Brenda's Wedding Blog | Fresh Ideas for Creative Weddings
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wedding blog + planning guide for creative weddings | inspiration for DIY Brides

Brenda's Wedding Blog is your online resource for planning your dream elegant wedding. Helping you find the "wow" in weddings.

Posts tagged cookbooks
Blueberry Mojito Homemade Ice Cream Recipe from Scoop Adventures

Today my blog is being turned into a yummy cookbook of sorts. Remember my post from yesterday on the Homemade Ice Cream Bridal Shower inspiration? Today, Lindsay {the author of Scoop Adventures}, is here to share two of the homemade ice cream recipes that are featured in her new book with us. Please check back early this afternoon for another ice cream recipe from Lindsay. Her book {which is based on the name of her blog} features 80 recipes that she has adapted from some of the greatest ice cream parlors across the country. You may have even stopped by some of these specialty shops + restaurants in your travels. Oh, and since I'm now anxious to try my hand at my own homemade ice cream - do you have a favorite ice cream maker?

Blueberry Mojito Ice Cream

makes 3 cups {705ml}

from Lindsay . . . Fruity, full of citrus, with a hint of mint and a smack of rum, this ice cream tastes exactly like the real thing. If you have visited New Orleans, you may have stopped by St. Joe’s Bar, the inspiration for this ice cream. At St. Joe’s they muddle fresh blueberries and mint into a mix of sugar and alcohol for a truly refreshing drink. After a hot summer day of picking blueberries, I was inspired to make this cool drink into an equally refreshing scoop.

Lime Syrup
1/4 cup (59ml) lime juice
1/4 cup (50g) sugar

Ice Cream Base
1 cup (230g) fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup (100g) sugar
1 cup (237ml) whole milk, divided
1 tbsp (9g) cornstarch
1 1/4 cups (295ml) heavy cream
1/4 cup (24g) packed mint leaves
1 1/2 tbsp (22ml) white rum

To make the lime syrup, combine the juice and 1/4 cup (50g) sugar in a small saucepan and place over medium heat. Heat until the sugar is dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour into a small bowl, cover and refrigerate until completely cool.

To make the ice cream base, combine the blueberries and 1/2 cup (100g sugar in a small saucepan. Warm over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture is simmering and slightly reduced and the berries release their juices. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Fill a large bowl with ice water. In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons (30ml) of the milk with the cornstarch, whisk and set aside. Combine the remaining milk and cream in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. When the mixture is hot and begins to bubble, remove from the heat, add the mint and steep at room temperature for 20 minutes. Pour the mint-infused milk through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing on the back of the mint with a wooden spoon to extract as much flavor as possible.

Return the mint-infused milk to a medium saucepan and bring to a low boil over medium heat. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Return to a boil and cook over moderately high heat until the mixture is slightly thickened, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and pour into a medium bowl. Set the bowl in the ice water bath to cool, 20 minutes, whisking occasionally. Combine the blueberry mixture and cooled ice cream base in a blender and blend until the berries are fully incorporated. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight.

Whisk the chilled ice cream base, and add the lime syrup and rum. Pour the ice cream base into an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.

Inspiring Lighthouse Weddings + The American Lighthouse Cookbook

Did you know that today is National Lighthouse Day? To celebrate, I have some AMAZING photos from real weddings that took place at lighthouses. Plus, I have a fun cookbook that is a combination of national history with regional yumminess. If you've ever been in a lighthouse you know that the staircases are narrow and they spiral around. When you combine these stairs with a bride and groom, you get the most stunning wedding photos in both color and black and white.  

The American Lighthouse Cookbook is a "culinary journey across America to visit our country's most beautiful and historic lighthouses". As you go through the book by region {Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast Atlantic, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, Gulf Coast, California and Hawaii, Northwest, and the Great Lakes} you will read about the history of 47 lighthouses and then you will find menus based on the local foods of the country's coasts {nearly 300 recipes total}. On my list of must makes: upside-down apple pandowdy {pg. 14}, cornmeal griddle cakes with maple syrup {pg. 27}, blueberry slump {pg. 37}, Maryland crab cakes {pg. 70}, and many others. Last night I had to try "my friend Cathy's easy peach cobbler" {pg. 106} - I of course had to convert it to use gluten free flour, but OH MY GOSH! This was delicious - definitely one of my top favorite desserts I've ever made. My daughter wanted to be sure there was enough left over for dessert tomorrow night - which there is :) This lighthouse historical/cookbook makes a wonderful gift for the couple that has a love of the beach {like myself and hubby}.

Note: this post contains affiliate links and while I did receive a copy of the featured cookbook, the views/thoughts shared above are completely my own.
DIY Desserts in Jars : Cinnamon Coffee Cake Mix Recipe

Today I have Shaina Olmanson joining us with a recipe for Cinnamon Coffee Cake from her new Desserts in Jars cookbook. Not only do desserts in jars make wonderful edible favors for your wedding guests, but they are a perfect gift choice for the holidays. Your recipients will simply add a few ingredients and then pop it in the oven to enjoy. Shaina is the author of Food for my Family where she blogs about feeding her family of six while trying to eat right and enjoy their food while still saving money and time. 

Cinnamon Coffee Cake Mix
by Shaina Olmanson {author of Desserts in a Jar}

Ingredients for the mix Makes 1 jar of cake mix, to yield one 9-inch-square cake

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup cinnamon chips
• 1 cup sugar
• Vanilla bean seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean pod
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Instructions for Layering in the Jar
• Mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and ground cinnamon in a bowl. Place in a 1-quart jar. Top with a layer of cinnamon chips.
• Mix together the sugar and the vanilla bean seeds and add as a layer in the jar. Top with the chopped pecans. Seal with the lid and decorate the jar if you like.

You can then attach a label with these instructions for the recipient:

To Make the Cinnamon Coffee Cake
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup sour cream or Greek-style yogurt
• 1/4 cup whole milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9-inch square baking pan. Mix together the butter, eggs, and yogurt in a large bowl until well blended. Stir in all the contents of the jar, then slowly stir in the milk. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Serve warm.