Creamed Spinach by Paula Dean

As I open my palate to new and exciting vegetables, some of my previous favorites are losing their appeal. Broccoli, spinach and peppers were my "favorite vegetables" if you can even call them that. But before paleo, I didn't enjoy eating them, and I really only tolerated them to add variety to my meals. However, spinach is very easy to cook (sauteing spinach takes less than 3 minutes), so this was a vegetable I was able to enjoy with very little effort.

Now, I really enjoy brussel sprouts, cabbage, collard greens, beets (the list goes on and on), and cooking spinach was getting boring for me. I typically saute spinach in butter for three minutes, add salt and pepper, and it's done. It's just not satisfying anymore now that I have experienced vegetables with much more character (rainbow chard anyone?). So, I decided to find a way to prepare spinach that I hadn't tried before. This creamed spinach recipe comes from OMG... Paula Dean.

Creamed Spinach by Paula Dean

The Good

• Nice depth of textures
• Not the same boring sauteed spinach
• Packed full of vitamins

The Bad

• Onion/Spinach ratio was off (too much onion)

Overall - 4/5 Stars


This was a mighty tasty way to prepare spinach. Sometimes spinach can be plain by itself, but adding garlic, onions, and a little cream really adds depth. Especially, since the chewy spinach is contrasted with al dente onions. I will definitely look into some more creamed spinach recipes, and a casserole.

ps. I almost forgot to mention the substitution I made for the recipe. We didn't have any heavy cream (what a sin), so I added about a 1/3 of a cup of cream cheese, and I was surprised at how well it worked. The cream cheese gave it a slightly sour flavor but a richly creamy texture. I would use it again in a heartbeat.

Custard Vanilla Ice Cream by the Kitchn

Ice cream is something I haven't had a lot of recently. Mostly because I've stayed away from milk. But I've seen that some of the best recipes don't even contain milk, just heavy cream.

I was initially interested from Paul Jaminet's Perfect Health Diet blog. He has a recipe that I attempted a couple times, but it wasn't that great (maybe I didn't like the lemon in my ice cream). Whatever the reason, I found myself looking for another recipe.

While cooking Strawberry Cheesecake Muffins with a friend, we had 4 left over egg yolks, and I didn't want  all that nutrition and flavor go to waste. I remembered that you could use egg yolks in ice cream, so I went looking for a simple recipe I could make while the muffins were baking. What I found was mouthwateringly good.

Custard Vanilla Ice Cream by the Kitchn 

The Good

• Bursting with flavor in every scoop
• Fresh ingredients
• Simple recipe
• Great consistency

The Bad

• Raw eggs?

Overall - 5/5 Stars

This ice cream was so rich and cream, I really couldn't stop eating it. It had a nice yellow hue from the farm fresh eggs I got from Wegmans, and the Madagascar Vanilla scent filled my nose with every bite. It had a great consistency as well. It wasn't too icy for homemade ice cream (I dont have a machine); it was actually very smooth.

My mom keeps about 4-5 different pints of ice cream in the fridge at any time. So I decided to compare Bryer's French Vanilla to this recipe and the flavors aren't even close. This one is two leagues above Bryer's. It probably has something to do with the ingredients. I used heavy cream from upstate farm cows, egg yolks from free-range chickens, and even unpasteurized raw honey - which is a powerhouse of flavor by its self.

I'm not sure how I feel about the raw eggs, but that didn't stop me from polishing off this whole batch in a couple sittings. I will definitely make this again.