Side Dishery: February 2011

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Ice Cream...You Scream

Ever hear people swoon and moan about the fresh homemade ice cream they had? Or see some special on the Cooking Channel that someone opened up their own icecream shop? They have evrything from savory ice cream, like a proscuitto flavor, to homemade bon-bons.
Check out Sweet Rose Creamery.

Doesn't it just make you wanna start creating your own ice cream? Ok, well for us foodies it challenges us. It then hit me i bought a Cuisinart Icecream maker at William and Sonoma and brought it with me in my suitcase (imagine that going through a checkpoint). It's been rated the easiest and most efficient ice cream maker around and i have yet to use it.

It's worth the $60 at William and Sonoma.
Or is you have one of those amazing-does-everything KitchenAid mixers there is now an attachment for it so you can make icecream

Ice Cream Maker attachment $65 at William and Sonoma. Best thing is they also have a video you can watch to see how it works. If you feel like you're an ice cream addict and need something more intense, or manlier, check out Cuisinarts Supreme ice creammaker

Want to step it up a notch and make your own waffle cones?

Waffle Cone Express $50 Have a love for popsicles? Try the Zoku Popsicle Maker Kit

If you have a sweet spot for frozen yogurt and sprinkles perhaps this mega station might do the trick?

Mix It In Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker For the pro try the Lussino Stainless Steel icecream maker

More of a gelato fan? De Longhi can hook you up for around $300

Prefer to get a bit of a workout with your ice cream? Try and Play and Freeze Ice Cream Maker. You put your ingredients in a ball and kick it about until it's ready.

If you like to keep it old school you can always had over to Target and pick up an Aroma 4-qt machine

And if you need recipes? Ideas? William and Sonoma has a plethora of them on their website. Also try these books:

The Ice Cream Bible

The Vegan Scoop (for the vegan..obviosuly) and lactose intollerant.

The Ultimate Ice Cream Book
Don't forget the Food Network also has quite a collection of recipes online from their various chefs.
So whether it be winter or summer...how can anyone say no to ice cream? and after all these resources i think it would be rude if you did! LOL :)

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Taco Lover's of the World Unite!

i just realized all my guy friends must be laughing at the title of this blog and for that i will say shame on them.ANYWAYS! seriously though..i love tacos. I am never NOT in the mood for one. They're ingenius!
So simple! just a corn tortilla filled with the simplest ingredients and you can spice em up in a variety of ways..
turkey tacos,chicken tacos,shrimp,pork,sirloin,veggie meet,tuna,fishh...the lst goes on.
Add some pico de gallo, cilantro,asian chili sauce,Tabasco...the possibilites are endless. Believe it or not though i don't own a taco plate and a friend of mine just recently pointed that out. I usually overstuff mine and they spill out all over my plate which i then end up eating "morrocan style" byt he time i'm done.
And to think all the years my father was alive he neevr owned one either. My dad LOVED tacos. My mom would make her soft shell tacos and i swear i remember putting 12 of them on a plate and then on a tray with chipotle peppers and Tabasco and jalapenos,etc. My dad used to put different hot sauces on each one and i guess like daughter like father (or the other way around? i forget how it goes...LOL)...
So i thought i would share some of the ones my friends have suggested to me.
BELOW...someone so kindly invented the Taco StandUP