yes, you read that correctly. HAND whipped cream. no matter what tools you are working with at home, as long as you have a whisk, you can make whipped cream happen.

whipped cream is one of those REALLY simple things to make at home that elevates ANY dessert. everything from fresh berries to an olive oil cake is a little extra special with some fresh whipped cream.

now, you can definitely use any of your fancy kitchen tools like stand mixers, immersion blenders and hand blenders to make whipped cream. and yes, it saves your arm the trouble, but none of those tools are necessary.

one of the keys to making good, easy whipped cream is having an ice cold bowl and very cold cream. you want to keep your metal bowl in the fridge or preferably the freezer for at least 15 minutes before you make your whipped cream.

now homemade whipped cream CRUSHES the store bought stuff, but the added benefit is that you can make it as sweet as YOU want it. you can also add just a bit of your favorite extract or zests to make whipped cream your own.

hand whipped cream

serves: 2 cups whipped cream

inactive time: 15 minutes

active time: 10 minutes

total time: 20 minutes

ingredients: 1 cup COLD heavy whipping cream. .25 cup granulated OR powdered sugar (either will work). 1 tsp vanilla extract or orange zest optional (or one tsp of your other favorite flavoring). ice cold metal bowl. whisk.

start by pouring your cream into the bowl.

set a five minute timer and start to whip as much air as you can into your cream. as i stood there and whisked i did a little jig, did some stretching and even got in some good yoga breathing. at about that five minute mark, your cream will be like a thick soup.

pour in about 1 tbs of the sugar and set another 2 minute timer. continue whisking and in that two minutes the cream should become much more stiff.

when you have soft peaks (the cream should stick to the whisk but still lose a bit of it’s shape), pour in a little more of your sugar to taste and your flavoring option. whip the flavor in until well combined and the cream has stiffened to hold it’s shape. about 1 more minute.

serve your whipped cream or store in the fridge for up to a week.

xo, a

hand whipped cream

serves: 2 cups whipped cream

inactive time: 15 minutes

active time: 10 minutes

total time: 20 minutes

ingredients: 1 cup COLD heavy whipping cream. .25 cup granulated OR powdered sugar (either will work). 1 tsp vanilla extract or orange zest optional (or one tsp of your other favorite flavoring). ice cold metal bowl. whisk.

start by pouring your cream into the bowl. set a five minute timer and start to whip as much air as you can into your cream. as i stood there and whisked i did a little jig, did some stretching and even got in some good yoga breathing. at about that five minute mark, your cream will be like a thick soup. pour in about 1 tbs of the sugar and set another 2 minute timer. continue whisking and in that two minutes the cream should become much more stiff. when you have soft peaks (the cream should stick to the whisk but still lose a bit of it’s shape), pour in a little more of your sugar to taste and your flavoring option. whip the flavor in until well combined and the cream has stiffened to hold it’s shape. about 1 more minute. serve your whipped cream or store in the fridge for up to a week.

i am a BIG fan of garlic. i won’t deny it. when i cook with garlic and i still have that smell under my finger nails, i love it. there are very few things that i don’t add more than the recommended amount of garlic. i think you are getting the picture. i’m into garlic.

but one of the best ways to eat garlic, is roasted. roasting garlic cuts out that spicy taste you get from raw garlic and just gives you a smooth, deep, garlic flavor. there are tons of great uses for roasted garlic, but here is one of my favorites!

roasted garlic butter

serves: 2 cups butter

total time: 1 hour 30 minutes

ingredients: 1 head of garlic. 2 cups of room temperature butter. 1 tsp olive oil. .5 tsp kosher salt. aluminum foil. whisk.

start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees f. while your oven heats, chop the top off of your head of garlic and place the garlic in the middle of a square of aluminum foil. drizzle the garlic with olive oil and sprinkle with a couple pinches of salt.

wrap the garlic up in the foil till it looks like you might toss it out.

then roast it in the oven for 50-60 minutes until completely soft in the middle. pull your garlic out and allow it to cool to room temperature. now that your garlic is roasted it should be a very mushy consistency.

when you squeeze the uncut bottom of the head of garlic, the individual cloves should just squeeze right out the cut open tops.

once in the butter, season with the remaining salt and whisk well until all the garlic is combined into the butter. about 30 seconds.

serve spread on some of your favorite fresh bread or store on hand for roasting chickens, potatoes, or to use for your morning eggs.

xo, a

roasted garlic butter

serves: 2 cups butter

total time: 1 hour 30 minutes

ingredients: 1 head of garlic. 2 cups of room temperature butter. 1 tsp olive oil. .5 tsp kosher salt. aluminum foil. whisk.

start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees f. while your oven heats, chop the top off of your head of garlic and place the garlic in the middle of a square of aluminum foil. drizzle the garlic with olive oil and sprinkle with a couple pinches of salt. wrap the garlic up in the foil till it looks like you might toss it out. then roast it in the oven for 50-60 minutes until completely soft in the middle. pull your garlic out and allow it to cool to room temperature. now that your garlic is roasted it should be a very mushy consistency. when you squeeze the uncut bottom of the head of garlic, the individual cloves should just squeeze right out the cut open tops. once in the butter, season with the remaining salt and whisk well until all the garlic is combined into the butter. about 30 seconds. serve spread on some of your favorite fresh bread or store on hand for roasting chickens, potatoes, or to use for your morning eggs.