Fresh from the Oven: Banana Ice Cream

Hello All-

I recently stumbled across a recipe that was begging me to try it...I mean, it has one ingredient, so how could I say no??  What is this magic recipe??  Banana Ice Cream!!  I found the recipe online thanks to Pinterest, and it looked too good to be true!

In the summer, I find it hard to balance not having the oven on all the time, while also trying to find semi-nutritious desserts for the family.  It is so easy to fall into the sugary black hole of refreshing summer treats.  This recipe is the perfect response to the black hole.  You have the benefit of ice cream flavor and texture, while being super healthy. 

In a nutshell, here's how you make it...

First, you get 4 ripe bananas.  The more ripe, the more banana flavor you'll get.  Peel them and slice them into coins.  Place the coins on a cookie sheet (I lined mine with parchment) and place them in the freezer for no less than 2 hours.

Once they are frozen, place the coins into your food processor.

Start blending the bananas and occasionally scrape down the edges.  Before you get ice cream, you'll have banana "gravel".  I'm tempted to stop at this point some time for a topping on regular ice cream...yummy!!!

Keep blending and scraping, and soon you will see the yummy fruit whipping itself into ice cream!!

For some extra flavor, we added a spoonful of peanut butter, though my hubby thought it would be better plain (he isn't much of a banana and PB fan).  Other options would be cocoa powder, Nutella, chopped nuts, or hubby's suggested strawberry slices. 

I added a dollop of homemade whipped cream and some sprinkles on the top, and my 4-year old couldn't tell the difference!!!  She was so excited to be having ice cream and she loved the flavor!! 

I put all of the leftovers in a resealable container and popped it back in the freezer.  The banana flavor intensified after it had been frozen, but it was still easy enough to scoop.  I found that 4 average sized bananas made about a pint of ice cream. 

This recipe is great to use up ripe bananas, to have a healthy treat on hand, or for those who have dairy allergies.  The banana base is quite versatile and I can't wait to try new flavor combinations.

Happy Summer and Happy Eating!
Sharon

Fresh from the Oven: Ice Cream Bread 2.0

Hello All-
I hope you are all having a wonderful 4th of July!  One benefit of being an American living in Canada is that we get to celebrate two major country holidays back to back.  That also means double the yummy summer goodies!!!  If you find yourself getting invited to a last minute holiday BBQ, I highly suggest making up a loaf of Ice Cream bread!  I know I recently blogged about this awesome recipe, but we made a batch recently that was screaming for it's own blog post!!

As soon as I tasted the first batch of bread, I knew I wanted to try a chocolate version.  So, off to the store we went to get some super chocolate ice cream.  We settled on one called, Forbidden Chocolate Whirl. 

It came out AWESOME!!!  We used the bread as a base for a yummy Strawberry Shortcake with homemade whipped cream.  Let me tell you, on a hot summer night, it doesn't get much better than this!! 

Hannah was a big fan of the bread...much more so than the Maple Walnut version.  She liked that the chocolate bread didn't have nuts. 

So, if you need a dessert in a jiffy, give this one a try.  I know I'll be making a lot more batches in the future. 

Cheers!
Sharon

Fresh from the Oven: Ice Cream Bread

Hello All-

Here's another quicky recipe that will surely become a family favorite.  I had been seeing a recipe for Ice Cream Bread all over the web and I had to give a try. Hmmm…softened ice cream and self-rising flour? That’s it? It was too good to be true. I didn’t have either item in the pantry at the time, so off to the store we went. After much deliberation, we decided on Maple Walnut ice cream. The "Hungry Housewife" who shared the recipe online used Butter Pecan and said it was delicious as well.

This is a great recipe to try when you go grocery shopping and get home to find that your ice cream has started to soften up. If yours needs a bit of help melting, simply let it sit on the counter for a bit…or do what I did, put it in a glass bowl and let it sit on the stove top while the oven preheated…perfectly softened ice cream in no time!


I must say that this bread is delicious and just as easy as it claims to be! In 45 minutes we had slightly sweetened bread with a hint of maple flavor. I wish that more of the maple had come through though. I am anxious to try a stronger flavored ice cream, such as mint chocolate chip, to see if that makes a difference. In the meantime, we are gobbling ours down with some of my homemade apple-cinnamon butter on top. The two work together perfectly! This bread is a great sweet breakfast treat or dessert. The simplicity of it makes it a great go-to recipe for last-minute get-togethers. No one will ever believe what it is made of!

Happy Baking!!
Sharon