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chocolate mint ice cream….and a vanilla giveaway!

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Did you know that July is Ice Cream Month in the United States? Not that I need an excuse to make or eat ice cream, but this is a good one!  I managed to convince hubby to make a little garden for me this year as well as an herb planter box. As much as I love having fresh veggies and herbs, I am no green thumb, so having hubby do this was quite the treat.  This year, we found a chocolate mint plant that we placed in our planter. The plant had a strong mint scent and flavour with a subtle hint of chocolate. It just seemed logical that this belonged in ice cream.  I let the leaves steep in the cream for a good while to get the perfect minty flavour.

Nielsen-Massey had sent me a bottle of their pure vanilla extract to try and this ice cream was the perfect vehicle for it. The vanilla, which was from Madagascar, was lovely! When smelling the vanilla and tasting it, there was no question that this was unlike any other.  The flavour was intense and provided the perfect addition to the ice cream.  Nielsen-Massey uses a cold extraction process which “gently extracts vanilla’s essential oils, preserving the
more than 300 distinctive flavor compounds present in the beans. By
protecting our vanilla from heat, we ensure that even its subtlest
flavors survive extraction.”

The folks at Nielsen-Massey are generously giving one of Food Mamma’s readers a chance to win a bottle of vanilla. Leave a comment below telling me what you like to use vanilla in. Facebook likes and Twitter follows will give you extra entries. Contest closes on July 25th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Chocolate Mint Ice Cream

4 cups heavy cream
1 large bunch of chocolate mint leaves
1 can condensed milk
1 TB vanilla

Place the heavy cream and the mint leaves in a pot and let it come to a boil. Turn down the heat and let the leaves steep in the cream for 30 – 45 minutes, until you get the flavour as strong as you would like. Place the mixture in the fridge until cooled. Once cooled, strain the leaves out and stir in the condensed milk and vanilla. Let the mixture cool again before placing in an ice cream machine.  Follow the directions of your machine. For a firmer ice cream, place in the freezer until set. Sprinkle with chocolate shavings if you prefer and serve.

stampede 101

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Despite the devastation of the recent flood, the Calgary Stampede went ahead as planned.  Thanks to the many volunteers, you could never guess that just a few weeks ago, the Stampede grounds were flooded.

We managed to make it to the grounds twice this year. Here’s a little glimpse of what we ate.

Milk and cookies. The cheapest deal on the grounds for only $1.
The Naaco TNT from the Naaco Truck. The ultimate indian snack. Made with cornflakes, chickpeas, puffed rice and other goodness topped with tamarind chutney. Yum!
Deep fried butter! Flaky pastry encompassing melted butter. A must try but definitely a shareable.
A jalapeno corn dog. We found a place on the grounds that made them with chicken/beef weiners.
Pineapple whip ice cream.
Good ole slurpee.

salted caramel ice cream & liquid nitrogen

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When we went to Teatro earlier this year for their tasting menu, we had one of the best desserts I have ever tasted – caramel ice cream made with liquid nitrogen. The ice cream was so creamy because it didn’t have time to form ice crystals the way it does with a traditional method.  It was amazing!

R and P were with us that night and they asked if we could attempt the ice cream for one of their wedding events last week. Getting to make and eat ice cream and getting to play with liquid nitrogen, how could we say no!

I searched for a recipe and found a great one from Charmian from The Messy Baker.  I made a couple changes, omitting the milk and using only cream.

Making the ice cream on the spot with the liquid nitrogen provided some entertainment while people waited for dessert.  Everyone seemed intrigued with the cloud of smoke coming from the standmixer as the cream and sugar liquid turned into a frozen delight.  The resulting ice cream was delicious and creamy. Definitely a fun and entertaining way to make ice cream.


Congratulations R and P!! Wishing you both a lifetime of happiness!

Salted Caramel Ice Cream

1 1/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
3 1/2 cup whipping cream, divided
1/2 tsp fleur de sel, or any sea salt

In a large pot, heat 1 cup of sugar over medium heat. Stir gently until the sugar starts to melt. When it does, stop stirring but continue to cook the sugar, swirling the skillet occasionally to ensure the sugar melts evenly. The caramel is done when it turns dark amber.

Immediately remove the pan from heat and carefully stir in 1 1/4 cups cream. Continue cooking until all the caramel has dissolved. Pour the caramel into a bowl. Add sea salt and vanilla. Allow the caramel to cool to room temperature. This caramel is delicious, try to save some for the ice cream.

Meanwhile, bring the remaining cream, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar just to a boil. Allow to simmer 15 minutes then set aside to cool.

When both the cream mixture and caramel have cooled to room temperature, remove the skin from the cream mixture and stir it into the caramel. Refrigerate until ready for ice cream.

With your mixer running, add the liquid nitrogen in batches until you get it to ice cream consistency. Be extremely careful when using the liquid nitrogen.

stampede breakfast and leftover popcorn

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Wow, it’s been a crazy day! We started off our day at the Ismaili Stampede Breakfast. Hard to believe that this annual tradition is already in its 17th year! The crowd was addressed by Premier Redford, everyone’s favourite Mayor and Commander Hadfield. I think everyone was excited to see a real life astronaut!

We were served up some good Stampede grub, pancakes, but also some eggs and bharazi, an East African dish.

Although our week was just as crazy, we managed to squeeze in a movie. Q was so excited to see Despicable Me 2 and so we went with his cousins to the movies. How cute are those minions!

I love the movies! I always get some popcorn, because really, movies and popcorn go hand in hand. I always have so much leftover though and find myself snacking on it for days. While snacking on my salt and vinegar/white cheddar popcorn today, I was reminded of Julie’s recipe for Sriracha Caramel Popcorn. Of course, I had to make some and I’m so glad I did. The hint of heat hit you after you got the bit of sweet. It was just the snack I was looking for. Check out the recipe here.

raspberry cream cheese frosting

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Today’s my sister-in-law’s birthday – Happy Birthday R!! As much as she didn’t want to celebrate, we did convince her that cake was in order. Her cake of choice was one of my faves, red velvet. I decided to change up the frosting a little and use some of the great raspberries that we have been enjoying.

With the weather being nice and hot, and not really conducive to frosting, I kept the consistency perfect for spreading. For a stiffer icing that you can pipe, just add a little more icing sugar.

The icing was yummy and complemented the red velvet cupcakes perfectly. With lots leftover, it will be hard to not go dunking everything in it!

Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting

1 block cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup raspberries, mashed with a fork
1 1/2 to 2 cups icing sugar

Cream the cream cheese and butter together until nice and smooth. Add the raspberries and mix again. With your mixer on, slowly incorporate the icing sugar until you reach the desired consistency.

spicy ranch roasted red pepper dip

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While playing in the kitchen once again with the ranch dressings from Hidden Valley Ranch, I thought it would be fun to makeover one of our regulars – roasted red pepper dip.  The addition of the Spicy Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing added a punch and made the beloved dip even better! The dressing provided just the right amount of heat and tang.

Spicy Ranch Roasted Red Pepper Dip

1 red pepper
1 tsp garlic, minced
2 TB Hidden Valley Spicy Ranch
1/4 cup mayonnaise
salt
pepper
olive oil

Quarter the red pepper and place on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. At this point, you can remove the skin, but I prefer to leave it on.

In a blender, blend together the garlic and roasted red pepper. Add the Spicy Hidden Valley Ranch dressing along with the mayonnaise and blend a final time.

wasabi ranch glazed panko-crusted salmon

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The clean up in Calgary is underway and it has been amazing to see everyone chip in one way or another to get the city up and running. Despite the fact that the Stampede grounds were affected in a huge way with the flood, the Calgary Stampede will go ahead, “come hell or high water”. The greatest show on earth will go on!

I was excited to be asked to participate once again in Hidden Valley Ranch‘s Ranchify Recipe Challenge.  Last year, I submitted cheesy ranch fried pickles, spicy ranch shrimp kebabs, and cherry tomato ranch meatballs. I had fun creating recipes again this year, one of them being the wasabi ranch glazed panko-crusted salmon (whoa, that’s a mouthful!).  Ned Bell will be judging all the recipes and will demo the winning recipe at the Calgary Stampede.

Salmon is a great go-to, especially since Q eats it without complaining. Paired with a salad, it’s a quick and tasty meal.

The ranch dressing went really well with the wasabi and the soya sauce combined with the panko created a delicious Japanese-inspired meal. The salmon was moist and the wasabi ranch glaze added a huge amount of flavour. This will definitely be making the rounds again.

Wasabi Ranch Glazed Panko-Crusted Salmon

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
Zest of 1/2 lemon
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 TB soya sauce
3 TB Hidden Valley Ranch dressing
1/4 tsp wasabi
salmon
Olive oil
Sesame seeds

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the dressing and the wasabi and put a layer of the mixture on the salmon filets.

Combine the panko with the zest, garlic and soya sauce.  Press the breadcrumbs on the salmon filets on top of the layer of ranch dressing.

Heat oil in an oven-ready pan. When hot, place the salmon filet, skin side down and sear until the skin is brown. Drizzle olive oil on top of the breadcrumbs and place in the oven until cooked.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve with salad.
 

calgary flood

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It’s been so hard to believe what has been happening the last few days in my hometown of Calgary and other places in Alberta. The rivers raged and overflowed and I don’t think anyone could have guessed the destruction the flooding would cause.

We were the lucky ones, not directly being affected but thousands were not. Downtown was evacuated and many people were displaced.  Homes were lost, arenas were damaged, cars floated away, but through it all, the spirit of Calgary was not dampened.

  

It has been amazing to see all the people come together during this crisis. From our awesome mayor and the hardworking public servants to the generosity of so many, the response from the community has been amazing – THANK YOU!

happy birthday to my sister!

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It’s my sister’s birthday today! Wishing she was here so that we could celebrate her big day. Instead, my sister is living her dream, working in the developing world, trying to make a difference. 

Wishing my beautiful sister the happiest of birthdays!  Can’t wait to celebrate with you soon. Love you!