A Cook & Garden, Together In The Pacific Northwest
These little beauties take shortcake to a whole new level. They are buttery and flakey, with just the right amount of orange zest to brighten the flavors, but not so much that it overtakes the whole strawberry business at hand. To add to the ‘orange is beautiful’ theme, the strawberries are macerated in some Grand Marnier, an orange liquor, that is so good it almost made my head spin around. And then of course comes the whipped cream….
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This is one of my all time favorite recipes, not only because it’s from my Grandma Liz, but also because it tastes so darned good. It’s so light that it’s kind of hard to stop eating it – so I don’t. This is why I am calling it a snack cake – any guilt factor I may have had is much less if I think of it that way. My advice to you: Do not fight yourself. Dive in headfirst.
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I’m still thinking about Valentines Day, which is fast approaching. ..and still thinking about chocolate of course. Here we have a treat that the whole family can get in on making, and there are plenty of opportunities to steal a sample and cover yourself and everybody in arms reach with ice cream as you move along. Keeping with the red hearts theme, we are making a chocolaty Red Velvet Cookie and cutting it into heart shapes, then grabbing our favorite ice cream from the supermarket and dressing it up with big chunks of chocolate and big cherries halves. All in all, we’re pretty happy with ourselves for this one. I will say that photographing melting ice cream definitely inspires non-valentines thoughts, and more yelling was involved than usual. “OK, once we get that ice cream out of the freezer, we will have twenty seconds to try and take a decent photo…ready…set…GO!! (insert yelling and other words here). Let me show you how easy and fun it is!
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I am torn. Is this a cookie? Is it candy? Is it both? I think so. Rich and decadent and the perfect accompaniemnt to a hot cup of coffee on a cold winter’s day. I am saying this at the moment because we are snowed in and I am doing just that. This recipe comes to us from my blogging partner, Tricia (insert big smily happy face). There’s a lot going on here, but the good news for all of us is that this wonder can be assembled in less than 15 minutes. You will be rewarded with a buttery gingersnap crust, followed by a filling of toffee, salty peanuts, and coconut. Top the whole thing off with a caramel glaze after cooling, and you’re off to the races. Let me show you how easy this is….
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How about we don’t think about politics for a just one minute? Let’s turn off our televisions, radios, and all social media outlets and try to remember there is still a lot of good in the world, and as long as we remain positive and hopeful, listen to each other and speak for what we believe is right, these storms will pass. Here’s one thought… a nice, warm Apple & Pear Crumble with good vanilla ice cream baked by each of us for a friend, relative, or coworker from ‘the other party’ just might help us all along on this journey. I, for one, am going to stuff my face with some immediately.
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I would have to say that Ice Cream Pies are my favorite summer dessert. How can that be? Better than Strawberry Shortcake? Peach Crisp? Blackberry Cobbler? Not that I don’t love all of those and devour them frequently, but there is something special about an ice cream pie on a hot summer’s night. Just kind of puts the world back in proper order if you know what I mean. Here’s one of my favorites: chocolate cookie crust, layers of cookies & cream ice cream, with fresh strawberries and plenty of chocolate sauce hiding in the center. Top the whole thing off with a fresh strawberry sauce, and get ready for fireworks.
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Hello everyone! This posting was supposed to be published before the 4th of July. I was going for a kind of ‘fireworks’ effect in the Poundcake. Umm…I guess it worked in one way, since my first attempt exploded and ran all over the oven, then sunk in on itself. This, upon reflection, was due to the fact that I did not read my recipe with glasses on, so left an entire cup of flour out. Note to self: This is not a good strategy. However, despite the fact that it was awful to look at, it tasted pretty good. I baked a second cake, which is why this article is behind schedule. The second attempt worked better.
While cake #1 was baking, I started writing this posting. I got a big laugh out of the first paragraph when I came back to finish writing after the second cake was done. I’ve kept it because I think that it’s important to remember that if a little voice inside your head whispers that something is amiss, it usually is. Little did I know….
“I cannot lie to you about this because I feel that we are friends. I am sweating bullets right now. Why? Well, this Raspberry Swirl idea was just an idea, and one that I had never tried. Sure, I had baked this Pound Cake for years, but the swirl thing? Not really. Not ever. What could be the harm? What could possibly go wrong? At this moment, the timer on the cake will go off in ten minutes, and then we will both know. I was going for a beautiful, bright red fireworks kind of swirl in the cake, so that is our goal. I am praying it does not turn out a big old pink mess. Or that it will overflow all over the place due to the added jelly. But then again, who cares? Any of the above can be fixed, and I do enjoy living on the edge when it comes to cooking and baking, so there you have it. We will play the cards we are dealt. Until the timer goes off and the cake is cool enough to slice, I’ll just fill you in on all the steps that got us to this point:”
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Happy almost 4th of July! We usually entertain a crowd for this particular holiday, and it is almost always blistering hot outside. Keeping that in mind, I went in search for a do-ahead dessert that was relatively quick, easy, and cold that could also feed a small army. And here you have it. To be fair, this is a translation of a dessert that Neeners used to make when we were kids. We have unofficially named it ‘Blueberry Surprise’ since Neeners was surprised when I mentioned it because she does not recall making it and cannot find her recipe. If memory serves, hers was made when the very first boxed cheesecake kits came out on the market. This is why she cannot find a recipe, although she blames me for stealing it. Situation: normal.
We begin with a graham cracker crust. Get those puppies into your food processor, or put them in a ziplock bag and hit them with a hammer or rolling pin until you have crumbs. Feel free to grab a few for yourself. This will not affect the final outcome of the crust. I am speaking from experience.
Add sugar and melted butter…
Mix it all up until it looks like this:
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My mother has had a rough week. On Monday, she has left a message on my phone. “Hello. This is your mother speaking.” (I know – we’ve met – I recognize your voice.) “My septic tank is on tilt. I will be staying at your sister’s tonight until your brother can figure out where it is and how to fix it. Goodbye.” Later that evening, I called my sis to check in on how she and Neeners were doing. She replied, “Fine. At about 5:00 Neeners came into the kitchen and said ‘I am in need of nourishment. Where do you keep the gin?’ She was in bed by 8:00. All good.”
And after the septic dilemma, there was the Morning Glory infestation. And finally, to top it all off, she lost her glasses. In an attempt to hide them from the dog, she misplaced them and they have yet to turn up. I would say she requires some ice cream. Lucky for Neeners, so do I. I have no reason, I just want it.
I’m going to show you how to make the easiest soft serve ice cream you ever saw. Three ingredients. Five minutes. Done. Because it is so easy, we’ll fancy it up some and make three different kinds and layer them in a loaf pan. When you slice off a piece, you’ll see a rainbow. Let’s get started.
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