Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

A friend posted in her Facebook status about making Cheesecake Ice Cream. Since A. we have made it a tradition to make homemade ice cream on Fridays when we grill out on our roof with our neighbors, and B. we would have made up such a tradition if we hadn't already, just to try Cheesecake Ice Cream, we decided to make this our Flavor of the Week (I feel like I should write it on a chalkboard).

CS (aka "the neighbor") suggested we add strawberries, so it became Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream. Oh yes, we did. Don't worry, I made it healthy by substituting plain yogurt for half of the sour cream, because we only had one cup of sour cream I'm concerned about the health of my family and neighbors.

CS also suggested adding the crackers (we use "petit buerre" tea crackers here). It was a yummy touch.

Suffice it to say, this flavor will be going into our repertoire to pull from for the future. It reminds me of Marble Slab Cheesecake Ice Cream with a strawberry mix-in.

Oh, and I just froze it in our freezer, rather than making it in the ice cream maker, as Julie had said it was too thick for theirs, and they ended up just freezing it, anyway. There were a few ice crystals, but it was still incredible. And ML was happy to have the week off from babysitting the ice cream maker.

12 oz cream cheese
1 C sour cream
1 C plain yogurt
2 C heavy whipping cream
1/2 C sugar
6 T lemon juice
2 T vanilla flavoring

3-4 C frozen strawberries, chopped

graham crackers (optional)

Beat cream cheese until smooth.
Slowly add sugar and then beat in sour cream, yogurt, and heavy cream.
Add vanilla and lemon juice and mix until thick and smooth.
Stir in strawberries.
Cover and freeze for 4-6 hours.
Serve garnished with 2-3 graham crackers per bowl to be crushed and eaten with the ice cream or for dipping.

Emjheddera

Emjheddera is kind of like Arabic mac & cheese. Or maybe more like spaghetti and sauce. It's what you always keep ingredients on hand for and make when you run out of time or don't feel like making something complicated.

We love it, though, and I like to serve it (usually with a roasted chicken) when we have guests from the States (or other Western countries; not to be discriminatory). It's also my go-to recipe when people ask me for an Arabic recipe they can make, since it doesn't require an Arabic spice mix, just cummin. Don't know why I haven't posted it before.

This is the bare bones, basic Arabic kitchen recipe. I'm sure there are some cookbook versions out there with fancy twists. Feel free to elaborate.

Saha!

serves 4-5
traditional Arabic gheda (lunch)
excellent source of protein when eaten with leban (plain yogurt)

1 C lentils, rinsed
2 C rice, rinsed
1/4 - 1/2 C olive oil
1 t salt
1 t cumin
1-2 med onions, chopped
1 T butter

Place rice in bowl with water to cover 1 - 1 1/2 inches. Soak 30 mins.

Meanwhile, place lentils in 2 qt. pan with water to cover 1 1/2 to 2 inches. Bring to a boil. Boil 10 minutes. Lentils should be cooked but not mushy. Drain.

Place 2 1/2 C water, oil, salt and cumin in 4 qt. sauce pot. Bring to a boil. Drain rice. Add rice and lentils to boiling, seasoned water. Simmer 8-10 mins.

Sauté onions in butter. Use to top lentils and rice.

Serve with Arabic Salad (diced tomatoes and cucumbers with a little vinegar, oil and some dried mint; minced onions are optional) and leban (plain yogurt, slightly runny and slightly tart).