Easter will be here before we know it, and itseems to me that one of the best ways to celebrate is with carrot cake – this is because I love to eat them and look for any excuse to do so. Here you have not just any ordinary carrot cake recipe – it is my mother’s, otherwise known as Neeners. I think it’s the best carrot cake I’ve ever eaten. Don’t tell her that – I’ll never hear the end of it. She has had this recipe since time began, and so I had to attempt to decipher it from her well worn, hand written copy. This was not easy. I had to call her…”Neeners, your recipe says ‘one half of a medium sized can of pineapple’. What is a medium sized can? Is it the size of, oh, let’s say a can of chili beans you would buy at the store?” …..silence…. And then “Go for it. I don’t think it’s possible to kill this cake”. Lucky, it worked. And if you know me well enough by now, you will also know that it is impossible for me to leave a recipe alone – I have to fiddle with it. In this case, I left the cake alone, but added some caramelized fresh pineapple to top things off. This whole business is super easy to make, so how about we get this thing done?
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Have you ever heard the term ‘Necessity is the mother of invention’? Well, my mother, 
I love cake. I love cherries. And now, in the height of cherry season, I can often be found lurking around the refrigerator and pulling out several handfuls of those dark red gems to stuff in my mouth when nobody is looking. The dilemma became this – is there a way to enjoy both cake and cherries without losing any of that fresh cherry goodness? I think this may just do it. The cake base resembles a pound cake (we need something heavy duty to hold up all those cherries), and for some added personality there is shredded coconut, vanilla, and almond extract. This I could eat all on its’ own and be quite happy. However, we can’t forget the cherries! The little extra work of pitting and slicing beautiful dark red cherries in half is well worth the effort. No sugar added to this layer – those berries are sweet enough all on their own. To top it off, the crumb layer has a generous amount of ground almonds that will keep you coming back for one more bite….at least I do. 
I must say that there are some things I can eat until I cannot move. This is one of them. Sweet, tart Hood Strawberries, filled with a Greek Yogurt Cheese & Strawberry Jam. Three ingredients and a little piece of heaven. How about we make some? 
I’ve always loved Lemon Bars, but lately could not get the concept of creating an Orange Bar out of my mind. I was determined to try my hand at them while citrus season is still in full swing, but the concept in my head took some trial, and many errors, before it was fit to print. I knew my first attempt didn’t quite hit the mark, but sent several over to my 87 years young mom, 
It’s almost Valentine’s Day, and that spells chocolate in my book. Here’s a dessert from my blogging partner 
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