Vegetable Bouillon

I'm the type of cook that's always looking to see if something I can make myself is better for me/tastier/cheaper than the versions people usually buy at the store.  In the interest of saving time and shelf space, I often use bouillon cubes and water in place of stock or broth.

I came across a recipe for homemade vegetable bouillon on a food blog called Simple Scratch Cooking and decided to give it a shot.  The recipe was, as promised, so simple.

I cut the recipe in half, because the original makes a full quart (that's 4 cups for you cooking measurement n00bs) and I never make that much of a recipe until I know for sure it's a keeper.  I did a couple of small substitutions based on what I had on hand.  A package of reconstituted dried wild mushrooms were added to a few fresh mushrooms to make the full contribution, green onions stood in for leeks, and dried parsley was substituted for fresh, since my garden was covered in snow.  Next time, I will smash the peppercorns first, because they did not get ground up in the food processor.  I filled a pint jar with the resulting paste and it sits in my fridge now.

It is quite tasty- not by itself, naturally, unless you're into eating wet, salty, pureed vegetables.  But stir a spoonful into a mug of hot water if you're feeling a bit under the weather, and you've got a quick, tasty, and healthy bit of broth.

It's not very picture-worthy, being an orangish-brownish paste and all, but once you taste it (simmered with water and lentils, perhaps, for a simple soup or as a flavor base in a recipe, or stirred into the cooking water of white rice), you'll be glad you tried it.

This week's menu

Menu planning is a big help to me, and I try to make a regular habit of it.  It helps me create an accurate grocery list (I'm bad about forgetting things that I need), lets my husband know what we're having for the week in case he needs to object or has something in mind he wants, and eases my self-induced stress when 4:00 rolls around and I don't have to wonder what I'm supposed to cook.

Here's what I have planned for this week.

Fried chicken (a new recipe from the Pioneer Woman cookbook I got for Christmas), mashed potatoes, hominy

Penne alla Betsy (ditto, from the PW cookbook), salad, crusty bread

Wienerschnitzel, braised cabbage, German potato salad

Enchiladas Especiales Estilo Tacuba (a Rick Bayless recipe), fruit salad, rice

Marsala chicken with sage and mushrooms (from Martha Stewart), rice pilaf, broccoli

Pork and poblano chile verde (an adaptation of a recipe I made camp-side and blogged about here), three-cheese beer bread from Brown Eyed Baker

Pasta e fagioli (an Olive Garden soup), garlic bread

Magic Chocolate Ice Cream

A recent freebie issue in the mail from Cook's Country, one of the publications from the charming and oh-so-scientific folks at America's Test Kitchen, arrived at La Casa Errant Cook not long ago, and I've begun working my way through some of the supremely delicious-looking recipes.

Naturally, when I came upon the recipe for Magic Chocolate Ice Cream, promising rich and creamy chocolaty decadence without the need for churning in an ice cream machine, I knew that I had found my first test subject. 

My husband and I normally eat chocolate ice cream with shovels rather than spoons, but even we were floored by the richness of this stuff.  Small servings won't leave you disappointed.  You and your waistline have been warned.

Magic Chocolate Ice Cream
Adapted from Cook's Country
Makes about a half gallon

2 tsp. instant coffee or espresso powder
2 tbsp. hot water
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
1 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Pinch salt
2 1/2 cups cold heavy cream

Combine the coffee powder and hot water in a medium bowl and let it sit for about 5 minutes, until the powder is dissolved.  Add the chopped chocolate and sweetened condensed milk and microwave until melted, about 2 minutes, stirring every 20 seconds or so.  Stir in salt and vanilla and set aside to cool.

Whip the heavy cream in a large bowl or in a stand mixer until soft peaks form, about 5-7 minutes.

Whisk about 1/3 of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture until incorporated.  Stream the chocolate mixture into the remaining whipped cream and fold gently with a large rubber spatula until combined.

Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze 6 hours or overnight.

The inspiration.

The chocolate.

If you don't have sweetened condensed milk, you can use evaporated milk and sugar- one 12 oz. can to about 1 2/3 cups of sugar, heated gently in a saucepan and stirred until the sugar is dissolved.  Measure what you need out of the pan and put the rest in a glass jar with a lid in the fridge to use later.

Chopped chocolate.  Try not to eat too much of it.

Chocolate is combined with coffee powder, hot water, and condensed milk before being melted in the microwave.  Try not to eat too much of it.

Whip the tar out of the cold heavy cream until soft peaks form.

About 1/3 of the whipped cream is whisked into the chocolate mixture.

Fold the chocolate mixture into the rest of the whipped cream.

Be careful.  You too will make stupid faces like this once you taste what you've created.  Try not to eat too much of it.

The completed mousse-like mixture, ready for the freezer.  An old sherbet container serves me well in this instance- it's the perfect size and it's a good way to reuse!

OH SWEET LORDY, YES.

I have joined the Dark Side. Follow me, minions.

Yep.  At the urging of mi amiga bloggerista Tasha over at Tasha Does Tulsa, I have finally signed up for The Twitter.

Follow me at @ErrantCook. 

Wordless Week, Episode Eight: Beef Stir-Fry with Snow Peas, Broccoli, and Bell Peppers

Wordless Week, Episode Seven: Cuban Sandwich

Wordless Week, Episode Six: Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo with Roasted Asparagus