No, I am not talking about those green ones that are supposed to be full of healthy stuff. I'm talking about the fun ones.
I love ice cream. When I was a kid, the best day of the month was the one where the Schwan's man showed up with a freezer truck full of ice cream. We didn't get a lot of treats, but Dad always bought one of those big tins of ice cream. We took turns ordering our favorite flavors. I nearly always ordered Butter Brickle or Mint Chocolate Chip. If we were feeling flush, there might be a box of fudgesicles, too.
I can order ice cream when I order my groceries to be delivered. But the folks who do the actual shopping work between 6 am and 8 am. My groceries don't arrive at my apartment until between 1 pm and 3 pm. I don't care how good the packaging is for frozen foods, ice cream partially melts before I get it.
I thought about getting an ice cream maker, but my kitchen space is very limited. And most ice cream recipes call for ingredients I don't keep on hand, like whipping cream.
Then I found this recipe:
Fruit Smoothies
3 cups frozen fruit
1 to 1/2 cups milk
(add sugar to taste if desired)
Blend in a blender until smooth.
So last month I ordered a variety of fruits - strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and bananas. I did sort of a mix-and-match thing and filled freezer bags with 3 cups of fruit in each. Last week I gave it a try and made a batch of strawberry, blueberry and raspberry. Last evening I whipped up some strawberry and banana. Both were delicious.
The mixture turned out kind of like a cross between a fruity soft serve ice cream and a sherbet. The recipe makes enough for two big bowls, so I just put the second half in a freezer container and froze it for later. It isn't rich and creamy like real ice cream, but it is close enough to satisfy that ice cream craving.
I love it when an experiment actually works. :)
Opus 2024-398: Living Difference
54 minutes ago
That sounds like my kind of smoothie. Have you ever tried using all or some evaporated milk to get it more creamy? I use evap milk whenever a recipe calls for cream and then use the rest in my coffee the rest of the week.
ReplyDeleteOn my wish list is the ice cream attachment for my Kitchenaid. I almost got rid of the Kitchenaid when I moved from my house to my apartment. But I'm glad I didn't. I use it just often enough to warrant keeping it on my counter top. I have three sets of 30" counter top total in my kitchen. Two sets on either side of my sink and one on one side of the stove. I didn't think it would be enough but I get by. I just have to be a bit more organized!
Stay safe and warm. The MN weather was on my news over the weekend. BRRR! Cheers, SJ in Vancouver BC
SJ...I hadn't thought about using evaporated milk, but I will give it a try. I don't use cream in my coffee, but I could probably make up enough smoothies at one time to use a couple of cans and just freeze the excess smoothies.
ReplyDeleteI have a Kitchenaid, but no counter space - only a little over a foot each side of my sink - so the mixer lives in a cupboard in an old buffet. I love the Kitchenaid, but only drag it out when I am making lots of cookies, etc. Most of my food prep is done at my kitchen table, which sits in the center of the room. It all works out, I guess. :)
The storm went to the north of us and we had only a few flakes of snow that didn't stick. There was a bitter wind but that died down by the following morning. Seems like that was a pattern all of this year - storms to the north of us and to the south, but pretty much missed us. I expect our luck will run out before too long!
I make a smoothie sort of like yours. It's creamy enough and needs no sugar. This is what I do and you might adapt some of this to yours. All measurements are just a guess. 5 frozen strawberries, 1/4 cup frozen blueberries, banana, 1/3 cup oj, about 1/3 cup yogurt. I use no ice and no sugar.
ReplyDeleteMy friend hates bananas with a passion. So, I put chunks of fresh or frozen cantaloupe in his smoothie. Of course, I won't touch cantaloupe.
At the grocery I saw carrageenan. It is the thing that makes things creamy. It's a gum. Another is guar. Check it out. I am allergic to gums, but it might make your smoothie creamy.
pparsimony
Linda...Thanks for the tips. I don't ever have yogurt or orange juice on hand. That's why I just use the frozen fruit and milk, for I always have those. It is enough to have a bit of a frozen treat once in awhile. I imagine there are many ways to make smoothies. I tend to just keep things simple. :)
ReplyDeleteChocolate Chip, Vanilla, Strawberry, Rocky Road in that order. We made smoothies all the time but keeping ice, and milk in the house cost more then buying buckets of ice cream.
ReplyDeleteRob...The frozen fruit replaces the ice. I would like to have ice cream, too, but it just doesn't work out with the grocery orders. Better a fruit smoothie than no frozen treat at all.
ReplyDeleteMy kids have been known to bring me a Dairy Queen treat now and then, so I am not totally without ice cream. :)
This brought back memories of when I used to get Butter Brickle when I was a kid...yum!
ReplyDeleteJenn...I am a chocoholic, but Butter Brickle is my all time favorite ice cream! It was my Dad's favorite, too, so perhaps the memories of sitting on the front porch sharing some Butter Brickle ice cream with him might have something to do with it. :)
ReplyDelete