..cinnamax skookie..

it's skookie time again!!  while we were in nyc, we went to a place called the big gay ice cream shop.  last year, when i was there, i went to the big gay ice cream truck (they didn't have the store yet).  now that they have the store, they've added a few more items to the menu- one being ice cream sandwiches.  i saw the cinnamax ice cream sandwich (snickerdoodles/cinnamon ice cream) and just HAD to have one.  it was amazeness!  i knew that i could easily re-create the recipe when i got home but i also knew that i didn't want to make ice cream sandwiches.  i've made them before and i just felt like they required way too much effort.  so, i decided to turn it into a skookie :)  holy yumO!  even better than the ice cream sandwich because it comes hot out of the oven and the ice cream just melts... MmMmmm.  oh, i also snuck a few cinnamon chips in there, to make it extra cinnamony!  they were just sitting there, so lonely, in my cupboard... :) ha!  happy weekend!!!!!  indulge and enjoy!!

cinnamax skookie

snickerdoodles:

• 1 stick butter
• 1/2 c. shortening
• 1 1/2 c. sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 t. vanilla
• 2 3/4 c. flour
• 2 t. cream of tartar
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1 c. cinnamon chips
• 3 T. sugar
• 1 t. cinnamon

preheat oven to 375. combine butter, shortening and sugar. add eggs and vanilla. sift flour, tartar and baking soda and add to wet ingredients. add cinnamon chips. now, how much dough you'll need, depends on your skillet size... i'd say i used about a 1/4 of the dough. roll into a huge ball and roll in the cinnamon/sugar mix. bake for 13-15 mins.

cinnamon ice cream:

• 1 pint vanilla ice cream
• a couple teaspoons of cinnamon (depending on how much cinnamon you like)

let the ice cream soften a bit. mix in cinnamon. refreeze. scoop on top of the skookie.

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..kettle corn..

i wasn't a huge popcorn lover until i met my mr.  i mean, i liked it ok but i always thought it smelled way better than it actually tasted.  but now that he makes it alllll theeeee tiiiimmme, i've become quite obsessed with it.  i especially love kettle corn because i'm a huge salty sweet fan.  we're going to the drive inn tonight so i thought i'd share this super easy recipe.  it's so easy that you won't ever want to buy it from a package ever again :)  indulge and enjoy!!

KETTLE CORN

• 1/4 c. grapeseed or canola oil
• 1/4 c. or 7-8 packets truvia or sugar
• 1/4 t. salt
• 2/3 c. popcorn kernals

heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. when hot, add the truvia, salt and popcorn. cover and shake.
*to know when oil is ready, stick one kernal in and when it pops, it's hot enough

 

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..barrrbeeQ pizza..

did you say that like you were a pirate?  you should have :)  me and mr. looooove pizza!  anytime i ask him what he wants for dinner, he says pizza.  good thing i don't always ask him what he wants, or we'd be having pizza a few times a week.  that wouldn't necessarily be a problem, buuuut everytime we make pizza we eat the whole damn thing!  this bbq pizza was no exception.  i had told myself that i was only going to eat 2 slices and save the rest for lunch the next day.  umm... ya... that was a nice thought.  at least i thought about eating only 2 slices, right?  i've made bbq pizza before but apparently i was missing crucial ingredients- smoked gouda and cilantro... i've gotta say, they really just made the pizza.  oh, and p.s., i loved the smoked gouda so much, that i had this brilliant idea that they would be so super good on the bbq wheat thins!  so, the next day i went and bought some bbq wheat thins and topped them with the cheese.  don't worry, i ate the whole box.  woopsie.  haha!  indulge and enjoy!!

BBQ CHICKEN PIZZA

recipe adapted from foodnetwork

ok, so i don't actually have a recipe because i'm too lazy to measure cheese and sauce and why dirty more dishes? :)  so, i guess it's more like ingredients needed:

• pizza dough (i use already made wheat dough from winco!)
• bbq chicken (i season with bbq flavored mccormicks grill mates and then bake)
• bbq sauce (love bulls-eye)
• smoked gouda cheese
• mozzarella cheese
• thinly sliced red onion
• cilantro

roll out the dough to the thickness desired.  spread the bbq sauce on the dough, leaving about a half inch border for the crust.  top with chicken, both cheeses, onion and cilantro.  bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 mins.

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..poppyseed muffins..

i am on a major muffin kick.  MAJOR.  first up, almond poppyseed- my favorite.  i mean really, you could add almond extract to pretty much anything, and i'd probably eat it.  i love to eat it, i love to smell like it, i love to look like it... haha! just kidding.  i LOVE it!  mmkay, i think i've expressed my love for almond enough now, right?  i also love these muffins!  they were super yumO annnd i added a little surprise in a few of them- cherry jam.  almond and cherry go together like chocolate and peanut butter... they're a match made in foodie heaven :)  try these muffins, they're so good as is, but SO much better with the jam.  indulge and enjoy!!

ALMOND POPPYSEED MUFFINS

recipe from betty crocker

• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/3 c. vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1/2 t. almond extract
• 1/2 c. sour cream
• 1/4 c. milk
• 1 1/3 c. flour
• 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1 1/2 T. poppyseeds
• cherry jam (optional)

preheat oven to 375. mix sugar, oil and egg together. add almond extract, sour cream and milk and whisk. sift flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda and add to wet ingredients. stir in poppyseeds. fill muffin tins 3/4 full (i use a large cookie scooper and put 2 scoops in each). top with sliced almonds and sugar. bake for 14 mins or until your toothpick comes out clean.
*if you are adding the jam, put one scoop, about a teaspoon of jam, then another scoop.


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..nyc/nj via instagram..

one year ago (minus a couple days), i was boarding a plane to nyc to live for 6 months.  i lasted 3.  this year, i went back just to visit and we had a whole lot of fun.  first up, six flags!

kingda ka- worlds tallest, north america's fastest roller coaster. 

128 mph+45 stories straight up and down= one insane coaster!

our family roadster!  seated all 15 of us comfortably :)

NOT that i ever felt safe... they drive like maniacs back there

next up, NYC!!

lunch: cascabel.  this place is serrrriouslllly so freaking good!

guacamole and watermelon basil margarita. yumO :)

carne asada and shrimp tacos

one of my favorite places in central park

afternoon snack: levain. giant 6 oz. chocolate pb cookie.. puts a big smile on this face :D

afternoon snack #2: stand. toasted marshmallow and strawberry shakes. defreakinlicious!

we spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around.  we went and visited the people i used to work with (whom i miss very much), we stopped at grand central station for a gander,  we went to eataly- which is like an italian food emporium but it was packed to the maximum so we basically walked thru and out, then we went into times square and visited the disney store, and finally met my friends for din.  yay! i miss them immensely!!  we wanted to go to this place called barbuto but they were already booked for the night so we just had to walk around and found this little hole in the wall italian place.  it was good, nothing spectacular.  as we started walking back to the apt, it started sprinkling, by the time we got off the subway, it was a torrential downpour!  we waited around for a min to see if it'd let up at all but it didn't.  it just kept pouring.  so, we decided to take a taxi home.  the next day, we walked the highline.  it's an old train line that they've turned into a walkway with lots of greenery and they have little food and art boothes and stuff.  by then, we had worked up our appetite for lunch!

barbuto.  roasted chicken.  amazing.

one. world trade center

south tower memorial

at chelsea market- a cookie dress!! my kinda dress :)

big gay ice cream. monday sundae. nutella lined cone/vanilla/choco ice cream/dulce de leche/whoppin cream :)

salty pimp. vanilla ice cream/dulce de leche/salt/dipped in chocolate

sunday, we went to the drag races

umm... fast.  bout 320 mph fast.  it started out as a nice, partly cloudy day and all of a sudden, this huge, black cloud started moving towards us.  it came fast and hit hard.  they had to stop the races and everyone started rushing back to their cars.  well, once we finally found the van and were completely soaking wet, i went to use my phone.  NOT THERE!  my dad tried calling... nothing.  started freaking out inside.. all of the pics i had taken on the entire trip were on my phone.  finally, i dumped out my entire bag and sure enough, it was on the bottom.  hallelujah!  it rained, or rather, poured for about half an hour and then cleared up all nice again.  races resumed and all were happy campers.  on the way home, we started passing this place called the polar cub.  i didn't know what it was but i said "hey, we gotta stop for the polar bear!"  it ended up being an ice cream shop and obviously i had to get a giant cone with sprinkles!!





mmm!  the polar bear would be so proud :)

for din: itsa pizza pie!

little critters everywhere in jersey. this little guy was just hangin out in the yard

annnd then, we had a million hour flight home.  not really.  but it sure felt like it.  sat in the airport for 5 hours, flight was 5, and then waited another hour for justin to arrive... long day.

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..irish cream shake..

last year, when mr. and i were at walt disney world, we discovered this little irish pub in downtown disney.  we tried this bailey's shake that they made and it was INCREDIBLE!  we had a few while we were there and i've seriously been craving it every day since.  this one is just as good and it's not clear across the country away from me.  i made two varieties... one with chocolate ice cream, one with coffee.  honestly the coffee one was better but coffee destroys my tummy :(  so i'd better stick with the chocolate.  try them both, because it's FRIDAY!  woohoo!  happy loooong weekend.  indulge and enjoy!!

IRISH CREAM SHAKE

• 1/2 c. coffee or chocolate ice cream
• 1 c. vanilla ice cream
• 1/4 milk
• irish cream (i put about a shot and a half, you can add more if you'd like)
• 5 ice cubes

blend all the ingredients together.  you can top it with chocolate and caramel sauce, if you'd like.

*if you're lazy like me, it's a scoop of coffee or chocolate and two scoops of vanilla.  besides who "measures" ice cream?? :)

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..spumoni..

holy busy!  i've barely had time to think, let alone cook.  i made funfetti cookies from a box... does that count?  they were amazing and my future mr. thought i was some sort of genius.  little does he know.. hehe!  i almost don't know what i'll do once we have everything planned for the wedding.  it's coming together perfectly!! i'm so excited!  is it september yet??  i obviously can't wait.  miss impatient... that's me :)  over the weekend i managed to whip up a couple batches of ice cream and i made a deconstructed spumoni.  i usually end up eating the flavors individually anyways, so why bother putting them together in the first place?  i've been craving spumoni for a while now and it's the perfect ending to the mizithra cheese spaghetti.  my favorite ice cream recipes are ones without eggs, because you just throw it all in a bowl, stir, and pour in your ice cream maker.  wham bam! you have ice cream in less than a half an hour.  plus, the eggless ice cream is the kind of homemade ice cream that i grew up with- it's the best, hands down.  the chocolate and cherry that i made were eggless, the pistachio had eggs but it was also a recipe that was made with pudding mix.  i wanted to find a recipe that used pudding because basically, i wanted it to taste just like pistachio pudding, in ice cream form.  it was just that- pudding ice cream.  it was really thick and creamy- almost like a custard.  so delish!  so pretty much i got 3 different flavors and textures- the chocolate ended up being a pretty soft ice cream, kinda like a frosty, the cherry was regular consistency and the pistachio was thick.  if you can't decide which one you want, just do all three!  that's my philosophy anyways :)  indulge and enjoy!! 

SPUMONI ICE CREAM

CHOCOLATE:

recipe from cuisinart

1 c. milk

2 c. cream

1/2 c. sugar

8 oz. chocolate

1 t. vanilla

heat the milk until it is just bubbling around the edges.  in a blender or food processor, pulse to combine sugar and chocolate.  add the hot milk; process until well blended.  transfer to a bowl and let cool completely.  stir in the cream and vanilla. chill 30 minutes longer.  pour into ice cream maker.

CHERRY:

1 c. cream

2 c. milk

1/2 can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. cherry jam

2 t. vanilla

1 t. almond extract

whisk all together and pour into ice cream maker.

PISTACHIO:

1 pkg. pudding (small)

1 c. milk

1 c. cream

1/2 can sweetened condensed milk

1 can evaporated milk (5 oz.)

2 egg yolks

1/2 c. sugar

1 T. vanilla

heat milk on a double broiler until a film covers the top and the edges are slightly bubbling.  slowly whisk in egg yolks and cook another couple minutes.  strain into another bowl.  add the rest of the ingredients and whisk to combine.  chill completely.  pour into ice cream maker. 

 

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