Ice Cream Cake {Recipe Update}

Two years ago I posted about my best friend and our love of ice cream cake for her birthday. Since then, I have continued to refine the fudge topping recipe to make it easier to cut and also switched the order of making it (at the prompting of my daughter). So here is the new, and improved recipe! I can't wait to eat some tomorrow!

Ice Cream Cake

1/2 gallon ice cream (I typically use mint chocolate chip from Perrydell Farm)
1 package chocolate sandwich cookies (I use organic Newman's Own or Glutino for a gluten free version)

Let ice cream sit out to soften. Layer ice cream in 9x13 glass baking dish. Crush cookies (you can put in zip-top bag and hit with a mallet or just break up with your hand as you crumble) and layer on top of ice cream. Cover and put in freezer

Topping

2/3 cane sugar
1/3 c water
4 T butter
1 c powdered milk
1 c semi-sweet or dark chocolate
2 T butter

Place first three ingredients in medium saucepan on low-medium heat. Stir until well blended and mixture starts to bubble.

Put hot mixture in blender with powdered milk (I use the single-serve cup for my Ninja) and blend thoroughly. Pour back into pan and add chocolate and butter, heat on low until melted together. Allow to cool for a few minutes and pour over ice cream. Freeze.

B.F. Hiestand House and The Accomac Inn {reviews}

Recently two of my favorite, local, farm-to-fork restaurants closed (The Green Room in Carlisle and Juliana's in the Village in Shrewsbury). This prompted me to search for other restaurants that could fill in the gap. I'm so excited to have found The Accomac Inn! Just take a look here to see where they get their ingredients from, all local farms!  But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me start at the beginning :)

My husband and I had the pleasure of staying at the B.F. Hiestand House bed and breakfast a few months ago for our anniversary (they had a BOGO special!). Many rooms are dog-friendly and we decided to take our English bulldog along with us for the first night and then take him to a friend's house the next afternoon. You could say he enjoyed himself!

We stayed in the adjoining cottage since we weren't sure if Gunther would bark or not. As it was, we were glad to be separated from the main house since he did take a little time to settle down and if either of us left the room he got a bit worried.

Breakfast the first morning was delivered to us so Big G wouldn't be left alone. It was an egg casserole, zucchini muffin (mine was gluten free!), tomatoes and sausage. Everything was wonderful!

 The fruit course was boiled blueberries. This can be eaten hot or cold (ours was cold) and as a huge blueberry lover, it was delicious! Gunther has a few blueberries every morning when I make my smoothie so he was very glad to have a few leftover blueberries as well, and the brown sugar on them meant he liked them that much more!

 After dropping Gunther off at a friend's house later that afternoon, we changed and went to the Accomac. The innkeepers were able to give us a complimentary $20 gift card to the Accomac. We were planning on eating at a restaurant in Hershey but they were booked and we've never been to pleasantly disappointed before!It is in a very old inn right on the bank of the Susquehanna. We went for an early dinner (5:30) and the dining room was fairly empty when we arrived but was filling up by the time we left (7:30).

Unfortunately since the dining room was so empty I didn't feel comfortable taking pictures of our dinner. We shared a salad (with a chia yogurt dressing- amazing!). They were extremely accommodating with the need to eat gluten free and even had my own basked of gf dinner rolls. There were at least 2-3 varieties! I ordered a seafood platter (with skate wing- talk about unique and yummy) and my husband ordered Biftec Diane, which was flambeed table-side- what fun! For dessert we shared creme brulee (This was probably the only thing in which I felt a little disappointed. It just didn't seem to have as rich of a flavor as I have come to expect from this dessert) and received two free chocolate covered strawberries in honor of celebrating our anniversary.

Thankfully we were able to get back to the Accomac on our anniversary (nothing like taking a day off mid-week to spend with your spouse) and enjoyed these dishes:

This is what's left of the fruit, nut and cheese plate with restaurant-made gluten free crackers and apple chutney

I can't remember the exact name but this was some kind of slow-roasted beef with restaurant-made spicy mayo that was beyond wonderful with sweet potato fries. Again, they were very accommodating with gluten free rolls.

Randy's burger with fries on restaurant-made potato bun

Our second morning's breakfast we enjoyed in the main house dining room. French toast with bacon and assorted fruit. They were very nice and made mine with gluten free cinnamon raisin bread which I loved and also shared the recipes for the boiled blueberries and egg casserole.

I highly recommend both the bed and breakfast and restaurant to anyone that lives in the York/Lancaster area or when you are visiting!

You can also take advantage of Chickies Rock County Park (literally right across the river from the restaurant and just down the road from the B&B) and go for a stroll after your meal. When we went for lunch it was a beautiful early spring day and we were ready for some outdoor time after the winter we have had. Anyone know what "chickies" stands for?

Enjoying the sunshine in an accidental-but-pretty-cool selfie :)

 

*Disclaimer- I was not in any way solicited or compensated for these reviews. My opinions are my own and purely to share some great local places to visit!

Why I Started Using My Microwave Again {Product Review}

Well, I never thought I would see the day when I would start using my microwave again, but it has happened. Not to worry, I am not eating any microwaved food but it does come in handy to heat up these herbal heating pads from Pinch of Comfort!

I have known Sarah as an employee at my chiropractor's office for a few years now and she always was one of those women that I wished I would be able to hang out with outside of a work situation. She was always so pleasant and has a nice "granola" side to her as well, haha!

Much to my surprise I ran into her at a local artisan fair a few weeks ago.

Although I love the idea of using herbs and essential oils to help heal naturally, I haven't had the opportunity to actually use them and learn about them yet.

Sarah provides various blends of herbs and can also create blends just for your needs. I was looking for something to help me relax and she recommended lavender. She and I made a deal and I walked away with a soothing lavender eye pad and an everything (contains lavender, rosemary, peppermint, yarrow, sage, eucalyptus, chamomile and lemon balm) neck/shoulder pad.

I have definitely fallen in love! I have been dealing with swelling ankles/feet lately (not exactly sure why...) and the neck pad does wonders for them! I just spritz with water and microwave for 2 minutes. The pads also contain rice and flax seeds to hold the heat. I have also used it on my back, moving the pad to a different spot every few minutes. The heat lasts about an hour for my back and a little less for my feet (they are usually very cold to begin with!).

I have not used the small eye pad yet. I have it in the freezer just waiting for a day when I have a need for it.

She also has large pads to cover your whole back at once and small "boo boo" pads for when the little ones get hurt!

I love being able to support a local up and coming business. Sarah makes all the pads herself with organic herbs she has either grown in her own garden or purchased from an organic farm near Gettysburg.

Thank you, Sarah, for sharing your wonderful products with me! Check out Sarah's web site or Facebook page!

Easy Lasagna (Gluten Free)

I almost feel bad posting this as a recipe, it is so easy, delicious and healthy!

Going gluten free means saying no to a lot of my former favorite foods. And to be honest, I don't necessarily even want to eat them if the gluten free version is highly processed or with compromised ingredients. Swapping veggies for the gluten ingredient is the perfect solution!

Gluten Free Zucchini Lasagna

3 medium zucchini (or more/large size if making a bigger batch for more people)
favorite homemade spaghetti sauce or organic store bought variety (I haven't made my own yet...)
favorite cheeses (I used Parmesan, mozzarella, sharp cheddar, Monterrey Jack)
spices- garlic, onion
herbs- parsley, oregano
optional- any other veggies- spinach, yellow zucchini, etc.

Wash and peel zucchini. Slice thinly, I use the Pampered Chef Simple Slicer and it works great on setting 2.

Layer sauce, zucchini, sauce, onion/garlic, cheeses, zucchini, sauce, onion/garlic, cheeses until all are used up. I used a 9x13 glass dish. Make sure the top layer of cheese is nice and thick and sprinkle herbs on top.

Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes until very bubbly.

The two times I have made this I was able to eat a LOT , definitely more than I would if it were noodles, so keep that in mind when making it :)

Hearts of Palm Dip {Recipe Update}

As a food blogger, it is imperative to take pictures to have for adding to the post. Unfortunately I have made 3 different recipes in the last week and didn't get pictures of any! No worries though, I plan on making them again this week and taking pictures this time :)  In the meantime, whet your appetite for black bean chocolate cake, carrot cake (both with cream cheese icing) and zucchini lasagna- and all the recipes are gluten free! There will also be a slow cooker chicken and coconut chocolate chip cookies recipes also coming soon!

In the meantime, I wanted to re-post this recipe, especially as we get to picnic/cookout weather. This dip is always a big hit, I recommend making at least a double batch if taking to a party! I made a few additions to the original recipe. Remember to go organic and/or local for as many ingredients as possible, especially when it comes to dairy products so you can avoid the growth hormones.

Hearts of Palm Dip

1 can hearts of palm or artichoke (chopped)
1 c shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 c mayo
1/2 c Parmesan cheese
1/4 c sour cream
1-2 tsp each garlic, onion, parsley
1 T chives
handful of fresh or frozen spinach, chopped or ripped into small pieces

Combine all ingredients. Spray small baking dish (I love the Pampered Chef glass dishes with lids) and add dip. Bake at 350 25-30 minutes or until slightly brown on top and bubbly. This recipe doubles well for parties. Enjoy!

Babies {Garden Update}

I love when you can check the garden every few days and see progress, especially in not-so-great weather conditions! Here's how they look!

radishes

various lettuces

Carrots?? Can't quite remember!

They're Coming! {Garden Update}

You may recall that I took a leap of faith and planted my raised bed garden 2 weekends ago, covered with plastic and hoped for the best. It was definitely good that I covered because we got one more snow/ice storm March 30, one week after planting.

Thankfully this week has been much nicer. I was able to open up the bed last night, and saw some plants starting! I gave them some water and left the bed open so some light rain this morning and sunshine this afternoon could work their magic. When I got home tonight, here's what I found!

radishes

Peas, they got knocked around a bit by one dog, that shall remain nameless, that decided to run through the bed yesterday! Thus the reason why they are closer to the surface! Not to worry, pushed them back down in the soil!

carrots

Somebody thought the plastic covering was the best place to chew on his football!

I plan on covering the bed back up since we are supposed to have some strong rains tomorrow and I don't want everything to wash away. How are you making out so far this year? Have you started any seeds inside? That is next on my list!