How to Make Pumpkin Ice Cream

Making pumpkin ice cream is very easy to do if you have the pumpkin marmalade already made.  You can use pumpkin pulp if you have nothing else, but with a little bit of effort, you can make fresh pumpkin marmalade and pumpkin pie spices and you will be on the road to perfect joy.

For my very delicious pumpkin marmalade: Pumpkin Marmalade (healthy included)
For a simple recipe for the spice: Pumpkin Pie Spice Mixture

Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream

Ingredients:

• 1 can of evaporated milk
• 2 cups of milk
• 1/3 cup pumpkin puree or marmalade
• 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 frozen bananas

Directions:

Put everything in a blender and blend on high.  If you are looking for a healthier ice cream then use 2% or non-fat milk and skip the evaporated milk.  To make a richer eggnog type of ice cream add in 2 eggs.  Once the mixture is completely mixed, then pour it into your ice cream freezer and freeze.

If you do not have an ice cream freezer, you can pour the mixture into a large container and stir every 45 minutes until frozen.

Healthy Pumpkin Marmalade

How to Make Pumpkin Marmalade (healthy version included) 

 

  Ingredients for Pumpkin Marmalade

• 4 pounds of pumpkin
• 5 cups of water
• 3 medium size oranges sliced into paper thin slices
• 3 lemons sliced into paper thin slices
• 4 inch piece of ginger minced
• 4.5 cups of sugar (1 cup of honey substitute for healthy version)

How to Prepare the Pumpkin Marmalade

1. Peel the pumpkin and remove all the seeds and inside fibers.
2. Shred the pumpkin or cut into very fine pieces.
3. Place in a large sauce pan. Add the water, lemon and orange slices and the ginger. Bring to boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes and then add in the sugar. Bring the marmalade back to a boil and cook on medium heat until the marmalade is very thick and will allow a wooden spoon to stand up in the pan alone.
4. Marmalade should be very thick, but it will not be like jam. Jam has a setting point and will gel. Marmalade is more of a fruit filling. It can be used to fill a tart with, but suggest removing the orange and lemon rinds first.
5. Pumpkin is especially good for heath reasons and it makes a marvelous jam and marmalade. This recipe is very easy to make, but takes time shredding the pumpkins. Place this marmalade in Ziploc bags and freeze in the freezer for the entire winter also.

Healthy Quick Version 

 

How I make a simple version is to peel the pumpkin, cut into squares and add to a pressure cooker.  Add in two cups of orange juice, one cup of lemon juice, 1 heaping tablespoon of ginger powder, water and 1 cup of honey.  Cook this for 40 minutes.

Open the pressure cooker and with a spoon, smash the pumpkin pieces.  Continue to cook to reduce the water content and make it thick like jam or preserves.

For use in ice cream or milkshakes, fill ice trays with the pumpkin mixture and freeze.  When you are ready to make a milkshake, then simply drop several pumpkin ice cubes into your blender and blend on high speed.

 

If you are making ice cream, do the same thing using  your blender to make your ice cream mixture.   

 

Related Articles:

• How to Make Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream

• Pumpkin Pie Spice Mixture   

Pumpkin Pie Spice Mixture

How to Make Pumpkin Pie Spice

This spice mixture can be used in your pies, milkshakes or ice cream recipes.  It is a very simple recipe that can be doubled or tripled for later use.  After you have combined everything, place in a tightly sealed jar, not plastic bag.  Glass is the best way to store any spice, herb or condiment.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 tablespoons Cinnamon
• 2 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
• 2 1/2 teaspoons ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves

Put all the above ingredients in a coffee grinder and mix together thoroughly.  The cloves and the nutmeg are best freshly ground.  When adding this to a milkshake, add 1 teaspoon.  For a liter of ice cream mixture double this or add in 2 teaspoons.  You of course can adjust to your particular taste.

Related Articles

For my very delicious pumpkin marmalade: Pumpkin Marmalade (healthy included)
Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream: Recipe

Southern Biscuits and Gravy

This recipe is for my darling son, Michael and his love, Marsha.  They are moving into their first home and he remembered mom's recipe.  I so wish I could be there to cook these for him.  I miss you Mikey.

Baking Powder Biscuits

Ingredients: 

• 2 cups flour, 
• 2.5 teaspoons baking powder, 
• ½ t. salt, 
• 1/2 stick of cold butter, chopped 
• 3/4 cup milk 

Directions:

1. Combine flour, baking powder and salt and mix well.  Cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse meal.  (Rub the mixture between your fingers in the end to help the coarseness).
2. Add the milk to the flour mixture, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened. 
3. Turn dough out of a lightly floured surface, knead lightly 5 - 6 times, but not too much as you do not want to make them tough.
4. Roll dough to ½ inch thickness; cut with a biscuit cutter or sharp knife.  Place biscuits on a lightly greased baking sheet.  
5. Bake at 450 degrees for 12 minutes or until lightly browned.  Makes 12 biscuits.

Note:  If you do not have a biscuit cutter, simply dip a small glass in flour and use that.

Homemade Gravy

Nothing is simpler to do and if you follow these instructions you will be home free.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 2 quarts of milk or as needed
• Salt and pepper for seasoning

Directions:

1. Place the oil in the skillet and heat slightly.  Add in the flour and quickly stir around until slightly browned.  Season the flour mixture.
2. Slowly add in the milk, stirring constantly to avoid lumps.  Use only one quart at a time.  Let the gravy thicken and add additional milk to thin and get to the right consistency.

The gravy will thicken, so let it bubble good and then add a bit of milk and let it thicken and then add more.  Season the final gravy and place in a gravy boat or right on top of the opened biscuits.  A meal fit for a king.

Note:  For those wanting to have something with more taste, you can add some ground beef to the gravy for more flavor.  Some will use bacon grease, but as I never advocate pork, I cannot do that.

Happy Thanksgiving Recipes

I probably should have posted this earlier, but I have been very busy updating my blogs, all 18 of them so you can see my time is spread thin.  I am working hard on making the blogs more modern with the addition of article pages opposed to having to search for topic words or type of articles needed.  This post is about many of my holiday recipes in one accessible place.

My Holiday Recipes for you to enjoy.

1.  My Curried Sweet Potato and apple soup

2.  Healthy Holiday Recipes for Turkey and Ham

3.  Holiday Turkey with Homemade Bread Dressing

4.  Recipe for a delicious meatloaf with potatoes and cheese

5.  Healthy Recipes with #Turkey Breast
 
6.  Healthy and Nutritrious #Pumpkin recipes

7. Holiday #recipes: Almond butternut squash au gratin ad sour cream mashed potatoes

8.  Homemade pumpkin pie for the holidays

9.  Homemade Luscious Lemon Meringue Pie

10. Free Recipe for Homemade Pecan Pie

11.  How to make homemade apple pie with a flaky crust

12 .  How to make Peach Cobbler A'La Mode with Ice Cream Recipes Included

13.  Pecan divinity and chocolate covered peanuts

14. 5 very delicious smoothie recipes

15.  Yogurt and homemade granola parfait recipe

16.  Dessert Recipes for the holidays

17.  Strawberry and banana sherbet

Holiday Meatloaf With Cheesy Mashed Potatoes on Top

 

Holidays and family gatherings; these are the things that meant so much to me growing up in Kentucky so many years ago. My mom would be in the kitchen cooking that famous Christmas Eve meal before "Santa" arrived. Meatloaf and mashed potatoes are traditional southern cooking, but mom made it a different way. She places the meatloaf in a Tupperware mould to make a beautiful design on the meatloaf. The meatloaf looks like a Christmas wreath with mounds of snow white potatoes in the center. Thank God for Tupperware and Santa Claus!

Christmas music playing in all the homes and the smell of fresh Christmas Trees made us so excited. The smell of cooking delights everyone as they anticipate this holiday season. The traditional Christmas Eve meal is not meant to overstuff anyone, as you prepare for sleep. This meatloaf recipe is made with healthy sirloin and a few other ingredients to give it lots of flavor.

Those days have changed since my childhood, as we are now more health conscious. We are replacing the traditional white bread crumbs with whole wheat bread crumbs. It is very easy to make your own bread crumbs. Simply buy some whole wheat bread and place the cubed bread on a baking sheet and toast the bread cubes in the oven. After the bread is crunchy and toasted, place them all in a food processor and pulse the bread until you have your healthy bread crumbs. You can store the remainder in the freezer or on your shelf to use within a few weeks.

 
Ingredients for the Meatloaf

* 1.5 pounds of ground sirloin meat
* 1 onion chopped
* 1 cup of whole wheat bread crumbs
* 1 egg
* 1 tablespoon of catsup
* 1/4 cup of tomato sauce
* Salt and pepper to taste

Method for Preparing the Meatloaf

1. Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Add more bread crumbs as needed to make the meatloaf thick enough to hold together.
2. After making the meatloaf recipe, you simply press the mixture in a mold and then remove the mold of course as it is plastic. Use can use a Bundt pan like the one below.
3. Place the molded meatloaf on a greased flat pan and top with some more tomato sauce. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 45 minutes to one hour.
4. After the meatloaf is cooked, you add a generous load of mashed potatoes in the center and then place strips of mozzarella cheese down the sides of the mashed potatoes.
5. Place the meatloaf dinner back in the oven and brown the tops of the potatoes and melt the cheese.

A meal that you will never forget and of course the leftovers are for Santa.

Please Note: The meatloaf will slide off the pan easier, if you use a flat cookie sheet or pizza pan.

The meatloaf is traditionally sliced like a pie and triangle pieces of the meatloaf and mashed potatoes is placed on each person's plate. Add a nice Waldorf salad and some fresh French-style green beans, and you have a meal fit for a king.

Recipe: Pecan Divinity & Chocolate Covered Peanuts

If there is anything that my son Michael remembers about his favorite Christmas, it is divinity. I never saw anyone who loved divinity the way he did. He would wait anxiously as I struggled to finish making the last piece of candy and he would run to lick the bowl clean and of course the beaters too.

Michael is an only child and sometimes I wish he had a little brother or sister. So on Christmas, I always tried very hard to make up for anything he might have missed out on throughout the rest of the year by being alone. Michael's absolute favorite was was pink divinity - white was OK, but it was so dang plain! We loved being adventurous with the colors almost as much as we loved the candy.

Making the chocolate clusters was Michael's idea. Traditionally people make single chocolate covered pecans for Christmas, but my clever son Michael decided to cluster them together using an old-fashioned recipe.

There are some easy recipes making divinity with white fluffy icing, but it is just not the same as homemade divinity. If you do not have a stand-up mixer, you might want to try the simpler divinity recipe.

Pecan Divinity

Ingredients for Pecan Divinity

* 2 1/4 cups sugar
* 1/2 cup light corn syrup
* 1/2 cup water
* 2 egg whites
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
* Food coloring (optional - blue and pink are nice)

Method for Making Pecan Divinity

1. In a medium saucepan combine the sugar, corn syrup and water. Bring this mixture to boil.
2. Let the mixture keep boiling without stirring until it reaches 260 degrees on the candy thermometer. Remove from the heat.
3. Using a stand mixer only - do not attempt this recipe with a hand mixer - beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. With the mixer still running on high speed, pour the sugar mixture in.
4. Pour the mixture very slowly in a steady stream. Scrape the bowl occasionally.
5. Add in the vanilla to the candy and beat another 4-5 minutes or until the candy holds together well.
6. Working very quickly, fold in the nuts and food coloring if desired. With a buttered teaspoon, place a large drop on some waxed paper.
7. Let the candy cool before serving. Make sure to store in an airtight container.

Note: Do not attempt to make divinity if it is raining or damp.

Michael's Chocolate Covered Pecans Clusters

Ingredients for the Pecan Clusters

* 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
* 3 tablespoons cream
* 2 cups pecan halves

Method for making the Pecan Clusters

1. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate with the cream, stirring constantly until thoroughly mixed.
2. Drop in the pecans and mix until coated. Remove the pecans and place in clusters.
3. Let cool on some waxed paper in the refrigerator for ten minutes.

Divinity and Michael's Chocolate Covered Pecan Clusters: now what could be better than that? As you sit down this Christmas season with your families and enjoy the love and the closeness of each moment, take a minute to think of how lucky you are to be together. Remember and cherish these days - and when you share these recipes with your friends, be sure to give Michael the credit!

Dangers of Halloween for Children and How to Protect Them

Year after year reports of razor blades in apples, pins and needles in candy and even poison in treats. Are these things to be worried about or are they merely a hoax?

A celebration for the young at heart is targeted each year. Since the 1960s there were reports of such incidents and it has served to make everyone more careful. As some of the incidents clearly look like copycat incidents.

During the 1970s-1980s there were many supposed such incidents, but never any proven incidents of candy poisoning. The razor blade and glass incidents were meant to cause harm but not to kill. Mass hysteria prompted many areas to be more than cautious.

 

When Did the Candy Tampering Start

In 1964, a woman was prosecuted for endangering the safety of children. The woman was giving out packages to teenagers who were thought to be too old to be trick or treating. Such things as steel wool, ant buttons and dog biscuits were in those packages, according to Wikipedia.

In the 1970s, there were some "hoax" poisonings. A young 5 year old boy was killed by his uncle's stash of heroin. The family frightened with what happened, sprinkled heroin on the Halloween candy. This was later discovered as a hoax according to the Texas Dept of Justice.

In 1974, a 8 year old boy died at the hands of his father. The boy ate from a "pixie stick laced with cyanide. To cover the tracks, the father also gave the same pixie sticks to his daughter and three more trick and treat children. The father was executed 10 years later. (Texas Dept of Justice)

In 2008, there were some lollipops that had metal shavings in them. They were first thought to be from America, but later found to be made in China, according to the Orlando News, 2-14-2008.

Also in 2008 in Canada, some cold medicine was found in candy that was handed out for Halloween. (CBC 11-7-2008)

New York Times Report Incident of Broken Glass in Apples

In on November 2, 1982, the New York Times ran an article, "Halloween Cut After Poison Scare" about many suspected cases of candy tampering. After seven people died from Tylenol being laced with cyanide, the candy industry suffered. The ideal of copy cat deaths were everywhere.

The police were investigating hundreds of supposed cases and reported that this was normal as part of the holiday. A man in New Hampshire was arrested for suspicion of putting broken glass in to apples. All candied apples were removed from shelves and there was much worry in the area according to the above article.

Many areas would not allow trick or treat that year, but eventually things did get better. Fear is a big factor every year. Most of the supposed cases were found to be nothing more than a hoax, but there were some legitimate worries.

 

The Hysteria Continued Further

As more and more television and radio stations broadcast news of such incidents, parents became more worried. In a poll conducted of parents concerning Halloween, 65 percent of them were worried to let their children trick or treat.

To this day, parents are still worried about their children. As many know, the likelihood of these attacks are slim, but they do happen. So all parents should proceed with caution. It seems the Germans may have the best Halloween traditions with children only trick or treating at business locations.
As children go out this "Trick or Treat" day, keep some of these ideals in mind.

 

Some Simple Measures to Keep the Children Safe

Soundvision.com offers the following tips for keeping Children safe on Halloween:

• Trick or treat in known neighborhoods. Knowing all neighbors and friends, is an easy way to keep children safe. Knowing exactly which house is giving what treats will guard the children, hopefully.
• Make sure an adult is in supervision at all times.
• Never let the children eat any fruit, as it is easily disguised with drugs, razor blades and pins.
• Investigate all candies. Before the children eat any candy, look at all the candy to see if it has been opened or looked changed in anyway. Candy with twist ties are the easiest to cause harm with. A completely sealed candy bar is the best.
• The costume should be with bright colors so that it is easily seen in the night. Dark colors are harder to detect in the late night hours.
• Let the face mask be easily removable. Especially for smaller children, make the mask easy to remove for proper breathing.

 

Conclusion on Dangers of Halloween

Halloween is a fun time for all the children. It is a time of parties, a time of merriment and yes a time of jubilance and fun. "Dangers of Halloween" was written to inform, not stop this celebration. It is the desire that every single child enjoy this day for many years to come, but with parents being more cautious. It is sad when a few individuals ruin it for so many. Hopefully, America can forget the year of 1982.

Resources

"Poisoned Candy Scare" Wikipedia.com
Halloween Activity Cut After Poison Scare
Halloween Poisonings

French Women Don't Get Fat - Leek Soup and Mimosa

Magical Leek Soup Broth and Mimosa - Recasting Your Stomachs

Mireille Guiliano, author of "French Women Don't Get Fat" shows how to recast (reduce) the stomach by eating these easy and simple soup recipes on the weekend.

Dr. Miracle was a psychologist, who understood that most women have a hard time recasting their stomachs or giving up what they love to eat. He developed this plan for those who have a hard time jump starting their way back to a healthy lifestyle.

He gave this recipe to Mireille Guiliano, author of French Women Don't Get Fat, which she still uses today. This soup has been used for generations to help local women diet. This trick is used with leeks, a mild diuretic, but very nutritional and very low in calories.

According to Mireille, "For me, it was the start of a lifelong commitment to wellness as well as the beginning of my appreciation, my love of leeks, about which there is more to say. It is a trick I still use from time to time; do try it the first weekend following your own food inventory."

These two recipes are printed with permission from the author, Miereille Guiliano (www.mireilleguiliano).

 

Magical Leek Soup (Broth)

Ingredients

• 1 pound of leeks
• Water to cover in a large pot

 

Method of Making Magical Leek Soup

1. Clean leeks and rinse well to get rid of sand and soil. Cut ends off green parts, leaving all the white parts, plus a suggestion of green. (reserve the extra greens for soup stock)
2. Cut the leeks into 2-cm slices, put them in large pot and cover with water.
3. Bring to boil and simmer with no lid for 20 to 30 minutes.
4. Pour off the liquid and reserve. Place the leeks in a bowl.

The juice is to be drunk every two to three hours at room temperature. For meals whenever hungry eat some of the leeks themselves, 100-125g at a time. Drizzle the leaks with some extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. Season them with salt and pepper sparingly. Add some fresh parsley if desired.
Drink the broth throughout the day and throughout the weekend. For Sunday dinner after two days of drinking just Magical Leek Broth, eat some meat or fish with two steamed vegetables and a piece of fruit. If not a lover of leeks, then try this version with vegetables called Mimosa.

Mimosa Soup

 Ingredients

• 1 lettuce
• 225g carrots
• 225g celeriac
• 225g turnips
• 225g cauliflower
• 225 g leeks
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
• 120g chopped parsley
• Water to cover in a large pot

 

Method of Making Mimosa Soup

1. Clean and chop all vegetables in rough pieces, except for the cauliflower and the parsley. Put the rough chopped vegetables in a pot and cover with water.
2. Bring the pot boil and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes.
3. Add in the cauliflower and cook for an additional 15 minutes.
4. Place all the contents through a sieve or food mill. If a food mill is not available, blend in the blender.
5. Serve in a bowl and add the chopped egg and some of the parsley to garnish with.

Eat some of this soup every three hours on Saturday and Sunday. For supper on Sunday, eat the same meal as stated above.

Both of these recipes are very good, but most people will have a hard time training their palates to be happy with these meals at first. It is part of recasting your stomachs and to start ridding the body of "offenders" (unhealthy foods).

Photo courtesy of Photobucket/ misspearr