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Peanut Butter Ice Cream Disaster: A Messy Experiment

I bought a Pampered Chef ice cream maker a few years ago.

I usually get it out every fall to make peach ice cream. I am still experimenting with different types of ice cream recipes. I made black cherry last year. This year I wanted to make peanut butter ice cream. There’s a little market nearby that sells hand dipped ice creams. Peanut butter with its big chunks of peanut butter became one of my favorites.

So today I got everything ready. Ice cream freezer tub frozen in the freezer overnight. Simple recipe:

  • 2 cups of heavy whipping cream
  • 1 cup of milk
  • 1/2 cup of sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla flavoring
  • 3/4 cup of peanut butter melted in microwave

Mix the cream, milk, sugar and vanilla and put in refrigerator for twenty minutes. Then put the beaters in the frozen ice cream tub. Pour the cream mixture down the spout of the ice cream tub.

What could go wrong? Everything went wrong.

First I left the cream mixture in the freezer too long. Thought I could hurry the process along but I forgot and left the mixture in the freezer too long. I put it directly in the ice cream tub instead of using the spout. Big mistake. The mixture started freezing as soon as it went in the tub. Then I couldn’t get the mixer blades in the already getting hard ice cream. That required getting the ice cream out of the tub so I could get the mixer blades in the tub. The only problem was the tub was so frozen the ice cream wouldn’t let loose. And the tub was slowly getting warmer.

Finally got all the mixture out of the tub with some big hard clumps of already hardened ice cream. Now I tried to pour it back in the tub. I thought a funnel might help. It didn’t. In fact, the funnel got backed up with the hard clumps, fell over and the mixture went all over the floor. I had just scrubbed that floor.

In the meantime, spoons and bowls are leaking mixture everywhere. What a mess.

I got the ice cream started and added the peanut butter. Ice cream finished. Now it’s like milkshake quality. I don’t think you add the melted peanut butter till the ice cream is almost finished. But I don’t know because I was experimenting.

I put the ice cream in containers to put in the freezer. Wouldn’t you know that one of those containers would tip over and spill in the freezer.

Done for the day except for cleaning up the mess in the kitchen and scrubbing the floor again. And enjoying the ice cream later.

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Simple and Meaningful Holiday Celebrations

I’ve never been a person to have wild, noisy holidays.

When the new year begins, I usually am spending that day with family, or at least part of the day. I generally cook the traditional pork and sauerkraut with mashed potatoes for lunch. Pork and sauerkraut is supposed to bring you good luck and good fortune in the new year. Well this year, it certainly has brought me very little good fortune. Hopefully, next year will be better.

Then comes Valentines Day in February. This holiday is usually ignored. Sometimes, I may get together with other seniors at the senior center and have a good meal.

Saint Patrick’s Day comes in March. I get out the crock pot and cook a corned beef brisket. I add chopped potatoes and cabbage to the crock pot. Two of my children show up for that holiday. They like corned beef and cabbage.

Easter can come in either March or April. Then I cook turkey or ham with everything included. The whole works. The aromas of turkey or ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, vegetables, side dishes fill the house. One of my favorite dishes to go with ham is baked pineapple. Depending on their spouses most of the children come for Easter. In the future I plan on going to church for Easter services.

Wood engraving Crucifixion of Jesus 1866 by Gustave Doré.

Memorial Day weekend is at the end of May. We used to always have a big family gathering with everyone bringing food. Always a lot of great food and family. Games are played for the young and the adults. Sometimes it’s volleyball or croquet. Other times it’s corn hole, or wiffle ball. One thing the young ones love to do is play in the creek nearby. And you will hear their parents remembering their younger days when they played in the creek.

July 4th as its name says comes in July. This holiday is spent celebrating in different ways. As a child were always excited for the July 4th parade. Sometimes, we participated in the parade in one way or another. One time my son and his cousin dressed up as Betsy Ross and Uncle Sam. Another time he marched with his cub scout group. Times have changed over the years. The parade is still held on the 4th of July but I rarely get there. Now the small town where I live has yard sales that weekend all over town. So I either have a yard sale or I go browsing other yard sales. Then in the evening there are fire works held at the dirt racing track.

The next few months are quiet summer months with no holidays. Just hot summer months for beach vacations, swimming and trying to stay cool.

Halloween is the end of October when the weather has cooled down. I do almost nothing to celebrate Halloween. I am usually staying with an elderly lady who was a former teacher. She wants to see the dressed up kids. So I am the one who answers the door for her. I bring them inside to visit with her while handing out candy.

Thanksgiving comes in November. This is the day like Easter that I cook the big meal with everything and the kids come home. But it’s usually a nice quiet day.

Christmas as everyone knows comes in December. I used to try to do the whole bit: decorating, making cookies, presents. Now I celebrate in a much quieter manner. I have never been a big decorator. You have to drag everything out and a few weeks later put everything away. I will put up a small tree and that about does it. I came to the conclusion a few years back that Christmas is not about decorating cookies, shopping or even gifts. It’s about celebrating the birth of Jesus.

New Years Eve is also in December. It ends the old year and begins the new year. We always hope that the new year will be a good year. To celebrate, I go to a gathering of friends, old and new friends. We have a good supper with everyone contributing food. Then we play card games or other favorite games.

So, how do I celebrate holidays?? Each holiday is different so they are celebrated differently. But the major way that I celebrate most holidays, is with family, friends, and always, lots of good food and fun.

Daily writing prompt
How do you celebrate holidays?

food and cooking, Money and Finance, Uncategorized

Creative Uses for Stale Bread

Many Ways Of Using Stale Bread

Being as I am a single person, I often have half a loaf of stale bread lying around. Other than feeding it to the birds or other animals, I have found many ways to use up the stale bread. First it can go into the freezer until I decide what to do with it. Then I can take it out and use it in many different ways. Then it’s time to be creative with that loaf of stale bread.

Ways To Use Up That Bread

  • How about some French toast for breakfast
  • Make some stuffing. Add some celery, onions, lots of butter, salt and Pepper. Serve with chicken, beef or your choice of meat
  • Make bread pudding (not that I know how to do that
  • Make garlic bread to go with spaghetti
  • Use as topping for casseroles
  • Use in meatloaf or salmon cakes

As I made my breakfast this morning I realized I was using a slice of stale bread. Here’s the recipe for using stale bread for a great breakfast dish. This is a favorite breakfast of mine.

Use leftover fried potatoes or freshly fried potatoes. Add these ingredients: chopped onion. Use as much as you like and fry with the potatoes. Breakup a slice or two of stale bread and add two eggs, scrambling everything together. Green peppers can also be added if you like green peppers. You can also add already cooked sausage to the mixture.

I am sure there’s many other uses for stale bread and I would like to know how others use leftover stale bread.

Baked Pineapple

Baked pineapple is a side dish that goes well with ham, pork or just about anything if you like pineapple. This is an old recipe given to me by an elderly friend and is a favorite dish of mine for the holidays.

1 stick of soft butter or margarine

Cream the softened butter with 1 cup of sugar Add 3 eggs beaten, Tear up 10 slices of bread then pour 1/2 cup milk over the bread,

Drain a 12 oz can of chucks of pineapple

Mix everything into the creamed butter

Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees