Homemade Peanut Butter Ice Cream

Finally, a dessert recipe, right?! Oh, I hear ya. This is not a fancy dessert by any means, but it's one I will be making this week tonight - because the heavy cream I have on hand is about to expire.  Yes, that's my excuse, and I'm sticking with it.  Please enjoy!

love,
Carin

1 cup heavy cream
1 cup light cream (or half and half)
1/2 cup sugar, or less to taste
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup smooth or crunchy peanut butter

Combine all ingredients and stir until sugar dissolves and base is smooth. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours (minimum), or overnight (better). Freeze in an ice cream maker according the manufacturer's instructions. [I have the Cuisinart ICE-21 Frozen Yogurt, Ice Cream and Sorbet Maker. $60 on Amazon.]

Tip: mini PB cups are a great addition.  Roughly chop and add towards the end of the freeze cycle.

Sunday Gravy

... or homemade sauce - depending on which side of the debate you're on.  My grandmother, Clem, always referred to it as 'gravy'.  My dad insists on 'sauce'. Regardless, here is my take on the Cavaliere family recipe for homemade gravy, uh, I mean, sauce. Please enjoy!

love,
Carin

1-2 T olive oil
1-2 cloves of garlic, chopped (or more or less, to taste)
1 lg can crushed tomatoes (favorite brand = Cento)
1 lg can tomato sauce
2-3 T tomato paste, a little less if using concentrated
water
Italian herbs (dried) – basil, oregano, crushed red pepper, to taste
Pinch or two of sugar
Salt & pepper, to taste
4 T butter
red wine, optional
 
In a large sauce pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, but be careful not to burn. Add crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce, along with a large can of water.  Add Italian herbs, sugar, salt and pepper.  Turn heat to high, bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium.  Whisk in tomato paste, and cook on medium for about 15 minutes or so.  Add butter and wine.  Reduce heat to low.  Cook for 2 ½ - 3 hours. Keep an eye on it – you want it to boil gently but still cook.  You may have to add more water if it gets too thick.

Tip: Freezes well. When cool, add to freezer bags and toss in the freezer.  Freeze flat and it will take up hardly any space.

Carin's Best-Ever! Crockpot Beef Stew

Crockpots can be a lifesaver for busy folks. Mine got me through all those late nights during grad school many, many years ago.  I still have the same one - I can't bring myself to throw it away. You simply cannot mess up any meal made in the crockpot (trust me). Not all crockpot recipes I come across are worthy of the "Make This! (trust me)" list, though. This one, however, is.  My initial intention with this recipe was to put a roast in the crock pot for sliced beef - until inspiration hit me at the very end.  Please enjoy!

love,

Carin

Ingredients for Step 1:

roast (2-3 lb), any cut (cheaper cuts are fine, will become tender in the crockpot)
pepper, to taste
parsley, to preference
Au Jus Gravy mix (McCormick packet)
water
red wine, optional

Ingredients for Step 2:

Herb Gravy mix (McCormick packet)
half n half
water
button mushrooms, quartered
frozen peas

Step 1:

Put roast in crockpot. Season with pepper and parsley. Add au jus mix and a little water (about a cup) plus a little red wine.  Cook on Low 8-9  hours.

Step 2:

Turn crockpot to High. Remove roast. Skim fat. Mix herb gravy mix with half n half and water (enough of both to equal 1-1 1/2 C).  Add to crockpot.  Cube roast. Add back to crockpot. Toss in mushrooms & peas.  Cook on high for another 30 minutes or so, until heated through.

Serving suggestions: Serve over risotto* or polenta.

*Quick, Creamy Risotto:

2 cups water
butter
olive oil
1 cup arborio rice
heavy cream or half n half
salt, to taste

Bring water to a boil in a pot with a fitted lid; add a few tablespoons of butter + some olive oil and arborio rice to water; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed.  Remove from heat, let sit 5 minutes.  Add a little cream or half n half and more butter, if desired.  Add salt to taste.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Lemon

Don't like brussel sprouts much?  Then this is definitely a (trust me) recipe for you!  I beg you to try it.  You'll never feel the same about brussel sprouts ever again.  You might just even fall a little bit in love with them. Please enjoy!

love,
Carin

1 lb fresh brussel sprouts, halved or quartered
olive oil
1 lemon
kosher salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
grated Parmesan cheese, to taste

Preheat oven to 425. Cut off the base of the brussels, remove any tough outer layers, and cut them in half. Mix in a large bowl with with just enough olive oil to lightly coat them. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add to appropriate-sized roasting pan.  Roast for about 1 hour to an hour and 15 minutes, or until brown around the edges and tender.  Be sure to stir the brussels once or twice during the roasting period.

Remove from oven and immediately squeeze the juice of one lemon on top, and toss with Parmesan.

Roasted Red Potatoes, Asparagus & Fennel

Roasted veggies are definitely quick, simple, easy.  And .. delicious!  Please enjoy!

love,
Carin

red potatoes, quantity to preference
fresh asparagus,  quantity to preference
1 large fennel bulb
olive oil
kosher salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 425. Prepare vegetables: halve or quarter potatoes; snap off woody base of asparagus then slice in 1-inch pieces; cut about 1-inch above fennel bulb, remove outer layer, slice to desired size. 

In a large bowl, toss vegetables with just enough olive oil to lightly coat them.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add to appropriate-sized roasting pan. Roast for about 1 hour to an hour and 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.  Be sure to stir once or twice during the roasting period.

Carin’s Cream of Crab Soup

Tried and true, this recipe never fails, and is often a repeat request by family members. In fact, it's such a fav, my nephew Keith asked for it as his birthday gift.  Coming from an 18-year old, who typically only ever asks for cash, cash, and more cash, this was quite the compliment!  BTW, he got both from me that birthday. :)  Please enjoy!

love,
Carin

1 stick butter
1/2 cup flour
pepper, to taste
celery salt, to taste
Old Bay, to taste
14 oz can chicken broth
1 quart half and half*
1 cup milk*
dried parsley, to preference
dry sherry or cooking sherry, or to taste
1 lb jumbo lump crab meat

Melt butter over medium-low heat.  Stir in flour and whisk until smooth.  Add pepper, celery salt & Old Bay seasonings.  Cook 2 minutes, stirring continuously. Slowly add chicken broth.  Whisk until smooth. Simmer for 5 minutes. Slowly add half-and-half and milk.  Stir/cook until thick.  Add crab meat, parsley & sherry. Cook until heated through.

*More half and half or milk may be needed, depending on the desired consistency/thickness.

Curried Chicken Pot Pie

While browsing recipe after recipe (I could do this for hours), I often wind up taking favorite parts of two (sometimes, more) recipes and creating my own version.  Below is a version of a chicken pot pie that incorporates one of my favorite spices, curry.  Please enjoy!

love,
Carin

Curried Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients
2 packs chicken tenders, boiled and cubed
frozen peas and carrots (or mixed vegetables), thawed
4 small potatoes, cubed, boiled (or 1 can of diced potatoes)
1 can diced (or sliced) water chestnuts, drained, optional
low fat shredded mozzarella (or any Italian blend), to preference
salt and pepper, to taste
Curry Sauce
Bisquick Topping

Curry Sauce
1/2 stick butter
1/2 c flour
curry powder, to taste
2 chicken bouillon cubes
half n half + 2% milk, as needed to make a thick (but not too thick) sauce
low fat shredded mozzarella, (or any Italian blend), to preference

Bisquick Topping
2 c Heart Smart Bisquick
Herbes de Provence, to taste
curry powder, to taste, optional
1 c 2% milk

Preheat oven to 350. Boil chicken, then cube. In a large bowl, combine chicken & vegetables. Set aside.

Curry Sauce: melt butter over low-medium heat (you want the butter to be hot enough to 'cook' the flour for the roux, but not too hot that it will burn). Stir in flour and whisk until smooth.  Whisk in curry, to taste. Cook 1 minute.  Slowly  add in half and half and/or milk (or any preferred combo).  Add bouillon cubes. Turn heat to medium. Stir continuously bouillon cubes are dissolved, and sauce is thick. You want a moderately thick sauce, not too thin, not too thick. Add more half and half/milk, as needed.  Add about a cup of shredded mozzarella, or to preference.

Add curry sauce to chicken and vegetables mixture. Stir to combine. Add shredded mozzarella, to preference. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add mixture to an appropriate-sized baking pan. I typically use a medium casserole dish. If you use a 9 x 13 pan, you might have to make more topping.

Bisquick Topping: in a medium bowl, combine Bisquick, Herbes de Provence, and curry powder, if adding more. Stir in milk. Spread carefully on top of chicken mixture. 

Bake at 350 until crust is browned, about 45 minutes.

Welcome to Make This! ... (trust me)

Hello, and welcome to my recipe blog!

Anyone who knows me well knows that I love to cook - provided the recipe is simple, quick, and, most importantly, easy. When I do find that perfect combination, I love to share.  Rather than emailing myself (and you all!) the recipes, writing them down (in loving memory of Clem and Nancy), or typing them up (in loving memory of Kenny), I've decided to blog them, with the hope that sharing them in this fashion will be simple, quick, easy.  Please enjoy!

love,
Carin

Disclaimer – this is by no means a professional blog or a precisely measured/detailed recipe compilation. Thanks to both my grandmother, Clem, and my mom, Nancy, I learned to cook by look and feel. Most of my recipes will reflect that "style". :)