Eyeball Cookies

These were a fun little treat to make in the days before Halloween.  They are similar to these Halloween eyeballs from the days of yore, but much easier in that they use Nilla wafers instead of a peanut butter ball concoction.  (But the peanut butter ones are soooo good.  I just didn't have time for that this year.)  

For these ones, you just dip a Nilla wafer in melted white chocolate, use leftover white chocolate tinted blue for the "iris" and then the "pupil" is a mini M&M or a chocolate chip.  When I melted the chocolate, I melted it with one teaspoon of oil.  You need to add the oil before you turn the heat on, or the chocolate might seize. The oil makes it easier to work with, but even with the oil, the chocolate still melted all lumpy, but it ended up being fine.  I don't think anyone cares if these are lumpy or not....

Eyeball Cookies

adapted from Taste of Home

5 ounces white baking chocolate, chopped

1 teaspoon oil (canola, grapeseed, sunflower, veggie)20 to 25 vanilla wafers
Blue food coloring
mini M&M's OR regular semisweet chocolate chips
Red liquid food coloring

1.  In a double boiler or heat-proof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, melt the white chocolate and oil together; stir until smooth. Dip vanilla wafers in melted chocolate; allow excess to drip off (use a spoon or knife to spread, if needed). Place on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Chill until set.

2.  To remaining white chocolate, add a drop of blue food coloring; stir until smooth.  (If you didn't use oil when melting the chocolate, food color will cause it to seize).  Spread a small amount onto the center of each cookie; place an M&M or chocolate chip in the center.

3.  For bloodshot eyes, use a toothpick dipped in red food coloring to draw lines from blue circles to outer edges of wafers (I did this before making the pupil.). Chill until set. Store in an airtight container. Yield: 20-25 servings.

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Goblin Goo

We made these pudding parfaits for our little fam Halloween party on Saturday night.  The boys helped out and were so excited about them, but they turned out to be too sweet for them when it came down to eating the treat.  I think it was because of the Oreos; I reduced the sugar in the pudding.  I also used whole milk instead of the heavy cream called for.  The cornstarch thickened this pudding SO fast, and made it so thick; I have no idea why heavy cream was called for!  I'm sure 2% or 1% milk would have been fine, as well.  

Goblin Goo

adapted from Baked by Rachel

Makes 6 servings

2 1/2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup white sugar

pinch of salt

1/3 cup cornstarch

2 eggs

2 Tbs butter

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

green and yellow food coloring (to make "neon" green)

10-15 Oreo cookies, crushed

1.  In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm 2 cups milk, sugar, and salt until warm and steaming.  

2.  In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and remaining milk, whisking until completely smooth.  Add to hot milk in saucepan, stirring constantly until thickened- 2-5 minutes.  Be careful- can thicken very quickly.  Keep whisking!  Turn the heat to low when pudding thickens.  

3.  Reduce heat to low.  In another small bowl, whisk eggs continuously, and slowly drizzle in some of the hot milk mixture to temper.  Transfer egg back to saucepan and continue cooking over low heat for a few minutes.  Remove from heat.  Stir in butter and vanilla until butter is melted. Stir in food coloring until desired color is reached.  Serve warm or let cool a bit, and layer in clear cups with crushed Oreos.  Store in fridge.  

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Maple Walnut Ice Cream

My daughter chose this ice cream for us to make together.  It was fun to make it with her, and tasted wonderful; perfect for fall!  I love David Lebovitz's ice cream book.  It never fails to make a delicious ice cream.  For this one, make the Maple Walnuts (Wet Walnuts) ahead of time so they can cool completely before being added to the ice cream.  I toast the walnuts in a skillet, remove then, and then use that same skillet to boil the syrup and complete the walnuts.

Last year, I made this Maple Gelato and loved that as well- it was delicious on apple crisp.  I haven't made an apple crisp yet, this year.

Maple Walnut Ice Cream

adapted from David Lebovitz

1 ½ cups whole milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1 ½ cups heavy cream
5 large egg yolks
¾ cup dark amber maple syrup
1/8 teaspoon coarse salt
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Wet Walnuts; recipe below

1.  Warm the milk and sugar in a medium saucepan. Pour the cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer on top.

2.  In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

3.  Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream to cool. Add the maple syrup, salt, and vanilla, and stir until cool over an ice bath.

4.  Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. During the last few minutes of churning, add the Wet Walnuts, recipe below.

Wet Walnuts

1/4 cup dark amber maple syrup
3/4 cups walnuts, toasted and very coarsely chopped
Big pinch of salt

1.  Heat the maple syrup in a small skillet or saucepan until it just begins to come to a full boil. Stir in the walnuts, then cook until the liquid comes to a full boil once again. Stir the nuts for 10 seconds, then remove them from the heat and let cool completely. The nuts will still be wet and sticky when cooled. Chop coarsely and add to ice cream during last minute of churning.

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Pumpkin Bread

I usually make pumpkin bread or muffins at least once every Fall, and I chose this recipe last week.  I love my older recipe for pumpkin bread, but tried this one because of the addition of yogurt.  My older recipe, though, has less oil and more pumpkin, just FYI.  To tell you the truth- these two recipes taste exactly the same to me.  Actually, all pumpkin bread tastes the same to me!  It's just fun trying different recipes.  

(Don't burn the tops of your loaves.... like me.  I'm a chronic top-of-loaf-burner.  This is something I'm trying to overcome.  This bread still tasted great- not burned at all.)

Pumpkin Bread

adapted from Our Best Bites

2 cups all purpose flour 

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
1/4 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cup white sugar
6 ounce container vanilla yogurt (or just measure 6 oz.)
3 eggs, slightly beaten
15 ounce can pumpkin puree
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup regular or mini chocolate chips (plus a few extra for the top of loaves)

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 2, 9×5 (or similar sized; I used 8x4-inchers) loaf pans with nonstick spray and set aside.  Just spray the bottoms and first few inches, not the tops of the pans.

2.  Combine flours (after you put your flour in the bowl, just grab a teaspoon or two of it and toss with chocolate chips so they don't sink to the bottom), cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Whisk gently to combine and set aside.

3.  In a separate mixing bowl combine brown sugar and white sugar and whisk to combine, breaking up any clumps of brown sugar.  Add yogurt, eggs, pumpkin, oil, and vanilla extract and whisk until smooth.

4.  Slowly add dry ingredients to wet and mix together, being careful to not over mix.  When combined, gently stir in chocolate chips.   Divide batter between loaf pans and sprinkle a few extra chocolate chips on top.  Bake for 45-60 minutes or until a skewer comes out with a few crumbs attached.  All ovens are different, so watch carefully.  Cover with foil the last few minutes if browning too quickly.  Don’t overbake!

5.  Let cool for 10 minutes and then run a sharp knife around edge of pan and remove loaves from pan.

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Kid's School Lunches

For the last few months, my kids have been taking these Easy Lunchboxes to school for lunch.  I actually ordered these and some "real" bento containers right after school got out last school year.  The bentos were on back order forever, but these arrived and we took them to the States with us.  We used them on every National and State Park outing; always taking our lunch in with us.  We bought a cheap collapsible cooler at Walmart that they all fit in.  Our normal lunch this summer was a roll sandwich, veggies (carrot sticks, etc), fresh berries, maybe a cheese stick or hard-boiled egg, and a treat.  (We needed lots of food for hiking around!)  

Anyway, we ended up liking these so much that I cancelled the other bentos that were back ordered.  We used these almost every day for over a month this summer, and the kids have taken them every day for school lunch since the end of August.  We love these things!  The above lunch is a cheese crisp, cut into wedges (small flour tortilla, sprinkled with cheese and baked until cheese melts and tortilla crisps), sliced mini cukes, some dip made with light sour cream (can use Greek yogurt) and garlic salt, a peeled, sliced kiwi, and 2 mini versions of this cookie.  You can put anything into these containers.  I make the lunches before school, while the kids are eating breakfast and getting ready.  

Each of the kids has a soft insulated lunchbox to carry these in.  I also have a small reusable ice pack for each of them if the lunch requires it.  We use these lunchboxes from LL Bean; they fit the bento containers and have enough room for a juice box, with room left over.  

Some other meals I've made for their school lunch: croissant (buy at bakery and freeze until morning of), cheese, fruit, treat/ favorite sandwich, fruit, treat/ roll sandwich, fruit, veggie, treat/ crackers, cheese, ham slices, fruit, veg.... you get the idea.  You can use leftovers; I've packed lumpia , chicken legs, this pasta.  I wouldn't microwave food in these containers; I include a small paper plate and tell them to only warm food up for about a minute.  And yes, I always send a small treat.  :)  Sometimes it's a tiny bit of mini M&M's or a small piece of wrapped candy.

For fruit, we love grapes, peeled and sliced kiwi, half of a banana, with the cut end wrapped in plastic, peeled mandarin oranges, applesauce cups or the squeezable applesauce (which I have to order online).  For veggies, which we don't do every single day, but every few days, we do mostly sliced mini cukes (or cut regular slices in half) and baby carrots.  Other ideas if your kids will eat them: cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced sweet peppers, frozen peas. 

For dips and anything you don't want leaking, these mini dipping cups are great.  They fit right into the lunchboxes and are the perfect size.  They are pictured in the 1st pic above- with the cukes and dip.  They have snug-fitting lids.  

I'll try to share other school lunch ideas here from time to time.  I don't have a crazy amount of variety with these yet, but it's fun looking for new ideas.  :)

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Reese's Pieces Peanut Butter Cookie

Here is a very good and easy cookie recipe- perfect for Fall because of the fall colors!  I made these last week- using my regular cookie scoop to make regular cookies, and my mini scoop to make smaller ones- perfect for my kids' lunches.  I got this recipe from a grocery store recipe card- lol!

Reese's Pieces Peanut Butter Cookie

adapted from Hershey's Kitchens

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup Reese's Pieces Candies

1.  Heat oven to 350°F.

2. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, peanut butter, egg and vanilla in large bowl until fluffy. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in candies. Drop by heaping teaspoons (or use cookie scoop) onto ungreased cookie sheet.

3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned; remove from oven. Cool slightly; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Makes about 30 cookies.

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Grilled Ham & Cheese with a Special Sauce

That is an awkward title for this delicious sandwich, but I didn't like the use of the word "tangy" in the original Allrecipes version.  Lol.  Maybe theirs is better.  Anyway, you've got to make these sandwiches!!  They are soooooo good.  I made them back when I was really excited about Allrecipes; about 7 years ago.  I loved them back then, but kind of forgot about them until recently, when I was reading my old Allrecipes reviews for fun.  I made them last Sunday with tomato-butternut soup and Caesar salad.  I drastically reduce the mayo and amount of meat used, and they are still so good.  

PS:  The original recipe uses turkey, which is also delicious.

Grilled Ham & Cheese with a Special Sauce

adapted from Allrecipes

makes 2 sandwiches

1/4 cup chopped red onion

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

2 tablespoons mayonnaise (can use low-fat)

1-2 tablespoon coarse-grain brown mustard (to taste)

4 slices good white bread, like sourdough

softened butter

4-6 slices deli honey or maple ham

4-6 slices tomato

4 thin slices Swiss cheese

1.  In a small bowl, stir together the red onion, thyme, mayonnaise and mustard. Spread some of this mixture onto one side of each slice of bread. Lightly spread butter onto the other side of bread.

2.  I make all of my grilled cheese in the oven.  To do this, preheat the oven to about 400 F while preparing sandwiches.  Complete the sandwich above by laying half of the ham, tomato slices, and Swiss cheese over the onion mixture.  Top each sandwich with a piece of lightly buttered bread, butter side up.  Place all sandwiches on a large baking sheet (I assemble them on the backing sheet).  Place in the hot oven and cook for 5 minutes on each side or until golden brown.  

3.  For stove-top grilling:  Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Place 4 slices of the bread into the skillet with the butter side down. On each slice of bread, layer 2-3 slices of ham, then 2 slices of tomato, and top with 2 slices of Swiss cheese. Place remaining slices of bread over the top with the butter side up. When the bottoms of the sandwiches are golden brown, flip over, and cook until golden on the other side.

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Cinnamon Roll Cookies

Although these tasted great, they didn't work out the way they were supposed to.  They puffed up hugely and almost look like real cinnamon rolls!  I almost didn't post these but the kids loved them so much, and they did taste good, so I am.  After making these, I read that some reviewers had the same problem, and the blog owner suggested to add more flour to make a more stiff dough. (It was super sticky while rolling out, too.)  I'm not sure if I'd try these again to see.  

Cinnamon Roll Cookies

adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened to cool room temperature

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup powdered sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (add a bit more flour if dough is too sticky)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Filling:

4 tablespoons butter, softened

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Glaze:

4 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1-2 tablespoons milk

1.  For the cookies, in a large bowl, cream together the 3/4 cup butter and granulated and powdered sugar for 3-4 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla extract and mix. Add one cup flour, baking powder and salt. Mix. Add remaining flour and mix just until flour is incorporated and the dough is smooth and soft. Flatten the dough into a thick disk and cover in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

2.  For the filling, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Separate the dough into two pieces working with one half at a time, roll it out to about 1/4-inch thick and about 15-inches by 4-inches or so. Gently spread 2 tablespoons of butter on top of the dough. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the cinnamon sugar mixture and lightly press the sugar mixture into the dough. Starting with one long edge, roll the dough into a tight log. Using a sharp knife (a serrated knife works best), slice the dough into 1-inch pieces, making about 15 cookies per log. Place the cookies 2 inches apart on lined (with silpat or parchment) baking sheets. Repeat with the second half of the dough and the remaining butter and cinnamon/sugar mixture.

3.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the cookies for 9-11 minutes until set but not overbaked. Let the cookies cool for 1-2 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Prepare the glaze by mixing together the cream cheese and powdered sugar until thick and smooth. You can do this with an electric mixer. Add the vanilla and 1 tablespoon milk. Continue adding milk, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, until the glaze is thick but pourable. Pour the glaze into the corner of a ziplic bag (placing the bag inside a large glass helps as you fill it). Snip off the tip of the corner and drizzle the glaze over the cooled cookies. Store covered in the refrigerator.

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Greek Tacos

My daughter and I made these for dinner last week.  Well, I prepared both the tzatziki sauce and cuke-tomato salsa ahead of time and made the flat breads; she made the meat filling.  She really enjoyed making them and then eating them.  :)  

Greek Tacos

adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Cucumber Tomato Salsa:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 firm large tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/2 English cucumber, seeded and diced
1/2 cup diced red onion
Salt and black pepper to taste

Feta Tzatziki:
1/2 English cucumber
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2- 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 clove garlic, finely minced
Salt and black pepper to taste

Turkey Mixture:
2 pounds ground turkey (we used 20 oz.)
1/2 teaspoons salt, use more or less to taste
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup minced red onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried oregano
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup broth (chicken, vegetable or beef)

For the pitas:
6-8 non-pocket pita or soft wrap breads (we used this soft wrap bread)

1.  At least one hour or as early as one day before, prepare the salsa and tzatziki. For the cucumber salsa, toss the olive oil, vinegar, tomatoes, cucumbers and onions in a bowl and season with salt and black pepper as needed. Cover and refrigerate for one hour or up to 24 hours to marry the flavors.

2.  For the tzatziki, peel the cucumber (optional) and shred on the large holes of a box grater. Place the shredded cucumber in a clean kitchen towel and wring out the excess water until the cucumber is very dry. In a medium bowl, stir together the strained cucumber, yogurt, feta, and garlic. Again, season with salt and pepper to taste. The tzatziki can be refrigerated up to 24 hours. Give it a good stir before serving.

3.  For the meat, heat a large, 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook the ground turkey with the salt, pepper, onion and garlic, breaking up the meat into small pieces and cooking until the meat is cooked through, 8-10 minutes.

4.  Drain any excess grease. Stir in the oregano and tomato paste and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the broth and let the mixture simmer for about 5 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

5.  Warm the pita breads in a cast iron skillet or in the microwave until soft and heated through. Serve the tacos by spooning meat into the center of a pita bread and topping with cucumber salsa and tzatziki.

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Pumpkin Crumb Bars

Most of the fam really enjoyed this delicious Fall dessert.  I don't really like pumpkin pie, but I like some other similar desserts; these bars (and similar ones) among them.  I made cinnamon-scented whipped cream to serve these with, by just adding a few sprinkles of cinnamon as I was whipping the cream.  :)  

Pumpkin Crumb Bars

adapted from Cooking Classy

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups quick oats (old fashioned works too)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract

Pumpkin Pie Filling
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed-light brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1 pinch ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups canned pureed pumpkin
1/3 cup store-bought almond milk, evaporated milk, or half and half
Whipped cream and cinnamon, for serving (optional)

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, oats, salt and baking soda for 30 seconds. Add in 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar an mix until no clumps remain. Combine melted butter and vanilla and add to mixture, then stir with a spoon until evenly moistened. Gently press half of the mixture into a greased 8 by 8-inch baking dish and bake in preheated oven 15 minutes.

2.  Meanwhile in a mixing bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and salt. Add in egg, egg yolk and vanilla and stir until blended. Mix in pumpkin, then milk. Pour mixture over baked cookie portion and return to oven to bake 15 minutes, then remove from oven and sprinkle remaining cookie crumb mixture over top while breaking the crumb into small bits.

3.  Transfer oven rack closer to the top-center (not directly beneath but a few levels below) and return to oven to bake about 20 - 25 minutes longer until golden on top and center only jiggles slightly. Remove from oven and allow to cool 1 hour at room temperature, then transfer to refrigerator to cool 1 hour longer (or serve warm from the oven like a crumble with ice cream). Cut into squares and serve with sweetened whipped cream and a light dusting of cinnamon if desired.

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Grilled Jalapeno Poppers

These are sooooo good.  We had a small get-together a few weeks ago, and one friend brought these.  I was just hovering over them all day, pretty much; I could have just stuffed my face with these and been done.  Somehow, her jalapenos had almost no heat, so they were perfect for a spice wimp like me!  A few weeks later, when my husband and I made these ourselves, (pic above), the heat was so intense we could hardly eat them!  I persisted though; glass of milk on hand, tears running down my face, because they hurt sooo much but were sooo good!!  Then I put the rest in the fridge and ate them slowly over the next few days, one or two at a time.  

To make these, just cut the stem off a fresh jalapeno, slit down the middle, pull open gently, and scrape out the seeds and "ribs" with a sharp spoon.  We used a serrated grapefruit spoon.

Then, stuff the cavity with cream cheese, and wrap a half-piece of bacon around the whole thing, securing with a toothpick.  

Grilled Jalapeno Poppers

from my friend H.S.

makes 1 dozen

12 fresh jalapenos, washed

1/2 brick cream cheese, to taste (may need more)

6 slices bacon, cut in half (width-wise)

1.  Slice the stems off the jalapenos.  Using a small, sharp knife, cut a small slit down the side of each.  Gently open, and using a sharp spoon, scrape out all the seeds and ribs inside.  Discard.  

2.  Gently fill the cavity with cream cheese.  Taking one-half piece of bacon for each popper, wrap a piece of bacon around the cheese-filled jalapeno and secure everything with a toothpick.  

3.  Grill on a gas or charcoal grill, flipping occasionally, until bacon is cooked.  

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Golden Oreo Ice Cream

After making the simple vanilla bean ice cream recently, I thought that recipe would be a really good base for a Cookies and Cream ice cream.  I bought the ingredients to make it, not bothering to buy Oreos, because I usually keep some on hand for cooking with (I don't like to eat Oreos unless it's in ice cream, or Oreo truffles sometimes).  Well, I didn't have any regular Oreos, but I did have a package of Golden Oreos.  My husband suggested that they'd be just as good as the regular in an ice cream recipe, so I gave it a go.  This ice cream was delicious!  (Well, what ice cream isn't.... really?)  

Golden Oreo Ice Cream

adapted from this recipe (base recipe from David Lebovitz)

1 cup whole milk
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 cups heavy cream, divided

Pinch of salt
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
6 egg yolks
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

15 (or so) Golden Oreos, coarsley chopped

1. Warm the milk, sugar, 1 cup of the heavy cream and the salt in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.  Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the milk mixture and add the bean to the mixture as well.  Cover, remove from the heat and let steep at room temperature for 30 minutes.

2. Pour the remaining 1 cup heavy cream into a large bowl and place a fine-mesh sieve on top. Whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl (I use my KitchenAid).  Slowly pour the warmed milk mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly.  Scrape the mixture back into the saucepan.

3. Place the saucepan over medium heat and stir constantly with a rubber spatula, being sure to scrape the bottom of the pan as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of the spatula, a few minutes.  The mixture should register 170 to 175 degrees F on an instant-read digital thermometer.

4. Pour the custard through the fine-mesh sieve and stir it into the cream.  Place the vanilla bean into the custard, stir in the vanilla extract, and place the bowl over an ice bath.  (I skip the ice bath.) Stir occasionally, until the mixture is cool. Cover and transfer the custard to the refrigerator until completely chilled, at least 8 hours or overnight.

5. When ready to churn the ice cream, remove the vanilla bean from the custard and freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to a freezer-safe container, and stir in the Oreos.  Store in the freezer (if you don't store in the freezer for a few hours, and eat right away, the Oreos will be crunchy instead of soft and melty like they should be). 

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Greek Egg-Lemon Soup (Avgolemono)

This soup was delicious with a smooth, silky texture.  I used homemade chicken stock I made from the carcass of this Greek Yogurt Chicken.  It was perfect for this recipe.  This is a simple version of the Greek Egg-Lemon Soup.  While it was very good, I prefer a version I made a few years ago, using orzo instead of rice, and containing pieces of chicken (well, turkey).  It made it more filling and satisfying. However, this recipe is still very good and worth sharing.  

In this version, you use the yellow part of the lemon peel.  You use a veggie peeler to get them off in nice, big clean pieces, pictured below.  Try to get mostly yellow when you do this.

Greek Egg-Lemon Soup (Avgolemono)

adapted The Best International Recipe (Cook's Illustrated)

2 quarts (8 cups) low-sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup long-grain white rice

12 (4-inch long) strips zest from 2 lemons

4 green cardamom pods, crushed, or 2 whole cloves

2 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon salt; add more or less to taste

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 scallion (green onion), sliced thin, and/or 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

1.  Bring the broth to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat.  Add the rice, lemon zest strips, cardamom, bay leaves, and salt.  Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the rice is tender, 16-20 minutes.

2.  Remove and discard the bay leaves, cardamom, and lemon zest.  Return the broth to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low.  Whisk the eggs and lemon juice together in a medium bowl until well-combined.

3.  Ladle about 2 cups of the hot broth slowly into the eggs to temper, then slowly whisk the egg mixture back into the soup.  Continue to cook the soup over low heat, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened, 4-5 minutes.  Do not let the soup simmer or boil.  Divide among soup bowls, sprinkle with scallions and/or mint, and serve immediately.  

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