Homemade Gothic Ice Cream

Gothic architecture became very popular in the 12th century after the St-Denis church was reconstructed. A main aspect of Gothic architecture was that all Gothic buildings were designed by using three basic shapes--the square, circle, and triangle. The architects used these three shapes in different proportions to complete their designs and to make sure the buildings were structurally sound with tall ceilings and big stained-glass windows. When making homemade ice cream a similar concept can be followed. Homemade ice cream uses 3 basic ingredients, but people can choose what type of each of the ingredients to use. A delicious basic ice cream is made from a type of cream, sugar, and vanilla. People can get creative with what type of cream and sugar they decide to use. For a richer, creamier ice cream they should choose whipping cream. For less fattening and a thinner base half & half can be used. They can also decide if they want to use granulated sugar or confectioners sugar. I prefer granulated sugar. Then they add a little vanilla to it and you have a vanilla base, which you can then add anything you want to it that you think will make it better. You can add fruits, candy bars, different flavor extracts, etc.

One of my favorite wedding gifts my husband and I received is a very nice ice cream maker. We have had lots of fun trying new kinds of ice cream with it and plan on making more over winter break. My in-laws want to have a homemade ice-cream marathon, so it should be very tasty. Cream, sugar, and vanilla will definitely be used because without any one of them the ice cream would be a failure just how the Gothic style churches and buildings would have collapsed if it were not for the use of the square, circle, and triangle.

An Archimedes Predicament

Above: A sink full of dirty dishes--the water level is where it needs to be so it doesn't overflow.

In my apartment we don't have a dishwasher. This means every day we hand wash all of our dishes. It involves filling the sink with soapy water, placing the dishes in the water, scrubbing, rinsing, and drying. Some people may think this is just a mindless chore, but after learning about Archimedes and his buoyancy principle I have started to think about the dishes differently. Each time I fill the sink with water, without realizing what I'm doing, I make sure to not fill it all the way up because I don't want the sink to overflow when the dishes are placed into the water. Doing this exemplifies the buoyancy principle. Thank goodness Archimedes figured out that water levels rise when objects are placed in it because it allows everyone when doing the dishes to have some idea of what level the water should be at, so they don't have an extra mess to clean up when they are done. This may seem like a simple connection to history, but to me I didn't even realize I was using the buoyancy principle every day. It was a "great" realization and is very applicable to cooking, since cooking always involves dirty dishes.

Gutenberg's Influence on Cooks

Above: A recipe given to me in print and the final product, which were delicious.

Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press. To be honest I'm not sure where we would today without this amazing machine. It provided the way for people to become literate, for multiple copies of books, pamphlets, etc to be made, it increased communication capabilities, and it was only the beginning. We owe a lot of the technology we have to have today to survive to Johannes Gutenberg and his Printing Press. For cooks and bakers alike we are truly grateful that recipes have been able to be printed and kept through the years. Thanks to people becoming more literate they learned to write. So even if the recipe wasn't printed on a press it was written down and handed down from one generation to the next. I know I wouldn't be able to cook nearly as well if it weren't for the recipes I use whether they be from an online source or a cookbook. Not only have delicious recipes been a huge reason I am grateful for the printing press, but also the cooking tips and tricks people have taken the time to write down or put into their cookbooks to help newer chefs succeed. Countless times I have needed the advice of a more experienced cook and I usually find the answer in one of my cookbooks or an online cooking blog, website, etc. Previously I received a bag of rolos with an accompanying recipe for Rolo Cookies (See picture above). I had never had these cookies or even heard of them, but after making them and trying them I am grateful that this recipe has been able to be shared through the years using print. It was an easy recipe to follow and very tasty. I gave some of the cookies to my nephews and they thought I was magic because I got carmel inside the cookie. I have already shared the recipe with my sister, so she can make them again. The printing press and the inventions it helped lead to definitely helped provide an easier way for recipes to be shared and ideas to be spread.
So now I would like to share the recipe with you.

Rolo Cookies

Cream:

1 C. Sugar

1 C. Brown Sugar

1 C. Butter

Add: 

2 Tsp. Vanilla

2 eggs

Add:

2 1/2 C. Flour

3/4 C. Cocoa

1 Tsp. Baking soda

Wrap dough around Rolo into a ball. (About 48 Rolos)

Roll in sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Optional: Drizzle with white chocolate after cooled.

"Crossing the Rubicon" in the Kitchen!

Above: Ingredients in a bowl ready to be mixed. Wet ingredients, once they have been added, are very difficult to take out or remeasure, making your decision to add them irrevocable.

Julius Caesar had a moment in his life when he made an irrevocable decision. The Roman Senate stated no general, with his army, could enter Italy. If it was done then it would be seen as an act of rebellion. On the banks of the Rubicon River, Julius Caesar made his decision to do just that and charged across the river with his army into Italy. Since that moment, when people make an irrevocable decision, it is called, "crossing the Rubicon". When learning about this particular moment of Caesar's I couldn't help but think of the myriad of times people make a "crossing the Rubicon" decision when they cook and don't even realize it. When I cook I usually just follow a recipe without even thinking about how the ingredients go together or if it will taste how I want it to. I just mix all the ingredients together and hope it turns out. Almost every time an ingredient is added that is an irrevocable decision. Sometimes you can undo it, but with most ingredients you won't be able to get it all out of the bowl or be able to measure it again, so that is when you have made the irrevocable decision. It is especially apparent when you mix everything together and can no longer tell the eggs from the flour or the butter from the salt. I would say these decisions are more irrevocable when you haven't tried the recipe before because you really don't know what you will end up with and when you have the final product you can't go back and change the ingredients or amounts. If you don't like it, the only way to get it how you want is to keep trying different versions of the recipe until you like the finished product, then you can make it whenever you want without regretting or trying to revoke any decisions you make during the process. People certainly "cross the Rubicon" almost daily in their very own kitchens.

A Christopher Columbus Discovery!

Christopher Columbus is known for his discovery of the Americas. It was a surprise to him and everyone else. It was definitely unexpected, but had both good and bad consequences. Similarly, in the cooking world there are hundreds if not thousands of websites full of recipes and cookbook after cookbook. Once in awhile I discover a new recipe that I have to try. This particular dish was one of those instances. It is called Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake Pie and once I saw it on a cooking blog I view I knew I had to make it. So when my in-laws came over for dinner and dessert the other night I decided this would be our dessert. It took awhile to make since it is 4 layers including the crust, but man was it worth it. This pie had a little piece of heaven in every bite. Everyone who had it loved it and could not stop raving about it. It was so good, my husband and I decided it would become a Christmas tradition for us and we'll have it on Christmas Eve for years to come. It was certainly a worthwhile discovery and had many positive outcomes with it. However, it also has one negative effect--the calories. For every bite of this pie a person will need to run a mile. Ok that may be exaggerating, but to some extent it's true. This pie is full of calories, but for some people that may be a plus as well. I guess it all depends on you and what you do. I, however, think in both Columbus' case and mine the good consequences outweigh the bad and both have made me a very happy person. Everyone though has to try this pie sometime in their life because not discovering it for yourself will be a big mistake, which you will not want to make. 

For the recipe and directions please refer to http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2012/11/chocolate-mousse-cheesecake-pie.html. 

Aristotle's Form Changing Batter

Clockwise from top left: The batter, the waffles ready to be frosted, and the finished product.

A few weeks ago I was able to get together with some friends and make these delicious Chocolate Waffle Cookies (Recipe below). It reminded me of Aristotle's philosophy. Aristotle believed everything was made of two parts, their matter and their Form. He also believed things could change form through a physical process. In baking we see things change form all the time when it is heated or cooled according to the recipe. With this particular recipe the liquid batter changed into solid waffles that could then be frosted and eaten. Through the physical process of pouring the batter onto the heated waffle iron, the batter went through a physical process and changed into a solid. This also happens when making brownies, cupcakes, cake, etc. It is also fun in baking to experiment what forms different batters can take and to be creative. By making this batter into waffles instead of a pan of brownies we were able to cook them faster and give them a unique name and texture. They were absolutely delicious and helped to prove Aristotle's philosophy!

Chocolate Waffle Cookies

Heat together:

1 C. butter

½ C. cocoa

Beat in:

4 eggs

1 ½ C. sugar

2 C. flour

2 tsp. vanilla

**Grease waffle iron and pour the amount of batter needed to fill your waffle iron.

**They cool very quickly, so have a container ready to put them in, so they don't dry out.

Frosting:

2 1/3 C. powdered sugar

½ C. butter

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

3 T. cocoa

Optional: Boil 1 T. of water and 2 T. of sugar for 1 minute and add to frosting until it is the desired consistency

Alexander's Great Leftovers

     I had company over for dinner the other night and made a homemade marinara sauce for the Italian meatball subs we had. However, there was way too much marinara sauce leftover with no meatballs. I wondered what to do with it and decided to create my own recipe, which would use up the rest of the sauce. All I did was boil some penne noodles, brown some ground beef, and layer them in a casserole dish. I poured the marinara sauce over the top of the noodles and ground beef and baked it in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. I then sprinkled Parmesan cheese (also leftover from the Italian subs) over the top of this new dish and put it back in the oven for 5-10 more minutes. It ended up tasting great and is now one of my husband's favorite dishes. It also fed us a couple of times, which was very helpful for the days I didn't have time to cook. This meal made me realize leftovers don't always have to be looked down on or not taste very good. It proved to me that being creative with leftover food from other meals can be put to good use and it does not have to be thrown away and wasted. It just takes some creativity and a basic knowledge of what foods go together. Then what was once leftovers can be turned into another masterpiece.
     While creating this new meal out of the "aftermath" of a previous meal it reminded me of Alexander the Great. One of his qualities that helped make him the conqueror he is known as was his creativity dealing with the civilizations he conquered. He came up with different ideas of how to create unity and win over the hearts of the conquered people so he could continue expanding his kingdom while not having to deal with revolts from his people. Alexander's creativity in the "aftermath" of war helped him conquer civilization after civilization and become Alexander the Great. Similarly, being creative with the "aftermath" of dinner can also bring about "Great" things and new recipes for your cookbook.