Strawberry Ala Mode

It's our first long May Day weekend.
Victoria Day!
Invite a few friends and serve up a fresh strawberry shortcake.

How do you serve strawberry shortcake to a large crowd?

Instead of plating each one individually, I made it in a large fruit bowl.
You can use biscuit dough or your favorite shortcake recipe.

 I used my favorite sponge cake recipe.
Oh, how many of you know the difference between a sponge cake and an angel food cake?
Sponge cake only uses the fat from the egg yolk.
Angel food cake uses no fat. (egg whites only)

 Ingredients for Sponge Cake

• 9 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

• 4 pounds fresh strawberries quartered
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cups whipping cream for topping, adding sugar to taste or you can use softened ice-cream.

Method

1. Mix eggs, sugar, vanilla and baking powder in your mixing machine at high speed for five minutes.
2. Slowly add flour and cornstarch and mix at slow speed till mixtures are combined.
3. Bake in a tube pan with a removable bottom.
4. Dust bottom of the pan with flour.  Do not grease an angel food cake pan, preventing it from falling when you turn it upside down.
5. Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.
6. When baking is completed, remove from oven and turn upside down for about 40 minutes.
7. Remove cake from pan and lay on a rack.
8. I used a 4 1/2' x 13" pan (rectangular).  It's easy to cube and I can freeze what I don't use.
9. I always have a few extra pieces in my freezer. 

Strawberry Mixture

1. Cube and layer sponge cake in a glass bowl.
2. Combine sugar and strawberries and layer over the cubed cake.
3. Repeat this procedure 3 times, finishing off with strawberries on the top.
4. Swirl whipping cream till it reaches a high mound. 
5. Top with a few extra berries.
6. Prepare ahead of time, let the flavors juice together and chill in the fridge.

Have fun creating your own version.

Just in time for the long Victoria Day Weekend.

Bread for the Journey

In our small group this week we studied how to break down a Bible verse. To dissect it word for word, so we can come to a fuller understanding of Gods word rather than simply skimming over it. To meditate on the entire meaning of it, not just part of it.

Grace ~ a gift freely given to us by God, though we are undeserving of it.
Peace ~ freedom from an inner turmoil resulting with a sense of inner calm.
Abundance ~ a large quantity til  overflowing.
through ~ coming in one side and out the other of my entire being, going from head knowledge to heart knowledge.
knowledge ~ a keen awareness and comprehension gained by personal experience.
God ~ creator, ruler, authority over all
Jesus Christ ~ teacher
Lord ~ someone having influence

Now read the verse again, keeping these definitions in mind and really contemplating  them.

Make the verse personal. Which word stands out for you?

For me it is the word Grace and what it means in my own life. God freely gives it. It is a gift, because of His great love for me. It is lavished upon me, whether I deserve it or not. I don't always accept it.
Breaking the verse down word by word and taking the time to meditate on it makes me realize that Grace and Peace is a promise for me that will overflow in my life if I seek Him and get to know the triune God more intimately and make Him ruler over my life. ALL of my life. (Easier said than done).
It leaves me with hope, encouragement, reassurance that even in my failings, I am loved, forgiven as I get to know God / Jesus more intimately. That gives me comfort.

May Grace, and Peace abound in your life as you seek a closer relationship in Christ. Receive the gift, it is freely given.

Rhubarb Tart with Custard Topping

I use tart pans with removable bottoms instead of pie plates often for the ease of serving. A tart pan is perfect for tart or rich fillings when the flavour of your filling goes a long way. Rhubarb, lemon and rich chocolate are perfect for tarts. Tart pans are also easier to edge the pastry. All you do is press it over the edge and allow the excess to fall off over the side. If you want to make this tart for a larger group. .. use all the crust dough to fill a large cookie sheet with edges and double the filling and topping. You could half the recipe for the crust but it is very handy to have crust ready in the freezer and it only takes an hour or so to thaw on the counter.

Crust (use half for the tart)

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 egg yolks
• milk

1. Put both the egg yolks in a 1 cup measuring cup . . give them a quick stir with a fork and then add enough milk to make 2/3 cup.
2. In a food processor or large bowl, combine the flour and the salt.
3. Add the cubed cold butter and pulse until large crumbs form or cut in butter with a pastry blender.
4. Add the milk and egg mixture until combined.
5. Use half the crust dough to roll out and line a 10 inch removable bottom tart pan.
6. Wrap the remainder of the crust dough well in plastic wrap and seal in a heavy freezer bag and freeze for future use. . .unless you double the filling and topping recipe and bake it on a cookie sheet.

Filling

• 3 cups of thinly sliced rhubarb
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup minute tapioca

Topping

• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Combine the rhubarb, sugar and tapioca and arrange evenly over the crust.
3. Cover lightly with some foil.
4. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes or until the tapioca is nearly clear.
5. While the filling is baking stir together the topping ingredients.
6. Pour over the baked rhubarb filling and bake an additional 15 minutes or until set.
7. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
8. If there are leftovers. . cover with a bit of plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Oma's Soft Cream Cookies

I recently made 6 times the recipe for a wedding event which gave over 700 cookies since it was one of the bride's favorite cookies and thought it would be a good Flashback Friday recipe. It is that time of year again where the home smells of sweet delights baking in the kitchen. If you like peppermint cookies, you can add 3 teaspoons of peppermint extract to make them peppermint cookies.

Some cookies are just a sweet reminder of days gone by, and I have fond memories of these soft and delicately sweet cookies. Do you remember these when you were growing up?

• 2 cups sour cream, or whipping cream
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup of margarine or butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 5 cups flour
• 2 1/2 Tablespoons baking powder (yes that is the correct amount)

1. Mix margarine sugar beating well
2. add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition
3. mix in the vanilla
4. Mix dry ingredients together
5. add into the egg mixture stir alternately with the sour cream.
6. This dough is soft and should be in the fridge over night, so it can be rolled out easily the next day. When you roll out the dough, flour the counter and over the dough liberally because the dough is a bit sticky. 
7. Roll out dough on floured surface just over a 1/4" in thickness, into desired shapes.
8. Bake at 350 F for 10-15 minutes watching carefully not to brown. They taste best looking whitish.

You may choose to ice them when cooled with the following glaze.

Glaze
2 cups icing sugar mixed with cream til it is a thick but spreadable constancy.
Add a few drops of food coloring if desired.

Glazed Fruit Salad

With summer fruits filling the markets, it's easy and fun to make healthy meal choices. This hardly can be called a recipe, but it's a simple idea that dresses up a bowl of fruit.

I used the hollowed out pineapple shells as bowls, but you can use other fruit shells or just a bowl. The glaze will keep the fruit from turning brown.

Ingredients and Method

-8 cups assorted fresh fruit, cut into bite sized pieces (drained canned pineapple works well)

-1 19oz (2 cups) can peach pie filling.

In a large bowl cut up fruit and fold in the pie filling. Transfer well coated fruit into your serving bowl and enjoy.

Crunchy Baked Chicken Tenders

We had chicken dinner on Sunday.  It looked nothing like the Sunday chicken dinner that I grew up with...no stuffing, no mashed potatoes and no gravy. But there were delicious strips of lean chicken breast...moist and tender on the inside with a crunchy topping.  And while they were baking, I baked a pan of potato strips alongside.  In twenty minutes time, we had a healthy plate of chicken strips and oven fries in the comfort of our own home.  That is fast food at it's finest!

• 1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders (chicken breast strips)
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red chili pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1. Mix buttermilk, crushed peppers and garlic salt together in a shallow dish (like a pie plate) and add chicken tenders...turning pieces to coat.  Cover and set aside to marinade for one hour or overnight.
2. Combine panko bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, salt, cayenne and pepper.  
3. Drain chicken tenders and roll in the bread crumb mixture, pressing to coat on all sides.
4. Bake on a rack (cooling rack) that has been placed on a baking sheet at 450°F for 15-20 minutes or until golden.

Serve immediately alongside oven baked fries, fresh veggies and dips of your choice. (Ranch and honey mustard pictured above).

Lemon Bars

These little bars have a flaky buttery crust topped with a lemon layer with just enough 'pucker power'.
If you've got a lemon lover, these just might be a perfect treat for them.

Butter Crust:

• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 2 tbsp powdered sugar
• 2/3 cup salted butter

1. Place all three ingredients into a food processor and pulse until mixture is crumbly. Alternately, if you don't have a food processor, using a pastry cutter cut cold butter into dry ingredients until the butter is very fine.
2. Press crust mixture into a 9x9 pan lined with parchment paper. Use the bottom of a cup to press crust really well into the pan. This is an important step. 
3. Bake in 350º oven for 15 minutes.
4. Make the lemon layer while the crust is baking, as you need to pour the lemon layer on when the crust is still hot.

Lemon layer:

• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tbsp lemon zest (from 3 lemons)
• 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 4 1/2 tbsp flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder

1. Beat together eggs and sugar until frothy.
2. Grate in lemon zest and then squeeze fresh lemon juice into a cup to measure 1/2 cup juice. Make sure there are no seeds in the juice. Add the zest and lemon juice into the egg and sugar mixture. Beat well.
3. Add flour and baking powder and beat until incorporated.
4. Once the crust has baked, immediately pour this mixture over the hot crust and put back into the oven to bake for another 20 minutes.
5. Remove and let sit until cool. Once cool dust with powdered sugar.
6. To cut, remove bars by carefully lifted the edges of the parchment paper and lifting the whole thing out of the pan. Cut bars to desired size.

You can store these in an air tight container for 3-4 days. 

This is my favourite grater/zester. It extremely sharp and gives a really nice delicate cut to the rinds of any citrus fruits. When grating citrus rind you only want to take off the outer skin, and not get down to the white layer of the fruit which is bitter to the taste.

Lemon Cheese Tarts

I had a bit of fun playing with pie pastry when I was making these tarts, but if you do not have time for that, you can use purchased frozen tarts. They work very well too. These "sweet" little lemon tarts
tell someone that you wanted to make something special for them.

Ingredients:

Crust: (or you favorite - great options on this blog)

• 1 2/3 cups flour
• 2/3 cups shortening
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup cold water

Lemon Cheese:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 egg yolks (yolk determines final color- free range eggs have darker yolks)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup lemon juice ( about 2 lemons)
• 1/4 cup butter

Method:

Crust:

1. Cut shortening into flour and salt until crumbly. Stir in water, using fork and stir until combined. Shape into ball with a gentle quick knead. Divide in half. Roll out thinner than for pie crust.
2. Each half should make about 10 - 12 tarts. To determine the size of cutter, measure the tart/muffin cup, going down, across and up. I used mini tins and the cut-outs a little larger than the measurement. This allowed for a bit of folding to create the flower effect, which is totally optional. Bake at 400° F for 15 minutes.

 Lemon Cheese:

1. In a small pot, mix sugar, cornstarch and egg yolks until well blended.
2. Stir in lemon juice and water.
3. Heat on low-medium heat, stirring the whole time until mixture comes to boil and continue cooking, stirring hard for about a minute, until mixture is thick and smooth.
4. Remove from heat and stir in butter, one tablespoon at a time.
5. Cover with cling wrap. It is easiest to fill the tarts while filling is still warm. Refrigerate tarts. To keep crispy, do not cover. Just before serving, dust with icing sugar for a pretty effect.

Wondering what to do with the egg whites? They will keep in covered container in the fridge for several days and also freeze well. Try some individual meringues or a pavlova for another dessert.

  

A nice gift idea is to pour the hot lemon cheese into a sterilized, still hot, canning jar. Seal with new clean lid and allow to cool. When you hear the pop it is sealed. Wrap it up as a gift for a favorite cook. It's great on pancakes or lemon buns. (This recipe makes enough to fill 20 - 24 mini tarts or one 8 oz jar. Recipe doubles nicely too. Store in refrigerator.

Bread for the Journey

I wondered what I could share for Mother's Day and I settled on a prayer for the different stages we might all go through as mothers or in our experience with our own mothers.

Dear God and Father of all,

Thank you for mothers young and old. Thank you for your love and guidance as they raised us, loved us, and disciplined us. 

Lord give mothers of young children and babies the strength they need to make it through each day. Give them refreshment and joy despite their constant need to attend to others. Strengthen them with the hope of the future.

Lord, help those young mothers who have miscarried or whose babies have died in child birth. May they know you understand their sorrow and grief and give them friends and loved ones who can help them in their pain.
Lord, comfort those who have not been able to conceive and who grieve because they have not been able to have children. 

Lord help the mothers of teenagers. Give them an extra measure of understanding and love to see their children through this time that can be so challenging to their teens and to them as they watch the struggles that come with this age.

Lord help the mothers of adult children. Help them to be at peace with the journey they are on and trust God with their future. Help them to leave them in God's hands, knowing when to help and when to keep quiet.

Lord help our mothers as they age. May they continue to serve you and give guidance and encouragement to those younger than them.

Lord heal and comfort those who have been hurt or abandoned by their earthly mothers. In your healing may there be forgiveness instead of bitterness. May they accept and understand the extravagant love that you have for them despite the failures of their own mothers. 

 Lord comfort those who have lost their mothers and miss their touch on their lives. 

 

Lord may we all look to you in whatever stage of life we are in. May we rely on you, dear God, to bring us through whatever life on earth brings our way. May we always look to the hope of the future we have with you because of what Jesus accomplished for us on the cross.

Lord, if anyone reading this prayer has not been saved by putting their faith in you through Jesus Christ, I pray you have mercy on them and show them the way to peace with you through Jesus Christ. 

In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

Boden Torte/ Fruit Flan

There are two recipes I really like to use, but this time I made my mom's recipe. The dough is like a soft cookie dough and doesn't get soggy with the fruit. I will post the other one sometime so you can decide which you would prefer, but the picture is of this recipe.

Cake Base:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon vanilla or omit and use one package vanilla sugar, by Dr Oetker
• 1 egg
• 1 cup flour sifted with
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 cup milk

1. Beat butter and sugar together till white and creamy
2.  Add egg and beat till mixed in. 
3. Fold in flour and baking powder.
4.  Add milk and mix until it holds together in a ball. 
5. Press dough into a well-greased Boden torte pan.
6. Wet your hands with a little water to keep the dough from sticking to your hands.
7. Bake at 350 F for 15-20 minutes or until lightly golden.
8. Fill with a variety of fruit and whipped cream, (my personal favourite is simply canned peaches and whipped cream)

.Glaze:

1. Take 1/2 cup of the fruit syrup if using canned. 
2. Bring it to a boil over medium heat with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch dissolved in a little cold water, cook it until it is clear, and the raw cornstarch flavour disappears approximately 2 minutes. Cool slightly and spread over fruit.
3. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream and you have a lovely little dessert. Quick and easy.

If using fresh fruit I use a commercial glaze by Dr Oetker and follow package directions.