Blog Archives
Giant Bubble Recipe
I guess the heat is getting to everyone and they’re looking for a recipe with which to cool down – had a request to repost this. As I am your humble servant, I have done so. Originally posted April 6, 2012
I had a spring break request. I used to work at a hands-on science museum and this was a summer staple. We used to attach hula-hoops to mop handles and use as a big bubble wand. Kept the bubble mixture in kiddie plastic swimming pools, easier to dip the various wand into it.
Photos by: OurBestBites.com
You can also place the hula-hoop ring in the pool, have a small child stand in the center and slowly lift the hoop up, around the child and voila! – you have a kid in a bubble.
You can use almost anything for a wand – string (see recipe), old tennis rackets w/o strings, any type of large ring shaped item. Works best at moderate temperatures, too cold or too hot affect the ability for the bubbles to hold.
Giant Bubbles
- 1/2 cup Dawn® or Joy® liquid dishwashing detergent
- 4 1/2 cups water
- 3 to 4 tablespoons glycerin
For some reason the ingredients are very important. You want one of those brand name soaps and they need to be the regular formula, if they are ultra formulas it may not work. And glycerin is the glue that holds it all together.
In a large plastic bowl mix all ingredients gently so that foam doesn’t form on top of the water. Skim off any foam that appears because it interferes with bubble making. Knot yarn, string, or twine into loops of different sizes, up to 30 inches in circumference. The larger the loop, the larger the bubble. Let string loops soak for a minute in bubble mix.
Using both hands, grasp the loop at two equally distant points and lift it gently out of the water with both sides of the string drawn taut. Open the strings about 1/2 inch apart, keeping the string taut. Lift this string form into the air, and a giant bubble will appear. Label the bubble mix and store it tightly sealed.
This recipe can be doubled or divided, as needed. Glycerin can be found at most pharmacies.
Friday Recipe Exchange: Frozen Sweet Treats
My house was the most popular house on the block this week. That’s because I decided to make a different batch of frozen treats everyday. All so you could have something fun for the holiday weekend. I toiled away in the kitchen and gave no thought whatsoever to my hips, freezing and taste-testing five batches of creamy, sweet, cold goodness. Each one got rave reviews, and while it was a close vote, in the end the Chocolate-Hazelnut won by a nut. Tonight’s featured recipe is the flavor that inspired the entire week.
While Gelato is by far my favorite, I played no favorites and included ice cream and sorbet in the selection. These recipes all make between 1 and 1-1/2 quarts. Here’s the lineup in order of appearance:
Vanilla and Strawberry Ice Cream (recipes here)
Blueberry Sorbet (recipe here)
Chocolate-Hazelnut Gelato (recipe here)
Before we get to the featured recipe, what fun things do you have planned for this holiday weekend? What delicious things are you making for your cookout/picnic/get-togethers? I’ll probably take advantage of the predicted good weather to hike and cycle. Maybe even drive up to the mountains.
Now for the recipe that started this whole week of treats. A while back I was searching for gelato recipes and came across one for Key Lime Pie. It sounded awesome. I tucked it away, planning to try it someday. Someday finally came and I put my own twist on it:
Key Lime Pie Gelato
- Gelato Plain Base (recipe below)
- 1 graham cracker crust, broken into pieces and frozen (recipe below)
- 3 tbsps fresh lime juice, preferably Key lime*
- 2 tsp grated lime zest
Make the Gelato Plain Base and chill as directed. Make the graham cracker crust as directed and freeze.
To make Key Lime Gelato: Gently whisk the limejuice and zest into the base. Pour the mixture into the container of an ice cream machine and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Just after churning quickly stir in the graham cracker crust pieces, reserving some for garnish. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for at least 2 hours before serving.
*after you mix in the lime and zest, give it a taste and add more limejuice as desired. If you’re prefer it a bit more tangy, you can add up to 2 more tbsp without worrying about consistency.
Graham Cracker Crust
Note: You can substitute graham cracker pieces if you don’t want to make an actual crust. I just like the buttery flavor and texture of the actual crust in the gelato.
For the graham cracker crust: Mix 1/2 cup melted butter, 2 tbsp sugar and 2 cups graham cracker crumbs together. Press firmly onto the bottom of a well buttered 8×8 glass baking dish and bake at 375 degrees F for 10 minutes. Cool and remove from the baking dish, break into bite-size pieces and freeze in a covered container.
This recipe is the base for most gelatos, it’s also good frozen by itself:
Gelato di Crema (Gelato Plain Base)
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 large egg yolk
- 2/3 cup sugar
In a heavy-bottom saucepan, combine the milk and cream. Place over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally so a skin doesn’t form, until tiny bubbles start to form around the edges and the mixture reaches a temperature of 170°F.
Meanwhile, in a medium heat-proof bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth. Gradually whisk in the sugar until it is well incorporated and the mixture is thick and pale yellow. Temper* the egg yolks by very slowly pouring in the hot milk mixture while whisking continuously. Return the custard to the saucepan and place over low heat. Cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and it reaches a temperature of 185°F. Do not bring to a boil.
*The best way to temper is to add a tablespoon at a time until you’ve added about 1/4 cup. Then you can add a full ladle at a time, slowly.
One final note. If you’re wondering what the difference is between Gelato, Sorbet and Ice Cream, click here for a pretty good explanation.
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Frozen Treats: Chocolate-Hazelnut Gelato
My friend LFern and I are not able to get together frequently. Family, work and other daily obligations, plus the fact we now live about 25 minutes apart, make it difficult to plan a lunch or coffee time. But this week I sent her an email that said this:
If you decide to come visit me this week I’ll make chocolate-hazelnut gelato (ok, I’m making it anyway, but why miss out?)
T.
That seemed to be incentive enough. Remember she’s my coffee and chocolate friend. I sweetened the deal with the promise of Lavazza coffee, too. When she arrived the ice cream maker was busy humming away. Fifteen minutes later, we had coffee and Gelato ready for a well-deserved girls’ afternoon.
I served up bowls and then proceeded to put the rest in the freezer. LFern mentioned I really didn’t need to do that, she’d be happy to finish it for me. I reminded her I still needed to take photos. She suggested this would be the only photo I would need:
Needless to say, the recipe was a success. I had to agree with her, it was difficult to put enough away to photograph later. But luckily, once the photos were done, someone had to eat the bowl of goodness. Since I was the only one around at the time, I didn’t have to share.
So here is the next recipe in the Frozen Treats series. (A reminder, the first recipe is here and the second one is here. )
Hazelnut-Chocolate Gelato
- Gelato plain base (recipe below)
- 1 tbsp dark cocoa
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 13 oz chunky chocolate hazelnut spread (Nutella style spread)
- 3/4 cup hazelnuts, roughly chopped
bowl with cover, ice cream freezer
ETA: Two things I forgot to mention. I reduced the sugar in the plain base because the hazelnut spread has lots of sugar in it and I was afraid it would be overly sweet. When I tasted the mixture after the spread was added, it was still a little too sweet, so I decided to add the tablespoon of dark cocoa powder. That did it and gave the finished product a nice rich chocolate flavor.
Make gelato plain base. Remove mixture from the heat and sift dark cocoa into the mixture and then add vanilla and hazelnut spread, stirring until the spread has dissolved completely. Remove to bowl, cover and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Before covering with lid, I also cover with plastic wrap, pressed down onto the mixture to keep it from forming a ‘skin’. Next add to the ice cream freezer and freeze according to the machine’s directions. It will be a soft serve consistency when done, freeze for at least an hour before serving. (Okay, we didn’t wait that long and it was yummy anyway). You can stir the chopped hazelnuts in before freezing or you can use as a garnish for each bowl.
This recipe is the base for most gelatos, it’s also good frozen by itself:
Gelato di Crema (Gelato Plain Base)
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 large egg yolk
- 2/3 cup sugar (for the Hazelnut Gelato, reduce to 1/2 cup)
In a heavy-bottom saucepan, combine the milk and cream. Place over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally so a skin doesn’t form, until tiny bubbles start to form around the edges and the mixture reaches a temperature of 170°F.
Meanwhile, in a medium heat-proof bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth. Gradually whisk in the sugar until it is well incorporated and the mixture is thick and pale yellow. Temper* the egg yolks by very slowly pouring in the hot milk mixture while whisking continuously. Return the custard to the saucepan and place over low heat. Cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and it reaches a temperature of 185°F. Do not bring to a boil.
*The best way to temper is to add a tablespoon at a time until you’ve added about 1/4 cup. Then you can add a full ladle at a time, slowly.
Recipe makes 1 to 1-1/2 quarts.
Side note: While I was typing this entry, late (last) night, I kept hearing this repetitive sound. It took a moment for it to register. It was our neighborhood Great Horned Owl, making quite the ruckus, hoot-hooting away in the rain. That was a pretty perfect moment.
I’ll conclude this series with the Friday Recipe Exchange, featuring the recipe idea that started the whole thing off. Until then…
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Frozen Treats: Blueberry Sorbet
This week I’m doing frozen treats. Vanilla and Strawberry Ice Cream began the series here. This is the next treat.
The sorbet was by request and I’m so glad they voted for it. It was terrific. Cool, light, tangy and slightly sweet. The lemon is the perfect addition to the blueberries, giving it a nice depth. Easy to make. Perfect for a warm summer day.
Blueberry Sorbet
- 1 cup water (3/4 cups if you’re using frozen blueberries)
- 1/2 cup sugar (you can use half sugar, half honey if you prefer)
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 5 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
- a few blueberries and fresh mint for garnish
saucepan, blender, ice cream maker
In the saucepan, add water, sugar and lemon juice. Bring to a low boil and stir constantly until the sugar is dissolved. To blender add blueberries and slightly cooled sugar mixture and puree until smooth. I have a vitamix, so I got a very smooth puree, you may need to run the blueberry mixture through a cheesecloth or fine sieve to remove any remaining skins or stems.
Let mixture cool in the refrigerator for at least an hour and then process in your ice cream maker according to directions.
Remove to an airtight container and let freeze solid. I actually covered the top with wax paper to keep it from getting a dry crust on top. It worked well.
Stay tuned, tomorrow there will be another treat. Until then….
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Friday Recipe Exchange: Blood Oranges
Tonight’s recipe exchange is going to be a quick one. It’s been a stressful week – the little company I work with is downsizing (you can read about it here) and I’m busy helping them restructure. The weekend cannot come soon enough. Time to get out and ride and maybe do some gardening.
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, it’s Blood Orange season and I thought I’d take advantage. I know we just did oranges, but that’s actually one of the reasons for tonight’s theme. I received an email question about using blood oranges instead of Clementine’s in the Orange Bread recipe. That reminded me to go looking for blood oranges. Usually I have a difficult time finding them, but a new Sprouts Market opened in my neighborhood and they have a great fresh produce section where I’ve been able to find all kinds of fun stuff. Including some beautiful and flavorful blood oranges.
If you haven’t ever had them, they are sweeter than navel oranges, a little bit of a raspberry flavor, I guess, to them. A nice mix of sweet and tart flavors. Here’s a bit of an explanation over at Sunkist. Really anything you do with oranges, you can do with blood oranges and get a really pretty display in the process.
So with that, I have three recipes for you and, sorry, no photos, it took all the energy I had left just to put together the recipes.
First up: Blood Orange Salad (click here)
Next: Blood Orange Coleslaw (click here)
What’s going on in your kitchen this weekend? Anything fun? Anyone firing up the grill yet?
And finally tonight’s featured recipe:
Blood Orange Glaze and Salsa
This was originally meant for a firm white fish, but it works well with chicken, salmon and pork. So I thought I’d give you the basics and you can experiment with how you use them.
If you can’t find blood oranges, you can substitute ruby red grapefruit, or use all navel oranges, maybe add some raspberries for a nice flavor.
Blood Orange Glaze
- 1/2 cup blood orange juice
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tsp orange zest
- pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- salt & pepper to taste
Warm honey and orange juice until the honey is completely melted. Stir in zest, pepper flakes, salt & pepper. Broil (set rack at second level from the top) or grill fish fillets, pounded chicken breasts or boneless pork chops, basting with the sauce and turning frequently until cooked through and glaze is carmelized. Top with salsa (recipe below).
Blood Orange Salsa
- 4 blood oranges, peeled, sectioned and chopped
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 1 naval orange, peeled, sectioned & chopped
- 4 green onions, chopped
- 1 small jalapeno, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 tbsp limejuice
- Salt & pepper to taste
large bowl
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and set aside for about 30 minutes.
