Summer Berry Icebox Cake

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There is a lot to like about this dessert, particularly where patriotic summer holidays are concerned. It is cool and refreshing, makes use of the sweet goodness of fresh fruit, will be enjoyed by all, it is boldly red, white, and blue, and probably most importantly is that this no-bake dessert is make ahead. There is nothing to putting together this simple dessert; it’s more assembly than anything. I have found its sweet, cool deliciousness to be quite welcome for breakfast, so I think this would be as suitable for brunch as it would be for lunch or dinner.

No Bake Summer Berry Icebox Cake

Adapted from cakescottage.com

 21 graham crackers

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 (3.4 oz) packages Vanilla Instant Pudding

2 c. whole milk

½ c. Amaretto

12 oz. Cool whip (or homemade whipped cream)

3 c. sliced fresh strawberries

1½ c. fresh blueberries

2 oz. white chocolate chips

 Beat cream cheese and dry pudding mixes in large bowl with mixer until blended; gradually beat in milk and Amaretto.

 Gently stir in Cool Whip or homemade whipped cream, reserving ½ cup. Spread a thin layer of Cool Whip in a 9” x 13” pan just to coat the bottom.

 Layer 5 graham crackers across the center of the pan, then 2 more, breaking them as needed, to fit around the top and bottom edges.

 Spread a layer of pudding mixture over grahams and top with a layer of blueberries and sliced strawberries. Place graham crackers on top of berries, then pudding mixture, and then layer of berries again. Repeat the graham/pudding/berries layers 1 more time (3 times total) and you should reach the top of the pan.

 Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight until the graham crackers have softened completely.

 When ready to serve, melt white chocolate chips in a bowl as directed on package and drizzle over dessert.

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Red, White & Blue Salad with Fresh Strawberry Dressing

This salad is SO good and just perfect for the sultry days of summer, those patriotic holidays in particular because of the red, white, and blue. It is a snap to toss together using spinach, fresh strawberries, fresh blueberries, and a sprinkling of bleu cheese (or any crumbled white cheese of your choice, feta, for example). What knocks this out of the park is the fresh strawberry dressing. You'll need a small blender or processor in order to properly pulverize the strawberries, but the dressing, like the salad, goes together in a breeze. Make lots of this one. People are going to love it!

Fresh Strawberry Dressing

1/2 cup fresh strawberries, halved or quartered depending upon size
1/2 Tablespoon granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon dry mustard

Place all ingredients into a bullet (or any similar) blender and whir for 30-45 seconds. Drizzle over salad and toss. Store any leftover dressing in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

This dressing is equally good on any type of salad that you enjoy, whether fruitful, or fruitless. :-)

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This post is linked to: Art of Homemaking Monday, Cooking & Crafting with JJ, Wow Us Wednesdays, Wake up Wednesday, Full Plate Thursday, Simple and Sweet Fridays, Foodie Friday & Everything Else

Chocolate Cheesecake-filled Strawberries

While I love the combination of chocolate and strawberries, I am not at all a fan of the chocolate-covered strawberries that seem to appear, with a vengeance, every spring. There is just something about a spongy, wet strawberry covered with rather waxy chocolate that just does not appeal. So after gobbling up the Chocolate Cheesecake Dessert of a few days ago, I decided to come up with similar chocolate deliciousness that I could pipe into fresh strawberries. As strawberries always seem to be enhanced by a touch of citrus, I added a tiny bit of tangerine zest and a hint of Grand Marnier. Oh, my! These are sinfully good.

 Chocolate Cheesecake-filled Strawberries

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

8 ounces Philadelphia cream cheese, room temperature

2 Tablespoons Hershey’s unsweetened cocoa powder

1 Tablespoon Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 Tablespoon half ‘n half

1 Tablespoon Grand Marnier

Fresh zest from 1/2 a Melissa’s Tango Tangerine 

Fresh Strawberries

 Whip heavy cream to stiff peaks; set aside.

Husk fresh strawberries, and carefully scoop out a part of the interior to give yourself piping space. Slice off a tiny bit of the bottom of the strawberry to allow it to stand level. Invert strawberries on top of a paper towel-lined plate to allow for drainage of excess moisture.

While strawberries are draining, in a medium mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese, cocoa powders, powdered sugar, half ‘n half, Grand Marnier, and zest until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add the whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture and fold together until fully combined.

Chill for 30 minutes. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and fill each hollowed strawberry to whatever heights you desire. Dust with powdered sugar if you like.

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Kicked-Up Smoothies

Who doesn’t love a refreshing fruit smoothie? That frosty combination of fresh fruits and yogurt (along with 1 or 2 coconut water ice cubes…or 3 or 4) is a great summer drink. But, correct me if I’m wrong, they can get to be a bit boring. Am I right? Well, boring smoothies are a thing of the past, thanks to this mouth-tingling recipe from The Great Pepper Cookbook by Melissa’s Produce.

You will be stunned, STUNNED I tell you, at how zippy a smoothie can be when you add a Serrano chile pepper. You can crank the heat up a bit by leaving in some of the seeds, but as is, this recipe is perfect.

If you often have trouble opening your eyes in the morning, this breakfast is for you (in which case you can swap out the frozen yogurt for Greek yogurt). Yummy!

Kicked-Up Smoothies

From The Great Pepper Cookbook

2 cups low-fat vanilla frozen yogurt

1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled

1 cup fresh pineapple chunks

1 banana

1 fresh Serrano chile pepper, stem & seeds removed, 

finely diced

Place all ingredients in a blender (I use a Ninja); process until smooth. Serve immediately.

Serves 4

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Camilla Wynne's Strawberry Margarita Jam

Earlier in the week I told you about a wonderful new book on preserving. Today I'm going to share one of the recipes from the book with you. The recipe in question is Camilla Wynne's Strawberry Margarita Jam. It's made in a similar fashion to marmalade in that thin strips of lime peel are used in the jam. The limes are quartered and cut into thin strips, and soaked in water overnight, the day before the real jam making takes place. I wasn't sure that I would like this, feeling that the lime might be too overwhelming, but it wasn't at all. In fact, all of the flavors blended just perfectly. The picky Mr. O-P is not a particular fan of strawberry spreads of any kind, and he liked this a great deal, so that is high praise indeed!

You're going to need a rather large pot for making the jam, probably a 4-6 quart. I used a smaller pan that seemed to work out just fine...until everything boiled over and burned on top of the stove creating a mess the likes of which I'd never encountered before. So, I poured the mixture into another pan, one size up and, yep, you guessed it, more spillage. If anything is lacking in the book, it is stating the proper size of the pots to be used.

When making marmalade, the mixture needs to be cooked to 218ºF. I did the same with this, watching the temperature on a candy thermometer that I had attached to the side of the pan, and the texture was just perfect.

If you're looking for new way to turn strawberries into jam, give this one a try. I guarantee, you've never tasted anything quite like it.

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