Homemade Oreo Ice Cream

Now that summer has finally made its way to the Midwest nothing has been better to make to chill down then ice cream. It also helps that I got an Ice cream maker for my birthday. 

This weekend the hubs and I wanted to give a new flavor a try, and we went easy with Oreo.  Here is how we made it below: 

Oreo Ice Cream

2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream

14 Oz Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 package Oreos (crushed) 

1 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

1. Mix together in a medium sized bowl the cream and condensed milk. Add vanilla flavoring. 

2. Place ingredients in the ice cream maker for 25 min. 

3. While first ingredients churn, chop Oreos by either placing in food processor or put into a plastic bag and beat with spoon until crushed. 

4. When ice cream has about 12 minutes left add Oreo bits. 

5. Once 25 minutes is up place ice cream into a container with lid and place in freezer to continue to harden. Should be completely firm within 4-6 hours. 

6. Enjoy! 

Chocolate^2 Cupcakes

 I recently discovered Pamela's Gluten Free Baking Mixes. I've tried a few other "gluten-free" brands, but nothing compares, so I decided to do a Double Chocolate Cupcake this weekend. This has to be one of my favorite combinations, and the frosting is AMAZING ... notice the caps there. AMAZING.

In fact I froze the left over frosting to use on a Boston Cream Cupcake I want to make this weekend. I will note this combination is very rich since both include sour cream, so make sure you have milk handy but I swear it's delicious.

Cupcakes (using the Ultra Rich Chocolate Cake Recipe found here)

1 Package  Pamela's Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Mix

2 Large Eggs

1 Cup Sour Cream

1 Cup Water

1/2 Cup Oil 

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees. Mix all the ingredients above, then place in individual cupcake wrappers. I used a gingham print from HomeGoods. Then bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out without anything sticking. Let cool and then frost. 

Frosting (using the recipe found here) 

1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter
1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
1 1/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream (from the carton)
1/4 cup sour cream (don't use light or fat-free)
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Per Recipe Girl you'll want to do the following: 

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Whisk in the sugar and cocoa powder. In a separate bowl, whisk together the cream and the sour cream. Slowly add this to the pan, whisking it in until well combined and smooth. Mix in the espresso powder and heat until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. 

Then let the frosting cool to room temperature.  (Note: It was taking a VERY long time to cool, so I tucked mine in the fridge for about 45 minutes and then set out to frost.) 

This was not a sponsored post.

Grilled Asparagus

Our favorite seasoned vegetable of the summer has to be asparagus. It is so easy to prepare and looks and tastes great with every dish. If you want to "wow" your guests without doing much of anything here's our go to:

You Will Need:
3 tbls Olive Oil
1 tbls Parmesan Cheese
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper

To prepare, take a sheet of aluminum foil and make a little boat for your asparagus. I do this by folding in the four sides to create "rails" ensuring it's the right length and width of the amount of asparagus I am cooking.

 I then take the asparagus and cut of the bottom "white" chunk. It's not needed and it isn't as tasty as the other part of the stem. 

Then I drizzle the asparagus with olive oil, and then sprinkle on the salt and pepper. Using tongs I move the asparagus around in the boat coating each piece with the olive oil and salt and pepper. Then I add the Parmesan cheese. 

We then place the boat on the grill for about 10-15 minutes on high heat until it's well cooked. To get some char marks, we then place the asparagus on the grill for a few minutes just until you see some grill lines and take them off.

There you have it. Simple grilled asparagus. 

Note: You can also add 2 tbls lemon juice and some lemon zest if you'd prefer to have it a little bit more light a flavorful. Just reduce the amount of olive oil by 1 tablespoon.

Grilled Pork Chops

(iPhone 6 photos) 

When I was younger, my dad loved pork chops and it was a normal staple in our weekly meal rotation. As an adult though, I haven't really considered it. I am traditionally a steak or chicken girl. We decided to try some center cut chops and it made me fall in love with them again. I'm definitely going to have to buy more next time I head to the butcher shop. We also served with some grilled asparagus & corn. So delicious.

To prepare lightly coat pork chops using olive oil - I used about 3 tablespoons for 4 chops, I then sprinkled the following rub in each of the chops coating all sides, and pressing gently into the chop. I then placed each chop into a plastic ziploc bag and let them "hang out" in the fridge until we were ready to grill.

Pork Chop Rub: 
3 Tbl Paprika
2 Tbl Sugar
1 tsp Ground Mustard
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Onion Powder
1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper

Enjoy!

Lately on Instagram.......

Be sure to follow @mallorymclellan

 

Fresh hydrangeas and a antique brass duck that I found at a antique store for my book shelf

 Michigan Cookies for Memorial Day

 

Latest Amazon purchase. So far half way through Wild, and I really love the way Thug Kitchen was written. I've already tried a few recipes and they were tasty.

 

Nothing like a little outdoor oasis to catch up on some mags, and enjoy some ice cold lemonade. Sweet summer time. 

 

Such a cute treat, and it was tasty too. 

Living Room Upgrade

Table Lamps /Area Rug / Mirrors/Wall Art/Throw Pillow/Dark Throw Pillow/
Beacon sofa/Throw Pillow/Curtains/Bonsai Tree/Sequin Throw Pillow/Flooring/Reclaimed Coffee Table/Table 

We spent the better part of early winter, price quoting everything we wanted to do to our house. From fencing to basement installations, anything and everything was price quoted. One thing I put on the to-do list first was our living room. We still use the same furniture I purchased my senior year of college, and while it was a nice purchase five years ago, it has moved from four different locations in that time frame. Getting a little bumped and scraped in the process. 

Now that we're settled a bit more in our house, it would be nice to update our living room to reflect our personal style and taste. Currently our living room is very light and bright, but there is not much on the walls, and it lacks seating for when friends come over, making it awkward. To help alleviate that, we're going to actually purchase a couch and a loveseat, a chair and two poufs. We really fell in love with the Beacon Sofa at La-Z-Boy. It has the style that you love from Pottery Barn, but the comfort you expect from La-Z-Boy. Also, if you time it right you can get a descent deal on it. 

Best Spinach Dip Ever

Earlier this week I mentioned I did quite a bit of cooking over the weekend. One thing I made that was a huge hit at Easter was my mom's spinach dip recipe.  I have to say I was a bit thrown off by that it was cold, I usually eat Spinach Artichoke Dip that is warm, but my mother-in-law liked this so much she came over the next day to grab more.

Spinach Dip: 
1 C. Mayonnaise
2 C. Sour Cream
1 C. Water Chestnuts (drained & chopped)
1 Pkg. Knorr Vegetable Soup Mix
1 Pkg. Frozen Spinach (well drained)
1 Onion Chopped

Mix together & serve cold.

Enjoy!