Our Fifth Anniversary in Pictures

Another year is down in the books, folks...

I didn't post anything yesterday because we were out celebratin' our anniversary

And boy, we cooked a lot of food

So check back for the recipes this week 

I just love my boy :)

me + my mountain man

kisses 

silly camera roll

savannah is so gorgeous

hearts :)

our square at monterey

our yummy picnic food 

italian sub sandwiches 

brussel sprout coleslaw

rainier cherry-vanilla bean lemonade 

this is one good sammich y'all 

at the concert

more monterey pictures

black & whites 

ground pistachios, triple cream cheese, + honey comb

gourmet cheese truffles

bacon wrapped filet au poivre, homemade compound butter, brown butter seared scallops

surf n' turf n' frites 

fried brussel sprouts caesar salad in a parmesan frico bowl 

my mountain man's plate

creme brulee bread pudding

leftover bread pudding french toast

XOXO, Juliana

Birthday Cake Batter Cookies n' Cream Ice Cream

Birthday Cake Batter Cookies n' Cream Ice Cream

Another day... another ice cream recipe. Sadly, Summer is officially coming to a close. Yes, it's going to start to get cold, but with Autumn comes football games, Soup Sunday, movie nights & date nights, bonfires, pumpkin, apple cider, etc. So, in celebration of this hot weather, this will probably be one of the last ice cream recipes I make for a while... well, besides the occasional fall-themed custard. Anyway, I used to hate anything cake batter flavored, but suddenly it has intrigued me, and now I love it. At the beginning of the Summer, we actually make a cake batter ice cream that we just fell in love with. Well, when I saw the new Birthday Cake Oreo's at the grocery store, I need I just had to make a birthday cake flavored-cookies n' cream ice cream. It's a homemade birthday cake base, yep... you heard me right, no cake box mix here. And then it is filled with big ole' chunks of Birthday Cake Oreo's and lots of rainbow sprinkles. And why is it pink you ask? Well because I just felt like it. I mean, pink makes every thing better. But, feel free to discard the food dye and leave it plain... or you could dye it your favorite color. This ice cream is thick, smooth, and utterly creamy. And I put a whole bunch of Oreo's in there for good measure. Also, I personally like to wait a day or so before I eat the ice cream, so that the Oreo's soften a touch. But, that's really up to you!! Enjoy :)

That's one crazy concoction...

For the Cake Batter Cookies & Cream Ice Cream:

1 Stick of Unsalted Butter, Melted & Cooled Slightly

2 ½C Heavy Cream

½C Milk

6 Egg Yolks

1C Sugar

2T Dry Milk Powder & AP Flour, Sifted

½t Salt (heaping… or just a tad bit more to taste)

1 ½t Vanilla

¼t Almond Extract (scant… or a little less)

1T Vanilla Bean Rum (or any kind of infused booze, preferably clear)

25 Birthday Cake Oreos, Roughly Chopped

½C Rainbow Sprinkles

Any Food Coloring, Optional (I chose pink because it’s pretty)

Directions:

1. For the Custard Base: In a saucepan, bring the cream and milk to a simmer. In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, sifted dry milk powder & AP Flour, and salt until fluffy. Slowly whisk in the melted butter. Once combined, gradually and slowly into the simmering heavy cream-milk mixture. Pour this mixture back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, until thickened (it should coat the back of a spoon). Strain the custard into a bowl that is placed into an ice bath. Stir in the vanilla extract, almond extract, and vanilla bean rum. Cool the custard base until completely chilled. If you are going to add in food coloring, this is the time. Whisk in as many drops of food coloring into the chilled custard base until you have reached your desired color. Once you have reached your desired color, pour this chilled custard base into the ice cream maker.   

2.  Once the mixture is chilled, freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Chop the Birthday Cake Oreos into small chunks. As soon as the mixture is done churning, transfer to a bowl or airtight container and stir in the chopped Oreos and the rainbow sprinkles (layer some chopped Oreos and sprinkles throughout). Store in the freezer until firm.  

Gourmet Double Cookie Dough Ice Cream with Brown Butter Cookie Dough Ice Cream Base, Brown Butter Cookie Dough Pieces, & Mini Chocolate Chips

Gourmet Double Cookie Dough Ice Cream with Brown Butter Cookie Dough Ice Cream Base with
Brown Butter Cookie Dough Pieces & Mini Chocolate Chips

I have always wanted to open my own little dream bakery, filled with yummy sandwiches and delicious desserts. But recently, I've been on an ice cream binge. Like serious binge. And this ice cream has to be at the top of my list. I mean I can't stop eating this stuff. We actually made this recipe three times because we kept eating it instead of taking a picture. As a kid, I never was a fan of cookie dough ice cream. Why? Because it was practically plain ole' boring vanilla ice cream with a few chunks of cookie dough. That was just not gonna cut it for me. So when I came across the idea of making a cookie dough flavored custard base, I was immediately intrigued. A lot of the recipes used a brown sugar-type custard, but I knew I wanted to use my favorite brown butter-brown sugar custard as the base. Oh boy did I hit the jackpot. Brown butter is amazing. Then you add in pieces of brown butter cookie dough pieces and mini chocolate chips... heaven. on. earth. I'm tellin' y'all. So about that bakery, it might just have to turn into an ice cream parlor because that's how much I love making ice cream now. If you don't have an ice cream maker, go get one. Now. I'm obsessed with mine. They are so much fun and the combinations are endless!! Enjoy :)

Brown Butter is My Life

You gotta have lots of cookie dough & chocolate chips!!

For the Brown Butter Cookie Dough Custard Base:

1 Stick of Unsalted Butter, Browned & Cooled Slightly

2 ½C Heavy Cream

½C Milk

6 Egg Yolks

1C Dark Brown Sugar

½t Salt

1t Vanilla

1T Vanilla Bean Rum (or any kind of infused booze)

8oz Bittersweet Chocolate, Finely Chopped

For the Brown Butter Cookie Dough Pieces:

10T Unsalted Butter, Browned & Cooled until Firm

2/3C Light Brown Sugar, Packed

1t Vanilla Bean Fleur de Sel

½C AP Flour

1t Vanilla

1 ½C Mini Chocolate Chips 

Directions:

1. For the Custard Base: In a saucepan, bring the cream and milk to a simmer. In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, dark brown sugar, and salt until fluffy. Slowly whisk in the brown butter. Once combined, gradually and slowly into the simmering milk. Pour this mixture back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, until thickened (it should coat the back of a spoon). Strain the custard into a bowl that is placed into an ice bath. Stir in the bourbon, vanilla, and cinnamon. Cool the custard base until completely chilled.   

2. To Make the Brown Butter Cookie Dough Pieces: Stir together the brown butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until smooth.  Mix in the flour and fleur de sel, then the vanilla and chocolate chips.  Form the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm.   

3. Once the mixture is chilled, freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Chop the disk of cookie dough into small chunks. As soon as the mixture is done churning, transfer to a bowl or airtight container and stir in the chocolate chips and the chunks of cookie dough. Store in the freezer until firm.   

Home Sweet Home in Cashiers, North Carolina

I've been in need some major need of relaxation lately. 

How about y'all? I seemed to be so stressed with school, ugh. 

But, that's the perfect excuse for an escape to my family mountain house in Cashiers, NC

Here are a few pictures from our weekend

I'll post a recipe in a couple hours... enjoy :)

Rustic Restaurant Style Salsa

Rustic Restaurant Style Salsa

I've got to keep this short n' sweet. My Mountain Man & I traveled up to Cashiers, NC for the weekend to celebrate my parents' birthdays. I'll be here until Sunday night, but I'll make sure to post some pictures from our trip. Right now, I'm still up baking a Rainbow Velvet Cake for dessert tomorrow night. It's almost done... and oh-so-glorious. By the way I just love it up here. It's absolutely amazing. Oh and back to the salsa. I'm more of a pico de gallo kinda gal, but I came across a recipe for restaurant style salsa that I had to make. I made mine more "rustic" by keeping some bigger chunks of onions, tomatoes, and jalapenos. And we make ours super spicy because it's just best that way. I hope all of y'all are enjoyin' the end of the Summer because it's coming to a close fast. So go on and make this salsa before it gets too cold to sip with an ice-cold margarita!! Enjoy :)

My Kinda Meal

For the Salsa

2 Cloves of Garlic, Minced

1 Jalapeno, Quartered & Sliced Thin

½C Cilantro

½C Sweet Onion, Roughly Chopped

1 28oz Can of Whole Peeled Tomatoes

2 10oz Cans of Rotel

¼C-½C Sweet Onion, Finely Chopped 

1-2T Candied Jalapenos, Minced

1 Lime, Juiced & Zested

¼t Cumin

Salt & Sugar, To Taste

Tortilla Chips, For Dipping

Directions:

1. Blend the garlic, jalapeno, cilantro, sweet onion, and whole peeled tomatoes in a food processor until pureed. Pour this mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add the in two cans of Rotel Tomatoes, finely chopped sweet onion, candied jalapenos, lime juice, lime zest, cumin, and sugar & salt to taste.    

2.  Serve with tortilla chips.   

Lemon Meringue Pie with Toasted Brown Sugar Meringue

Lemon Meringue Pie with Toasted Brown Sugar Meringue

Happy Lemon Meringue Pie Day!! Oh, you didn't know that was today? Wow, what kinda foodie are you? I mean really. Ha, actually I didn't know it was either until it popped up on computer screen this morning. And whadya know... I actually made Lemon Meringue Pie last week and I just had the recipe layin' around for a rainy day. Well, it's not rainy, but it's a national holiday. I have always loved Lemon Meringue Pie. There is just something about it that makes me so happy. I love the uber tart filling that is smothered & covered by a glossy yet toasted meringue. And for me, you can't go light on the meringue. I need a big ole' pile of it. Especially when it is perfectly browned and fluffy... just like a marshmallow. I know that I typically go all out on my recipes, and it must be frustrating for some of you. Yet this recipe is quite classic in comparison to some of my more complicated meals. Obviously you can make it a lot easier on yourself by buying pie crust, but I made my favorite homemade pastry for this pie. It's just better that way. There's something so happy about pie, ya know? You just cut a slice, sit at the table, and eat. Somehow, for just a moment, you think about nothin' else... but that pie. Maybe that's just me. Probably. Anyway, I hope that y'all all get a slice of Lemon Meringue Pie before the day is done because at least we all have an excuse to get fat right? You bet!! Enjoy :)

A Perfect Pile of Toasted Brown Sugar Meringue

I mean, look at those peaks :)

Nothin' but a slice of pie...

For the Lemon Meringue Pie:

1 ½C Cold Water

1C Sugar

¼C Cornstarch

Pinch of Salt

6 Egg Yolks, Beaten

2T Lemon Zest

½C Fresh Lemon Juice

2T Unsalted Butter

Homemade Pie Crust, Pre-Baked

 

For the Toasted Brown Sugar Meringue:

1 ½C Light Brown Sugar, Firmly Packed

½C Water

¾C Egg Whites, Room Temperature

¼t Cream of Tartar

  

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven and spray a pie dish with Pam and bake your crust (whether it be homemade or store-bought). Once baked, set aside until ready to fill.

2. For the Lemon Pie Filling: Bring the water, sugar, cornstarch, and salt to a simmer in a large saucepan over medium heat (keep it at medium the entire time while you are cooking) while whisking constantly. Once it thickens a lot and starts to turn translucent, whisk in the egg yolks, two at a time, then the lemon zest, lemon juice, and lastly the butter. Go slowly and whisk constantly. Allow the mixture to come up to a full simmer (it should be getting very thick!), and then remove from the heat and pour into the prebaked piecrust (make sure the filling is still hot when you top it with the meringue).

3. For the Toasted Brown Sugar Meringue: Put the brown sugar in a small, deep, heavy-based saucepan and cover with the water. Put the egg whites and cream of tartar in a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment. Attach a candy thermometer to the sugar saucepan and bring the sugar to a boil over high heat. When the sugar syrup reaches 246°F, start whipping the egg whites on high speed until very foamy and just starting to gain some volume, about 30 seconds. Keep whipping the egg whites, remove the thermometer from the pan, and very carefully and slowly pour about one-third of the sugar syrup into the mixing egg whites (it plops out in drops), avoiding the whip. Add the remaining sugar syrup in a faster, steady stream. Continue whipping the whites until they become voluminous and form firm but not stiff peaks, about 3 minutes; the meringue should still be warm. Scrape the meringue from the bowl onto the hot lemon filling and, using a rubber spatula, create a smooth dome (avoid pressing on the meringue). With the back of a spoon, make decorative peaks in the meringue, working quickly before the meringue cools completely. If you have a kitchen torch, use it to brown the meringue. If not, set a broiler or oven rack to a lower rung and heat the broiler. Set the pie on a baking sheet and put it under the broiler, turning it several times to brown the meringue as evenly as possible.

4. Store the meringue-topped pie in the refrigerator. The meringue is best when served within a few hours; after about 12 hours, it will start to weep and break down.

source: lemon meringue pie. meringue.