Thursday, June 2, 2011

MY FIRST "BUILDING OUR HOMES TOGETHER" POST FOR JUNE 2ND























I AM PARTICIPATING IN THE "BUIDING OUR HOMES TOGETHER" SERIES OVER AT PRAIRIE FLOWER FARM. THIS WILL BE A SERIES THAT I WILL BE PARTICIPATING IN EVERY WEDNESDAY .

Hi everyone :) :) :) How has your week been going so far? Mine has been really good. It has also been really quiet. Okay, so this is really cool.  My friend Linda over at Prairie Flower Farm is starting a new Wednesday series called "Building Our Homes Together".  Click on the link to visit the page and find out more details.

My dream is for my home to be such a haven of hospitality, that anyone who comes through the door will be feel encouraged, joy, happiness. I would love for people to feel encouragement, love and joy when they leave my home. Also, I would love for that joy to be carried to wherever they may call home :) :) My foundation is reading my Bible every day. I also am working on the practical part of taking the time/effort to brighten up the place in which I live. 

Here is my entry for today. One of my goals  in keeping a "home" is making all my meals at home. Now, I live in an apartment. However, any residence can feel like a castle, if you take the time to make it so.  Today I made another batch of  "avocado ice cream". Yes, I said AVOCADO :) :) :) You can find the recipe on page 14 of the June/July issue of "Mary Jane's Farm" magazine.

"AVOCADO ICE CREAM"

Add the following ingredients:

ADD ONE LARGE AVOCADO, PEELED AND DICED.

NOTE:  I used two small Hass avocadoes.  The avocadoes available in the grocery store are not very big. They are small, in my opinion. So I just used two "small" avocadoes. It worked out nicely. Make sure the avocadoes are soft before you dice them. It makes all the difference, especially when you begin to puree the avocado.
























NEXT ADD ONE CUP OF HALF AND HALF.

I used a mason jar, since it had the half-cup increments marked on the side of the jar. My glass measuring cup was used later for the lemon juice.
























ALSO ADD TWO-THIRDS CUP (2/3 CUP) OF POWDERED SUGAR.

The recipe calls for powdered sugar.  That is what I used. The measuring cup in the photo is a 1/3 cup. You'll need two of those to equal 2/3 cup of powdered sugar. You can probably use agave syrup or honey instead. However, you'll need to adjust the ratio accordingly. I'm not sure how to adjust that.  You'll need to look that up on-line. If I find something, I'll update my post :)




ALSO ADD 1/3 CUP OF FRESH-SQUEEZED LEMON JUICE AND 1/2 TEASPOON OF LEMON ZEST.

 I don't have measuring spoons, so I use a coffee spoon for a teaspoon. That is the one you see pictured in the photo. A soup spoon works well as a tablespoon. In this case, for the lemon zest, I used the peel from an ORGANIC lemon for the zest and the juice. It's really up to you, what you feel like using :) :)

AFTER YOU HAVE ADDED THE AVOCADO,  HALF AND HALF, POWDERED SUGAR, LEMON ZEST AND LEMON JUICE, PUREE EVERYTHING IN A FOOD PROCESSOR UNTIL SMOOTH.

I purchased a mini food processor at a yardsale for $2. I was so excited to use it for the first time. It turned out to be a dud. Maybe I couldn't figure it out? Nope. I plugged it into the outlet and nada. My sweet dad came to the rescue. He suggested I use the hand-held mixer. Let me tell you something. It worked FABULOUS :) :) We actually "fought" over who would get to "mix/puree" the avocado mixture.  It was so much fun, worked great, and only cost us a little bit of time :) :) The avocado pureed wonderfully with all the other ingredients.

ONCE ALL THE INGREDIENTS HAVE BEEN PUREED/MIXED TOGETHER, POUR INTO A CONTAINER. PLACE A TIGHT-FITTING LID ON TOP. PLACE IN THE FREEZER FOR FOUR HOURS OR UNTIL SET.  WHEN YOU ARE READY TO EAT IT, LET IT SIT AT ROOM TEMPERATURE FOR 15 MINUTES BEFORE SERVING.

Okay, this is great. Since the avocado was much softer this time, it pureed so easily. Also notice that it is actually a bit greener than the last batch that I made.  Now the last time I made this, I had to let the ice cream sit in the freezer overnight for it to fully set. The actual time needed to set will vary , depending on the type of freezer that you have in your home. I will let mine sit in the freezer overnight.

THIS IS THE FINISHED PRODUCT - SUPER DELICIOUS AVOCADO ICE CREAM. I EVEN PICKED A REALLY NICE DESSERT DISH AND PLATE WITH PINK FLOWERS AND GREEN LEAVES. DO YOU NOTICE THAT THE GREEN LEAVES ON THE CHINA MATCHES THE COLOR OF THE ICE CREAM? THAT IS BEAUTIFUL.

I let the ice cream sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before I served it. Next time, I'll let it sit a bit longer. My soup spoon served as an ice cream scooper today.  Oh, the ice cream tasted DIVINE.  It tasted so heavenly.   The hand-held mixer really made a difference in the texture and the color. The avocado ice cream came out greener than my first batch. 

If you try making this ice cream, let me know and maybe leave a link to your blog, so that I can see it :) :) I had some ice cream after lunch :) :) Yum. Yum. It will be necessary to have a little more after dinner, too.

This is what's on my mind today :) :) I'm also participating in Rhonda's "On my mind.." series over at Down to Earth. Check it out. There are so many lovely blogs to visit and inspiration to be found ;) :)

That's the news from Oregon today. Love and hugs, Heather :)


12 comments:

Heather said...

Hi Heather! Thanks for stopping by my blog today! I was wondering... if you don't like guacamole, is there a chance of liking this ice cream? Certainly the sugar sweetens the flavor, but how much like avacadoes does it taste? I wonder if I could get my kids to eat it - at least they'd get some veggies that way!

Heather's Blog-o-rama said...

Hi Heather :) :)

I'm not a fan of quacamole either.. I NEVEr eat it.. but this ice cream is great. It doesn't taste like avocado at all...at least I don't think so. It has a smooth texture because the avocado is pureed.. and it actually tastes like lemon ice cream. The recipe calls for 1/3 cup of fresh-squeezed lemon juice. My father likes this recipe, but he says to UP the lemon juice to 2/3 cup...so what I would do is try it out first, see how you like it. You can always add more lemon juice and/or sugar ;) :) I didn't like avocadoe as a kid either...so I'd just tell the kid you made green ice cream :) :) Let me know how it works :) :) :) Thanks for visiting me ;) :) Love and hugs from Oregon, Heather :)

Kim B said...

Hi Heather, I am sure you are making your home a lovely place. I think you should try making it cherry or strawberry....I wonder if that would work. I guess I am a tad lazy I just like to buy my icecream. I hope you have a great week. Oh, I love that hand held mixer though! Hugs, Kim

Under Her Wings said...

Heather, thanks for the avocado ice cream recipe. I LOVE avocados,and I've always wanted to make a shake or ice cream out of some. And thanks for stopping by my blog. Thanks, too for your kind words and encouragement. Blessings, Gloria

Heather's Blog-o-rama said...

HI ladies :) :)

Kim B - I don't see why you couldn't use strawberries or something else. You could really go wild with this recipe :) :) I'm not sure about the ratios if you use another fruit or veggie. However, just experiment. The lemon juice and sugar (or sweetener of your choice) really make a difference ;) :)


Gloria/Under Her Wings - I LOVE avocadoes now, too. when I realized just how easy it is to puree it... :) well, I want to add it to everything, especially after I learned how many "good for you" things avocadoes have in them :) :) Your blog is a delight :) :)

Love and hugs from Oregon, Heather :)

Prairiemaid said...

Heather, thank you for coming by and commenting today!

I have to tell you, I saw this recipe in my copy of the MJF magazine and I wondered what it would be like! Now, I am going to try it. (Are you also on the MJ Farm connection, by any chance? I am Shi-anne on the connection - just in case you are also a member there.)

I think this "Building Our Homes Together" link up is going to be awesome and bring about good things!

Blessings,
Cheryl

Heather's Blog-o-rama said...

@Cheryl/Prairie Maid,

Thanks for visiting me here :) :) I LOVE visitors. Yes, I am on the farmgirl connection, too. I go by "Heather Weather". I'm also a MaryJane Farmgirl Sisterhood Member #2176 :) :) :) I haven't applied for any badges yet..I want more badges :) :) :) So cool. I'm not on the farmgirl connection often. Although, I'm going to try and go there more often :) :) The ice cream recipe is nice and easy :) :) I like "easy" when it comes to cooking in the kitchen sometimes :) :)

Love and hugs from Oregon, Heather :)

Rose said...

Wow! I never considered avocado in ice-cream, thanks for the tips and ideas. That's a great photo sequence.

Donna said...

I would never have thought about Avocado ice cream! It looks yummy! I love your hand mixer ... I have one that was my mothers.
I love your blog background :)
Hugs,
Donna

Becca said...

"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15) is my motto in life as it is obviously yours, Heather. I don't serve "simple living" or "family" or anything else.

We are spoiled here with a lemon tree in the back garden (yard) and lots of inexpensive avos to buy at the shops/markets.

I only have a hand-held mixer, so this recipe will have to be tried very soon.

Bye from a beginning-of-Wintertime-Cape Town, South Africa.

Jill said...

Heather,

Sounds like an interesting ice cream! :-)

I bet your home is very welcoming and warm. Home is where your heart is, no matter what the location is.
I enjoy visiting your blog and I always leave with a smile!

Have a great day!

Blessings,
Jill

Sue said...

This sounds like a great series Heather, I love how you feel about your home and is mostly my thoughts too.
I must try this avocado ice cream since I love avocados so much it looks so delicious.
Enjoy your week.
Hugs,
Sue