Banana Nice Cream

Sweets seem to get me in a whole lot of trouble. Do sweets whisper your name too? Are you guilty of gorging on chocolate, red velvet cake, cookies, and all manner of sweet stuff that tastes great going down, but forces you to run 4 miles to undo the damage. 

 

Oh? is it just me? LOL .Have you ever wanted a delicious dessert that wouldn't have you reaching in your closet for your fat pants the next morning? Do I have your attention?  What if I told you this sweet goodness only requires 1 ingredient and a good blender or food processor? Actually for me, it requires 3 ingredients because I'm funny like that, but all you need is some bananas, or nanners as I call them:-) Healthy and guilt free eating.  Dessert you can enjoy without having to unbutton your pants when you're done. This sweet treat is called...

Wait for it

"Nice Cream"

 

 You will need some fresh bananas. The riper they are the better. Brown and spotty is the best for making nice cream. 

I like to add a little almond butter just for a bit of extra flavor and texture. Peanut Butter also works very well if you don't have almond butter

I also add a hint of vanilla extract

 

Peel your bananas and slice into chunks. Freeze them and then you are ready to make a batch of nice cream. Even if you didn't add anything extra and just used very ripe bananas, you will have a healthy guilt free dessert. Finally a treat that is tasty and niiiiiiiiiiice to us.

 

 Hello Nice Cream

Ingredients 

3 large ripe bananas
3 Tablespoons almond butter (peanut butter works very well also)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Directions
Peel your bananas and cut into small chunks. Freeze bananas for a few hours until they are frozen solid. Take frozen bananas, add almond butter and vanilla and put in a blender, food processor, or nutri bullet. Pulse the blender or whatever you are using until the frozen bananas start to look smooth and creamy like soft serve ice cream.

Bon Appetit!

 

Frrrozen Hot Chocolate

If you have never tried frozen hot chocolate, you are surely missing out.  This frozen confection will make your days taste a whole lot sweeter and cool you off in the heat of summer. Chocolate, lots of whipped cream and more chocolate. Whats not to love? This recipe is from the dessert shop Serendipity in New York and if you live in New York and haven't tried this treat, it is worth a visit. And for those of us on the West Coast, we can enjoy this decadent treat and watch palm trees sway in our neck of the woods:-)

Ingredients

• 6 half-ounce pieces of a variety of your favorite chocolates
• 2 teaspoons store bought hot chocolate mix
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 3 cups ice
• Whipped cream
• Chocolate shavings

 Directions

Chop the chocolate into small pieces and place it in the top of a double boiler over simmering water, stirring occasionally until melted. Add the cocoa and sugar, stirring constantly until thoroughly blended. Remove from heat and slowly add 1/2 cup of the milk and stir until smooth. Cool to room temperature. 

In a blender place the remaining cup of milk, the room temperature chocolate mixture, and the ice. Blend on high speed until smooth and the consistency of a frozen daiquiri. Pour into a giant goblet and top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. Enjoy with a spoon or a straw. . . .or both! 

I love sweet treats and this delicious treat is a sweet escape. Welcome to my queendom:-)

 

Bon Appetit!

Pumpkin Pie Milkshake!

I have to tell you that this pumpkin pie milkshake is quite addictive! It is a little more mellow than the sweet potato pie milkshake recipe I posted earlier. You can see that recipe here.  This is smooth, creamy, rich and decadent with a hint of pumpkin and delicious spice, but this is not overpowering. The whipped cream really makes this even more delicious. I love serving these shakes in double shot glasses on a cute platter with mini pumpkins, or for another cute presentation, serve them with ginger snaps. Fabulously cute! The perfect unique Thanksgiving dessert!

 Doesn't this look creamy and delicious? It is!

Mini Pumpkins and orange straws add the perfect touch. the brown sugar rim is really tasty and for another twist, can rim the glass with graham cracker crumbs.

No, I don't play fair. Look at that sweet, sugary, yummy, delectable, brown sugar rim. Don't you want some?

Look at this scrumptious whipped cream....is your mouth watering yet?

BAM!

What are you waiting for? It's time to indulge!

Ingredients

3/4 cup milk

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon white sugar

3 cups vanilla ice cream

3/4 cup canned pumpkin

3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Mix the sugar, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice and milk and then pour into blender. Add remaining ingredients and blend on high speed until smooth. Immediately serve with whipped cream.

Sweet Potato Pie Ice Cream Shake Shots-

 

Although I am from Southern California, my roots are indeed southern.  In most households during the holiday season, the ubiquitous pumpkin pie always makes an appearance, but in my family, the sweet potato pie is the holy grail of holiday desserts. Most southerners know and love this delicious pie, but I recently realized that a large segment of society has slept on the sweet potato pie. Wake up everybody! You may never want to eat pumpkin pie after trying a sweet potato pie. The flavor is much more complex and robust than pumpkin, although I love pumpkin desserts as much as the next person, the sweet potato tastes amazing in a completely different way.  (pumpkin lovers, I have the perfect recipe for you too, come back later this evening:-)

For those that are unfamiliar with the sweet potato, it can be confusing because a yam is what is actually used to make sweet potato pie.  But we just call them sweet potatoes, when what we are really referring to is a yam. A true sweet potato is very light in color with a light skin, but a yam has a dark reddish skin and bright orange flesh.  It is very important to know the difference because if you don’t use a true yam, you will not have that deep earthy flavor.''

I was in my  kitchen experimenting and I thought to myself, 

hmmmm?????? I wonder what a sweet potato pie milkshake would taste like?  And then I thought this would make an outta sight dessert for Thanksgiving, but I was a little nervous about trying it.  Before I knew it, I had put the ingredients in a blender and then I poured it into a glass and took a big slurp through my straw and……Honey Sugah baby, this is some good stuff!  

When I told my mother I made a sweet potato pie milkshake, she looked at me like I had three heads, but when she took a sip she was pleasantly surprised:-)

Kitchen experiments are how I arrive at many of the delicious recipes I share with you. My friends, family, colleagues and even next door neighbors have all been my willing guinea pigs when I go to work in my creative lab (the kitchen). I bet you wish you lived next door to me!

The great thing about these cute little milkshake shots, is that they are perfect for just a taste of something decadent when you are beyond stuffed from all that turkey and dressing.

I like to make this look elegant by serving in double shot glasses rimmed with brown sugar. I also think it makes a great presentation with a dollop of whipped cream and nutmeg on top. You can also make this very adult by adding a shot of bourbon, which complements sweet potato beautifully.

 Ingredients

1 slice sweet potato pie, roughly chopped into pieces
3 cups vanilla ice cream
1 cup eggnog

A few ice cubes as needed

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
Whipped cream, for serving
brown sugar for rimming the glass

Blend together the pie pieces, vanilla ice cream, nutmeg and egg nog or milk in a blender. Add additional eggnog if needed to achieve desired consistency. Pour into a tall glass, top with whipped cream and a sprinkling of ground nutmeg or cinnamon. Serve immediately.

Note: you can substitute milk for the eggnog. If you substitute milk, add a tablespoon sugar. Add ice cubes if needed to obtain milkshake consistency.

 A delicious brown sugar rim is the perfect compliment

Fresh Whipped Cream and nutmeg really enhances the flavor

Add cute straws cut in half for an even nicer presentation

Stay tuned for the next delicious recipe!

Rose Water Ice Cream in Rose Petal Mint Leaf shot glasses

I am so excited to share with you my recipe for Rosewater Ice Cream. I discovered Rosewater Ice Cream several years back when a colleague who was from Persia introduced me to this wonderful treat. One day she walked into the office with this ice cream, but it did not look like ordinary ice cream, it looked super rich and creamy and had the consistency of Gelato. When I asked her what kind of ice cream she was eating, she said "Rosewater". My response to her was: "Rosewater? you mean this ice cream is made from rose petals? she said yes and I insisted she take me to this place with ice cream made from roses. We walked down the Sunset strip to Mashti Malones and I got to experience it for myself. All I could say was....WOW!

Through trial and error, I experimented and came up with this recipe. You only need a hint of rosewater. Traditional rosewater ice cream looks just like Vanilla ice cream, but I thought it would be pretty to tint the ice cream pink. I also made shot glasses out of rose petals and mint leaves. This makes such a stylish presentation and the possibilities are endless! You can use lemon slices or any fruit you like and sorbet or ice cream. If you don't have time to make the ice cream yourself, use store bought and then make the shot glasses for an amazing and stylish presentation. All you need is a shot glass mold, H2O, mint leaves and rose petals.  You can purchase the molds at Bed Bath and Beyond or any store that sells culinary supplies.

 This is all you need for the shot glasses. Add Water to the mold and place mint leaves and rose petals in the water. Make sure your rose petals are pesticide free.

Mint leaves add an extra special touch to these shot glasses

Rose petals add pizazz and elegance

 Rosewater

This is what the shot glass looks like after it has frozen overnight.  You could also serve a drink in these, but I love the idea of putting a frozen dessert or fruit in them. These melt very quickly. Place a beautiful towel or piece of fabric under the ice to catch the melting water.

Ice Ice Baby!

Isn't this beautiful?

Are you ready to make rosewater ice cream? Here we go!

Rosewater ice cream

Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
1 cup sugar
4 egg-yolks
1/3 tsp salt
1 tablespoon rosewater (you can purchase rosewater at any middle eastern grocery store)
Method:
Heat the milk and the sugar in a pot, take care not to boil it. When all the sugar melts, turn off the heat.
In a bowl, beat the egg yolks until foamy and add the heavy cream to it.

Add the warm milk-sugar mixture to the yolks-heavy cream mixture. Add the salt and the rosewater. Stir well.
Return the mixture to the pot and cook on medium heat. Keep stirring until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Cool mixture and pour into ice cream maker.

Rosepetal Ice Cream served in a rose and mint leaf shot glass, surrounded by rose petals and a 14K spoon. The good life......You betcha:-) You will feel like royalty when you enjoy this amazing treat and if you serve this at your next dinner party or any function where you want a little extra panache, your guests will feel like royalty too! Do you deserve such riches? ABSOLUTELY!!!!!

Strawberry Lemon Sorbet Sandwiches

When I think of refreshing desserts, sorbet is at the top of the list. These sorbet sandwiches are a nice twist on the usual ice cream sandwich. These are made with sugar cookies and delicious homemade sorbet. If you are pressed for time, this works just as well with store bought sorbet.



Fresh Lemons make this sorbet tart, sweet and refreshing!




Fresh Strawberries add the perfect sweetness




How cute are these?




Want some?




Ok, time to make sorbet sandwiches:-) Lets Go!

Strawberry Lemon Sorbet Sandwiches

Store bought or homemade sugar cookies.

Spread sorbet on sugar cookie and place another cookie on top. Press together.

Strawberry Lemon Sorbet

1 lemon, seeded and roughly chopped
2 cups sugar
2 pounds strawberries, hulled
Juice of 1 to 2 lemons

Note:  Add 2 teaspoons vodka or rum, it keeps the sorbet from freezing too solid.

1. Place the chopped lemon and sugar in a food processor, and pulse until combined. Transfer to a bowl.

2. Puree the strawberries in a food processor, and add to the lemon mixture, along with the juice of 1 lemon. Taste and add more juice as desired. The lemon flavor should be intense but should not overpower the strawberries. Pour the mixture into an ice cream machine and churn until frozen.

Lemon Sorbet

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon zest

Directions

Bring the water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat and cool.

Combine the sugar water with the lemon juice and the lemon zest and pout into the bowl of an ice cream machine. Freeze according to instructions. After the sorbet is made, transfer to an airtight container.



Pound Cake Sandwiches (Colorblock Dessert!)



Are you looking for a cold, refreshing and comforting dessert? These pound cake sandwiches will not disappoint! Sweet, Creamy, delicious sherbet nestled between two hunkin slices of pound cake make for a very delicious dessert. And its colorful and summery. During these warm months, my ice cream maker is always on overdrive as I whip up homemade ice creams, sorbets and sherbets.  I was pressed for time so I made the homemade pound cake and used store bought sherbet.  If you want to save time or just don't feel like baking a cake, you can use a store bought loaf pound cake and sherbet.

I know the moment I post a recipe, I instantly lose some of you until I post another fashion item. Who says food can't be fashionable? A color block dessert? Um, Yes Please!!!! This blog is about style at 360 and well, in my world that includes fabulous food!

Try serving this at your next barbecue or gathering. I guarantee you have a hit!

This is a quick and easy showstopping dessert! Don't you want some?

Pound Cake Sandwiches

Ingredients

1 cup  unsalted butter

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

5 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 cups sifted all purpose flour (sift 3 times before you measure it)

1 cup whipping cream

Directions:

Butter and flour or use nonstick spray on 2 9x5 loaf baking pans and set aside.

Cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer  until light and fluffly (approximately 4-5 minutes).

Stop once or twice to scrape down batter from sides of bowl and then add eggs one at a time beating slowly after each additon. Add one third of the flower mixture at low speed and add half the whipping cream. continue alternating flour and whipping cream and end with flour. Add vanilla and mix to combine. With rubber spatula scape down sides until completely mixed pour into loaf pans 2/3 full.

This cake does nor require a preheated oven. Put cake in unheated oven at 325 for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Oven times vary, so check at the 50 minute point. Depending on which oven I use, this cake gets done in under 1 hour, but in an oven that may not get as hot,it might take the whole 1 hour and 15 minutes.


It is scorching outside and I would love nothing more than for you to join me for pound cake sandwiches by my pool. How does that sound?

Me and my mini me are having this for dessert.  Life is Sweet!