2 minute, Frozen Banana, Ninja Ice Cream

I know some are rolling their eyes saying
You Can't Make Ice Cream in 2 Minutes...

Ah... but I say yes you can make something even better for you
and maybe better than any of the homemade churn ice cream we
have ever made.



What You'll Need:
Old bananas halved and frozen about 3
about 8 - 10 ox of half & half
about 2 tbsp. chocolate syrup (to taste some may need more)
Ninja Blender
and about 5 folks needing a cool snack.

How to do it:
Put it all in the Ninja Blender
Blend just until it is broken down and has a nice color
do not over blend or you will have ice cream soup.



Scoop out about 1/2 cup for each person and see what they say.
It is softer ice cream not sof-serve you do not need the scoop.
Kids could do this. (I guess you could put it in the freezer for a few minutes
to firm it up)

Two Minute Ice Cream with a Ca + K punch :)
This was an accidental discovery one day when I was out of milk
and my after workout smoothie (which also contained Garden of life
Pure Protein) & instead I had a frosty...LOL
I have also done this with strawberries & cream,
Just freeze your strawberries.



Have a nice day
Desire is the Mother of Invention
& this mother is doing her best to twist some of the
snacks her family loves into something better.

Marshmallow Fondant

I may never frost a cake again



Marshmallow Fondant

Ingredients
16 oz mini marshmallows
2 lb powdered sugar
4 Tbsp. Water
Shortening for greasing bowl & hook (Hands)


Directions
1.) Microwave marshmallows & water on high 1 min
2.) Grease dough hook & Bowl with shortening
3.) Put 3/4 of the sugar into mixer & add marshmallow
4.) Mix on low speed the check consistency (It will still be a little sticky at this point. If it is real sticky add some of the remaining sugar & mix a minute or so. #Repeat until fondant is firm & neither dry or sticky)
5.) turn out onto a clean & firm work surface. Knead by hand just a minutes until there are no flecks of dry powdered sugar remaining, Wrap in cling wrap or waxed paper & let fondant set for about 30 minutes.

to add color, add to marshmallows before mixing with sugar
to make it chocolate, add about 1/2 c cocoa powder be sure to sift it first.

This recipe makes 3 lbs. of Fondant


Compare the cost of $9 + per box from the store to just $3.77 homemade.

Biscuit Pizza

We needed a quick, satisfying, fun dinner last night
so the little one & I came up with this.
It was a suprizing winner with the whole family.
We also used up some leftovers.

Here's our Leftover Fried Chicken Biscuit Pizza



What you need
Cutting board
Knife
18-inch Pizza Pan
Oven or grill

Ingredients:
Crust: 1 roll butter flavored Grands Biscuits

Pizza toppings:
3 Roma tomatoes, sliced thinly
2 pieces of leftover chicken, we used one breast & one thigh fried, thinly sliced
about 2 ox cheddar cheese, grated
about 1 oz asiago cheese shaved thinly
1/4 cup small diced onions (Vidalia)
salt
pepper
garlic, granulated
oregano
spice to taste
about 3 large basil leaves, rough chop
about 3 stems of cilantro rough chop for garnish

Assemble:
preheat oven to 400 degreesF
open and separate biscuits (this is fun for the kids) smash or roll them flatter
and spray pan with butter flavor spray lightly, place flattened biscuits onto pan
and close what holes you can, it will cook together.
Start with placing the tomatoes on the biscuits we worked in a circular fashion.
Then sprinkle on just a little cheddar cheese.
Add onions Let the young ones help & they'll eat the onions.
Add thin sliced, chicken pieces, make sure each piece will get a little chicken.
Now sprinkle your spices on as desired.
Top with cheddar cheese then the slices of asiago, arrange so each slice gets an
even amount.
Bake in oven for 21 minutes or until edges look golden brown and top is bubbly.



Sprinkle with chopped herbs as desired, we gave the option of yea or nay, as folks
like them. the herbs give it a fresh taste and just adds that finishing touch.

I hope you try this recipe and let us know what you think in the comments
Have a Blessed Day
~V

I apologize for the lesser number of postings, we've been quite busy with the chickens,
working, end of school, as well as trying to make a go at the food gardening with back
and forth weather patterns. Oh and we've rescued a baby mallard duckling this week.
Also our computer has been on the fritz
So we've been in the weeds pretty deep.
We'll try to do better

Spanakopita

Spanakopita

I've been promising this recipe for a little while
I hope you like it. It's the basic. Be sure to read
more at the link at the bottom, & try some of the other recipes
suggested. Please comment if you use this recipe as is
or tweak it.

preheat oven to 350

Ingredients:
1lb mozzarella cheese, shredded/grated
3 10 oz boxes frozen spinach
1 12 oz container of Feta cheese pieces
4 eggs
salt
pepper
nutmeg
1 1lb box of phyllo sheets


Directions:
add cheeses to a large bowl and mix together

thaw and squeeze all excess water(very important step) from spinach and chop finely

add to cheese and mix thoroughly break up any small parts to have an even blend.

in another bowl crack and whip your eggs, add about 1 tsp. salt and1 1/2 tsp. black pepper 1 1/2 tsp. nutmeg

pour into spinach & cheese mixture and mix together.



open your phyllo and flatten on working surface.
(scoop out a heaping tablespoon for hor d'vours. or for entree about 1/3 cup onto one corner of dough.)



for appetizer fold 1 sheet over top & proceed to roll in a triangular fashion over spinach mix to end. The same folding method is used for larger portions use about 3 sheet for entree. (see photos for folding technique like paper footballs)







traditionally oil or an egg wash is brushed onto the dough to give it a nice color, I spray with a light layer of nonstick spray



for appetizers cook 11 minutes. then flip & cook an additional 6 minutes.
for entrees double these times.


These are the appetizer sized portions I made for my daughter's class this morning)


I always serve with a small amount of salad and another vegetable as a meal (as first pictured).

I do not get creative with more herb or onions in this recipe it is the basic.
Please feel free to tweak to your tastes.

this recipe made 4 full sized + 36 appetizer sized portions (you can pre-make this and freeze your triangles in wax paper) although phyllo is a fickle bird. if left out it gets brittle, if wet it get super sticky.

It is mostly eaten as a snack in Greece
In rural Greece, smaller amounts of spinach are used, with the missing part substituted with leeks, chard, and sorrel
The pastry is similar to torta pasqualina, a traditional dish from Italy's Liguria region, that is very common in Argentina and Uruguay.

It can also be made with puff pastry

Read More about Börek style pastries
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burek

Have a Nice Day
~V
Keep It Green

Guacamole~So Ez ~So Good Don't forget the Cilantro

Guacamole seems like quite an exotic thing when I was younger
But now that I am older and appreciate the flavor of each ingredient as well as it's origin
I have to have it & the more Cilantro the better for me at least.
It is so easy to make I do not understand why they sell an enveloped mix

Please try and tweak to your fave flavors
there are a couple substitutions here as we do like the SOur Cream version the best.

It's healthy for you eat it on everything in moderation as is with everything in life.

I hope you enjoy.

First get your ingredients together

Ingredients:
2 Avocados, ripe
Sour cream
Minced Garlic
Cilantro fresh is best
Lime Juice
salt
pepper
1 Jalapeno Minced (with seeds for spicier flavor remove and devein for milder)
Equiptment:
a bowl for mixing & a fork for mashing



You can see I'm using pantry items that a lot of folks
already have on hand

Directions:

Start by peeling your 2 Avocados, you end up using about 3 teaspoons of lime juice I simply
sprinkle on the avocados whilst I am peeling to prevent browning. Mash with a fork, it does not have to be super creamed it is better to me with small chucks on Avocado. But it is to your own taste if you want it creamy you can even blend it.





I then add 1 tablespoon of Garlic minced



2 Tablespoons of Sour Cream you can use Low fat or full fat (we've even used mayo, and greek yogurt)





Chop a bit of fresh cilantro
Curl fingers under to get a good mince and not cut your fingers







Find yourself aProfessional salt & Pepper shaker and stirring expert



And you're done



Thanks for taking a moment with my blog
You are appreciated
~v

Secret Recipe ~ Chick Fil A

I have had a lot of request for the "Chick-Fil-A" recipe so here it is

Ingredients
1 boneless chicken breast \
jar of dill pickle slices
1/2 C flour
1 T powdered sugar
1/2 tsp each of paprika and salt
1/4 tsp each of black pepper, garlic powder, celery salt, and dried basil
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper(optional)

1/4C pickle juice
1 egg
1/4 C milk


Directions
Flatten chicken between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Cut into 2 pieces and soak in pickle juice for at least 30 min.
mix egg and milk together. mix all the dry together.
dip chicken in egg mixture on both sides then in dry mix on both sides.
fry in oil (they use peanut oil but any will do) at about 350degrees.
serve on a buttered (lightly toasted) bun with 2 pickle slices.

I have made this as sandwiches and nuggets and both are delish