Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream {gluten free, egg free}

I've always thought vanilla ice cream to be boring.  I always wanted a chocolate based ice cream, or mix-ins at the least.  I never thought plain vanilla ice cream was worth the calories.  I used to think that... until my husband created the absolute best and perfect homemade vanilla ice cream recipe.  

This ice cream is not only absolutely amazing, but it is lower in fat than other ice creams. Bonus!  

Plus, if you follow my easy peasy Diet Tip you'll get to have a treat, but you won't over indulge.  

The Diet Tip for today is, use ice cream cones rather than bowls.  Each night you want a treat, place 1 scoop into a cone.  The cone is more fun to eat, and you will only treat yourself to a little treat rather than an entire bowl of ice cream that most of us fill up way too much.
    

The other benefit with a delicious Vanilla Ice Cream recipe is you can add fresh fruit (or other not so diet friendly mix-ins) for a simple yet very summer like dish.  We went to a farm nearby and picked peaches as a family.  The kids had a blast, and the fresh peaches to gobble up makes everyone happy.

You definitely need this recipe, just like you definitely need an ice cream maker.  We love this Cuisinart one. 

Vanilla Ice Cream
Recipe: Alohamora
Active Time: 5-10 minutes
Inactive Time: 2 1/2 hours + 8 hrs for firmness
Servings: About 5 cups

Ingredients: 
1 1/2 c. heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 c. milk (we use skim, but whatever you want)
3/4 c. white sugar
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla

Directions: 

1. In a small bowl mix all of the ingredients together.
2. Cover and place it in the fridge for at least 2 hours; the longer you place the mixture in the refrigerator the creamier the ice cream will be.  
3. Turn the ice cream maker on, and pour the cream mixture into the ice cream maker bowl.  The bowl we use is kept in the freezer so it is good and frozen when we need it.  We have noticed our Cuisinart bowl needs to be in the freezer for longer than 10 hours.  Let the ice cream maker do all of the work for 20-30 minutes.  
4. Your ice cream will be soft serve at this point.  We always enjoy a scoop now, and then place the rest in an airtight container in the freezer.  The hard ice cream will set in about 8 hours.
5. Enjoy! 
6. Store leftovers in the freezer in that airtight container. 

Happy Delicious Hard Not to Love Vanilla Ice Cream eating! 

Amazingly Soft Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Today, I'm giving you the secret to amazing gluten free cookies.

If you have tried baking gluten free then you probably know about the funky gritty texture gluten free cookies can have.  However, there is a simple and easy solution to the oh so frustrating gluten free texture problem.  

When I perfected this Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe my husband told me he liked them better than my regular flour chocolate chip cookies.  I'm not sure what to think of his compliment, but I do know he likes them.  I also know my dad loves these cookies, and my mom was crushed when the batch I made them was out.  

These Chocolate Chip Cookies are amazing.  They are Amazingly Soft and Amazingly Gluten Free.  These cookies are banging, and have helped me be strictly gluten free for 3 months now (per doctor orders thanks to my Hashimotos). 

You need this recipe, and you need the Trick to Amazing Gluten Free Cookies.  The key to the texture dilemma is resting the dough for 30 minutes before baking.   


Amazingly Soft Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe: Alohamora
Active Time: 20 minutes
Inactive Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 3 dozen medium scoop  or 2 dozen large scoop

Ingredients: 
1 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. sugar
1 box (3.5 oz) vanilla pudding, dry
2 eggs, large
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 c. gluten free flour w/ xanthum gum
1 tsp baking soda
1 (11 oz) bag milk chocolate chips
1 XL milk Hershey bar, chopped

Directions: 

1. In a large bowl or a stand mixer cream the butter and sugars together until they are light and fluffy. 
2. Add the pudding mix and mix until just combined.  Make sure the pudding is gluten free; I haven't seen gluten in any pudding mixes I've checked, but they sneak it in so many things these days. 
3. Add the eggs and vanilla one at a time and mix until just combined. 
4. Now, it's time to add the dry ingredients.  I find a good 1-1 Gluten Free all purpose flour with xanthum gum is ideal and works well for almost all of my.  I have used with success Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 and Cup4Cup.  When adding the flour to the measuring cup make sure you spoon the flour into the cup and then use a knife to even it off. Add the flour and baking soda in the order listed and mix until just combined.
5. Finally, add the chocolate chips and the chopped up chocolate bar.  Trust me, you need both.  The flavor and the texture of the two are a perfect addition.
6. Set your timer for 30 minutes and let your dough rest. To avoid the funky texture you can get with gf cookies let your dough rest.   
7. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line cookie sheets with parchment paper or a baking mat.  The parchment paper/baking mat are not necessary but they help with the cooking texture.  
8. Use a medium cookie scoop or a spoon to get approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons of cookie dough and place the balls on your prepared pans.  
9. Bake the cookies at 325 degrees for 9-12 minutes for either the medium or the large cookies until they are a light golden color.
10. Enjoy! 
11. Store leftovers in an airtight container on the counter. 

Happy Amazingly Soft Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie eating!

Best Book Fair Ever

Alright, who loves Book Fairs?

Since I hated reading as a kid I enjoyed the pencils and toys at my school book fairs but I never bought a book.  Sadness huh?  My husband recalls getting books and a poster; he loved the posters.

When I was a librarian I loved having a book fair.  I loved having them the first week in December so the kids would want to get books for Christmas.  Books for Christmas are my favorite!

Book fairs as a librarian are great b/c you get to build your library's collection (aka books for a good price) and b/c kids get super excited about getting books,,, and toys, pencils, and posters but books most importantly.  I love book fairs.  I have always loved them, but my love has changed.  Maybe I can say it has matured.

Now that I am a full time Mom I don't get to have a book fair in my library in our guest bedroom.  I miss out on the fun of book fairs.  However, I was recently reacquainted with book fairs through the Scholastic Warehouse Sale, and my kids got to experience their very first book fair.  I loved this book fair (I can call it that b/c it looked just like a book fair), and I can't wait to go back.  I've known about these sales for years, but for some sad reason this one was my first.  However, this Warehouse Sale is the beginning of something wonderful.

Most major cities have these warehouse sales so just click on the link above to see when yours are.  From what I know most of them are during the winter time (November to February) but there may be more at other times, I just don't know.  However, it is worth the time to check and find out when your local Scholastic Warehouse Sale is.  The number of books you can get for ridiculously cheap is awesome and Amazon or thrift stores just can't compare.

I was able to get all ten of these great books, many of them award winning and 6 of them hard bound, for $60.  Fabulous and amazing right?!  For one that knows the cost of books, the Scholastic Warehouse Sales are absolutely fabulous and worth the time to find out when your local sale is.  

The only problem I had with the warehouse sale was limiting the number of books I wanted to buy.  I mean, we all have budgets to live by, right?!  Though it may be ridiculous it is necessary that baking and books are separate categories on our budget. :)