I Scream For Ice Cream

Summer awesomeness just got better for college living and college cooking with these bites of goodness: Semi-Homemade Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches! Trust me!! Maybe you just a need "something sweet"…a little bite…cool, delicious, refreshing, spot on!

Take this challenge to see what phenomenal combos you can come up with--decadent and splurge; or, keep it ultra healthy with frozen yoghurt or sorbets!

Bite-sized phenoms!

(Adapted from July 4th article in Woman's Day magazine found on my treadmill at the gym)

I Scream You Scream Sandwich Bites

Equipment:

Container with lid

Ingredients:

Oreo Cookies (I'm sure you can find use for white oreo filling)
         --Mint-Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
         --Strawberry Ice Cream

Ginger Snaps (Walker's Shortbread Ginger Cookies perfect)

         --Pineapple-Coconut Ice Cream
         --Lemon Sorbet

Vanilla Oreos or Shortbread Cookie

         --Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

         --Chocolate Fudge Ice Cream

Instructions:

1. Wash your hands.
2. Prep your cookies and remove filling (or not).
3. Soften the ice 'just enough' to scoop a tablespoon size ball.
4. Dollop your bottom cookie.
5. Add top cookie and press gently.
6. Place in a lid-fitted tupperware, seal and freeze x 20-30 minutes.

7. Pull these out on a hot summer night!

Super Simple Snacking

Crackers are awesome because you can can use them like mini sandwiches! Sure...add cheese, but think bigger, cheese and cucumber or ricotta with fruits & honey or make a cracker caprese with mozarrella, basil and tomato!! 

The goal is fueling your body with goodness and flavor! For this to be incredible and stand out from mindless chips and salsa, you need to have good ingredients...as with anything in cooking!

This a great way to snack during movies, visiting with friends or sitting on the balcony and watching the sunset--let everyone make a personal combo--or, make these bites ahead and take all the work out of it for them!

(Recipe credit & idea Be You Nutrition. Adapted from Instagram posts)

Super Simple Snacking

Equipment:

Sharp Knife

Cutting Board

Serving Platter

Ingredients:

Crispy, flavorful crackers, ie Ritz, Triscuits

Hard Cheeses, ie cheddar, feta, pepper jack

Soft Cheeses, ie ricotta, cream or goat cheese, fresh mozzarella 

Veggies, ie cucumber, tomatoes, avocados, sprouts

Deli meats, ie salami, proscuitto, pepperoni

Bacon

Condiments, ie aioli, pesto

Fruit preserves

Instructions:

1. Wash your hands.

2. Prep your options, ie slice veggies, cheeses

Crispy Cheese Cracker with Pepper Jack & Avocado

3. Continue assembling you bite-size masterpieces.

Cracked Pepper Triscuit with Manchego, Proscuitto & Dijon

4. Other combinations to try:

• Roasted Red Peppers with Feta (Broiled)
• Lettuce, Tomato and Bacon
• Mozzarella, Tomato and Basil or Pesto
• Cucumber and Cheddar
• Goat Cheese with Fruit Preserves
• Plain Triscuit with Cheddar, Granny Smith Apples
• Brie & Honey

Strawberry Rhubarb Summer Cup Crisps

Hope you are taking full advantage of summerbreak and summer produce! I know that I certainly have! The produce and seasonal items make for an abundance of flavors as well as provide reason to try new things. It's a great time of the year to roam at the farmer's market and be awed by the variety of tomatoes, carrots, beets, berries, greens, apples, and fruits.

One of my favorite summer desserts is fresh Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie--the way my Mom made it. That being said, she made everything from scratch with one of those real, light and flaky, buttery pie crusts that dissolves in your mouth. I simply do not have that kind of time!

Taking a recent class at The Chopping Block in Lincoln Square in Chicago, IL, we made an incredibly, simple alternative--Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp, and instead of using pie crust, we topped pure filling with a delicious crumble! Super simple and a great way to stretch your college grocery budget!  

Makes 6 single serving (1 cup) ramekins!
Or, put the filling in to a pre-made pie-crust and top with crumble!
Or, place it all in a lightly buttered (8"x 8" or small "rectangular") Pyrex dish

Strawberry-Rhubarb Cup Crisps

Equipment:
Mixing Bowl
Ramekins or Pyrex Dish
Baking sheet
Parchment Paper

Ingredients:

For The Filling:
1 pint (1 lb) strawberries, quartered
1 pound rhubarb, largely chopped
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 Tbls cornstarch
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp salt
1 Tbls lemon juice

For The Crumble:
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup rolled "old-fashioned" oats
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
Pince of salt
1 stick cold butter, cubed

Topping:
Vanilla Ice Cream 
Whipped Cream

Instructions:
1. Wash your hands.
2. Preheat 375F degrees.
3. Stir together the strawberries, rhubarb, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and lemon.

4. Make your crumble, mixing the brown sugar, oats, flour and salt together.

5. Use your hands or a pastry cutter or 2 knives to incorporate cold butter to dry mixture.

6. Put it all together and fill your ramekins or baking dish.

7. Top your filling with an ice cream scoop size of crumble.

8. Place the ramekins or pyrex dish on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
9. Bake for 45 minutes until the filling is bubbling thru the golden brown crisp.

No Waste Left Behind: making Great Croutons

Doesn't it always seem that you buy a beautiful, fresh baguette or Italian Loaf, but are never capable of finishing it? You know that by the next morning you will have a "brick" of bread waiting for you--not chewy or crusty from a day ago--just inedible!  

Have a back up plan for maximizing that loaf of bread, and the $3 bucks it cost you! French Toast is an awesome option for breakfast; or, use it for Homemade Croutons instead of buying nasty, stale, powdered Ranch dressing bread cubes! Bonus: your salads will taste all the better!

Stretch your college grocery dollars with this ultra easy recipe I picked up from a cooking class with The Chopping Block in Chicago! Great classes with fantastic instructors in a fun, relaxing environment to learn basic cooking skills! Check them out this weekend. (Disclosure: I have no financial incentive to promote them)

DIY Croutons For Caesar (Any) Salad

Equipment:

Mixing bowl

Baking sheet

Parchment Paper (optional)

Ingredients:

3 cups Baguette or other white bread, torn or cut into bite-size pieces

Roasted Garlic Grapeseed Oil (use Regular Olive Oil and Fresh Garlic otherwise)

Salt & Pepper

Instructions:

1. Wash your hands!

2. Preheat oven to 375F degrees

3. Tear or cube your bread.

4. Combine bread in mixing bowl with drizzle of grapeseed oil. 

5. Bread should appear to be glistening once tossed with enough oil. 

6. Add salt & pepper.

7. Add herbs if you like. 

8. Spread onto baking sheet in single layer.

9. Bake 10 minutes until golden brown. 

10. While you are waiting, prep your Romaine Lettuce, Parmesan, and any protein you may be adding to it!

Fantastic condiment for the Caesar Salad  coming to the blog this week! Or any other salad!

Summer's Nectar: Agua Fresca

Forget the Vitamin Water and artificially flavored waters that drain your college  budget and offer little flavor. Yes...I am pushing more "water drinking" this summer as well as cutting out sodas from the college consumption this week on the blog, because so many great alternatives exist with seasonal produce, melons and fruit.

As the hot and humid weather begins to settle in, try out one of South America's most refreshing drinks: Agua Fresca. If you have a bowl, sieve, and blender...this is a cinch!

(I used a combination of recipes from Whole Foods, the Food Network, and my own ideas)

Watermelon-Mint Agua Fresca

Equipment:

Blender or bullet
(if you don't have a blender...mash it and strain it)

Ingredients:

1/2 medium ripe watermelon

3 cups ice cold water

Juice of one lime

1 Tbls agave syrup plus to taste

Extras:
--strawberries
--basil
--mint
--jalapeno slices

Instructions:

1. Wash your hands.

2. Chop watermelon in 1-2" chunks.

3. Pulse in batches in magic bullet or full blender.

4. Strain liquid mixture with mint and discard pulp.

5. Add lime juice. 

6. Add agave to taste.

7. Add herbs, ie mint or basil

7. Add extras here: strawberries, jalapeno, basil

8. Add to a glass filled with ice!