put a black mark on her face with eye liner. I thought it was weird but I like his logic behind the mark. He says that when people looked at her face they see the mark and they start to wonder what’s the mark about, and look at the shape of it, and think so much about the mark and don’t think negative thoughts to cause her harm. I don’t believe in evil eye , but its harmless so I don’t mind it. We both make compromises.  As you can see from the blog, I still share about my life on a public forum.

 

Here is also a list of things that I will not learn!

1. I will not allow people to comment on my daughter’s complexion or coloring:

Fair and lovely skin bleach from India

In India there is an obsession with being light skinned. Skin bleaching is really common and many (not all) parents are very concerned about their children having light skin. I have seen many women and girls obsess about the color and “darkness “ of their skin and be upset and depressed about it. When Nasreen was born with brown skin I got comments in the Indian community that it was too bad that she did not get my light skin. I was told that I should keep her out of the sun. I do not allow these comments. My daughter will love her body and her skin exactly how it is and I will not allow such comments to occur around her!

2. I am openly proud about having a daughter:

A movement to ” save the girl child”. Girls are a blessing as much as a boy

In many families in Punjab and India in general there is a serious issue with desiring boys over girls. Girls are seen as a waste.  Girls join their husband’s family when they marry so any investment in them is theoretically lost. While a son will stay with the family and support the parents when they stop working.  Girls also cost a lot of money because the girls family is responsible for the wedding cost and in some cases dowry. There is also the fear that a girl could bring shame to the family. There were some in the Indian community, no one from my in-laws though, when they learned that we were  pregnant with a girl they expressed their condolences. they said that they prayed I would have a boy next. I hate the preference for boys. I love having a daughter; she is a blessing to our family.

 

 

Making Ice Cream In A Bag

Most of my readers might have noticed that I love to cook, make sweets, and bake.Which is why I am constantly blogging about recipes, cooking, eating, and being chubby 🙂 Well shocker!!!, This is another one of those posts. So years ago during college I purchased a wonderful little ice cream maker and a Ben and Jerry’s ice cream cookbook and set out to make all the recipes. The machine had served me well, and my roommates loved my inventions. One day my husband and I were in the mood to make ice cream. We found the recipe we wanted and bought the supplies and were all excited, and the machine would not turned on!!  We were so disappointed. I had all the ingredients!!!!!! If you know me, you know that I am resourceful and never give up. So I scoured the internet for a way to make yummy creamy ice cream without a machine and I found the ultimate technique. Its soft, creamy, and only takes 20 min max! We call it bag ice cream! 

1. Make your favorite ice cream recipe.

2. Put the ice cream mix in a quart zip lock bag, make sure that it is sealed!

The smaller bag with the ice-cream mix must be sealed!

3. Take the ice cream bag and put it in a larger bag. it is helpful if this larger bag seals but you can get away with one that doesn’t as long as it can be closed by some means .

4. Fill the larger bag with ice and some salt ( about 2tbsp). Now cover that bag with a towel

5. This is the fun part, Knead and move the ice cream bag inside the larger bag continuously. The ice will freeze the mix and the kneading will make it creamy. There is no exact timing for this process, its done when you reach the consistency you want. It gets pretty stiff if you work it enough. Its similar to soft serve. We usually race but my husband ALWAYS wins lol. Its really fun and take around 15 minutes.

6. Then eat it !!! Sprinkle some nuts or candies. Its really yummy.

 

Sample Ice Cream Recipe

Ben and Jerrys Vanilla ice cream 

Ingredients

2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Whip the eggs and sugar together with a whisk until fluffy (but not firm).
2. Add the rest of the ingredients into the eggs and sugar.
3. Whisk together until well mixed.
4. Place in bag and follow previous directions.

Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia

Ingredients

1/4 cup shaved semisweet chocolate
1/4 cup fresh bing cherry, , halved and pitted (, you may use canned cherries, but be sure to drain the syrup)
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream or 2 cups whipping cream
1 cup milk

Cherry Garcia ice cream, my favorite

Directions:

1 Place the shaved chocolate flakes and the cherries in separate bowls; cover and refrigerate.
2 Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes.
3 Whisk in the sugar, a little at a time, then continue whisking until completely blended, about 1 minute more.
4 Pour in the cream and milk and whisk to blend; add chilled chocolate and cherries and stir to combine.
5 Transfer the mixture to a bag and follow above directions.

Chocolate Ice Cream

Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces unsweetened cocoa powder, approximately 1/2 cup
3 cups half-and-half
1 cup heavy cream
8 large egg yolks
9 ounces sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Directions
1. Place the cocoa powder along with 1 cup of the half-and-half into a medium saucepan over medium heat and whisk to combine. Add the remaining half-and-half and the heavy cream. Bring the mixture just to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and remove from the heat.

2. In a medium mixing bowl whisk the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Gradually add the sugar and whisk to combine. Temper the cream mixture into the eggs and sugar by gradually adding small amounts, until about 1/3 of the cream mixture has been added. Pour in the remainder and return the entire mixture to the saucepan and place over low heat. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon and reaches 170 to 175 degrees F. Pour the mixture into a container and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract. Place the mixture into the refrigerator and once it is cool enough not to form condensation on the lid, cover and store for 4 to 8 hours or until the temperature reaches 40 degrees F or below.

3. Pour into a bag and follow above directions for bag ice cream.