What I really should call this ice cream is “Kitty Cat” ice cream. My children are getting to the point where homemade ice cream is no longer impressive to them. They are so jaded. I try to tell them that not all mom’s make their kids ice cream from scratch. But they don’t believe me. When I made this, they were skeptical, but once they tasted it, they begged for more. “Mama, can I have some more kitty cat ice cream?” Maybe I still can impress them every now and again.

This recipe comes from my new friend Susan Whetzel’s (we met at the glorious Dole event that I will tell you about later this week) book The Everything Ice Cream, Gelato, and Frozen Desserts Cookbook. It has tons of great recipes for all things frozen, and lots of helpful tips. I heard from a little bird the Susan might be having a gigantic giveaway over on her blog today. Go on over and check it out. And while you are at it, buy her book and have a summer filled with frozen deliciousness. I promise, you will not be sorry.

1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
1/4 cup malted milk powder
pinch salt
3 egg yolks
3 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1 Tablespoon vanilla
3 full size Kit Kat bars

In a saucepan, combine milk, sugar, cocoa, malted milk powder, and salt. Stir and heat to a simmer until the sugar and cocoa is dissolved, do not let this mixture boil.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks.

Drizzle half of the cocoa mixture into the eggs to temper them, you do not want scrambled egg ice cream now do you? Add the egg mixture back into the saucepan and heat until thickened.

Take the egg mixture off of the heat. Pour it through a strainer into a heat proof bowl. Add the chopped chocolate, heavy cream, and vanilla.

Mix well, cover with plastic wrap, and chill completely cold, or overnight.

Freeze according to your ice cream makers instructions.

Chop the Kit Kat into small pieces.

Pour the ice cream into a container and mix in Kit Kats.

Freeze until the ice cream hardens. Garnish with Kit Kats.

My mom is amazing. Sure, she makes me crazy sometimes, but she is a driving force in my life, and I am proud to call her my mother. Here are 10 reasons (in no particular order) why she inspires me everyday:

1. She taught me how to be a mother. She has taught me what it means to be a mother, and still shows me what it looks like to be a good one, 36 years later.

2. My mom was is an entrepreneur. She started a catering business when I was 8 months old and it was a huge success. She is very business-minded, and I wish that I had more of that side of her in me. Her business has been closed for many years, but people still are asking her to re-open, she was the best around.

3. My mom made holidays and birthdays a very big deal. She made these things feel so special, and we felt so loved. I have continued many of the traditions that she started with us, and I hope that my kids love them as much as I did.

4. She has had a tough year. Really tough. And through it all, she has shown everyone how much bounce factor she has. Not to mention how strong she is.

5. She taught me how to cook and what good food is all about. We never ate crap at our house, and we had dinner together every night. I didn’t know how lucky I was until I became a mother and now know how hard that is.

6. My mom is ever-changing. As she gets older, she seems more sure of herself, and willing to try new things. More so than ever before. She is embracing life, making new friends, and experiencing things that she surely would not have a few years ago. And she has no idea how proud I am of her for this.

7. I would like to think that my artistic side came from her. Sister can make anything look beautiful. Her house, food, flowers, anything.  She also makes it look effortless.

8. She knows just when to let you cry and feel sorry for yourself, and the exact moment when you need to get over it and pull yourself out from the funk that you are in.

9. She is hysterically funny. She makes me laugh all the time, and you never know what is going to come out of her mouth.

10. My children love her. She is such a good grandmother. I have such a wonderful relationship with my grandmothers, and I think that my children are going to be just as lucky.

Happy Mother’s Day Mom! I love you and hope that you know just how much.

We recently have started a new little tradition. For the last few months, we have been going out for a late Sunday brunch. Even though I am not a huge breakfast eater, I do like to eat breakfast food later in the day. We try to go someplace different every week, but we keep going back to Gram & Dun, we all love it. It is in Country Club Plaza, and not only is the food amazing, but it is a gorgeous restaurant. I love the look and feel, and the mix of elegant and casual. Another reason why I love this restaurant so much is because I have never been anywhere that does such a good job of mixing sweet and savory. There is nothing that makes my mouth happier than salty and sweet together. Many dishes on their brunch menu achieve this perfect bite. I try not to order the same thing every time, but one of us always gets the chicken and waffles. It is plate of corn flake fried chicken, cheddar and herb waffles, hot sauce, and maple syrup.

One of my favorite things to do is to try and recreate something that I love in a restaurant at home. The chicken at Gram & Dun is far more complicated than I am willing to take on at home. The chicken is brined, sous-vide, and then flash fried. Instead, I made something inspired by the dish that I love. I marinated in buttermilk to tenderize the chicken, and made sure that there was a lot of flavor in the marinade and the coating. I add a few Tablespoons of oil to the corn flakes and it helps the chicken get crispy in the oven.  This chicken is so moist and tender on the inside, and crispy on crunchy on the inside. What more could you ask for? I served this with some ranch on the side and a simple salad. But when I am missing our Sunday Gram & Dun brunches after we leave Kansas, you can bet I will be making some waffles to go with this.

Marinade:

2 cups buttermilk
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons hot sauce
2 cloves garlic
2 Tablespoons chive
2 Tablespoons dill
2 Tablespoons parsley
salt and pepper
4 chicken breasts

Coating:

4 cups corn flakes
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
pinch cayenne

cooking spray

Homemade Ranch Dressing

Put all of the marinade ingredients in a bowl.

Mix well.

Put chicken in a food storage bag. Pour marinade over. Marinate for 4 hours.

Line a baking sheet with tin foil. Put a cooling rack on top and spray with cooking spray. Put corn flakes in a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin. Or a spin in the food processor.

Combine crushed corn flakes, oil, salt, pepper, paprika, and cayenne in a dish.

Take the chicken out of the marinade and drain. Dredge the chicken breasts in the corn flake mixture.

Put chicken on rack.

Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 35 to 45 minutes. Make sure the chicken is cooked through. If the coating begins to brown too much before the chicken is cooked through, cover loosely with tin foil until it is done.

Serve with a side salad, and if you are feeling really crazy, add a little ranch for dipping.

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream

The Scharffen Berger Twitter Party that is!

Today was one of those days when I had a million things to do. A to-do list a mile long, and not enough hours to get it all done. I had to take Clay to the doctors first thing for a pre-op appointment (my poor baby needs tubes in his ears, and his adenoids out) and in between him waking up and going to the doctors, he got really sick. It was pitiful. There is nothing worse than when your children are sick. We spent the morning at the doctors office, instead of making our pilgrimage to Whole Foods, we went home with a script for antibiotics and an excuse to eat popsicles all day. Did I get anything done today? Nope, and that is okay. My baby needed his mommy. He wanted and needed me to snuggle and take care of him. So I put the to-do list away, and settled in for a day of Bubble Guppies and The Fresh Beat Band. That is what moms do. And we would not have it any other way, would we? Well, I could do without the Fresh Beats for awhile…

Mexican Chocolate Cake with Mascarpone Frosting

In celebration of mom (you did know that Mother’s Day is on Sunday, didn’t you?), I am helping host the Mother’s Day Twitter Party hosted by Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker! We are going to be talking about the two things we love most, our moms and chocolate! Won’t you join us?

Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Sauce

Date: Tonight! May 8, 2012

Time: 7:00 – 8:00 Eastern

Hashtag: #ScharffenBerger

Chocolate Yogurt Cake

Come over to Twitter and follow me, and follow the conversation. I happen to know that chocolate will be involved. And perhaps a giveaway or two.

Milk Chocolate Pots de Creme

I hope to see you tonight. Here is how to find us:

Baked Bree on Twitter

Scharffen Berger on Twitter

#ScharffenBerger

It is no secret that I love cooking in the kitchen with my children. There are few other things that I think are more important than teaching your children how to cook. By teaching them how to cook, you are also teaching them how to eat. By teaching them how to cook, I am hopeful that they will try new things, and when cooking for themselves, that they will make better choices because they have the skill set needed to make a healthy meal. I recently read a book about why people do not cook more. Surprisingly, the answer was that their mothers did not include them in the kitchen. Instead of welcoming them to counter to stir, chop, or measure, they shooed them out of the kitchen. They became afraid of cooking, and to me, that is sad. I get that it is not always the easiest thing to do, sometimes I am busy, and I need to get dinner on the table. But when I have some time, bringing my babies into the kitchen is one of my favorite ways to spend time with them.

I learn a lot about them in conversations over a mixing bowl. We talk about a lot of things that we sometimes miss during our busy days. I also teach them a lot about myself during these times too. I tell them stories about my childhood, how I cooked with my mother and grandmother. I am passing on recipes and traditions that I have had in my life for many, many years. And hopefully, when they have their own families, they will pass them on to their own children. Not only that, they are learning. Measuring, sorting, safety, comprehension, the skills are endless.

When the generous people behind the Guidecraft Kitchen Helper asked me if I would like to try one out in my own kitchen, I jumped at the offer. In all honesty, I have had my eye on this for a long time. The problem that I have in the kitchen is getting my children to be at the right height to reach the counter. Before, they would stand on a chair, and many times, they have fallen off, or started slipping. The Kitchen Helper, is stable and secure, and provides support on both sides so they will not fall. It is sturdy and makes cooking with the kids even easier. It folds up, and is easily stored. I really like this product and wish that I had it years ago, when they were younger.

Here are a few recipes that are really fun to make with your kids:

The Best Chocolate Cake Ever (which is what we are making in these pictures)
Pancake Muffins
Banana Bread
Homemade Pizza
Frozen Bananas
Strawberry Ice Cream
Chocolate Chip Cookies
How to Make a Gingerbread House

Purchase a Kitchen Helper

Find Guidecraft on Facebook

Find Guidecraft on Twitter

Today I am teaming up with Pampered Chef to Help Whip Cancer. Pampered Chef is donating 25% of Help Whip Cancer® Fundraiser Cooking Show sales during the months of May and October to the American Cancer Society. Isn’t that reason enough to host a Pampered Chef party? Pampered Chef is offering pink kitchen products and $1 from each sold will also go to the American Cancer Society. They also launched their Help Whip Cancer app this morning and are donating $1 to ACS for every “like” and “share” in May on Facebook! Today Pampered Chef and I are giving away (5) Help Whip Cancer gift sets.

Each set includes:

• Paisley oven mitt
• Paisley oven pad
• cake tester
• small batter bowl
• cake pan set
• Exclusive pink scraper

Want to talk about puffed pancakes? I love making pancakes for my family. They all love them, and I love making them happy. You know what doesn’t make me happy? By the time I sit down to eat my pancakes, they are all finished and ready to move on to something else. I saw this recipe in Midwest Living Magazine, and knew that it was the answer. You make one large, gorgeous, puffed beauty, and slice it like pie. It is a cinch to make, and less clean up than a normal pancake. When the pancake bakes, it forms a bowl, and it is the perfect receptacle for berries, bananas, sauteed apples, whatever strikes your fancy.

2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
zest of half a lemon
raspberries and blueberries
powdered sugar
maple syrup

This recipe works best if the eggs are room temperature. I never think about that when I am making this recipe, so I drop the eggs in warmish water for 15 minutes before, works like a charm.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Add the eggs to a blender. Let it run for 30 seconds or so. You can do this by hand if you want to, but I like how frothy the batter gets in the blender.

Add the flour, milk, almond extract, vanilla extract, and lemon zest. Blend again.

Pour 2 Tablespoons of melted butter into the blender while it is running.

Take the pan out of the oven and add the rest of the butter. Butter the sides and bottom of the pan.

Pour the batter into the hot pan and put it back into the oven.

After 15 minutes, it looks like this.

Fill the center with raspberries and blueberries. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and a drizzle of maple syrup. Breakfast is served. Today is also our monthly Lazy Susan. Head over to Fudge Banana Swirl to see what Chenin has made us for breakfast/

a Rafflecopter giveaway

When I met my husband years ago, he had never eaten asparagus. Unless the burger came with lettuce and tomato (which he would take off and leave on the side of the plate), that was the only color that would be included in his diet. His food fell into the beige/brown category. His fruit and vegetable consumption was very low to say the least. He has come a very long way through the years, and I am proud to say that the man drinks a glass of fruits and vegetables every single morning now. He craves a smoothie like he craves a chicken wing. Well, I’d like to believe that any way.

Smoothies are great for us, neither of us are big breakfast eaters. But a smoothie is light and refreshing. They are really easy to throw together in the morning, and I keep enough things in the house to provide variety. I stock my freezer with loads of berries, peaches, mangoes, pineapple, bananas, and cherries at all times. I also make sure to have natural peanut butter, local raw honey (when I can get it), coconut oil, and avocados. The raw honey and coconut oil are really helpful for my husband’s allergies. The spring and fall can be brutal for him.  He cannot take a lot medication because of what he does for a living, so we have tried just about everything. Honey has worked wonders. Coconut oil also has been shown to fight bacterial infections and viruses. Both ingredients are delicious and add to the smooth texture of these smoothies. A nice dose of healthy fat is nice too! Fresh spinach is another ingredient that is added to almost all smoothies. While it can change the color, you cannot taste it at all. Just a nice nutrient kick.

I do not drink milk. In all of my 36 years, I have never had a glass of milk, not even in a bowl of cereal. I can eat dairy, but for some reason, milk and I are not friends. What I rely on is almond milk. I always have it in my house and use it when I make my smoothies every morning. Almond Breeze contacted me when they read that I always have almond milk in my house. I was thrilled to work with a product that I already use everyday. I keep vanilla and chocolate in my house, but I am so excited about their new Almondmilk Coconutmilk Blend.

These smoothies are 3 that we make a lot. Each one is just as easy to make, but each one is different. Pina Colada is tropical and makes you feel like you are sitting on a beach somewhere. Feel Better Berry Smoothie is full of anti-oxidants, healthy fats, and you would never know that there is spinach in it. The Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana is the one that is the easiest sell for someone new to the smoothie. It looks and tastes just like a milkshake, but is really healthy and rich.

Pina Colada Smoothie:

1 cup Almond Breeze
1/4 cup diced mango
1/4 cup pineapple
1/4 of an avocado
1/2 frozen banana
2 Tablespoons flaked coconut

Blend together until smooth. Garnish with flaked coconut and a pineapple chunk.

Feel Better Berry Smoothie:

1 cup Almond Breeze
1 Tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon coconut oil
1/2 cup frozen raspberries
1/2 cup frozen blackberries
one handful fresh spinach
juice of half a lemon

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Garnish with additional berries.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana:

1 cup Chocolate Almond Breeze
2 Tablespoons natural peanut butter
1/4 of an avocado
1 Tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon coconut oil
1/2 frozen banana

Blend all ingredients and garnish with a banana chunk.

If I have leftover smoothie, or just want to get ahead of the game, I freeze them in an ice cube tray. I pop a few out, and re-blend. Or I send it to school with my kids. By the time they eat lunch, it has melted enough to sip and is still cold in their thermos.

Getting fruits and vegetables into this guy is no easy feat; having him drink a smoothie that looks like a milkshake and is full of healthy fats, fruits, and veggies makes me very, very, happy.

Disclosure: I am being paid by Almond Breeze for this post.  I am compensated for my time, however all opinions expressed are my own.

Last spring, I went to a blogger event at Grange in Sacramento. We went to the farmers’ market across the street, bought ingredients, went back to the restaurant, and the chef made us an incredible lunch with our purchases. I loved everything about it. It was during peak strawberry season, and the pastry chef took the strawberries that we brought to her and made a tart. The interesting thing about it was that she roasted the strawberries first. I had never had strawberries cooked like that before, and it was love at first sight. Something amazing happens when they are roasted. The berries develop a very rich flavor and make an incredible syrup. The pastry chef put them in a tart shell that served it with a touch of whipped cream.

I was working over the weekend and found myself with some extra strawberries. In Kansas, we are not getting great strawberries yet, and I hate to buy things out of season, but they were for a freelance job, so I had to buy them. I needed to use them quickly too. I decided to try my hand at roasting them, and it was the perfect solution for an off season strawberry. The hot oven does something magical to these, it brings out their sweetness. They are perfection on their own, but I had some extra quinoa and after seeing a post from my friend Hannah, I decided to make a breakfast quinoa. I was late to the party when it came to quinoa. I don’t know what took me so long to try it, but now I am in love. I am not a huge breakfast eater, but like the idea of eating something like this to make a Monday feel a little more special. It took no extra effort on my part, just a look around my fridge. Leftover plain quinoa, Greek yogurt, sliced almonds, and a little orange zest were all it took to make this beautiful breakfast.

2 pints strawberries
3 Tablespoons raw sugar
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Clean and slice strawberries. I like mine in good size chunks, otherwise the strawberries fall apart. Sprinkle with sugar. I like raw sugar here, but you can use regular white sugar or even brown sugar.

Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and toss well.

Roast in a 375 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes. It depends on the size of your berries, so check them every now and again.

You can do a lot of things with roasted strawberries. Eat them on their own, add them to a tart shell, serve with ice cream, or you can make them into an extra special breakfast like I did.

I promised you something to do with the lemon curd that you might have left over, didn’t I? Well, I delivered. In a big way. These lemon raspberry pancakes exceeded my expectations when I made them over the weekend. People ask me all the time, “where do you get ideas for your recipes?” Well, all over the place. Magazines, blogs, cookbooks, Pinterest, and things that I eat when I am out and about. I had pancakes similar to these last year at a place called Orphan in Sacramento. I snapped a picture with my phone, and took a few notes. These pancakes are obviously not the exact recipe from the restaurant, but were inspired by that meal. Take the parts that you love (lemon curd in between the layers), and try to make your own version. I always keep a notebook in my purse for reasons just like this.  You never know when or where you are going to get a good idea. Take it from me, it is easier to take a notebook along with you than trying to decipher a recipe that you scribbled on the back of a crumbled Target receipt.

These pancakes are packed full of lemon flavor. Zest and juice in the batter, and lemon curd slathered in between each layer. Blueberries would also be good in this recipe, but I had raspberries that needed to be eaten. And eaten they were.

And Happy Birthday to my littlest baby, Clay. I am not sure how you are 4 years old already, I am pretty sure it was last week that you made a very dramatic entrance into the world, but the last 4 years with you have been full of love and laughter. I love being your mama.

There is still time to register for the online class that Stacey Woods and I are teaching. Photography: Chapter One begins on Monday, and we could not be more excited! We hope that you will join us.

*pretend that there is milk in the above picture, I forgot to include it.*

1 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sour cream
1/3 cup milk
zest of two lemons
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 Tablespoons melted butter
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 pint raspberries
lemon curd

Whisk together the dry ingredients.

In another bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.

Mix until everything is just combined. If the batter is too thick, add a little more milk to thin it out.

Pour the batter onto a hot skillet. Add a few raspberries to the pancake. Cook until the pancake begins to bubble around the edges. Carefully, (the raspberries make this a little tricky) flip the pancakes over and cook the other side until cooked through.

Spread a layer of lemon curd in between each pancake. Top with more raspberries and a sprinkling of powdered sugar.

Did y’all have a good weekend? We had a fabulous one. We are doing the big pre-move purge. There is something very rewarding about downsizing and organizing. I like moving to a new place and being semi-organized when we get there. It makes the whole process so much easier. The kids seem to adjust faster, and usually on the first night, we are all sleeping in our own beds. It takes far less time to unpack this way, and then we can move on and start to explore our new hometown. The best part of a new town is exploring it as if you’re a tourist. We try to treat each place we live that way, and we really get so much out of it. As crazy as this life is, we truly have been blessed to have the experiences that we have had because of it.

Kansas has been an experience, a one year move is tough. As soon as you get your whits about you and start to make a life for yourself, it is time to go. Kansas has grown on me, we got off to a rocky start. I do not love base living, and feel like a fish out of water most days, but I have fallen in love with Kansas City. It is about 45 minutes from us, and it is quickly becoming one of my favorite cities. This weekend one of my friends came to visit, and while I love cooking for people, I also love getting out of Dodge and trying one of the many amazing restaurants Kansas City has to offer. We hit up The Westside Local and had a great dinner. It was a great weekend.

Ready to talk about lemon curd? I have tried a few lemon curd recipes, but they were either too tart, too sweet, or too eggy. This recipe from Ina Garten is just about perfect. This one not only tastes delicious, but it is really easy to make. What do you do with lemon curd? Well, it is great on a scone, a filling for a tart, swirled into yogurt, or simply on a spoon. I just might have a great idea on how to use this lemon curd in the next few days, so be sure to check back. I promise you, it is worth it.

3 lemons
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup butter
4 eggs
1/2 cup lemon juice
pinch salt

Peel the lemons with a vegetable peeler. Add the zest to the bowl of the food processor.

Pulse until the sugar is very finely minced. The oils will come out and flavor the sugar.

Add the butter to the food processor.

Add the butter and cream until it comes together.

Add the eggs one at a time, with the machine running.

Add the lemon juice and salt. Mix until the mixture is pale yellow.

Add the mixture to a saucepan. Cook over low heat until it thickens.

You need to stir the whole time, it takes about 10 minutes. I do the important stuff while I am stirring, like read People.com. You know, catch up on the news.

You will know that it is ready when you dip a wooden spoon into the lemon curd, drag your finger across, and if the line stays, it is thick enough. Transfer to a container and keep in the fridge.