Homemade Single Serve Ice Cream in 5 Minutes!

When I was 15, my first job was at an ice cream store called, "Treat Street." Some of my friends worked there, I loved ice cream, and it was air conditioned in the summer -- what more could you want? Ever since then, I've had a slight addiction to ice cream. I've never made it myself (why make it when there's Ben & Jerry's in the world?) but when I saw this post from DoItDarling, it seemed too good to pass up. C'mon, ice cream in 5 minutes? I put it to the test.



To make these you'll need:

1/2 cup of milk (cream or half and half work too)
1 Tablespoon of sugar
1/4 teaspoon of vanilla (I made mine here)
6 Tablespoons of kosher salt
12-24 ice cubes
1 gallon-sized Ziploc bag
1 pint-sized (or sandwich-sized) Ziploc bag

Start by adding your milk to the pint or sandwich-sized Ziploc bag.

And then add your sugar and vanilla. If you want to make chocolate ice cream, now would be the time to add chocolate syrup and seal it up tight!

In your gallon-sized bag, add your kosher salt.

Stick the smaller bag with the milk, sugar, and vanilla inside the larger bag and add enough ice cubes to fill up half of the bag in ice (I used 24 ice cubes - 2 trays - and it worked out just fine).

Now seal up the bigger bag and shake vigorously for 5 minutes. Some tips?

   #1 - Wear oven mitts. The bag is going to get cold and slippery because of the condensation

   #2 - Shake over the sink. During the last minute, my bag tore and I was shaking salty water everywhere!

After the 5 minutes are up, take out the small bag. From the outside, it might not look like ice cream...

But from the inside, you'll see it is! Ice cream for one, please!

While I was adding the milk, sugar, and vanilla to the smaller bag, I also added some peppermint extract (1/2 teaspoon was way too much, by the way!) but it did give it a nice minty flavor. I also added some mini chocolate chips because who doesn't like a nice topping with their ice cream? I wouldn't say it's enough for two but it is just enough if you have a sweet tooth!

TOTAL COSTS: About $18.50 (if you don't have any of the ingredients, prices from Vons)

$2.29 for milk
$2.69 for sugar
$4.99 for store-bought vanilla
$3.49 for kosher salt
$2.99 for a box of gallon-sized Ziploc bags
$2.09 for a box of sandwich Ziploc bags
I would hope you have ice cubes in your freezer!

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: 10 minutes 

5 minutes adding all the ingredients together

5 minutes of shaking the bag

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 2 out of 5

The shaking is a really good workout for your arms so if you're just getting out of the hospital or you did 100 pushups yesterday and you can't raise your arms above your head, this might not be the project for you. However, if you don't mind shakin' what your mama gave you, the ice cream is a nice treat after the workout you'll be getting!

Red Velvet Cinnamon Truffles

Many people really enjoyed my post about Oreo Peppermint Truffles so in the spirit of American Heart Month (and Valentine's Day), I saw this post about red velvet truffles and wanted to try them with a hint of cinnamon on top. Now let me point out this recipe is in no way heart-healthy, I'm simply associating it with American Heart Month because it's red. So, with that being said, let's get started!

You can either make the red velvet cake from scratch, or you can buy mix from the store like I did and save yourself some time and energy. Along with that, you'll need:


* Cream cheese (original post calls for 3oz. but because I bought a cake mix, I used 8oz.)
* White chocolate coating (original post calls for 12oz. but I used 16oz. of vanilla candy coating)
* Powdered sugar (original post calls for 1/2 Cup but I used 2 Cups)
* (optional) Cinnamon imperials for the top of the truffles


Make your red velvet cake first. It doesn't matter how it looks because you're going to be breaking it up into crumbs later. So don't worry if you try flipping the cake onto a cooling rack and you accidentally tear off the bottom of the cake that's still stuck to the pan... like some people... ahem...

Once your cake is baked and cooled, start to combine your cream cheese and powdered sugar in a bowl.

Next, crumble up your cake and start to add it to the bowl.

Using a Tablespoon, scoop out some mix and using the palms of your hands, roll into balls and place onto a plate. Note: your hands are going to get very messy!

Now the original post says to put them in the fridge for at least 4 hours... well, I did 30 minutes in the fridge and about 20 in the freezer and they were fine. During this time, melt your chocolate so it's ready by the time you take your cake balls out. Shouldn't take too long to melt at all.

Dip your cake balls into the chocolate and place on a plate.

If you like, you can decorate each with three cinnamon imperials. Note that even with 16 oz. of chocolate, I was only able to cover 28 of the 45 truffles.

Place back in the fridge to harden and take out when you're ready to devour!

TOTAL COSTS: About $13 to make 45 truffles (all prices are from Vons)
$1.99 for cake mix
$1.99 for powdered sugar
$1.99 for Cream cheese
$4.49 for CandiQuik
$1.99 for cinnamon imperials

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: About 2 hours, 45 minutes
35 minutes to make the cake
20 minutes to let cake cool
40 minutes to make balls
30 minutes to let balls harden in fridge
20 minutes to let balls harden in freezer
20 minutes to put chocolate and cinnamons on balls

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 2 out of 5
It's practically a cake walk (har har) - the only "difficult" thing is to keep an eye on the chocolate so it doesn't burn. Other than that, they're as delicious as they look!

DIY Toilet Tablets

I came across these DIY toilet tablets that I thought would come in handy - they're easy to make, they supposedly clean and remove odors in toilets, and no one will ever know you used one. This recipe comes courtesy of SavvySugar. The question is - do they work?

First you'll need:

*1 C of baking soda
*1/4 C of citric acid OR powdered preservative (which is what I used - it was easier to find)
*1/2 t of vinegar
*1 T of hydrogen peroxide
*Essential oil (to make it smell nice - I used peppermint)
*Parchment paper
*Cookie sheets or a hard surface out of the way
*Measuring spoons (yes, those are Mickey Mouse spoons, don't judge)
*Spray bottle (optional but recommended)

First, combine your baking soda and citric acid/powdered preservative in a bowl and mix them together with a fork, to remove any clumps.

Next, combine your vinegar and hydrogen peroxide in a glass and very VERY slowly add to the dry mixture. It doesn't have to be one drop at a time but constantly stir and slowly add the liquid until clumps start to form.

Then add your essential oils - I did about 15 drops and I think the peppermint permeated my nostrils because I can't stop smelling it!

Take your parchment paper and your cookie sheets (or hard surface) and place down enough parchment paper to hold all the tablets you'll be making. The original post says it makes 30 tablets but I made 112!

Finally, grab your 1/2 teaspoon, put some of the mixture in the spoon, and very gently tap it onto the parchment paper. You'll want to be very gentle so the mold holds and doesn't crack or crumble.

Spray equal parts vinegar and water onto the finished tablets (I used 1/3C of each and found it was way too much - had to toss most of it down the sink) and set them aside to dry.

The original post said to let them dry between 4 hours and overnight.

But since "patience" is not my middle name, I only waited 5 hours before giving them a try. They do fizz a little and they look a bit yellow in the water but they didn't smell up the toilet like I thought they would. When they're not in water, these smell freakin' amazing so keep them away from children, pets, and very hungry roommates! Please clearly label the jar you put them in and keep them out of harm's way. But in the toilet? You're definitely going to have to put in more than 1 to do any sort of damage.

TOTAL COSTS: About $15 to make at least 112
$2.99 for parchment paper from Target

$1.59 for baking soda

$1.99 for 32 fl. oz of hydrogen peroxide

$6.29 for Ball produce protector

$2.82 vinegar

Cookie sheets, measuring spoons/cups, and spray bottle on hand

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: 5 hours, 41 minutes
13 minutes to combine ingredients
28 minutes to make 112
5 hours to dry (though some were still crumbling so overnight might be your best bet)

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 2 out of 5
You might have difficulty making the tablets, as they can crumble if you hit them against the parchment paper too hard but other than that, they're very easy to make. Now whether they work? That's a different story...

Spa in a Jar

After yesterday's gingerbread TARDIS catastrophe (click here for a good laugh), I decided I needed a blog post to help relax me, take the edge off, and not involve an oven. The answer? The Gunny Sack. She's a blogger who put together a bunch of different ideas of what you can incorporate in a spa-inspired mason jar -- this would be a perfect gift for a new mom, a friend, or even yourself!

She has a lot of different recipes but I decided to go with the peppermint foot soak and the hand scrub. I bought a couple 32 oz. mason jars from Whole Foods, a couple small glass containers from Michael's, and I already had a few 4oz. mason jars left over from my slow cooker apple butter days.

I started with the hand scrub and decided to use lavender hand soap because lavender has been shown to reduce stress (perfect for a spa jar, right?). However, if you decide to use this as well, be aware that you're not going to get much of a color and even one drop of food coloring can be overwhelming. I put in two drops and had to start over because it looked like I had liquified Barney. So you might be better off using a soap that is already tinted, like the original post.

Next, the peppermint foot soak. Now I love the smell of peppermint but if you're not a fan, you might not want to do this recipe because it will make your entire working area smell divine. Once you've mixed together the epsom salt, baking soda, peppermint extract and food coloring (I used two drops of pink food coloring instead of red and it looks lovely!), you need to lay it out on parchment paper for 30 minutes. While you wait, it's a perfect time to print out the free labels she provides, cut them out, and attach them to the jars. By the time you're done, the powder will be ready to put into jars!

Keep in mind, once you put those two jars inside your mason jar, you're not going to have much room to put in much else. I added some peppermint chapstick, 3 Lindor truffles, and 3 tea light candles . If there had been room for more goodies, I would have kept adding but as it was, it was stuffed to the top. If you want to add more, go for a bigger jar than just 32 ounces!

TOTAL COSTS: About $11
$2.49 for 1lb of epsom salts from Whole Foods
$2.99 for peppermint chapstick from Whole Foods
$.99 for 3 Lindor truffles from Vons
$1.50 for 13.5 fl. oz of lavender soap from Michael's
$1.69 for 32oz. mason jar from Whole Foods
$.99 for small glass jar from Michael's
4oz. mason jar, food coloring, sugar, baking soda, and peppermint extract already on hand

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: 1 hour, 15 minutes
This included the 30 minutes of waiting for the foot soak powder to dry and redoing one of the jars of hand scrub because of a food coloring disaster.

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 1 out of 5
Have fun with this - it's so easy, you can include whatever you like, and the recipient of such a jar of goodies will be pleasantly surprised!

Oreo Peppermint Truffles

Oreo. Peppermint. Truffles. Three of my favorite things rolled into one! They're perfect for a cookie exchange or a holiday party you might be hosting, they don't require an oven, and they're super easy to make! This recipe comes to us from Cooking Classy.

Ok, so here's what you'll need:

1 Package of Oreo's (NOT double-stuffed)

16 oz. of white chocolate (I realized after I bought them I had CandiQuik, a vanilla candy coating, instead of white chocolate. It still worked!)

8oz. cream cheese (the "whipped" kind worked great!)

1 t peppermint extract

Crushed peppermints (I used 10)

Plastic bags & a hammer or rolling pin (or a food processor if you have one)

Wax paper and cookie sheet

So the first mistake I made was using a VitaMix blender to try and crush the Oreos. Big mistake and big waste of time. I ended up transferring the Oreos to a plastic bag and using a rolling pin to crush them instead.

Once the Oreos are crushed, mix the cream cheese and peppermint extract in a bowl. Now I know the instructions say to add the cream cheese mix to the Oreos but I did it the other way around and it worked just fine. 

Once you've mixed it thoroughly, then it's time to get your hands dirty! I used a big spoon to scoop out the mixture and the balls were formed quite easily. Put them on the wax paper that's on the cookie sheet and stick 'em in the freezer for 10 minutes. The original post claims you can make 36, I was lucky to get 24.

While they're in the freezer, get out your peppermints and start crushing those as well. It's times like this I wish I had a food processor. Instead, I have two plastic bags and a hammer. Double bag those suckers (incase you make a hole in the bag like I did) and crush those bad boys! It's also a nice stress reliever.

Once those are crushed, it's time to melt your chocolate. Now here's the second mistake I made: I burned the chocolate. While I was able to melt it in two minutes on the stove, I was also able to slightly burn it, which resulted in some chunks in the chocolate. However, once you dunk the Oreo balls in the chocolate and sprinkle with peppermint pieces, you can't even tell!

And voila! A yummy peppermint chocolate treat!

TOTAL COSTS: About $16 (assuming you need all ingredients - prices from Vons)
$3.99 for Oreos
$4.49 for CandiQuik
$2.99 Peppermint extract
$1.99 for Cream cheese
$3 for 2 packs of peppermints

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: Almost an hour to make 24
10 minutes with the blender (that didn't work)
5 minutes with rolling pin after that to crush Oreos
5 minutes mixing in cream cheese, peppermints, and Oreos
10 minutes to roll into balls
10 minutes in the freezer (which was enough time to melt chocolate and crush peppermints)
15 minutes to dip in chocolate and cover in peppermint

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 2 out of 5
The only difficult thing was crushing the Oreos and the peppermints but it wasn't that hard, just tedious. It's worth it in the end, though, I assure you!

How to Make Toothpaste Cookies (no... it's not really toothpaste...)

Every time I head to a holiday party, I bring a batch of Forbes' Family Toothpaste Cookies and every time, I come back from the party with an empty plate. Why? Because they're ridiculously good. Imagine a Peppermint Patty on top of a thin brownie. Really. Freaking. Good. However, it does take a bit of time to make so roll up your sleeves, make sure you have a few hours free, and get ready to gain 10 pounds because you might just eat the entire batch by yourself. Ok, maybe that's just me...

There are three layers to these cookies:

Layer 1 Ingredients:
2 squares of Baker's Unsweetened Baking Chocolate Squares
1/2 C butter (8 T)
2 eggs
1/2 t peppermint extract
1 C sugar
Dash of salt
1/2 C flour

Layer 2 Ingredients:
1/2 C butter (8 T)
4 C confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar)
4 T heavy whipping cream
3 t peppermint extract

Layer 3 Ingredients:
4 squares of Baker's Unsweetened Baking Chocolate Squares 
1/4 C butter (4 T)

Layer 1 Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and grease a cookie sheet (including the sides). Melt the chocolate and butter together - I did this in a microwave in a glass Pyrex measuring cup in 30 second intervals and found the chocolate completely melted after 1 1/2 minutes. I recommend using a knife to stir the chocolate and butter. You'll want the mixture to cool down so I put mine in the fridge for 10 minutes while I worked on the other ingredients.

In a mixer, beat together the eggs until frothy.

Add in the sugar, chocolate mixture (once it has cooled down), and peppermint extract.

Finally, add in the flour and salt.

Once it's all mixed together, pour it into the cookie sheet and put in the oven for 10-15 minutes (or until it's slightly pulling away from the edges of the pan.

After baking, put the cookie sheet on a rack in your fridge and let it cool completely (about 30 minutes).

Layer 2 Instructions:
While the first layer is cooling, cream together the butter and confectioner's sugar with the heavy whipping cream and peppermint extract. It's going to be pretty thick by the time it's all mixed together.

Once mixed, use a spatula to frost the first layer. Here's a trick my aunt taught me: once all the icing is down, get a glass of really hot water, dip a knife in the glass, wipe it off, and smooth out the layer as much as you can. I'm not very skilled at this, but it beats using a spatula to try and spread it out evenly! Put this tray back in the fridge until it has completely hardened (45 minutes to an hour should do you).

Layer 3 Instructions:
Melt the baking chocolate and butter just like you did in the first step. Now of course I had to make a mistake somewhere and this is where it was. I put it in the microwave for too long (2 minutes) and it became really thick. Essentially, it should be melted enough that you can pour the chocolate over the white icing in an "S" pattern while the pan is on an angle. That way, you don't have to have a knife to spread the chocolate all over. However, because mine was too thick, I ended up using a spatula to cover the chocolate.

Once you've completely covered the tray in chocolate, cut the tray into long narrow strips (2"x1" or so) and stick it back in the fridge to harden. And voila! Your cookies and good to go!

TOTAL COSTS: About $22 (if you don't have any ingredients - all prices from Vons)
Baking chocolate - $2.99
Butter - $.79
Eggs - $2.99
Sugar - $2.49
Peppermint extract - $4.79
Flour - $2.49
Confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar) - $1.99
Heavy whipping cream - $3.49

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: About 3 hours, 15 minutes
Layer 1 prepare: 45 minutes
Layer 1 bake: 15 minutes
Layer 1 cool in fridge: 30 minutes
Layer 2 prepare: 15 minutes
Layer 2 cool in fridge: 1 hour
Layer 3 prepare: 15 minutes
Layer 3 cool in fridge: 15 minutes

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult) - 2 out of 5
The only hard thing is getting layer 3 on right but as you can see, I didn't and it still turned out great! Enjoy!