Triple Vanilla Ice Cream.

Vanilla ice cream is definitely one of  my favorite flavor of ice cream. I like to try sample at every ice cream shop I visit, to see if I have found the vanilla ice cream. So far my search has found some pretty good vanillas, and some pretty mediocre vanilla ice creams. By far, the standard of my comparison has been the storebought super premium ice cream, Double Rainbow. Since trying this ice cream, no other vanilla I've tried has stacked up to it's incredibly creamy, smooth, bright and comforting vanilla flavor.

So when I whipped up this ice cream last weekend, I thought that it would come out very well, but I didn't know how well. Even before pouring this ice cream into the ice cream maker to freeze, I knew this batch was special. It tastes like a dream, scoops like a dream, and melts like a dream (unlike some homemade ice creams which just seem to melt right away, or to never melt at all). I have to admit, it certainly rivals the amazing taste of Double rainbow, which is a feat in and of itself. I will definitely be making more vanilla ice cream exactly like this. Below is a photo from my brother's birthday celebration.

Since the vanilla sugar and cream are simmered together (in order to dissolve the sugar), the final product as a slight caramel taste! No doubt if you simmered the cream and sugar longer, you could easy make a dulche de leche version.

Triple Vanilla Ice Cream.
    makes two quarts

    6 oz  vanilla sugar - source or make your own
    4 cups (1 quart)  raw cow's milk cream
    1  vanilla bean
    1 Tbsp  vanilla extract
    1 Tbsp  coconut flour - source
    5  egg yolks
    1/2 tsp  unrefined sea salt

To make your ice cream:
  1. In a small sauce pan, combine sugar and 1 cup cream. Turn on high heat, bring almost to a boil, when first bubbles appear at sides reduce heat to simmer, and simmer, stirring frequently, for about 5-10 minutes. Mixture will thicken, coat the back of a spoon, and be caramel-like when ready. Remove from heat and allow to cool (this may take a while).
  2. In a separate bowl, combine coconut flour, salt, vanilla bean flecks, and egg yolks. Mix until yellow and thick. Add vanilla extract. Whisk in remaining 3 cups cream. Slowly add the cooled vanilla sugar mixture, whisking constantly.
  3. Add to your ice cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturers instructions. Mine churned for about 25 minutes. This ice cream comes out perfectly straight from the ice cream maker. Freeze overnight before scooping for hard ice cream. No need to remove ice cream from freezer for 10 minutes before serving. It's scoopable as is!
  4. This ice cream is so delicious, serve with your favorite brownies, chocolate sauce, nuts or whipped cream. Or you can serve along mint cake, like I did here! Enjoy :)

Want some cake with your ice cream? Try my grain-free chocolate cake! It's super easy, just make sure to follow instructions and to both grease and flour the pan.

Other ice creams I've made:
- Original vanilla ice cream - my first attempt, these basic proportions are what I use as a "template" for making all my other ice cream recipes
- French vanilla ice cream
- Chocolate ice cream
- Chocolate peanut butter ice cream

Have a lovely summer day!

Real Chocolate Ice Cream.

I got an ice cream maker for my birthday a few years ago, and I've put it to good use!  It's been so fun to experiment with different ice cream recipes.  Some have been really good, and some have been, not so good.  Several batches have come out too sweet, not sweet enough, or too icy or crumbly and hard as rock.  But this summer I think I've got the whole process down!  I am so happy with this recipe.  It's incredibly scoopable and you don't need to remove it from the freezer for any amount of time before serving.  It's texture is fantastic and the sweetness is just right.  

Real Chocolate Ice Cream.
   makes 2 quarts

    1 pt  raw cream
    2 cups  raw whole milk
    4  egg yolks
    1 T  arrowroot starch
    1/2 cup  cocoa powder
    1/2 cup  raw honey
    1 T  vanilla
    5 dashes  unrefined sea salt

To make your ice cream:
  1.  Combine all ingredients in a blender.
  2.  Pour into ice cream maker and freeze per manufacturers instructions.
  3.  Freeze overnight until hard.
  4.  Serve  and  enjoy! Try it with fresh whipped cream and chocolate sauce.  Or top it with peanut butter!!

Mhmm. The goodness is beginning to melt! YUM.

I like to freeze my ice cream in leftover yogurt containers! They are the perfect size, and I can put equal amounts in two 32 ounce containers.  Eat one, save one (shove it in the back).  In a few months you'll have several types of ice cream to choose from waiting for you in the freezer!

Chocolate not your style? Check out my other flavors:

Homemade French Vanilla Ice Cream
Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream
Peanut Butter Frozen Yogurt

Grain-free Buche de Noel aka Yule Log.

Grain-free Yule log unfrosted.

This year I promised I would make a grain-free yule log.  I knew that it could potentially be wrought with problems, but I was going to do it anyways.  I like to defy difficulty, shake my fist at hard culinary feats, and say happily "I conquered the ___" [insert hard culinary endeavor here].  Therefore, I was determined that the cake would roll well, it would be delicious, it would have a good chocolate taste that would allow the cake to be eaten on it's own, and it wouldn't turn into a grumpy crumbly mess of cake when sliced or eaten.  It would be a cake that tasted normal, not overly dense and full of almond flour, or that sometimes eggy coconut flour taste.  I mentioned this in my last post, when I showed you all just how exactly to make a yule log with step by step photos, sure to help even the most novice baker acheive yule log success.

During Christmas time I always make two logs.  One yule log to bring to the extended family, and one enjoy with my immediate family.  And thank goodness my family lives in the Northeast.  When I come home for the holidays and bake it's always super convenient to have an "extra fridge" and "freezer space," also known as outside in the cold garage, to keep all the Christmas goodies fresh when there's no room in the refrigerator.  This year I was determined to make a delicious grain-free yule log.  And I've done it.  Best of all, I like it better than my standard gluten-free version which has always worked so well.  I also inadvertently made this recipe without refined sugar.  Turns out we had none in the house!  How cool :)  Luckily I had some coconut/palm sugar on hand, and it worked very well instead of white sugar.

The uncut side before frosting.

 Grain-free Yule Log aka Buche de Noel.
    makes one log, serves 12-14 people with about 1" slices

Cake:

    5  happy eggs, from grass-fed chickens

    3/4  cup almond flour - source
    1/4  cup organic coconut flour - source

    1 1/4  tsp baking powder - source

    3/4  cup coconut/palm sugar - source

    1/2  tsp unrefined sea salt - source

    1/4  cup cocoa powder - source

    1  tsp vanilla - source

    2  cups raw milk cream (for inside)

    1  deep cookie sheet 10x15 (edges of the pan need to be at least an inch tall)

    real butter, from grass-fed cows (for greasing the pan) - source

    wax paper

    organic powdered sugar (for dusting)

    1  tea cloth (I used an old linen calendar)

Chocolate Outside layer: feel free to use your most favorite chocolate frostingrecipe, or either of the recipes listed here

    Chocolate frosting
    2   cups organic powdered sugar

    1/4   cup cocoa powder

    1 1/2   sticks grass-fed butter, softened

    6   Tbsp raw whole milk
OR
    Dark chocolate ganache/buttercream**
    1/4  cup hot water

    1/4  cup cocoa powder
    8  oz unsweetened chocolate - source
    1/2  cup chocolate chips - source
    1/2  tsp unrefined sea salt
    1  Tbsp vanilla
    2  sticks grass-fed butter, softened
    2  cups organic powdered sugar

Prepping for the Yule Log:

    1.  Preheat to 400 degrees.

    2.  Place the cookie sheet in front of you.  Take a hunky of soft room temperature butter in your fingers and rub it onto the bottom and sides of the cookie sheet, enough to grease it very well, but not in excess.  The most important thing to keep in mind here is that this step is designed to prevent sticking, so better to err on the more greased side than not enough.  Make sure to cover all the surfaces of the sheet, especially all the corners and sides.  The cookie sheet should look shiny and feel slimy.

    3.  Measure out a piece of wax paper to fit the pan, and place it on the buttered cookie sheet.  Press the wax paper down onto the sheet so it fits into corners and stays put to the edges.  The wax paper will stick to the cookie sheet since it is covered in butter.  It will also hang off the sides a little.  It does not have to be perfect, but you will need a few inches on both sides of the pan to remove the paper from the cake after baking, so don't cut off the ends too short.

    4.  Butter the top of the wax paper that you just pressed into the buttered sheet.  This makes a total of two layers of butter, one on the sheet and one on the wax paper, like this: sheet - butter - paper - butter.

Making the cake:

    5.  Using an upright stand mixer, add 5 eggs and sea salt, and beat until thick, glossy and lemon colored. Don't worry if it has bubbles, but don't try to make them.

    6.  In another small bowl, mix sugar and cocoa powder together.  Gradually add this mixture to the eggs, beating well after each addition.  Then add the vanilla.

    7.  In another small bowl (you can use the same one that you mixed the sugar and cocoa powder in), mix together both flours and the baking powder.  Add this gradually to the egg-cocoa mixture and beat until smooth.  Thoroughly scrape the sides to make sure all the ingredients become incorporated.  The batter may be a little thin or slightly thick depending your ingredients.  Either is fine and will not affect the final product.

    8.  Pour the batter evenly into the greased/waxed papered pan; smooth batter with a spatula, do not neglect the corners.

    9.  Bake for 10-12 minutes (usually it will be on the quicker side, but some ovens run hotter than others).  Cake will feel spongy to the touch, but is cooked through.

Assembly:

    10.  While the cake is baking, lay out a tea towel and sprinkle it generously with powdered sugar.

    11.  When the cake is done, remove it from the oven and loosen the edges of the cake.  Grasping the edges of the pan, flipping out the cake, wax paper and all, onto the sugar covered towel.  Do this fast- take it out, and tip it right over.

    12.  Gently peel off the wax paper from the cake and carefully roll up the cake in the towel.

    13.  Let the cake cool on the counter wrapped in the towel.  This is an important step to make the rolled shape. 

    14.  While the cake is cooling, whip up the cream.  I highly recommend putting the attachments and mixing bowl in the fridge or freezer while you prepare the cake, then all the utensils will be really cold for whipping the cream, and the cream will whip up more easily.  

    15.  When the cake has cooled, gently unroll it (do not force it flat) and frost the inside with the freshly whipped cream.  Then carefully roll it back up, but without the tea towel this time.

    16.  Gently lift the yule log and place it on the platter you plan to serve it.  Cut off one of the ends, or both if it gets a little burnt or if it is uneven.  If some cream squirts out of the log during cutting, just spoon it into the stump and frost over it.  Once you fill the log with whipped cream, return it to the cold so the cream doesn't go flat.

    17.  Make the chocolate frosting with your stand mixer:
           For normal chocolate frosting, proceed as you would for making any regular type of frosting.  Frost the log.
       **For making the dark chocolate buttercream:
       1) In a bowl, beat the butter,  2) then add the sugar and beat until fluffy.
       3) Melt the two types of chocolate in a double boiler.
       4) Boil water and in a small bowl combine hot water and cocoa powder.
       5) Let the hot water and cocoa cool until finger can be comfortably inserted into the chocolate without feeling too hot.
       6) Carefully add melted chocolate and hot cocoa to butter and sugar.
       7) Beat to combine until creamy and smooth.  Frost the log.  Log should not be very cold otherwise the dark chocolate butter cream may harden and not be spreadable.

    18.  Using one of the rolled up ends, place it on top of the log to mimic a stump.  Frost the stump.  

    19.  Decorate however you like.  The traditional way is to sprinkle coconut on top of the chocolate frosting to look like snow.  Fork marks in the frosting make the log textured and resemble bark.  You can also put some red and green MMs on top near the stump to look like berries and leaves.  If you do not have MMs or cannot eat them (I cannot) then just use whatever you can.  Have fun with it!  I have even used strawberries before!

    20.  Put the yule log in the fridge to set overnight.  Before serving, remove from the fridge for about 30 minutes.  Slice into half inch or one inch slices.  Serve with homemade vanilla ice cream.  Yule log freezes VERY well and stays good in the fridge for about 2 weeks.  Enjoy!

More posts on Yule Log:

Gluten-free Buche de Noel / Yule log - with step by step photos!
Gluten-free Yule log - my first one 3 years ago! 

View of the cut end - the cut off end makes the stump!

Enjoy your grain-free Yule Log.  My family sure did :)  We whittled it down slowly but surely and savored ever bite!  And don't forget to serve it with some homemade vanilla ice cream!

Gluten-free Yule Log / Buche de Noel - Step by Step with photos

When planning the menu for your own Christmas day meal or holiday party out, it can be really difficult!  Usually everyone wants to bring their own traditional or favorite dish to holiday gatherings, but with all of these Christmas parties going on, it's hard to bring what you truly would like, since sometimes there simply is not time to do it all.  At some point it's just easier to throw in the towel and make something really easy like nourishing protein bars, trail mix or deviled eggs.  

In my family, it is tradition to have what we call yule log, or more commonly known as a Buche de noel.  Yule log is a thin, rolled cake filled usually filled with fresh whipped cream, covered and decorated with buttercream and shredded coconut as "snow."  The process, however, can look a little daunting since it requires baking the cake, flipping it out onto a towel, rolling it up, rolling it back out, filling it up and assembling the log.  For a novice baker, this several step process can be a challenge, but if you make your game plan ahead of time and enlist the help of your favorite "sous" chef, the whole process can go smoothly and is actually a lot of fun.  It is honestly not as scary as it looks.  My mom and I can whip up a Yule log quite efficiently now :)  In fact, for my mom and dad's wedding, per my dad's request, my grandmother made yule logs from scratch!!  They've been married 32 years this month!

Yule log "pre" frosting.

Here's the recipe - I've posted the text below, and there are now pictures also with step-by-step instructions.  For yule log success, read through all ingredients and instructions before beginning.  You will want to lay out some tools in preparation for each step.  The recipe will easily serve 12 or more people, depending on how think you slice it, but it also freezes very well and will keep in the fridge for about a week.  So don't worry if you can't consume the whole thing, leftovers stay good!

Gluten free Yule Log / Buche de Noel

    makes one log, serves 12-14

Cake:

    4  happy eggs, from grass-fed chickens

    3/4  cup Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Baking Flour and 1 Tbsp coconut flour (both to total 3/4 cup)

    1 1/4  tsp baking powder

    1/2  tsp xanthan gum

    3/4  cup organic cane sugar

    1/2  tsp sea salt

    2  heaping Tbsp cocoa powder  (I used Ghirardelli Unsweetened)

    1  tsp vanilla

    2  cups raw milk cream (for inside)

    1  deep cookie sheet 10x15 (edges of the pan need to be at least an inch tall)

    real butter, from grass-fed cows (for greasing the pan) - see ingredients page for sources

    wax paper

    organic XXX sugar (for dusting)

    1  tea cloth (I used an old linen calendar)

Chocolate Frosting: feel free to use your favorite recipe, or use my estimates

    2   cups confection sugar

    1/4   cup cocoa powder

    1 1/2   sticks grass-fed butter, softened

    6   Tbsp raw whole milk

Prepping for the Yule Log:

    1.  Preheat to 400 degrees.

    2.  Place the cookie sheet in front of you.  Take a hunky of soft room temperature butter in your fingers and rub it onto the bottom and sides of the cookie sheet, enough to grease it very well, but not in excess.  The most important thing to keep in mind here is that this step is designed to prevent sticking, so better to err on the more greased side than not enough.  Make sure to cover all the surfaces of the sheet, especially all the corners and sides.  The cookie sheet should look shiny and feel slimy.

    3.  Measure out a piece of wax paper to fit the pan, and place it on the buttered cookie sheet.  Press the wax paper down onto the sheet so it fits into corners and stays put to the edges.  The wax paper will stick to the cookie sheet since it is covered in butter.  It will also hang off the sides a little.  It does not have to be perfect, but you will need a few inches on both sides of the pan to remove the paper from the cake after baking, so don't cut off the ends too short.

    4.  Butter the top of the wax paper that you just pressed into the buttered sheet.  This makes a total of two layers of butter, one on the sheet and one on the wax paper, like this: sheet - butter - paper - butter.

Making the cake:

    5.  Using an upright stand mixer, add 4 eggs and sea salt, and beat until thick, glossy and lemon colored. Don't worry if it has bubbles, but don't try to make them.

    6.  In another small bowl, mix sugar and cocoa powder together.  Gradually add this mixture to the eggs, beating well after each addition.  Then add the vanilla.

    7.  In another small bowl (you can use the same one that you mixed the sugar and cocoa powder in), mix together the xanthan gum, flour and baking powder.  Add this gradually to the egg-cocoa mixture and beat until smooth.  Thoroughly scrape the sides to make sure all the ingredients become incorporated.  The batter may be a little thin or slightly thick depending your ingredients.  Either is fine and will not affect the final product.

    8.  Pour the batter evenly into the greased/waxed papered pan; smooth batter with a spatula, do not neglect the corners.

    9.  Bake for 10-12 minutes (usually it will be on the quicker side, but some ovens run hotter than others).  Cake will feel spongy to the touch, but is cooked through.

Assembly:

10.  While the cake is baking, lay out a tea towel and sprinkle it generously with powdered sugar.

    11.  When the cake is done, remove it from the oven and loosen the edges of the cake.  Grasping the edges of the pan, flipping out the cake, wax paper and all, onto the sugar covered towel.  Do this fast- take it out, and tip it right over.

    12.  Gently peel off the wax paper from the cake and carefully roll up the cake in the towel.

    13.  Let the cake cool on the counter wrapped in the towel.  This is an important step to make the rolled shape. 

    14.  While the cake is cooling, whip up the cream.  I highly recommend putting the attachments and mixing bowl in the fridge or freezer while you prepare the cake, then all the utensils will be really cold for whipping the cream, and the cream will whip up more easily.  

    15.  When the cake has cooled, gently unroll it (do not force it flat) and frost the inside with the freshly whipped cream.  Then carefully roll it back up, but without the tea towel this time.

    16.  Gently lift the yule log and place it on the platter you plan to serve it.  Cut off one of the ends, or both if it gets a little burnt or if it is uneven.  If some cream squirts out of the log during cutting, just spoon it into the stump and frost over it.

    17.  Make the chocolate frosting with your stand mixer.  Frost the log. 

    18.  Using one of the rolled up ends, place it on top of the log to mimic a stump.  Frost the stump.  

    19.  Decorate however you like.  The traditional way is to sprinkle coconut on top of the chocolate frosting to look like snow.  Fork marks in the frosting make the log textured and resemble bark.  You can also put some red and green MMs on top near the stump to look like berries and leaves.  If you do not have MMs or cannot eat them (I cannot) then just use whatever you can.  Have fun with it!  I have even used strawberries before!

    20.  Put the yule log in the fridge to set overnight.  Before serving, remove from the fridge for about 30 minutes.  Slice into half inch or one inch slices.  Serve with homemade vanilla ice cream.  Enjoy!

Step by Step in pictures!

Grease cookie sheet with butter.

Smooth some wax paper down on top.

Butter the sheet again on top of wax paper.

To start making the cake, get out your stand mixer and add sea salt.

Add eggs.

Beat until glossy and yellow.

Add mixed cocoa powder and sugar gradually.

Add mixed flour, powder and xanthan gum into eggs, gradually.

Batters should look like this, happy and homogenous.

Pour batter into the prepared pan and smooth out, be careful to get all the corners!

After the cake has baked, flip it over (do not wait for it to cool) onto a tea towel that has been covered in powdered sugar, and remove the wax paper gently.

Gently roll up the cake in the towel and let the cake cool.

Whip up some chocolate buttercream frosting.

When the cake has cooled (should not feel warm to touch), gently unroll the cake, do not force it flat, and smooth whipped cream out on the surface of the cake, cover it thick and out to all the edges.

Place the yule log on the desired serving platter, cut off at least one end to save for the stump.

Stuff any left over cream in here.

This side has been cut.

Frost the log and then place the stump on top.  Stuff an extra whipped cream into the stump, too.

Frost the stump and finish frosting the whole log.

Make fork "bark" marks and add coconut as "snow" and any other decorations desired.

In this version I used unsweetened coconut, chocolate and India Tree Christmas sprinkles.

This is my second time blogging about yule log. The old OLD post (probably my first post when starting this blog three years ago and was still new to photography and photo editing) can be found here, gluten-free yule log. 

Don't be afraid, this recipe is tried and true.  Unlike some other gluten free recipes floating around out there, it WILL work.  I've been making gluten free yule log for several years now.  The regular version my family has been making for over 50 years.  This is not a recipe just pulled from a hat.  You can rely on this one coming out well.  

My favorite part of the whole yule log - the cream inside!!

On another note, this basic Yule Log recipe is not mine.  It has been passed down in my family for years.  The back of my mom's recipe card has a cut out from some newspaper or magazine.  My grandmother started the tradition years ago, so we are not quite sure where the original recipe came from.  I do want to give credit to whoever the person that originally created this recipe.  All edits to be made gluten-free or more "real food focused" are mine, but the basic recipe template is not.  In other words, the adaptions to make it gluten free, etc, are entirely my own.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions (or problems?) you may have!

MERRY CHRISTMAS -- To Him be the glory!

Raw Milk Eggnog, no HFCS!

That title says it all. What could be better in a drink than full fat, rich raw milk from grassfed cows, raw honey to lightly sweeten and no preservatives or artificial colorings or flavors?

Nourishing Raw Milk Eggnog

    2 cups raw cream, from grass-fed cowies
    2 cups raw whole milk, also from grass-fed cowies
    8 real eggs, from pastured chickens and a farmer you trust
    1/4 - 1/2 cup raw honey - I used a full half cup
    1 full vanilla bean, open and scrape out seeds
    ~1/4 tsp nutmeg - fresh is best, but we had none and ran out of the regular ground nutmeg!

To make your eggnog:
    1.   Combine cream, milk, honey, eggs, vanilla bean seeds and nutmeg in a blender.
    2.   Blend until smooth and frothy.
    3.   Chill immediate or pour into glasses and enjoy. Make sure you shake the jar before pouring some more into your glass! The spices tend to settle.

Some people use only the egg yolks, but I accidentally used the whole egg! I really don't think it matters this time, but next time I will remember to only use the yolks since raw egg whites have enzyme inhibitors so raw egg white shouldn't be consumed raw, whereas egg yolks can.

It's really that easy! This recipe is so nourishing you can eat it all year round, breakfast lunch and dinner, for a snack, dessert or treat, or even after a hard workout at the gym! The eggs and milk provide lots of nourishing fats and proteins, which balance out the sugars from the raw honey. No sugar rush from this eggnog. Only real food goodness. Drink up! Good-bye store-bought eggnog.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Morning: Grain-free Waffles and Fresh Eggnog

Grain-free coconut flour waffles,
pastured fried egg on top.

This Christmas was all about "breaking" tradition and making new ones. My brother G is engaged to a wonderful girl who lives "close-by" so this Christmas it was important to accomodate both families, and also do what was best for them. A happy engaged couple does not want to spend one minute apart, as I am sure some of you have experienced :) We ended up celebrating Christmas with the two of them on the day after Christmas, the twenty-sixth, instead of actual Christmas day. At first, the thought of this really bothered me. But as soon as the day came, I was more than happy to wait. We were very happy to wait and see them and be together as a family. That is the most important part of Christmas day to me. My family means the world to me. The next we had church, since it was a Sunday, what a better way to kick off celebrating Christ's coming and birthday than by going to church that morning? The rest of the day we had fun eating pot-roast, gluten-free Yule Log, opening presents and joking around and sharing stories.

On Christmas morning, my brother and I usually wake up, go down stairs with our presents we bought for our parents to place them under the tree. "Santa" usually comes in the middle of the night. When my parents get up, we have a "grab breakfast" where we eat a little, and open a few presents, and repeat. It's a really relaxing way to do Christmas. When my mom was not so educated in nutrition in my younger years, I would remember she would always make warm blueberry muffins for us. We always had egg nog, but it was the store bought stuff which is full of oxidized cholesterol, HFCS and preservatives. I used to love the stuff growing up, but I haven't touched it since learning about WAPF and real food. This year I was determined to make some real stuff. Thanks to these recipes from Wardeh and AnnMarie, I made the most delicious eggnog I have ever tasted. My brother, who is sold on the stuff from the store, even enjoyed it! That means it passed the "test." This eggnog is so nourishing, full of protein from raw milk and pastured eggs, lightly sweetened with raw honey, a sweetener that actually has benefits!

You can find the recipe for my raw milk eggnog here.

Real delicious EGGNOG, in process!

Farm fresh pastured eggs from happy chickens.

Foamy, nourishing and delicious vanilla
bean-flecked  raw cream/milk eggnog.

Before the eggnog making commenced, however, my parents and I were hungry. We slept in and eventually wandered into the kitchen to make some breakfast. I was lovingly given a new waffle maker from my Aunt on Christmas Eve. The adults in my family do a Secret Santa system, and she had me. Luckily she is a good cook, so she knows what to buy! She gave me the VillaWare UNO Pro Belgian waffle maker, it's so cool because it's one that you turn! Super fun. I was anxious to try it out, so we whipped up some waffles and did! I really enjoyed using it. It was actually my first waffle in about 3 years. I hadn't had any since going gluten-free; we never got around to replacing our old "glutened" waffle maker which my parents received as a wedding present. Miraculously it still works. Mom is going to take it to a second home next week!!

See here for my delicious grain-free waffle recipe.

I trust that you all had a great Christmas. I would like to officially say

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

I must admit I hate saying that, but everyone does, and it would be impolite of me to not ;) right?
Did you do anything different with your family this Christmas?

French Vanilla Ice Cream.

Have you ever wondered why some recipes are so complicated? I like to read a lot of food blogs (or glance at a lot at least), and I find myself becoming very excited about the featured recipe as I see the first, second or third photo. Then I find myself scrolling down the page as fast as I can, my eyes are glued to the screen, in a state of all-out anticipation as I wait to find out the first few ingredients of the recipe. A long ingredient list, complicated measurements, or too many steps and long prep time often strike those feelings dead, however, and that will be the end of that recipe.

All that to say, I love uncomplicated recipes. In January, I shared with you my favorite vanilla ice cream. Now that it's summer, I'm back to cranking out ice cream recipes again. As I read other cookbooks and food blogs, however, I notice that most ice cream recipes are too complicated. It requires tempering eggs, boiling milk, chilling the mixture for hours, unnecessary amount of churning, etc. Because I don't believe it is healthy to eat heated milk (raw milk is best) and I am not afraid of raw eggs (eggs from a healthy source shouldn't be worrisome), I find a lot of these recipes annoying. The picture may look downright delicious, but I just can't get by the process. I'd rather have an ice cream that tastes amazing, made with real ingredients that does not a very long time to put together. 

That being said, here is my homemade vanilla ice cream recipe now updated. I've dubbed it french vanilla ice cream this time around because the color, taste and texture remindes me just of a french vanilla version of vanilla. What's the difference between french vanilla versus regular vanilla ice cream? French vanilla uses eggs and has a more custardy taste and texture, whereas vanilla and vanilla bean versions are usually less creamy, more icy, often do not use eggs, and have tiny black vanilla bean flecks throughout.

This has become my go-to ice cream recipe! By keeping the basic ratios the same, it's easy to make many many different flavors! Yumm!

French Vanilla Ice Cream.

    adapted from Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon

    4 cups  raw grassfed organic jersey cream (or 2 cups cream, 2 cups raw whole milk)

    2/3 cup  raw grassfed organic jersey whole milk

    2/3 cup  organic maple syrup

    4  egg yolks from pastured chickens

    2 tsp  organic coconut flour

    8  drops vanilla creme liquid stevia

    3  good dashes unrefined sea salt

To make your ice cream:

  1 . In a large bowl, crack egg yolks, add coconut flour and whisk until combined. Add milk, maple syrup, salt and stevia and whisk well.

  2.  Lastly, pour in four cups of cream, whisking very well to make sure there are not lumps.

  3.  Pour into your ice cream maker and freeze per instructions. Mine churned for 25 minutes and was done!

After sampling some after taking the picture, this ice cream would probably make a good "eggnog" ice cream (after adding fresh ground nutmeg). Look at the yellow color!! That comes from real milk and real eggs ;)

Homemade Almond Joy Ice Cream

This recipe.

Heaven.

Unfortunately you will only get tempted by the picture, because if I gave the recipe away then I would have two boys in the house who would be very upset if they learned I have shared the recipe for our special Almond Joy ice cream. I wouldn't want to upset them, would I?

Imagine the best ice cream you've ever eaten... multiply times 10 or 100, and you've got it.

Ice cream has always been a favorite in our house, and now I feel better because when I make it I know how nourishing it is! It's so much better than store bought. I make the ice cream using ingredients like raw cream and organic coconut milk. Each scoop is full of nourishing and essential saturated fats!

Sorry about picture quality - it was at night so of course that means no natural lighting to take a photo! The ice cream on the bottom is my homemade chocolate peanut butter cup ice cream, which I will be sharing within the coming weeks!