My wife, on the other hand, would frequent there to buy a bag of pumpkin ‘muffies’ for the kids. That was her treat to them, and did they ever love them. They were called ‘muffies’ because they were only the tops of the muffins. As the restaurant is no longer the Atlanta Bread Company, but a restaurant known as Portabellas, the ‘muffie’ tops no longer exist. With the abundance of pumpkin pie filling around the grocery stores this past Halloween season, I thought I would at least make my attempt on making them a full blow pumpkin muffin, and one that would hopefully bring back their memories of the muffin top. I think I accomplished just that.

Ingredients: [Print this Recipe]

• 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/3 cup of vegetable oil
• 2 whole eggs, room temperature
• 15 oz canned pumpkin
• 1 1/4 cups of sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• Additional sugar for topping
• Muffin pan liners
• Powdered sugar

Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees.

In the meantime, add the canned pumpkin, eggs, oil, sugar, baking soda and salt to a large bowl. Whisk the mixture until it is nice and smooth.

Mix the cinnamon, and about a tablespoon of additional sugar to a small bowl.

To another bowl, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder. Mix your dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until you have formed a nice, smooth batter.

Line your muffin tray with the muffin tins, and begin to ladle or pour in the muffin mixture, only about 3/4 of the way full. Sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar mixture on top. Place the muffin pan into the oven and cook for about 30 minutes. Test for doneness by inserting a knife into the middle of a muffin, and if the knife pulls away clean, with no mixture on it, your muffins are done.

Remove the muffin pan from the oven, an remove the muffins from the pan, letting them cool on a rack, or plate for about 5-10 minutes before serving.

To serve, add a muffin to a plate and shower with powdered sugar.

The end result is nothing but an awesome, and quick pumpkin muffin. Watching the kids eat these, I could tell that they had the same excitement as the day my wife would bring home a bag of muffin tops.

Reflecting on why the business is doing so bad now, my recommendation would be to possibly refocus, do some better marketing, and maybe bring back those muffin tops. But, hey, why bother I suppose, when you can get the same experience by making them at home. Hope you enjoy.

Well turn your attention to this simple and delicious appetizer. A crostini that is topped with brie cheese, cranberry chutney, and a cilantro leaf. What you are left with is pure heaven in a bite. Not only that but you will look like you spent all day in the kitchen making these mouthwatering bites.

Lets get started.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 French baguette, cut into 1/4 inch slices
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 1 round of brie cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup of cranberry chutney
• fresh cilantro leaves

As you have probably seen, I have been making everything from mint chocolate chip ice cream to cookies and cream, to yes, pecan pie ice cream. I made this pecan pie ice cream because a friend of mine on Faceook suggested it. I do open the polls from time to time asking what friends would create should they have the opportunity, and the responses have been pretty creative. Everything from chocolate and Sriracha, to green tea, to pumpkin, but it was the pecan pie that I thought I would create.

This pecan pie ice cream has everything you would expect in that lovely piece of pie, and it is also one that all of my kids really enjoyed. Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of whole pecans
• 1/4 cup of light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup of granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 pie crust, store bought, cooked according to directions
• 1 cup of whole milk, cold
• 1/4 cup of granulated sugar for the ice cream maker
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups of heavy cream, cold
• pinch of salt
• Ice Cream Maker

As I always say when making ice cream, freeze the bowl, as it is very important that it is completely frozen.

Begin by adding the milk, and the quarter cup of granulated sugar to a mixing bowl, and do just that, mix with a whisk until all of the sugar dissolves. Add in the vanilla extract, and the heavy cream. Assemble your ice cream maker, and turn it on, adding in your mixture. Let the mixer spin for at least 30 minutes.

During this time, cook your pie crust, as well as caramelize your pecans.

To make the pecans, add the butter and sugars to a skillet. Toss in the pecans, and cook on medium to low heat until the sugars dissolve and begin to caramelize the nuts. Remove and place on parchment paper, allowing them to cool.

Once the pie crust is cooked, remove from the oven and let it cool. Once cooled, break into bite sized pieces.

Once the pecans are cooled, pulse them in a food processor. Do not pulse them into a fine texture, as you want bits and pieces to be throughout your ice cream.

Once the ice cream has formed, fold in your pie crust, salt, and the pecans. Now it is ready to be eaten. Serve in a bowl with any remaining pie crust, and save the rest in some pint sized containers.

Hope you enjoy!

Thankfully, I plan ahead. I hide the chocolate bars where they cannot reach, and typically the marshmallows, as I have one boy who would eat them all day long if he could. So my answer is always yes. Yes, we can make smores. It is nice to see how they are quickly growing and as they would only want their marshmallows uncooked a few years ago, they now want them charred to the crisp. This has allowed me to see how their tastes are changing and how they are beginning to be curious about how the burnt marshmallow tastes on a bed of chocolate and covered in graham crackers. Because I am a foodie, that simply brings a bit of joy to my life.

So happens a couple of Sundays ago, I was unable to make a fire due to the weather. That caused a change in my Sunday routine, but it did not stop me from making smores! If you know me, I quickly came up with the idea of making an ice cream packed with everything you would expect in a great smore.

Lets get started.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of whole milk, cold
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 2 cups of heavy cream
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 5 graham crackers, roughly crumbled
• 1 cup of miniature marshmallows, torched
• 2 Hershey bars, crumbled
• Ice Cream Maker

Always make sure you freeze the ice cream bowl. Do this the night  before. Begin by adding the milk and sugar to a mixing bowl, and do just that, mix with a whisk until all of the sugar dissolves. Add in the vanilla extract and the heavy cream. Assemble your ice cream maker, and turn it on, adding in your mixture. Let the mixer spin for at least 30 minutes.

During this time, prepare your remaining ingredients.

To torch your marshmallows, I use a micro torch that I purchased years ago for making creme brulee. You can find one at your local hardware store, or online. So torch your marshmallows, burning them to your liking.

When the ice cream has formed, fold in the graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows.

Scoop and serve.

I am not sure what my kids loved more. They were quiet and somewhat giggling at the fact that they were loving smores ice cream, possibly more than smores around the fire pit. That laughter and quiet joy made my Sunday evening, much like staring at the fire does.

Give this one a shot, and let me know what you think. Enjoy.

I will admit that I only have one kid who collects the cherry from kiddie cocktails from her siblings. My daughter loves that macerated cherry, so I figured this ice cream would be right up her ally, plus I had some relatives swing by, so I knew I could throw a small bowl to them to try it out as well. If you have not been making ice cream, and have a few extra dollars to spare, I highly recommend picking up an ice cream maker. It is loads of fun, and you have endless ideas when it comes to making ice cream, or sorbet for that matter.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of macerated cherries, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup of dark chocolate, grated
• 1 cup of whole milk, cold
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 2 cups of heavy cream
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• Squirt of red food coloring (optional)

Make sure you freeze the ice cream bowl. Do this the night  before. Begin by adding the milk and sugar to a mixing bowl, and do just that, mix with a whisk until all of the sugar dissolves. Add in the vanilla extract, squirt of red food coloring, and the heavy cream. Assemble your ice cream maker, and turn it on, adding in your mixture. Let the mixer spin for at least 30 minutes.

As the ice cream begins to form into this delicious mass, typically about 25 minutes in, stop the bowl from spinning, and remove the inserted paddle, scraping down whatever ice cream has remained on the paddle.

Fold in the cherries and the chocolate. Place the ice cream in pint size containers if you have them, otherwise seal the top of the ice cream bowl, place back in the freezer and let it set up until you are ready to serve. But who am I kidding? Get a bowl out, lay a couple of scoops into it, drizzle some of the macerated cherry juice on it, letting it harden as a coating, and top with a macerated cherry.

Results? Delicious ice cream with tiny bits of cherry that not only add flavor, but also texture. The sauce adds a bit of that adult flavor from the brandy, and really knocks this one out of the park. A family member was quoted as saying “I do not even like cherries that much, but this is really good!” My kids on the other hand, well, as they ate a scoop or so, I knew it was expected. Not big fans, and it was probably because they realized the tiny bits were cherries, and stopped at that point in time. At least they tried it, and heck, there was plenty left over for me! Hope you enjoy.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of Bing cherries, pitted
• 1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups of water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup of brandy

Start by pitting your cherries. This takes some time. If you have a pitter, use it. I do not, so I used a pairing knife to carefully wedge in by the pit to remove it.

Next add the water and sugar to a pot. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and add in the vanilla and the brandy. Stir. Let cool then add in the cherries. Store in a sealed tight container, in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks.

The end result is what I expected, and very similar to that of the distillery. Cherries that were sweet, delicious, soft, and ones that were perfect in dessert as well as a refreshing cocktail.

I first thought of the idea when I began making ice cream roughly one year ago. I would watch my kids eat a nice Sunday morning breakfast consisting of pancakes, bacon, and syrup. A breakfast that my kids just love, and one that all of the items just jive together so well.  That is when I thought, maple ice cream with a bacon topping. After all, my favorite part of that breakfast is really swiping up some syrup with a piece of bacon. That is all I need!

I proposed the idea to my kids, and they all had different reactions. My oldest who is a bacon junkie just yelled ‘bacon!’, while my middle guy just said something like ‘really? bacon ice cream?’, and my daughter, I think said something like ‘gross!’. Little did they know how awesome this ice cream really was.

My kids loved it, and well, I found myself at the table, giggling. Yes, giggling, the ice cream was just that good. And I will be honest with you and say it might be the best ice cream combination that I have ever had. Ever.

Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups of real maple syrup, more for drizzling
• 2 1/4 cups of heavy cream, very cold
• 1 cup of milk, very cold
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• 4 slices of bacon, cooked, and crumbled

That is it. Five simple ingredients. Five ingredients that will really blow your mind. Not kidding.

These ingredients are to be used with an ice cream maker, that is all that I know. I have never attempted to mix the ingredients and simply place them in the freezer. A goal to making any ice cream with the ice cream maker is to make sure everything is very cold, as well as make sure your bowl is frozen.

So to a mixing bowl, add the cream, milk, extract, salt, and the syrup. Mix well. Assemble your ice cream maker, and pour this into the ice cream bowl, mixing for about 25 minutes.

During this time, cook your bacon. Once cooked, drain, and crumble.

Serve by scooping ice cream into your serving bowl, drizzle a bit of maple syrup, and top with some crumbled bacon.

The result is something out of this world, and in my opinion what that sweet and salty should taste like, that and a bit of smokiness from the bacon, just escalated this bowl of ice cream to the top of my list. Hope you enjoy.

I’m sure I was the same way as my kids. You would eat a strawberry flavored piece of candy, but would not dare eat a fresh, cut up strawberry. Same goes with mango, hence the sorbet, and now I created a pomegranate and blueberry sorbet. I knew that when I stocked up on the delicious juice that my kids probably would not even want to consider the juice (I love it), so instead, I decided to use a couple of cups of this vitamin enriched juice and throw it into my ice cream maker.

Let’s just say, I hear this quiet frequently from my daughter; “can I have some of that purple stuff you made?”. This sorbet, as the mango sorbet, is so simple to make, and is a perfect balance of sweet and tart. Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 cup of water
• 2 cups of pomegranate blueberry juice, or just pomegranate
• 1/4 cup of light corn syrup
• 2 tbsp lemon juice

Remember, I use an ice cream maker on this one. The maker itself is made by Cuisinart and has been a blessing in my house. But in order to use the ice cream maker, you always need to make sure that the mixing bowl is frozen, which can take about 8 hours or longer. I always make sure I freeze the bowl the night before, then I am ready for making ice cream, or sorbet when needed.

Begin by making your simple syrup. This is simply done by adding your water and sugar to a sauce pan, bring it to a light bowl, dissolve all of the sugar, and set aside to let cool. Making simple syrup can be well in advance as well, and stored in the refrigerator. I took mine, once cooled, and added the lemon and pomegranate juice, making it nice and cold when I was ready to make the sorbet.

Get your ice cream maker together, and add in the simple syrup and juice mixture, along with the light corn syrup. Let it spin for about 25 minutes, or until your sorbet forms.

You can serve at this time, however I like to place the ice cream bowl back in the freezer for about 30 minutes to let it set up a little bit more.

Scoop and serve. The end result is a really refreshing bowl of sorbet, one that is light, fresh, and makes you feel pretty darn good after eating it. Hope you enjoy.

As you probably know, I make ice cream for the kids quiet often, after all, they dream of dessert on a daily basis, I am not kidding. But sorbet is not like ice cream. Typically, sorbet is made with a sugar water or what I call a simple syrup, and it also contains a fruit juice. It is really that simple.

So I thought I would use my ice cream make and create a batch of mango sorbet, and am I glad I did. As much as the kids did not like the cup of mango juice, they were begging for additional scoops of the sorbet.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of water
• 2 cups of sugar
• 1 1/2 cups of mango juice
• 1 lemon juiced and zested

First, make the simple syrup. To a sauce pan, add the sugar and water, and bring it to a boil, stirring along the way. Once it boils, bring it to a simmer and cook until all of the sugar dissolves, roughly 5 minutes or so.

Remove the pan from the heat, and set it aside to cool to room temperature.

Add the lemon juice and zest to the simple syrup, and give it a nice stir.

Make sure your ice cream bowl is completely frozen before beginning to make the sorbet. It is always important to do that before making any ice cream, or sorbet.

Add the simple syrup and the mango juice to the bowl, and turn on the ice cream maker, stirring for about 25-30 minutes, or until the sorbet firms up.

Return the bowl to the freezer, and let the sorbet harden, roughly 30 minutes. Serve into cones, or bowls.

The results are a homemade sorbet that has the perfect texture, a great sweetness and flavor from the mango juice, and a bunch of happy people. Enjoy

I was so grateful to have received an ice cream maker as a gift from my wife this past summer. Trust me, I have made about a half dozen varieties of ice cream, of which, have yielded nothing but fantastic results. So what could go wrong with making eggnog ice cream right? This simple recipe is a perfect use of eggnog, letting none of it go to waste.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of whole milk, cold
• 3/4 cup of white sugar
• 2 cups of eggnog, cold
• 1/2 cup of dark rum, optional
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter, optional

Freeze the bowl, it is very important that it is completely frozen. Begin by adding the milk and sugar to a mixing bowl, and do just that, mix with a whisk until all of the sugar dissolves. Add in the eggnog, and mix.  Assemble your ice cream maker, and turn it on, adding in your mixture.

Let the mixer spin for at least 30 minutes, just until it starts to come together. Remove the items from the ice cream bowl, and place in the freezer, covered until you are ready to serve.

When you are ready to serve, either scoop and serve, or drizzle some of the rum syrup over the top, making it even more special for the adults. To make the syrup, add the rum and butter to a sauce pan, and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Simply drizzle over the eggnog ice cream.

If you love eggnog, you are going to love this ice cream. Enjoy, and Happy New Year!