This is an idea that’s been floating around my head for a week or two.  I almost always have all the ingredients in the house.  The candy I buy in bulk and the other ingredients I have on hand because I make ice cream and cereal snacks and cereal bars on a semi- regular basis.  This recipe seems too easy because every ingredient needs little alteration.  Besides blending peanut butter and skim milk and chopping peanut m&m’s in half there really is next to no busy work.  Anyways without further ado, here goes nothing.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 2/3 cups skim milk
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup peanut butter m&m’s
• 1/2 cup roasted unsalted peanuts

Instructions:

1.  Blend peanut butter, skim milk, and salt until incorporated.
2.  Mix sugar and cream in medium sized bowl with whisk.
3.  Whisk in blended mixture until mostly homogeneous.
4.  Prepare ice cream in ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.  This recipe is optimized to 1 1/2 qt machine.
5.  While ice cream is being made cut m&m’s in half.  Put halves in bowl with peanuts.  Mix.  Set aside.
6.   Pour bowl of mix-ins over prepared ice cream.
7.   Mix with spatula.  Portion.  Serve either immediately as soft serve or place in ice box serving later as hard serve.

In order to make a complete meal rice dish, I feel you need a number of things.  You need rice.  This is like your bread.  You need protein.  I consider myself an omnivore and typically use meat.  You need flavor.  This can come from a variety of sources.  One is your meat.  Also you can add sauces, spices, and vegetables.  You will finally need texture.  This can be accomplished with meat and vegetables.  This recipe is just one example of a complete rice dish.

Ingredients:

• 1 hatch chile
• 6 tomatillos
• 1 zucchini
• 1 lb regular sausage
• 2 8 oz cans tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 cups rice
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp hot madras curry powder
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 4 cups water

Instructions:

1.  In large 14 inch frying pan brown sausage.
2.  Remove sausage from pan.  Set off to the side.  Add olive oil to sausage fat in pan.
3.  Add diced hatch chile, tomatillos cut into at least eight wedges, and diced zucchini to frying pan.
4.  Fry until all vegetables soften.  The tomatillos will change coloring.
5.  Add tomato sauce, water, curry powder, and oregano.  Turn to medium heat.  Bring to a boil.
6. Add rice.  Cook until most of the water is dissipated.  This will happen primarily through absorption.  If there is remaining water after absorption is complete, evaporate remaining water off.  This may take lowering the heat when mixture becomes more viscous.
7.  Allow additional evaporation to take place off burner as rice mixture cools slightly.
8.  Add sausage back to mixture, folding in.
9. Serve.

This was a challenge from a friend.  As I was making the ice cream I was questioning my motivations.  I was doing it for the puzzle, the learning experience, the acclamation, and that thing that has us wanting to do nice things for our fellow man.  I don’t know if any of these are valid reasons, but they were sufficient to put this man in action.  Anyway I read a little and thought a lot about what would make good pistachio ice cream.  I think it turned out well.  The friend purchased raw pistachios thru amazon, which facilitated the process.  I don’t think any of the other ingredients are hard to acquire.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups raw pistachios
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 2/3 cup skim milk
• 1 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

Instructions:

1.  Toast raw pistachios on cookie sheet in 200 degree oven stirring about every ten minutes until aroma fills kitchen or about 45 minutes.
2.  Let pistachios cool
3.  Take 1/2 cup of pistachios.  Place in blender container.  Add skim milk, vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt.  Blend until all ingredients are incorporated.
4.  In bowl place sugar, cream, and your blended mixture.  Mix well.
5.  Pour mixture into ice cream maker.  Follow manufacturers instructions.
6.  While ice cream is mixing roughly chop remaining cup of nuts.
7.  When ice cream machine is finished, turn off, add chopped nuts, mix with spatula.
8.  Portion and either soft serve immediately or freeze in deep freeze for hard serve later.