Meal Planning Monday - 10 June 2013

10 June? 10 June! How on earth did that happen? I don't know what it's like where you are, but here it's like spring has gone ballistic and coated everything in green and floral lushness. It's awesome and I hope the good weather sticks around until at least September.

On the menu this week:

Crispy Lemon and Herb Chicken
Smoked Pork Sausage Frittata
Eggs Flamenco
Apple Chicken Burgers with Basil and Gouda
Butternut and sweet potato soup
Slow cooker Honey Apple Pork

This Veggie Lasagne is a recipe I made last week. It is fast, tasty and freezes beautifully. I froze it in individual portions and mainly had it for lunch with a salad of spinach. Heaps of veggies, super speedy and totally delicious. What's not to like?

I am going to my first Clandestine Cake Club meeting next week! I had planned on going to one in March but the date changed and I couldn't make it - boo. Anyway, the theme is retro so does anyone have any good suggestions for a retro cake to bake?

Have a fab week and remember to jump over to Mrs M's for more Meal Planning Monday inspiration.

How to Make the Best Mint Ice Cream in 5 Easy Minutes

Mint ice-cream is the most popular flavour in our house, but I'll admit I am not a fan. While my husband and kids opt for mint, or mint choc chip, virtually every time they have an ice-cream, it's never been a variety I've liked. Well, all that changed when I decided to muck around with a new recipe and came up with this beauty.

I am not really one for inventing recipes so this isn't rocket science. I have a basic formula I use for most ice-cream recipes (except the condensed milk one - yum!) but the combination of this week's sunshine and fresh mint makes it a winner for summer.

1 part double cream
1 part milk
0.5 parts sugar
pinch salt
teaspoon of good vanilla extract

Mix all this in a blender until the sugar has dissolved. This is a great base mix that makes a lovely vanilla ice cream on it's own, or one to which you can add pretty much whatever you like. In this case, I used a bunch of mint leaves (you could chop them finely, but I just chucked them in the blender and let it do the work) and some white chocolate chips. Et voila! No artificial colours or flavours, just pure unadulterated creamy yumminess.

I don't have an ice cream machine. I put a bowl or metal dish in the freezer while I'm doing all the mixing, then whisk it every two hours or so until it's frozen. This stops ice crystals from forming and giving the ice cream that nasty gritty texture. It also means that things like chocolate chips are evenly distributed.