Starbucks Green Tea Latte Ice Cream

This one is my favorite yet.  I'm going to post the recipe as I did it instead of what the book says.  I did it with a Starbucks latte because there is no matcha powder in Sedalia.

Made 4 half pint jars plus about 3 ounces that I scraped off the edges of the machine and ate.  See my previous post for pricing information about the ice cream.  This one is a few cents more expensive than Ben and Jerry's or Haagen Daz at WalMart.

Ingredients:
Grande green tea latte from Starbucks
3/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
2 cups heavy cream
6 large egg yolks

1.  Go to Starbucks and order a grande green tea latte with one extra scoop of matcha powder and no sweetener. Ask that they use whole milk.

2.  Warm the latte, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan.

3.  Pour cream into a large bowl. Set a mesh strainer over the top.

4.  In a separate medium bowl whisk the egg yolks.

5.  Slowly pour the warm mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

6.  Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula.

7.  Pour the custard through the strainer and stir into the cream, then whisk it vigorously until the custard is frothy.

8.  Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

How Much Does Homemade Ice Cream Cost?

I'm mixing up more batches of ice cream for a family event on Saturday.  The batch in the machine right now is Green Tea Ice Cream.  I'm making it because a friend suggested I did. She said Baskin Robins in Japan sells it and that it was delicious. It's not available in the States.  There was a recipe in my book but the problem is that I can't get Matcha powder in Sedalia.  However, I love Starbucks Green Tea Lattes.  That is the only thing I drink from Starbucks.  So I asked the barista how much Matcha powder goes in a Grande latte (the amount of  milk I needed in the recipe). So I bought a Grande latte with whole milk, an extra scoop of Matcha, and no sweetener.  I then substituted this for the 1 cup whole milk and 4 teaspoons Matcha powder that the recipe called for.  I is smart. :-)

So how much does my ice cream cost in comparison to the competition?  I still have my list I made last year with ingredient costs per 1/2 cup of the items I used to make my cookies for farmer's market.  I added a few more items based upon my receipts from ice cream ingredients.

Here's the Aztec Chocolate break down:
heavy cream $2.12
dutch process cocoa, I don't know because I haven't taken the time to measure out how much is in the container so I'm going to say it's too small to call
sugar $.18
Ghiradelli chocolate $1.65
milk $.38
Total $4.33 for a batch that made just over 2 pints.  So lets say it only made 2 pints to account for that chocolate and it is $2.17 a pint.

Here's the breakdown of Matche Ice Cream
one Grande latte $3.95
sugar $.18
heavy cream $1.88
egg yolks $1.14
Will make just over 2 pints so if it was just 2 pints  it would be $3.58 a pint.  So because of that latte at Starbucks this one is over the price of Ben and Jerry's at WalMart. I'm going to order myself some Matche powder online.  That should lower the cost.

Ice Cream at the Farmer's Market in Lee Summit: $5 for a half pint
Ben and Jerry's and Haagen Daz: $3.48 a pint at WalMart (though Haagen Daz is no longer a pint, it is 14 ounces)
Talenti Gelato in Sea Salt Caramel flavor that I saw for the first time today in the WalMart isle was $3.77 a pint.  It comes in a nice reusable container with a screw top lid.  Couldn't help it, I had to buy some. I want to make this flavor next.

So I'd say the answer is yes, it is worth it to make your own ice cream.

Homemade Ice Cream and a Recipe

I bought myself a Quisinart ice cream maker on Amazon and I love it.  You put the bowl thing in the freezer. It's filled with a liquid. When it is good and frozen you put it in the machine, pour your mixture in and the bowl thing spins.   It turns your mixture to ice cream in about 30 minutes.  Here is a link to my machine.  I also bought this book on Amazon too.  So far I've made 5 flavors.

I like how I can make ice cream with so few ingredients.  Makes me feel pretty good knowing what is in it.  It is so good that I've been enjoying it in small amounts.  I put my homemade ice cream in wide mouth pint jars and they fit great in my freezer.  I want to share a unique recipe I found in the book that everyone has loved.

Aztec Hot Chocolate Ice Cream
2 1/4 cups heavy cream
6 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-Process cocoa powder (I used Hershey)
3/4 cup sugar
3 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used Ghirardelli 60%)
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 to 3 teaspoons ground chili powder (I used 3)
2 tablespoons brandy (I didn't have any and don't need the alcohol so I left it out)

Whisk together the cream, cocoa powder, and sugar in a large saucepan. Heat the mixture, whisking frequently, until it comes to a full rolling boil (it will start to foam up). Remove from the heat and add the chocolate, then whisk until it is completely melted. Stir in the milk, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, chili powder, and brandy.  Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

The recipe made just over 1 quart of ice cream.

Here is a picture of me making peach ice cream with some peaches I picked up that day from the Farmer's Market.  It needed the blender to smooth it out.

 Here is a picture of my wide mouth pint jars full of ice cream. The only problem with this method is that the jars are so cold when you're holding them with your left hand to scoop out ice cream.  I think I'll grab a towel next time to hold around the jar.

50 Hour Power Outage Candles

There have been so many natural disasters recently that it has me thinking I should be better prepared. I need to pack a bug out bag but we've never done it.  I did make my own candles in case of a power outage.  They are supposed to burn for 50 hours though I haven't tried it.  I didn't come up with this idea on my own, I took it from Happy Money Saver a pretty nice blog I follow.  My batch made 12 candles.  Click on the ingredients to get a link to where I bought the items on Amazon

12 half pint jars (8 ounces) They are available at most stores. At Lowe's they cost $9.49
5 pounds of Natural Soy Wax $12.99 on Amazon
Wicks, they come in a bag of 50 for $8.99 on Amazon but you only need 12. If you would like to get some from me I will gladly share for 18 cents each.
Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks

1.  Glue a wick to the bottom of each jar.

2.  Melt the wax. You could use a double boiler but I just did it in 3 batches in my microwave using my Pyrex 8 cup measuring cup. Stir after each minute.

3. Carefully pour the wax into each jar to about 1/2 an inch from the top.  Be careful not to move the wick because the hot glue doesn't stick when the wax is fresh and hot.
4.  Let the jars cool just a bit so the wicks are stuck again.
5.  Put a piece of aluminum foil on each jar with a little hole in the center to keep the wick straight while the jars are cooling.

6.  Let the jars cool completely and then remove the aluminum foil
7.  Cut the wicks to about 1/2 and inch.  

So I made my own candles but is it worth it?

I could have bought "religious candles" at the Save A Lot store for $1.45 each. I don't know how long they burn but they are those tall skinny candles in a glass.
If I had to buy the jars my candles cost $2.62 each because I had to buy so many wicks.
If I could have had only 12 wicks for $.18 each my total would have been $2.05 each.
If I didn't need to buy jars and my wicks were $.18 each my total would have been $1.26 each.

However, it was fun to make my own candles.  Remember, if you would like wicks I have 38 more.

Cow-Sharing and a Taco Seasoning Recipe

Yesterday I was reading a cookbook about beef.  I learned a new term called cow-sharing.  It is when multiple people get together to purchase a beef from the farmer.  This is an option for you. Just check out the post from June 11 about how to purchase a split half of a beef.  Need even less meat, share your split half with another family.

My new cookbook has a recipe for every cut.  Stick with me and I'll share some of the recipes with you.  My first share is going to be one of our family favorites: Taco Seasoning.

Growing up with the last name of Bell we always joked when we were eating tacos at home that we were having Tacos By Bell. This is how I spice my meat before I make it into lasagna as well.  It makes a delicious lasagna.

For each pound of ground beef add:
1 tsp onion flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp red pepper
1/4 tsp garlic
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp cumin

Now you won't have to buy packets of seasoning.  I find this one to be much better, just the right amount of spice but not hot. It is also cheaper.
 

All Purpose Healing Salve

The other day I used essential oils for the first time.  I bought them because I wanted to make a recipe I found for an all purpose healing salve.  It takes beeswax but my beeswax smells funny I think. This recipe smells great. It has peppermint, lavender, lemon, and melaleuca.  It's best when rubbed into your feet before you put socks on to go to bed. It has been working very well.  If you would like some let me know. I put it in 4 ounce jars. You can have one for $4.  I think now I'll experiment some more with the essential oils.

Purchasing Beef as a Split Half

Sorry for the delay in writing but I wanted to get this post just right. We have four sides of beef hanging at the processor. They will hang for 21 days and then be ready to go to your freezer.  Please contact us soon if you would like to order one for your family.

Below you will find the hanging weights.  The price is $3.20 a pound hanging weight and includes processing. You can expect to get 60-65% of this weight as meat in your freezer depending on how you have the meat cut and how many of the cuts are bone-in compared to bone-out.  The following are the sizes of the split halves that are available. 

A.     169 pounds for $540.80

B.     172 pounds for $550.40

C.     183 pounds for $585.60

D.     192 pounds for $614.40

There are some choices that you have in cuts.  There are two available of each split half and both customers must select the same cuts to be paired together. 

One of your choices for cuts is to decide between T-Bones or KC Strips and Fillets.  A T-Bone can be cut without the bone and you get a package of KC Strips and a package of Fillets. 

Your second choice is between Rib Steaks with a bone or boneless Rib Eyes.

Round steaks are tenderized or they can be cube steaks instead of round steaks. 

Ground beef is put into 1 pound packages and is 80/20.  This is still a much leaner grind than you will find at the grocery store.  It cooks very clean.  You may choose to have some of your ground beef made into hamburger patties.  The most popular are third-pound patties packaged into 4 per package.  Please let us know how many patty packages you want. 

You can have stew meat or you can choose not to have it and it will be a part of your ground beef. 

Your rump roast will be boned rolled and tied.

You will get some arm and chuck roasts that average 3 pounds each.

You will get one brisket.

Liver, heart and tongue are not available with a split half but may be purchased separately.