Cinnamon Shoofly Ice Cream
Shoofly pie is basically God’s gift to Central PA. I’m sure you’ve heard of it.
Oh, you haven’t? Google it, already! Shoofly pie is a molasses based pie, so-named because the molasses attracts flies that need to be “shoo-ed” away. Or so they say.
Some of them are heavier on the molasses (wet-bottom), and some are heavier on the crumb. I’m a wet-bottom girl, myself. (Anyone else just get a little Queen stuck in their head just then?) My girl Emily makes a fab wet-bottom, a must-try. Hubs is more of a dry shoofly person, and so that’s what we brought back from our last excursion to PA. It’s been sitting in my freezer, waiting for some excitement. Here’s a look:
Definitely not enough molasses for me, but I’ll deal with my own issues.
Back to the ice cream. I was itching to make something different and exciting with my ice cream maker, and that shoofly pie was staring me down. I thought cinnamon would complement the molasses well, so I went for it. The resulting ice cream was creamy and delicious, a great recipe for anyone with a sweet tooth. Just a little taste is enough- it’s pretty decadent when all is said and done.
This one goes out to all my Pennsylvania readers. Go straight to Good n’ Plenty, Dutch Haven, Roots, Saturday’s Market or wherever you get your shooflies and make this before summer’s end! You’ll thank me later.
Cinnamon Shoofly Ice Cream
Adapted from Epicurious
(this is a half-sized recipe, I didn’t want the ice cream maker to overflow!)
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 cinnamon sticks
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (I was a scaredy cat and thought the sticks just wouldn’t do it)
pinch salt
6 egg yolks
1 generous slice shoofly pie, cut into chunks
Combine milk, 1/2 cup sugar, cream, cinnamon sticks, and salt in heavy large saucepan. Bring almost to simmer over medium-high heat. Whisk egg yolks, ground cinnamon and 2 tbs sugar in large bowl. Gradually whisk in hot milk mixture. Return custard to saucepan and stir constantly over low heat until custard thickens, about 4 minutes (do not boil). Transfer custard to large bowl set over another large bowl of ice water; let cool 30 minutes, stirring often. Cover and chill custard overnight.
Strain custard. Process in ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Fold in shoofly pie pieces right at the end of processing. Do not overstir! Transfer ice cream to container; cover and freeze.
TWD: Gingered Carrot Cookies
Fact: I thought these were going to just be cookies that taste like carrot cake. WRONG. I started second guessing as soon as I realized there wasn’t any cinnamon in the recipe. Scandalous, Dorie!
That doesn’t mean they aren’t good. They’re actually very good. Unexpectedly good. I wanted to put cream cheese frosting all over them (like Holly did) and use up all my points for the day eating them, but somehow (magically), I only ate two. They’re gingery, but not too gingery. The perfect amount of gingery-ness, I think.
Oh, and I switched out the pecans for the walnuts, because that’s how I roll in carrot-cakey recipes.
Thank you, Natalia, for your choice! (We’re almost name twins, we should be friends.)
*Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) is a group of bloggers baking through Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours.
**Find the recipe here.
And don’t forget, lovies- my pick is coming up in just two weeks! Can’t. Wait!
Mayfield Dairy: World’s Best Ice Cream?
We went to Mayfield Dairy! Have you heard of this place? Maybe you’ve seen their yellow containers in your grocer’s freezer. They’re a super successful dairy with the “world’s best ice cream,” or so says Time Magazine.
We stopped on our drive down I-75 from Ohio to Georgia. Obviously I had to confirm that they were indeed serving the world’s best scoop.
We got there two minutes before closing, so I had to make my flavor decisions hastily. I wish we could have taken the dairy tour and checked everything out, but at least we got to sample the goods.
We went with black cherry and chocolate chip cookie dough. I wanted to try something new and something classic.
First up: the black cherry. This flavor was so much better than I could have imagined. Seriously, I loved it. Can you believe I’ve never had cherry-flavored ice cream? I’m ridiculous.
Next up: the cookie dough. I had high hopes for this flavor, but it wasn’t my favorite. Not enough cookie dough, too many chips. I kept going back to the cherry. Can I say it again? The cherry was so good. I want to replicate it. Or maybe I’ll just buy some, since they sell it down here in GA. It really is good stuff.
And just because we’re talking about sweet things, here are my two sweet things.
(ignore the strange Dollar Store driving sunglasses. he’s so good looking, right?)
(the sweetest. get yourself one of these.)
Have you ever been to Mayfield Dairy? Or have you tried any of their flavors at home?
Oven Love is on Facebook.
I drank the Facebook Kool-Aid a long time ago, and now it’s time for Oven Love to join the revolution. I hope you’ll visit the page and come chat with me about cooking and life. I want to be friends!
I hope you’ll like me.
Tomato Corn Pie
I think savory pies were a smart invention. Do you think savory pies came before sweet pies, or the other way around? This pie is actually on the verge of being a quiche, and who knows where the quiche is on the pie time continuum. How good does this look?
It looks as good as it tastes, my friends.
(Unless you don’t think it looks good. In that case it tastes better than it looks.)
The pie is a layering of cheese, tomatoes and sweet corn in a whole wheat crust with an egg/milk mixture poured over top. You’re going to want to make this. It’s the perfect use for that summer bounty in your back yard (or your grocery store).
Even if you don’t like this veggie combo, you should still try out the whole wheat crust. It has a great, nutty flavor that makes the whole dish more interesting. I really liked the ease of putting it together, since it uses olive oil instead of butter. Which is better for you, you know. It’s basically a health food.
Eat some vegetables today!
serves 8
Crust:
3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour (I used plain whole wheat flour)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
5 tablespoons cold water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
5 tablespoons cold water
Filling:
3 large eggs
1 cup low-fat milk
1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
2 medium tomatoes, sliced
1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 1 large ear; see Tip) or frozen
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 cup low-fat milk
1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
2 medium tomatoes, sliced
1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 1 large ear; see Tip) or frozen
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
To prepare crust: Combine whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a large bowl. Make a well in the center, add oil and water and gradually stir them in to form a soft dough. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Roll the dough into a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Transfer to a 9-inch pie pan, preferably deep-dish, and press into the bottom and up the sides. Trim any overhanging crust. Line the dough with a piece of foil or parchment paper large enough to lift out easily; fill evenly with pie weights or dry beans. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil or paper and weights. Let cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes or up to 1 hour.
To prepare filling: Whisk eggs and milk in a medium bowl. Sprinkle half the cheese over the crust, then layer half the tomatoes evenly over the cheese. Sprinkle with corn, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper and the remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Layer the remaining tomatoes on top and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Pour the egg mixture over the top.
Bake the pie until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. Let cool for 20 minutes before serving.
Per serving: 258 calories; 14 g fat (4 g sat, 9 g mono); 88 mg cholesterol; 24 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 8 g protein; 2 g fiber; 379 mg sodium; 217 mg potassium.
Glazed Salmon over Corn and Edamame
Georgia is hot. I’m just sayin’.
That means quick meals at our house so I’m not stuck in a hot kitchen for hours.
Salmon is a great choice for a quick meal. All you have to do is throw it under the broiler or put it on the grill and it’s done in no time. Is there a person on this earth who doesn’t like salmon? If there is, that person has issues. (Just kidding if that’s you! Continue on happily in your salmon-free world.)
The glaze on the salmon is light, not too sticky or sweet. Just enough flavor to make things interesting. And the corn and edamame is just that: corn and edamame. A little butter. Some salt and pepper. Done. Eat and relax in your air conditioning. Stay out of that heat!
Glazed Salmon over Corn and Edamame
(adapted from Everyday Food’s Glazed Salmon, July/Aug 2010)
serves 2.
1 tbs soy sauce
2 tsp honey
1 tbs orange juice
salt and pepper
2 salmon fillets (4-6 oz each)
2 tbs butter
1 1/2 cups edamame, frozen or fresh
1 cup sweet corn, frozen or fresh (I prefer fresh- about two ears)
In a small bowl, cobine soy sauce, honey and orange juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Heat broiler, with rack 4 inches from the heat. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Season salmon with salt and pepper and broil five minutes. Remove fish from the oven, brush with glaze, then broil until opaque throughout, about 2 minutes, brushing with glaze again.
While the salmon is cooking, heat butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add corn and edamame, cook until heated through. Add salt and pepper to taste. Divide mixture evenly between two plates, top with salmon and serve.
TWD: Chewy Chunky Blondies
Okay, I am mildly obsessed with blondies. I have always had a secret love for them. There’s just something about the chewy, nutty, sweetness of it all. Given the choice, I will almost always choose a blondie over a brownie Unless it’s some kind of amazing zero calorie brownie. I’d obviously go for that, who wouldn’t? Back to the blondies.
Nicole from Cookies on Friday is this week’s host. I’m sort of jealous that she got to pick this because I totally would have picked it myself.*** I was all set to make these today so they’d be ready to take to a get-together tomorrow. Then disaster struck, and I was left stranded at home, with all my ingredients except the eggs. Two measly eggs was all I needed.
You see, sometimes the hubs steals my eggs without knowing it, since he makes an open-faced egg sandwich for breakfast every. single. day. It’s like his ritual. I guess I need to start marking my territory. Maybe now I will write “TWD” on my eggs and claim them for my own. Back to the blondies.
I finally got to put all of my ingredients together and bake the darn thing when hubs arrived with eggs and saved the day. I was sort of frightened at the dry and crackly/still kind of gooey look of them, but I trusted Dorie and served myself a square. Let me just put it this way: Dorie’s got game. (Do people still say that?)
PS. I left out the toffee bits, which I didn’t want to do, but I don’t miss them. (Okay, I sort of miss them, but I was not about to wait another half hour while hubs attempted to search for toffee bits at the grocery store.)
PPS. These are not pretty at all, but they are sooo tasty. Thanks, Nicole, for the delicious pick!
*Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) is a group of bloggers baking through Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours.
**Find the recipe here.
***My pick is coming up in August! I am beyond excited, and I’ll probably talk about it for the whole month. Can you guess what recipe I picked?
Bake-N-Blog
There are tons of fun group events in the food blogging world, and I just found another one! I’m joining up with Staci Edwards and her pals for what she calls Bake-N-Blog. We’re each making one of the 33 cupcake recipes from Ming Makes Cupcakes, which all look sinfully delicious. I’ve picked the Sour Cream Fig Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting. How good does that look?
It’s actually a strange choice for me since I used to have a serious childhood ban on Fig Newtons, but more on that later. I’m really excited to bake up some cupcakes again, since Tickled Pink has been out of commish for almost six months and I haven’t baked a single cupcake since then. Ridiculous.
We’ll all be posting on August 19, and there’s still time to join up! Head over to Staci’s blog for more info.
Farmer’s Market Pasta with Chicken and Ricotta
So maybe right now you’re saying to yourself, “What is this strange pasta dish I’m staring at? It doesn’t really look that good.” You are right about the strangeness, but definitely wrong about the goodness.
Can I go on a quick, but related sidebar about extended stays in someone else’s house? Don’t get me wrong, I love (LOVE) staying with friends and family. It’s the best, especially when you don’t get to see them often. But it’s the extended stays (three weeks for us right now) when things get sticky cooking-wise. You don’t have your own pantry items or cookware, but you don’t want to order in or go out every night since you have a kitchen available. Our survival eating patterns start to emerge. I’ve eaten the same cereal with milk and a banana for breakfast almost every day. Hubs has had 20-30 turkey sandwiches. I have had close to 1,000 granola bars, I’m sure. Somehow I still love them. (Nature’s Path Chococonut Granola Bars, get on it!) And dinners, well.. they get strange.
“Farmer’s Market” is my new recipe phrase. It just means “Random Vegetables I Had On Hand.” That’s how we came upon this pasta dish. At a loss for what to prepare, Hubs said “Pasta,” and this is what he got. We had some delicious leftover corn from the weekend’s festivities, some onions, and some spinach. I ran to the store for some pasta, tomatoes and chicken. I had the ricotta on hand. It was really delicious, even though it sounds strange together. So this is really more of a method post than a recipe.. but I’ll make like a food blogger and write it out for you anyway.
So the next time you’re over-staying your welcome at someone’s house and you haven’t the foggiest what to feed yourself (and them, too, if you’re sweet), take the random vegetables you’ve been keeping in their fridge, and add pasta, cheese and protein. They’ll definitely invite you back.
Unless, of course, you snore. Then maybe not.
Farmer’s Market Pasta with Chicken and Ricotta
serves 6
1 lb chicken, previously cooked and shredded (I just poached mine)
1 lb pasta (I use whole wheat. Not as pretty, but better for you and less points.)
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1 carton cherry tomatoes, halved
4 ears corn, previously cooked and corn removed from the ears
1 bag spinach
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese for garnish
1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water.
2. While pasta is cooking, saute the onion in the oil until soft. Add tomatoes and corn, cook until heated through. Add spinach and cook until wilted. Add pasta and chicken to vegetable mixture. Add ricotta and stir until chicken is heated through. Add pasta water, as needed. Season with salt and pepper. Grate Parmesan cheese over each bowl and serve.
Martha’s "50 Ways of Summer"
If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, you should know that I love me some Martha Stewart, and I especially love me some Everyday Food. In this summer’s issue, there’s a huge list of summery things to do/eat, and I got happy/hungry just reading it. I wanted to share it with you, just in case your summer has been lame and you need some ideas. Kidding! It’s because I love you and I want you to enjoy some of this summery goodness. I’ve managed to do the ones in bold so far:
- Eating a ripe peach at its peak. (Georgia, baby!)
- Dig into a funnel cake or corn dog at a state fair or hometown street festival.
- Spend the day outdoors loaded up with picnic fare. (Picnics have always been my fav.)
- Watermelon juice for a day at the beach: puree the fruit in a blender and don’t forget the ice.
- Make homemade barbecue sauce for grilled chicken or ribs. (On my to-do list, for sure.)
- Strawberry ice cream in a waffle cone is worth sticky fingers.
- Sharing a box of saltwater taffy on the boardwalk.
- Throw summery herbs like basil and cilantro into a dinner salad. (Wanted to do this just the other day!)
- BLTs with heirloom tomatoes and smoky, thick cut bacon. (Heaven.)
- After picking blueberries and eating your fill, freeze the rest for pancakes.
- Your turn to grill dinner? Good time for a cold beer.
- Corn on the cob with salt, pepper and fresh lime.
- Cooking what you’ve bought at the farmers’ market as soon as you get home.
- A big pitcher of punch or sangria made with seasonal fruit. (Yes, please!)
- Making jam or pickling vegetables.
- Cracker Jacks and foot-long hot dog at the ball park.
- Coconut-cherry smoothie: Pitted cherries blended with coconut milk and ice- hammock and warm breeze optional.
- A special occasion calls for a double-crusted jumble-berry pie with raspberries, blueberries and blackberries.
- Delicious potato salad: toss the spuds with dressing while they’re still warm.
- Sipping the perfect iced coffee. The secret ingredient? Cubes of frozen coffee.
- Salads for dinner because it’s too hot to cook.
- You haven’t made strawberry shortcake yet? Get cracking!
- Best tomato sandwich: thick slices of juicy beefsteaks, mayo, salt and pepper on lightly toasted bread.
- Make a refreshing Arnold Palmer: half iced tea, half lemonade.
- Thunderstorm? Have fun indoors with board games and homemade ice pops. (So cute, Martha.)
- Sunset cocktails on the beach. (I wish!)
- Eating leftover pie for breakfast.
- Trade some of your bumper crop of zucchini for a neighbor’s sweet peppers.
- Fresh shrimp on soft white bread with malt vinegar. (Never heard of this..?)
- Use chocolate wafers for ice cream sandwiches. (Just bought some amazing cookies for this purpose, you’ll see soon!)
- Pucker up: slurp a fresh-squeezed limeade sweetened with agave.
- Perfect your dry-rub recipe, then enjoy the raves.
- Savor a lobster roll on a buttered, griddled hot-dog bun. (Never had a lobster roll, is that weird?)
- Fresh and fuss-free: gazpacho or tomato bread salad. (Bread salad is a go-to summer dish around here.)
- Beach bonfire and clam bake.
- Spice up fish or pork with mango salsa.
- Any excuse for a pool party.
- Stir pesto into softened butter and add to grilled corn, vegetables or steak.
- Unexpected dessert: grilled plums and nectarines.
- Bacon-wrapped scallop kebabs.
- Snack on pretty radishes with sweet butter and sea salt.
- Grilling burgers to order for a crowd.
- A pulled-pork sandwich with extra coleslaw.
- A refrigerator filled with watermelons and beer.
- Nothing beats chips and salsa (homemade, of course).
- A big jug of iced tea with fresh spearmint.
- Eating tomatoes off the vine.
- Finding the perfect stick for roasting marshmallows.
- Bowls of corn chowder or an unexpectedly cool evening. (Maybe tomorrow?)
- Sitting in the pool eating watermelon.
Which of these have you enjoyed so far this summer? Which ones are you dying to try before September rolls around? Are there any must-do summer favorites that you would add to the list?
