cookie dough egg rolls*

I have been an active participant in the Biggest Loser competition going on at my work. I have been going at it since about mid-January, but I started my healthier eating diet plan and workout regimen since the day after Christmas. Although I have been doing OK, I have not been perfect by any stretch of the imagination. I have a sweet tooth unlike any other, not to mention that food is literally my career. The competition only goes until the end of April, so I really need to kick it into gear, and stop eating things like these cookie dough egg rolls!

A couple of weekends ago I really splurged, and needed a yummy dessert to end my horrible day of eating. I asked the hubs what he was feeling like, and I showed him some options that I had saved on Pinterest. He picked these cookie dough egg rolls. He is on a cookie dough kick these days, so this came to no surprise to me. They were pretty good, but I must say that I was a little bit disappointed. I think it is because the sugar in the dough was still really gritty, and that is not my favorite thing. Which reminds me, my least favorite part about Easter is Peeps. Those things are the grossest! I will not be indulging in any Peeps this coming Easter Sunday! Anyway, so if I make these again, I will definitely be creaming the butter and sugar for quite a bit longer. However, my favorite part of this dessert is the presentation! I think they would be so cute for refreshments for an event or wedding!

Cookie Dough Egg Rolls
from Pennies on a Platter

cookies and cream ice cream*

I made a huge commitment to myself today. I am going on a diet. Only, I don't like to word "diet", so I am just going to eat healthier. Biggest loser has been over for only a couple of months and I have gained over 10 pounds! You heard me right - 10 POUNDS! In two months. That is bad! I have stopped working out regularly and find myself eating whatever my little heart desires. This is a recipe for disaster. However, just because I am going to eat healthier and begin a consistent workout regimen doesn't mean that I will not continue to make delicious and clearly not healthy desserts and treats for various birthdays, activities, and a weekly dessert for the students. I still have to do my job, I'll just find someone else to do the taste testing :). I am, however, going to have to throw away this amazing cookies and cream ice cream that I made for the first time in my brand new KitchenAid ICE CREAM MAKER! I should have snarfed it all down yesterday before I made this vow.

Before I get to this ice cream, I need to tell you the most exciting news ever! I received my first piece of "fan mail" from a follower! I like to call it fan mail, anyway. One of the students' mom's, Shelley, sent me some of this amazing hazelnut/vanilla and chocolate/banana spread! I talked to her at our last parent conference and she told me that since she knows my love for Nutella, that I just had to try the hazelnut/vanilla spread. She even tried to bring some with her to the airport in her carry-on, but of course airport security made her throw it away! What a SHAME! This stuff is truly the bees knees (I don't get that saying by the way...). The hazelnut/vanilla spread is heavenly in and of itself, but the banana/chocolate. OH MY GOODNESS! I am in LOVE with that stuff! It reminds me of banana cream pie, but even better because there is chocolate involved. Eat it with a graham cracker, and you've got yourself a graham cracker crust banana cream pie chocolate creamy delicious amazingness! I have no idea where you go about purchasing this stuff for yourself, but THANK YOU Shelley for bringing this stuff into my life!

Cookies and cream ice cream. This is my first ever official homemade ice cream. I attempted to make a homemade ice cream awhile back, but it was a kind you can make without the machine. It was good, but nothing compared to the real thing. So, my husbands birthday was on the 15th, and two days before his birthday I got home from a late night of parent conference and there was a wrapped present sitting on my kitchen counter. I figured it was for him, since it was his birthday in a couple of days. WRONG. It was for me! I open the package and the most amazing thing appeared!

Yes, your eyes are not playing tricks on you. They make an ice cream maker for your KitchenAid! I, too, was not aware of this. It is times like these when I know that I married to most amazing man on the planet! First of all, he gave ME a present right before HIS birthday. Secondly, he pays attention to the fact that I wanted an ice cream maker. And thirdly, he researched to see if KitchenAid made an ice cream maker! That, my friends, equals the man of my dreams! We are on the verge of having a solely KitchenAid kitchen, and this makes us one step closer. (These opinions are completely my own and I am not getting paid - unfortunately :) - for these nice things I have to say about the amazing company of KitchenAid). Oh, and the ice cream maker works like a dream!

So this ice cream is absolutely amazingly to die for! I don't know where I have been, but I didn't know that you can put eggs in your ice cream..? I thought it seemed weird, but several recipes call for eggs. I decided to give it a shot. I don't know if it is because of the eggs or what, but this ice cream is creamy, smooth and exactly what I was looking for!

Cookies and Cream Ice Cream
from the KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker manual

2 1/2 cups half and half
8 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups whipping cream
4 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups Oreo's

In medium saucepan over medium heat, heat half and half until very hot but not boiling, stirring often. Remove from heat; set aside.

Place egg yolks and sugar in mixing bowl. Attach bowl and wire whip to mixer. Turn to Speed 2 and mix about 30 seconds, or until well blended and slightly thickened. Continue on Speed 2, very gradually add half and half; mix until blended. Return half and half mixture to medium saucepan, cook over medium heat until small bubbles form around edge and mixture is steamy, stirring constantly. Do not boil. Transfer half and half mixture into large bowl; stir in whipping cream, vanilla and salt. Cover and chill thoroughly, at least 8 hours.

Assemble and engage freeze bowl, dasher, and drive assembly as directed in attachment directions. Turn to STIR (Speed 1). Using a container with a spout, pour mixture into freeze bowl. Continue on STIR for 15-20 minutes, or until desired consistency. Add the Oreo's during the last 1-2 minutes of freeze time. Immediately transfer ice cream into serving dishes or freeze in an airtight container.

And WAHLAH you have the most amazing ice cream ever! I like it even better the next day because then the Oreo's have softened up a bit and the whole shabang melts in your mouth - literally!

Please make this and when you are eating it, think of me. What I would give for a big ol' bowl of this right now! I better send my sweet husband to throw it away, otherwise I just may eat the whole container in one sitting!

-alyssa*

easy homemade ice cream without a machine*

Yes, you heard me right. Homemade ice cream WITHOUT a machine! Music to my ears. Ice cream is one of my favorite foods - maybe my favorite but I'm not ready to make it official. I dream about ice cream all day. I have not met an ice cream I didn't like. Well, I'm not a huge fan of the ice cream at Sizzler. And one time I got a cheap kind from the store that I didn't care for. However, did I eat them? Yes, of course I did! It's ice cream!

This ice cream is so easy to make! It has a different texture than your typical ice cream, but it still comes out creamy and delicious. I was pleased with it's simplicity and it's overall taste. I think I would still prefer ice cream that was made with a machine, but since I do not own a machine this is definitely a great alternative that I will be taking advantage of on a regular basis I am sure!

I made two different kinds of ice cream my first go round. My first ice cream was a Nutella chocolate chunk ice cream. The second was a Girl's Scout Thin Mint ice cream. Both very tasty. My favorite of the two would have to be the Nutella chocolate chunk, but I am a new found Nutella fanatic.

Easy Homemade Ice Cream Without a Machine
basic recipe from Kevin and Amanda

2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 can sweetened condensed milk
any add in your little heart desires!

Whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks. Add your flavors, topping, and mix-ins to the sweetened condensed milk. Then fold this mixture into the whipping cream. Freeze and enjoy!*

Nutella Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream

 Whip your whipping cream to stiff peaks.

Mix 1/4 cup nutella with 1/2 cup chocolate chunks (melted chocolate spread out on wax paper and chilled in the fridge until firm, then break into chunks) with the sweetened condensed milk.

Fold mixture into the whipping cream and freeze.

Eat up!

Thin Mint Ice Cream

 Beat whipping cream until stiff peaks.

Combine sweetened condensed milk with 1 cup Thin Mints or Grasshopper cookies.

Fold mixture into whipping cream until well combined.

Pour into container and freeze.

Enjoy!*

Sound too easy to be true? Well, it is definitely easy, but it is also true! Imagine the possibilities...

-alyssa*

ice cream cake revisited*

Have I ever mentioned that I am a food addict??? I am. The first step is admitting I have a problem - and world I HAVE A PROBLEM!! Especially with ice cream. I will literally be watching TV at night with my husband and something funny will happen on a show and Landon will laugh and I'll look over and say "what"?? He is always so amazed at how I will be looking right at the TV but miss as much as I do when it comes to what is going on. The reason? Ice cream. I am thinking about ice cream. This is no lie nor exaggeration. The minute we are done eating dinner my brain goes on ice cream mode. It's a serious problem and if you have any sort of solution/idea of how to solve it please - don't hesitate to let me know.

Now on this note about ice cream, remember this cookies 'n cream ice cream cake?? We have improved on this recipe and now we make it all the time, and in about 20 minutes flat (if our chocolate cake is already baked and cooled that is). Remember the issue I had with the crust being hard as a rock and cracking? Well, I took the suggestion that someone gave me (who were you by the way?? I cannot think of who told me this for the life of me!!) to use cream cheese with the Oreos instead of butter. This was the best solution I could have never thought of! The crust was miraculously soft and SO AMAZINGLY YUMMY!

Here are some updated pictures of officially my new favorite cake as of now!

Easter ice cream cake anyone??? CUTE!

Volcano cake for my staff Jordan's birthday

(this cake actually has no cake - only ice cream and hot fudge!!)

*Notice the lack of cracking when it was cut into!!! WAHOO!

Jordan amazed by the volcano cake.

Mmmm...as you can probably see there is a piece of Oreo at the bottom. We lined the bottom of the ice cream cake with halves of Oreo's. An extra yummy surprise!

I beg and plead everyone to try this ice cream cake! With or without cake it is simply amazing! I am absolutely in love with our new Oreo crust and I am so thankful that someone told me about the cream cheese idea! Without it I probably wouldn't be making this cake on a weekly basis and loving it at the level that I do! So thank you and please everyone prepare this and enjoy!!

-alyssa*

cookies 'n cream ice cream cake*

Ice cream cakes have been a favorite of the students for their birthdays and graduations, especially lately. I've been getting bored of the plain stacked cakes with ice cream in the middle, so I was looking for something different. I found this amazing looking cake from Delicious Recipes, but I didn't have any Swiss Rolls on hand and didn't have time to run to the store. So I made my own version. Here it goes!

Cookies 'n Cream Ice Cream Cake
inspired by Delicious Recipes

6 cups Oreo crumbs
1 lb. butter, melted
20 oz. hot fudge
1 chocolate sheet cake (any chocolate cake mix will work, or your favorite chocolate cake recipe)
1 - 1.5 qt. vanilla ice cream, softened
1 - 1.5 qt. cookies 'n cream ice cream, softened

Line a 2 quart mixing bowl with plastic wrap (so the cake won't stick and will easily come out). In a separate bowl combine the Oreo crumbs and melted butter until evenly mixed. Then press the mixture into the 2 quart mixing bowl until it reaches the top. Warm the hot fudge in the microwave for about 45 seconds or until it will pour easily. Spread the hot fudge over the cookie crumb crust until the covers it completely. Put in the freezer for 1/2 hour.

Now this is where you get creative. I started to cut my sheet cake into squares so that I could press it into the hot fudge. Then I had to cut a few triangles to fill in the gaps. The picture might explain this part better:

It doesn't look the cutest, but I promise in the end you won't even be able to tell. Again, put it in the freezer for another 1/2 hr.

Spread the softened vanilla ice cream over the cake layer evenly. And again, put it in the freezer for 1/2 hour.

Finally, put in the cookies 'n cream ice cream and fill in the rest the hole.

 
Freeze it again for at least an hour and then it's time to flip! Put a tray/plate on top of the ice cream cake and then flip and it should easily come out.

Looks like a volcano huh! Everyone wanted me to make a hole and put dry ice in it to get the full effect. Maybe some raspberry topping oozing out...I think it would make a great science project! Anyway, now cut into this beauty and see what's inside!

So cute!!! However, I don't know how I feel about the Oreo cookie crust. It started to crack and it was pretty tough to cut into. Someone had suggested I mix the Oreos with some cream cheese instead of butter and make it more of a spread. That might work out better. Although the crust was very yummy, it sure didn't want to stay on very much. But I was impressed overall! Next time I will be making the swiss cake roll ice cream cake, so get prepared :)

-alyssa*