Peach Sorbet

Today feels like a fantastic fall day here in Ohio. I'm not a huge fan of summer, even though I love summer produce. I just can't handle the heat & humidity. This cooler weather feels like a breath of fresh air. I made this sorbet a few weeks ago...so I figured I better blog about it before I put it off any longer and it really does turn into full-fledged fall. This recipe is refreshing and tastes like fresh peaches. In fact, I wanted to make it again but the rest of my basket of peaches went bad before I could. Grab up some fresh peaches and make this before apples become the main fruit ingredient!

Peach Sorbet
Source: Annie's Eats, who adapted it from Dinner and Dessert


Ingredients:
4 cups fresh chopped peaches
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp. lemon juice

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Chill mixture in refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Once chilled, freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Freeze for at least 4 hours before serving.

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Chocolate peanut butter ice cream

My lovely cousin has requested that I update my food blog, so here are a few entries! I have just not been motivated lately. Also, I think I have had a few food failures lately that has brought me down.

Even though it's been an extremely cold winter, I still love to eat ice cream. I just bundle under a blanket and crank up the heat! This recipe is extremely good. I usually coat my ice cream with chocolate syrup and whatever else I can find, but I find that this is good just on its own. Jon took these pictures for me.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream
Source: The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz, Ten Speed Press, 2007 as seen on Annie's Eats

Ingredients:

2 cups half-and-half

¼ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

½ cup sugar

pinch of salt

½ cup creamy peanut butter

Directions:

Whisk together the half-and-half, cocoa powder, sugar and salt in a large saucepan. Heat the mixture, whisking frequently, until it comes to a full, rolling boil (it will start to foam up). Remove from the heat and whisk in the peanut butter, stirring until thoroughly blended.

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Pineapple Sorbet

This is the second treat I've made with my KA ice cream attachment. I wanted to do something a little lighter so I'm not always making full-fat ice cream! Although, I really want to make some chocolate peanut butter ice cream this weekend. This sorbet turned out great! I used up some leftover pineapple that I used for a fruit salad for Christmas brunch...just in time before it went bad!

Pineapple Sorbet
Source: KitchenAid ice cream maker instruction booklet

Ingredients:
2 cups chopped pineapple
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon lime juice
1 1/4 cups simple syrup (recipe below)

Directions:
Combine pineapple and lime juice in bowl of food processor fitted with metal blade. Process until very smooth; pour through fine mesh strainer, pressing down lightly on solids trapped in strainer to extract as much liquid as possible without forcing solids through strainer. Discard solids. (I skipped the mesh strainer part because I don't have one but it still came out fine) Pour liquid into airtight container and refrigerate until thouroughly chilled, at least 8 hours.

Assemble and engage freeze bowl, dasher, and drive assembly as directed in attachment instructions. Turn to Stir. Combine chilled pineapple juice and chilled simple syrup. Using a container with a spout, pour mixture into freeze bowl. Continue on stir for 7 to 12 minutes or until desired consistency. Immediately transfer sorbet into airtight container and freeze at least 2 hours before serving.

Simple syrup

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
2 cups water

Directions:
Combine sugar and water in saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cook and stir until sugar dissolves completely, about 10 minutes. Transfer to ice bath, stirring until well chilled. Refrigerate until ready to use. Yield: 3 cups.
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A nice Sunday meal

I think I've overcooked boneless pork chops every single time I've made them except once. I don't know why this is, but tonight I was determined to cook them right! They actually came out really well...maybe I need to pan-fry them every time I make them. This sauce is a perfect complement to the pork and would probably taste really well with chicken too. I made some twice-baked potatoes & a broccoli/corn mix on the side as well. I got a KitchenAid ice cream maker attachment from my in-laws for Christmas and tried it out for the first time today. I was impressed with the results! I am excited to make some other types of ice cream and even some sorbets for a lighter treat.

Apricot Pork Chops
Adapted from Cooking Light, as seen on Just 2 Good


Ingredients:
4 boneless pork chops (I only used 2)
1/4 Cup chopped onion (Omitted - Jon doesn't like onions and I made soup last night with a ton of them in them so I decided to be nice tonight)
1/4 Cup apricot preserves
1 Tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 green onion, sliced (Omitted)

Directions:
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat the pan with cooking spray. Add the pork to the pan; cook on each side approximately 6 minutes, or until done. Remove from the pan and keep warm.

Add the diced onion to the pan and saute until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Stir in preserves, soy sauce, garlic, and salt. Cook 3 minutes or until thickened. Add pork to the pan, turning to coat. Sprinkle with green onions.

Twice-baked Potatoes
My own recipe, although I'm sure a ton of people have made them like this & twice-baked potatoes is a popular recipe anyway!

Ingredients:
2 potatoes
Shredded cheddar cheese
Light Ranch dressing
Real bacon bits

Directions:
Pierce the potatoes with a fork and microwave them for 10 minutes, turning half-way through. Scoop out the insides and mix with the cheese, ranch dressing and bacon bits. Fill each potato skin with the insides. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.

Chocolate Strawberry Ice Cream
Adapted from Annie's Eats, originally from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz, 10 Speed Press, 2007

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream (I only had a 1/2 cup left of heavy cream so I made my own from this recipe) - Melt 1/3 cup butter, pour in 3/4 cup of milk and stir. I used low-fat milk so add in 1 tablespoon of flour to thicken it up. - Note: it will not thicken as much as heavy cream, but it still did the trick, especially when mixed with the 1/2 cup I already had!
5 tbsp. unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup raspberries, fresh or frozen (I used frozen strawberries)

Directions:
Whisk together the cream, cocoa powder, and sugar in a large saucepan. Heat the mixture, whisking frequently, until it comes to a full, rolling boil (it will start to foam up). Remove from the heat and add the strawberries. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes.

Puree the mixture in a food processor or blender.

Chill the mixture thoroughly, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

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