Browsing the blog archives for April, 2014.

Dragonfruit Ice Cream

California, Healthy

This is one of those ‘not really a recipe recipes’. I have a serious love for dragonfruit and when we first moved to California and I saw it at the farmer’s market I was determined to make something summery and fun with local dragonfruit. Just look at it, it’s so beautiful!

This is a very lame way to make ice cream. Seriously, just go buy an ice cream maker (I am holding out for this Cuisinart one). If you don’t have an ice cream maker though, this will do. Essentially you’re just freezing ice cream in ice cube trays. 😉

Dragonfruit Ice Cream

There are two types of dragon fruit, some are pink like this and taste a little sweet and some are white and taste blander. I wasn’t sure if it was going to be the white or pink kind when I first bought this at the market so I was pretty stoked that it was the sweeter of the two. I will try this again with the white kind if I come across any.

Dragonfruit Ice Cream

All I did was scoop out the yummy insides and mash them up with about 1/2 (maybe closer to 3/4) of a cup of coconut milk. The more coconut milk you add, the softer it will be when you eat it. Though it will be far from soft, a better description would be ‘the more coconut milk you add, the less rock hard it will be’. Then I added a little sugar, feel free to keep it healthy by adding stevia or natural maple syrup or agave or whatever.

Dragonfruit Ice Cream  Dragonfruit Ice Cream

Pour your finished mixture into ice cube trays, and wait a few hours. Another way to do it would be to put your mixture into a stainless steel bowl and mix it every 30 minutes or so until you reach the consistency you’re after. I put them in an ice cube tray and them popped them out and into a cup when I was ready to try it. I let it sit for just a few minutes and it was ice creamy enough for me!

Dragonfruit Ice Cream

This is not a replacement for triple fudge ice cream by any stretch – but if you have a craving for ice cream that’s beyond the usual frozen banana in the food processor trick, while still keeping it healthy, this is a good option.

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Week Twelve Photos

California, Kids

I feel like the weekly resolution check in is getting boring. So I think I will make it once a month instead. I’m making excellent progress with my pictures and killing it with my weekly cake / cupcake challenge.

Resolution #8 is to post a portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2014.

I am trying to choose one picture of each of them that hopefully shows what their week was like


It’s amazing to see him gaining stripes on his new belt. The progression of belt levels in jiu jitsu is so much harder than others.


Candy in a fruit cup was one of my April Fools ‘pranks’ on the kids. 😉


Little Miss loved the story time activities at her dance coach / babysitter’s college!

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Pineapple Cream Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Domestic

I’ve been keeping track of the cakes (and yes, I’m counting cupcakes as cakes) I’ve made this year though I have been woefully neglectful about posting them. Here’s the recap so far:

#1 – Nutella Icebox Cake (week 1)
#2 – Orange Creamsicle Cake (week 2)
#3 – White Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes (week 3)
#4 – Pink Lemonade Cupcakes (week 4)
#5 – Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting (week 5)
#6 – Dark Chocolate Cake with Strawberry Filling (week 6)
#7 – Pink Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Frosting (week 7)
#8 – Dutch Buttercake (week 8 )
#9 – Birthday Cake Pancakes (week 9)
#10 – Chocolate Espresso Pecan Pie IN a Cocoa Cake (I know, I know, I cannot be stopped!) (week 10)
#11 – Chocolate Caramel Cake (week 11)
#12 – Mini Minion Vanilla Cupcakes (week 12)
#13 – Double Chocolate Nutella Rocher Cupcakes (week 12)
#14 – Rainbow Chocolate Cupcakes with Blue Raspberry Frosting (week 12)
#15 – Pineapple Cream Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting (week 12)

Just like with Pie Year, there are going to be weeks with multiples, but that’s all part of the fun!

All the cupcakes I made last weekend were super fun, but the Pineapple Cream were the most sophisticated, as our Tiny Dancer would say. I love when there are fruit chunks in cake and most of the time, I love to pair citrus with a cream cheese frosting, which made this recipe so perfect!

Pineapple Cream Cupakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
(via Your Cup of Cake)       
Cake:
1 box yellow cake mix
1/3 cup melted (and cooled) butter
   I mashed up pineapple chunks for larger pieces
3 eggs
1 1/4 cup crushed pineapple with juice
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Frosting:
1/2 cup butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3-4 cups confectioner’s sugar
   adjust to desired taste and consistency

Preheat to 350 and line your muffin tin with liners. Sift the cake mix into a medium bowl and set aside. In a larger bowl, whisk together the melted butter, eggs, pineapple and vanilla. Slowly stir in the cake mix until it’s well combined.

I used my large ice cream scoop (though let’s be honest, all three are only ever used as cake batter scoops) and that filled each liner about 3/4 of the way. Bake for 20 minutes (give or take) and let cool before you frost.

While they’re cooling, get cracking on the frosting. Straight up cream cheese frosting. Just beat the cream cheese with the butter until it’s smooth and add the vanilla. Then slowly add the confectioner’s sugar until it’s stiff enough to hold it’s shape.

Pipe it over your cooled cupcakes. Top with cherries and sanding sugar and voila! Beautiful, tropical cupcakes!

Dry off your Maraschino cherries (or take a page from my book and employ one of your helpers to do it). Otherwise, they will bleed all over your beautiful frosting.

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