Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pretzel Ice Cream (or P.B.V.V.P.I.C. for short!)

It all started with this:

For any of you who haven't tried the amazingness that is TJ's Pb filled pretzels, you are missing out. 

It usually lasts two days in my house...and my roomie doesn't like them......

To comfort myself in the loss of such a scrumptious snack, I decided to use my newest gadget (I know it may seem like I am always getting a new gadget, but since I live far from home and rarely get to see my family, my birthday lasts longer than normal). 

Meet the ice cream maker.  (Thanks, Uncle Rob!!!!)

LOVE

When I showed this to my roommate she just shook her head.  Because she knows the truth.

The truth, my friends, is that I am in a long distance relationship.  Which means that I don't see my boyfriend that often.  So when he leaves.....things get ugly.

I have not put it past me to eat an entire half gallon of mint-chocolate chip (Edy's Slow-Churned!!) to drown my sorrows.  So to have the ability to make any kind of ice cream in 20 minutes or less......my hips are expanding at the mere thought of it.

But I digress...

I knew I had to somehow satisfy my peanut butter pretzel craving, so after a few minutes browsing the internet, I came up with this:

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pretzel Ice Cream!!!!

I used this post on peanut butter ice cream and went to town with my own toppings.  It was so easy to make and I had all ingredients on hand!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pretzel Ice Cream

Adapted from Baked Bree's Recipe

1 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup chopped pretzels

1/2 cup chocolate chips (I had semisweet)

Melt the peanut butter in a saucepan.  Try not to eat melted peanut butter.

Add the milk. Stir until combined.

Add the cream, sugar, and vanilla. Stir until combined.

Chill mixture in the fridge.  Baked Bree recommended overnight--however, I was not so patient (half an hour it is!)...

Pour mixture in the beautiful ice cream machine.

Meanwhile, chop your pretzels and chocolate chips.  Snacking is allowed here (preferably with the reserved melted peanut butter that you had from a few steps back...)

Add toppings after the 20 minutes cooking (churning?) time.

Pour into an air tight container and freeze for at least 2 hours (I did overnight--I was too stuffed from the pretzels and peanut butter sauce).

 And feast!

This was AMAZING : )

I was so happy with this recipe, and it was ridiculously easy to make! I don't know if I will ever buy ice cream again!!!!

The ice cream itself tasted like the hardened peanut butter shell of a Friendly's sundae cup:

Source



Heaven, my friends, heaven.  The texture is amazing with the pretzels and the chocolate chips--I was worried that the pretzels might become soggy after freezing, but they were still crisp! 

I will definitely have some on stock in case of emergencies...in fact, I sense an emergency happening next Sunday when someone special leaves for Boston (*cough* Pat *cough*).

Enjoy!



Cinnamon Scones

More often than I would like to admit, I go to Starbucks and get iced coffee.  The price is reasonable enough where I don't bat an eye when I get "a venti iced coffee light on the ice and 2 pumps sugar" every few days.

But the time has come to face my addiction....

I've now gone "often" enough where I now have the gold membership card.  You know, the one where they personalize this gold, shiny card with your name on it.

(It's the least they can do when they rely on you for half their profits every month....)

Eek. 

I don't know whether to be embarrassed or to embrace it.

Regardless, I've now started bringing coffee to work from home to save money.  I am also looking into other opportunities to experience the wonder that is Starbucks' pastry case without breaking my wallet.

Here's to crossing one treat off the list and making it at home!

Cinnamon Scones
By The Pioneer Woman

3 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar

5 teaspoons Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

2 sticks (1 Cup) Unsalted Butter
3/4 cups Heavy Cream
1 whole Egg
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 cup Cinnamon Chips

Topping
1/2 cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1-1/2 teaspoon Heavy Cream

Preheat oven to 350 F. 

Mix flour, sugar, cinnamon, and baking powder in a mixing bowl.

Slice cold butter and toss into the mixing bowl.  Press into mix with a fork until all blended.

Add cinnamon chips.

Mix cream, vanilla extract, and eggs in a separate bowl.  Pour into the dry mix. Blend together (be careful not to overmix!!).

Drop mix onto a clean countertop and work into a rectangle. 

Mix topping ingredients together and sprinkle over top of dough.

Make cuts of the dough to form triangles.

Place on baking tray and cook for 20 to 25 minutes.

Enjoy!!!

Keep in mind that I cut relatively small triangles in hopes of making mini scones.  As you can see, the dough expanded exponetionally in the oven, so adjust accordingly to the size that you desire!  I always love things in miniature form, because it seems like you can eat more haha. 

These were even better than Starbucks!!!  Notice how the cinnamon topping formed a crust on top of the scone--it added unbelievable flavor to this breakfast treat!  I brought some in to work with me so I won't eat the entire plate and they were such a hit! 

Things to change:

Next time, I might add a little more cinnamon to the scone batter itself, because the scone didn't taste as "cinnamony" (say that 5 times fast!) as I would have liked...

Also some icing can't hurt ; )

Roasted Mustard Potatoes

After the final venture home before my next (and almost last!) semester, I can think of a few memories.....

Having dinner in Boston with Patrick (he's camera shy!)

Fishing with my Dad and his friend Bart in Cape Cod

Venturing to Provincetown, MA

And these (random segway, I know...)

Roasted Mustard Potatoes

Adapted from Ina Garten

5 potatoes, quartered

Ground mustard
Salt
Garlic Pepper
EVOO

Preheat oven to 400 F. 

Toss potatoes with the rest of the ingredients. 

Sometimes I add garlic and onions--but since that wasn't in the fridge, forgetaboutit. 

Cook for about 45 minutes to an hour, tossing halfway through until tender.

LOOK AT THE CRUNCH!



Dig In.

These are sooo good people! It doesn't taste "mustardy" at all, and they are a must-have for dinners at my house!  When Pat comes to visit, his job is to make these.  All you have to do is chop the potatoes, squirt the mustard and evoo and toss w some S&P!  I loveeee the crunchiness that roasting them brings--so much flavor!

Ina is flawless once again!

And here is one more photo from my vacation that is definitely worth mentioning:

Don't you wish your life was as carefree as your pet?!

A Wordless Weekend Recap

Recipe to come!

Sorry for the blurry pic of the ribs--I was too busy wiping the drool from my chin : )

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Let's eat, drink, and play Jenga!

La Dolce Vita

To celebrate the return of the embarrassingly addicting Jersey Shore, I made one of the most delicious dinners imaginable.

I know I say this a lot.

But this was so easy and tasty, that I couldn't stop eating it.  I literally used my finger to grab the rest of the sauce from the pan (Sorry, Mom).

Parmesan and Mushroom Pasta
by: ME
1 tablespoon of butter
1 cup of baby (porta)bella mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 of an onion, sliced
2 cloves of garlic (for one serving!!)
about 1 cup of pasta (I put the uncooked pasta in my serving bowl before I cook it to make sure that I don't make too much--because I WILL eat it!)
Squeeze of lemon juice

Cook patsa according to the directions on the box--I used whole wheat penne.

Melt half tablespoon of butter and a drizzle of EVOO in pan.

Add minced onion, red pepper flakes, S&P, and garlic to the pan--saute for a few minutes, until garlic is browned (but not burnt!) and onions are translucent.

Add sliced mushrooms.

Add 1/4 cup of grated parm cheese and cooked pasta.

Toss together in the sauce.  Add 1/2 tablespoon of butter and stir until melted.

And devour!

Look at how the cheese and butter created a rich sauce!  

This was so delicious, from the nutty parm, the hint of freshness of the lemon juice, and the meaty mushrooms, this meal was incredibly savory and out of this  world!!!

Spinach Artichoke Dip!

Hello everyone!!!!
The Occasional Oenophile has yet another scrumptious recipe that is healthy and ready in no time!

Spinach & Artichoke Dip

This is a super-easy dish that always gets rave reviews.  Surprisingly, for 1/4 of the dish AND a full serving of multigrain tortilla chips, you'll only rack up 400 calories.

1 bag of fresh spinach
1 block of neufchatel cheese
1 jar of artichoke hearts/quarters
1 envelope onion soup mix/dip mix
1/2 cup shredded Italian cheese blend
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
Tortilla chips/pita/veggies for dipping
Preheat oven at 350 F.

Nuke the spinach in an 8x8 glass baking dish for 2 mins on high, just til it wilts.  Roughly chop the artichokes.

Blend the neufchatel with the onion soup mix. Combine spinach, artichokes, neufchatel, and Italian cheese blend.

Sprinkle parmesan on top

Bake 20 mins.

So fix this up ASAP for the next party you're invited to...or plan a party as an excuse to make this...


Or just make this.