07-15-2013

Chocolate Icecream Shell

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I have always assumed it would be near impossible to replicate the shell magic you get at your local grocery store. However, when Dale Esau came home from IceCream Sundae Day at school and announced “Mom, we had the coolest MAPLE SYRUP on our icecream…it hardens when you put it on the icecream!” I knew I had to find a way to make this. (And, yes, I knew I had to fess up that it wasn’t maple syrup he’d been eating!)

What I couldn’t believe was how incredibly simple it was to replicate!

Melt chocolate with coconut oil and you have one of the easiest syrups you’ll ever make. The secret is coconut oil solidifies once its temperature drops below 76 degrees F. So you temper the chocolate and oil in the microwave and once the ‘syrup’ touches the icecream it solidifies. And it tastes sinfully delicious, just like the stuff in the grocery store, minus all the artificial and unwanted ingredients!

Chocolate Icecream Shell
2-3 servings

2 Tbsp chocolate chips
1 Tbsp coconut oil

Combine ingredients in small glass bowl and microwave for 20 seconds. Stir and then microwave another 15 seconds. Stir well and then drizzle all over your icecream!

NOTES: This recipe does not double well, so stick with the quantities listed. Luckily, it is very simple to make should you need to eat more icecream! Also, depending upon your microwave, you may need to use less cooking time. You do not want your chocolate chips to be completely melted from the microwave. This is why you stir the final time. It all has to do with tempering the chocolate, etc. etc.

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Enjoy!!!

Jessica

P.S. I’m now attempting a syrup to make chocolate milk. The shell obviously wouldn’t work in milk, but as evidenced below, we had fun experimenting!

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04-20-2012

Plant a lettuce box for Earth Day

Want to celebrate Earth Day (Sunday) with your kids? What about…

Growing lettuce is so easy & simple and you get rewarded fresh food pretty quickly! Instant gratification seems to be a need of the kids I know.

You can either keep your lettuce small (above), which would then be called microgreens. Cut them at the very bottom every few days. You get more intense flavor this way.

Or allow to grow larger, as we’ve done with our romaine (Cinnamaron variety) below.

This is the first year I’ve tried micro-greens and they are tasty! You start these from regular seed but are just harvesting a lot more early & frequently.

And perhaps throw in an extra veggie besides the lettuce? I’m trying to grow cucumber (Green Apple variety) upside down this year – and it appears to be working!

ENJOY your weekend outside with family, friends, and nature!

Love,

Jess

04-18-2012

What to do with all these strawberries???

(You’ll probably think I’m crazy after you read the following first sentence, or maybe you already think I am!, but I promise….there are many uses for strawberries!)

I just got back from picking 35 pounds of strawberries!!!!!! Yes, I’m sure you are thinking….what in the world would make someone pick that many and how in the world will she eat them all???

Well, here goes… Last summer we picked about 20 pounds of strawberries and they lasted us about 8 months. So this year, I’m trying to get enough to last us the whole year through. Think I have enough??

The reason I do this, is because U-Pick farms have strawberries at a much lower price, you get more nutrients from the fruit because there is minimal time from farm to table, you get dirt in your toes (have you figured out yet that I really like dirt?), and it provides a great outdoor activity for the kids!

So how much lower is the price?? Maple Ridge Farms, the U-pick farm I LOVE, has their strawberries at $1.50/pound and if you buy more than 20 pounds, the price is $1.25/pound! So its’ a no-brainer for me! Pick away!!

But what to do with all of these strawberries? By the time we get home I am seeing red, red, and more red, and I begin to ponder…maybe I really am crazy?

#1. Berry Jam…the best part about making jam is that the berries do not have to be fresh, you can use frozen. So just freeze, see below for notes on that, and then save making jam for a day when you have more time.

#2. Fruit Smoothies…we make fruit smoothies all the time. We just throw in whatever berries and fruit we have on hand, add some yogurt, and 100% juice, and puree away.

#3. Eat them frozen, straight from the bag…(blaming a little sister for going through the strawberries so fast last year – she  probably ate 2 gallon size bags by herself in the 6 weeks she lived with us!)

#4. Let defrost and eat with a fork….yes, they will be mushy and your kids might protest but why not start early teaching kids about the seasonality of eating local produce and if they want to eat strawberries in December, then there has to be a compromise….they’ll still get that same flavor but the consistency will be different.

#5. Berry Muffins

#6.  Top homemade Belgium waffles with them and icecream

#7. Cobbler, Pies, Scones, the dessert list could go on & on

#8. Strawberry soup perhaps??? Not really sure of any other ideas at this point!

To preserve the fruit, you first rinse off in a cold water bath in your sink, then you hull them with a magic strawberry huller and then slice to desired size and place in a gallon sized ziploc freezer bag.

And yes, we do have a stand alone freezer in our garage that we use for storage.

If you live in the Lowcountry and have a strawberry craving, I suggest Maple Ridge Farms in Canadys, SC…they have the perfect soil for growing sweet fruit and their strawberries are not dusty & dirty because they do not have the sandy soil you find on the islands around Charleston. The farm is in Colleton County, about an hour drive from Charleston, but I think its well worth it. Fritz and his wife are so down to earth and enjoy talking to you about how they farm the land.

The strawberries should be around for another month and at this point, near the end of the season, they are sweeter!

Other U-Pick Farms in the Charleston area…Ambrose Farms and Boone Hall Plantation.

For U-Pick Farms throughout the US, check out the Pick Your Own website.

You may have decided I’m crazy for picking 35 pounds, but hopefully this post will inspire you to pick some berries this summer!

And if you have any suggestions of how I can use up all these strawberries, I’d love to hear!!!

Happy Fruit Eating Season!

Jessica

03-27-2012

Who’s special day is it really?

HIP HIP HOORAY!!!

It’s my kid’s birthdays today and I am SO estatic!!! It means that I’ve somehow survived the last 4 years intact….or rather, the kids are still intact. And I’m sure you’re asking yourself…I didn’t realize she had twins. Well, I don’t….they just happen to have been born on the same day, 2 years apart! Crazy, right?

So if you don’t know me personally, let me explain what I think of birthdays…I think they are the most awesome, most wonderful day in the entire year. It is a day devoted to YOU and you get to do WHATEVER you want. So naturally, I love my kids birthday…almost as most as mine. It’s a day for cupcakes, popsicles, balloons, playing at the park, and favorite dinners…oh wait, that’s probably pb&j,and  not the roast chicken I had in mind.

So here’s to a preschooler & toddler who light up my world, drive me crazy as often as they make me smile, but who I wouldn’t give up for anything in this world.

Happy Birthday to all the birthday kids out there today!

Jess

02-01-2012

Valentines Wreaths

I LOVE VALENTINES DAY!

What is not to love about this holiday???  There is no dress requirement….none of the… you need matching outfits for your kids or you need to create some crazy costume that will be worn for a whopping 5 minutes. And, there is no hosting a huge elaborate meal at your house. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love having people over to my house, but sometimes wouldn’t it be nice if there was just one holiday where it wasn’t a requirement??? Oh wait, there is a holiday like that……..Valentines Day!

Some of you may be thinking….but I don’t have anyone special to spend the day with…that’s not true…you have yourself. You are special just being you and you don’t need anyone else to make you special. And, if you don’t have a ‘love’ in your life this year, I bet you do have some friends who would love to receive a note in the mail saying how much you appreciate their friendship.

I really cannot explain how giddy I get talking and thinking about Valentines Day. I wish ya’ll could see my smile. It is exuberant.

So to the point of this post…

My son was lamenting that we didn’t have a wreath on our door since we had taken down the Christmas decorations, so we got crafty and made a Valentines wreath. (I have learned since having kids or at least a boy that craft time really means a chance for me to cut and glue as my son’s attention span for crafts lasts about 30 seconds!)

So here is a handy dandy tutorial that I hope will get your crafty senses flowing!

Gather up all your craft supplies and try to keep your child from sniffing the rubber cement!

Tie the ribbon on first.

Then cover with felt for a background, using rubber cement to glue the felt together. I had planned to glue the hearts directly onto the felt but I couldn’t find a glue that would work for that, not even rubber cement. So we improvised and glued strips of paper together.

Now, cut out some hearts in any shape, size, and color you want and glue to your hearts content! We added glittery pom poms on because they were too fun and cute not too.

For the second wreath, it is pretty standard with just cut out hearts and stamps but I have these two tips…
1….Lay out the hearts in the desired shape on your table first. This helps position everything when ready to glue.
2….Use the old school Elmer’s glue, not glue sticks, for glueing the hearts together. You don’t have to move the hearts around so much with the old school stuff.

I hope these wreaths give you some inspiration for craft time at your house!

And…Do you enjoi Valentines Day or think it’s just another Hallmark Holiday?

Have a great night!

Jessica