The Best Vanilla Ice Cream

I kid you not, this is THE BEST VANILLA ICE CREAM.  Period.

There are so many reasons why I love this version of vanilla.  

• It's rich and creamy.
• Right out of the ice cream maker it's an amazing version of soft serve.
• Hard scoop - it's incredible.  
• It's made without eggs.
• It's easy.  
• It's made with half and half and whipping cream... so it's a tad bit healthier, if you're into that sort of thing.
• Many wonderful things can be placed on top of vanilla ice cream.  Like hot fudge. Granola. Berry Sauce. Fresh Fruit.  Cookies.  Granola Bars.  Chocolate Chips. Rice Krispies. YUM.  
• It's perfect atop a cherry crisp.  Or apple crisp. Or cherry apple crisp.  
• It's the perfect base ice cream for mint chocolate chip, cookie dough or cookies and cream ice cream.  
• To continue the list, it works wonderfully for candy cane ice cream, cherry ice cream, and cake batter ice cream!  

What's not to love?  

If you don't already have an ice cream maker, keep your eyes peeled at garage sales this summer!  We've already seen a couple of them there this season.  

Try the best vanilla ice cream. ever.

Click here for the full recipe.  

Have you tried making your own ice cream?  If so, do you have a go-to recipe?  

Linked to: Tasty Tuesday, These Chicks Cooked

No Rise Pizza Crust

Pizza can quickly become a go-to dinner with this easy, no-rise whole wheat pizza crust recipe.  I originally found this recipe from Amy at Amy's Finer Things.  We've tweaked it to use 100% whole wheat (a mix between white and red wheat) and honey in place of sugar.  

   

It's our go-to recipe; and it freezes wonderfully too!  

We use this dough for our breakfast pizza, white bean pizza, grilled pizza, pepper and spinach pizza, calzones, breakfast pockets and pizza pockets.  

Do you have a go-to pizza crust recipe?  If so, I'd love for you to share it in the comments!

Linked to: Kitchen Tip Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, What's on Your Plate?  What I Whipped Up Wednesday

40-Minute Whole Wheat Hamburger Rolls

As we enter the grilling season, I thought I'd pull one of our most-used recipes from the archives this afternoon: 40-minute whole wheat hamburger/hotdog rolls.

 

From start to finish, these hamburger or hotdog rolls take 40 minutes.  

Just a few more minutes for cooling and you're ready to eat.  

We make these rolls every time we grill and/or need a sandwich bun.  

They are incredibly moist.  

Full of delicious ingredients. 

They are versatile too -- whole wheat, white whole wheat, and all purpose flour can be used in the recipe.  

And, for those of you with allergies, these rolls are egg and dairy free!

If you are looking for a go-to summer recipe, this is the recipe I recommend. 

Click here for the full recipe.   

Linked to: Mangia Monday, Tuesday Night Supper Club, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Whole Wheat Cheese Crackers

I have a little weakness in my tummy ... for those Sunshine Cheez-Its.  They are so terribly bad for me -- the ingredient list is a mile long.  Sheesh.  

While this recipe isn't a perfect replacement - it is pretty good.  These whole wheat cheese crackers have a delightful flavor; and best of all -- I know they are healthy for me.  

Guess I'm going to have to add these to my list of foods to make this week.  Just seeing these photos makes me crave a bowl.  I'm anxious to try some white cheddar this time.  

Click here for the full recipe for Whole Wheat Cheese Crackers.

Have you tried making crackers yet?

12 Leftover Ham Recipes

This week's from the archives are our favorite leftover ham recipes; hope you find them helpful!!

Ham and Garden Veggie Shells

Ham Primavera

Ham, Mushroom and Asparagus Quiche

Ham and Potato Casserole

Cheesy Ham and Pasta Bake

Crockpot Breakfast Casserole

Confeti Chowder

Ham and Asparagus Lasagna

Crockpot Chicken Cordon Bleu

Ham and Mushroom Omelets

Crockpot Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

Cheesy Ham and Potato Soup

What are your favorite ways to use leftover ham?  Please share them in the comments!



Linked to: Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Cream Soups

We use these basic cream soup recipes in our house many times each month.  They are so simple and easy to make -- I can't imagine going back to buying the canned variety.

The ingredients are simple: cornstarch, broth, milk and seasonings.  This means, you can make sure they are gluten-free too!

We've used this basic recipe to make cream of mushroom, cream of chicken and more recently, a cream of celery soup.  

If you're looking for a basic staple recipe for your kitchen -- this is it!

Click here for the recipe.

Linked to: Kitchen Tip Tuesday, Works for Me Wednesday

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

If you're looking for a delicious and easy twist on a chocolate chip cookie, this is a must make.  The crust is like an oatmeal cookie and the center, a chocolate chip one. 

We've made the cookie pie numerous times for Bible study, game nights and even just for a late night treat.  This chocolate chip cookie pie is perfect for all occasions.  

Click here for full recipe for the chocolate chip cookie pie.  

Tomato Cucumber Salad

With temperatures maybe, just maybe feeling more spring like, I'm itching to break out the grill!  Along with that comes yummy spring and summer side dishes, like this tomato cucumber salad.

This is the perfect spring/summer potluck BBQ dish because it pairs wonderfully with burgers, brats, hotdogs and the like.  Plus, one batch will feed many, many, many folks :)  

If you're not cooking for a crowd, make half of the pasta salad and 1/3 of the dressing and you'll be set.  The dressing is nice and tangy and light, and would be excellent on other things too, so if you make half of the dressing and use it in other salads throughout the summer.  

Hope you enjoy this tomato cucumber salad.

Linked to: Tasty Tuesday

Whole Wheat Carrot Zucchini Cake

Even though the snow piles in our yard are still here, it is officially SPRING.

One of my all-time favorite spring desserts is this whole wheat carrot zucchini cake with cream cheese frosting.

In addition to the veggies in this cake, using whole wheat flour and applesauce adds a great deal of nutritional goodness to this dessert.  It's hard to feel bad eating a slice, knowing I'm getting carrots, zucchini, apples and whole grains in every bite.  

If you're looking for a great Easter dessert, this is it!  It's been a hit every time we've made it.  

Recipe Link: Whole Wheat Carrot Zucchini Cake

Linked to: Totally Tasty Tuesday, Sweet Tooth Friday, Sweets for a Saturday, Saturday Night Special, Ingredient Spotlight

Whole Wheat Tortillas

Now that spring is officially here(!), we're looking forward to enjoying lighter main dishes.  Many of our favorite summer lunches and dinners use Whole Wheat Tortillas.  I originally shared this recipe in March of 2009 and these have been a staple in our kitchen ever since.

These tortillas go from flour to warm and ready in ~40 minutes.  They freeze wonderfully, and warm up great between two wet paper towels - making them nice and pliable.

If you haven't tried making your own tortillas, I hope you will.  With only flour, water, oil and baking powder, these are super easy to make, even if you've never tried you hand at making bread or pizza dough - give these a try.

Have you made your own tortillas?  What's your favorite recipe for them?




Linked to: Hearth and Soul Hop