Pink Angel Food Strawberry Shortcake Trifle

SO PRETTY!!

I am a girly girl at heart.  

Yes, most days, you will find me in my workout clothes, and my youngest daughter said that people usually recognize me in my Nike ball cap, but give me a chance to dress up in a skirt and heels, I am ALL over it!!

When my friend Gerry, had a party at her house for her book club last month, I loved making my food for her get together around the author she was hosting.

The author's name is Joy Johnson, and is from Nebraska.

She wrote a series of books called "The BOOB Girls ~ The Burned Out Old Broads at Table 12."

here is the official site: BOOB Girls

Gerry entertained not only Joy and her husband, but her book club as well as her Master Gardeners Club.

She had her house all set up with cute little things from the book series, 

..."Underwear hanging on a clothesline?..."

"Table 12"

All things readers would recognize from her books.

Gerry took these two pictures of how things were set up for her guests in her home.

Gerry is ALWAYS doing nice things for me.  

If I had to go back and tell you how we met, you would be as surprised as me to see that we are

 friends now.

Gerry was actually my 9th grade Algebra teacher.

Those of you who know me well know that my love of math ends at measurements in spoons and cups for baking/cooking.

Gerry tells me that if I was as concerned with Algebra as I was with boys, my 9th grade test scores would have been a lot better!!

ha!

Well, fast forward about 15 years (yes...dating myself again) and I find out that Gerry is married to Don who does all of my husband's motor work on his race car.

(that is in it's simplest version)

So, Gerry and Don are like another set of Grandparents to our kiddos now, she has a library in her house that I dream to have someday; and has turned me on to some of my favorite authors, she loves to cook, and, funny story...

She tutors my daughter in math!! ;)

Like I said they are always doing nice things for us, never wanting to take anything for it.

So when she told me about this party, I asked her if I could do her food.

YAY!!! PINK FOOD!!

In addition to the pink angel food cake strawberry shortcake trifle

I made her my Caprese Tomatoes:

My White Rose Infused Sangria, but made it with blush wine:

and I made my warm Spinach and Artichoke Dip

I absolutely LOVED making this angel food cake.

Isn't it pretty??

Here it is topped with pink cake before the whipped cream and strawberries hit the top!

  

I loved it so much I made it in Red, White and Blue for the 4th of July

Instead of re-writing the recipe all over again, make it just like the Red, White and Blue one says, 

but of course use pink!! (or any color you heart desires!!)

Here is the recipe:

Pink Angel food Cake

Homemade Drumsticks

One of my favorite ways to eat ice cream as a kid, and even now...who doesn't like drumsticks?

While we have been on our ice cream making frenzy this summer, I decided while making 

homemade Buster Bars

to make some homemade drumsticks!

They are super easy, and a real "no-brainer" actually!

homemade drumsticks

Here's all you need:

Homemade Drumsticks

vanilla ice cream (or alternate flavor...go crazy!)

sugar ice cream cones

hot fudge ice cream topping (or caramel)

mixed chopped nuts (or sprinkles)

6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

I stood my cones in short glasses inside of a 9x13 pan.

Place a dollop of hot fudge in the bottom of each cone.

Place chips and oil in a microwave and melt in 30 second intervals until smooth.

Pack ice cream into the cone and use an ice cream scoop to make a perfect ball shaped scoop on the top, pressing down tightly.

Dip top of cone in melted chocolate and dunk into nuts.

Stand back on end in glass.

 Place in freezer for a couple of hours.

Enjoy!

The sprinkle covered one is for my hubby.  He hates nuts!!

That's the best part of the store bought ones, he lets me eat the nuts topping off of his! ;)

This is a great project to do with your kids in the kitchen.

The options are endless!!

Notes: I bought everything I needed right next to the ice cream section in the store.  I love the mixed nuts in a can they have by all of the syrups.

So many flavor options!! 

Cucumber Lemonades

Have you discovered Cucumber Vodka Yet?

Cucumber lovers unite!!

It is WONDERFUL!!

We tried a sample at a local restaurant last weekend, and bought some the next day!

These are perfect hot weather/summer drinks.  

So light and refreshing.

Cucumber Lemonades

8 ounces of lemonade

1 shot of cucumber vodka (or more if you're feeling crazy!!)

ice

salt - optional

Blend vodka and lemonade with ice in your blender until the ice is crushed.

Pour into a glass with a salted rim, garnish with a cucumber if desired.

I have also just made these "on the rocks" they are just as good and not near the work!! ;)

Homemade Buster Bars

When I was a kid, we rarely went out to eat, but looking back on it now, that is what made the experience so much better.

I know this post is about ice cream, but I have to tell ya a quick little story about take out when I was a kid.

On the occasions my Mom didn't make dinner, which I mentioned were few and far between, we would go an pick up a pizza from a pizza place called Big Fred's Pizza.

It was the ONLY place we had pizza.

It was actually where my Dad took my Mom on their first date... can I get an "Awwww?"

Anyway.... I remember going to pick up the pizza with my Mom, and sitting in the front seat of our (GIANT) Ford LTD holding the warm pizza box on my lap.  There is something about the way that Big Fred's pizza smells, especially in that box.

My husband knows if our family plans to get pizza and he asks where I want to go...where I will pick!!

Goes to show you, that the sense of smell is one of the greatest, and can sure trigger memories, can't it?

Ok, enough about pizza! This post is about ice cream!

Once or twice a summer my parents would load my brother and I in the car and we would get to go to DQ for ice cream.

My parents ALWAYS got Buster Bars. 

 It wasn't until I was a little older and they talked me into it, that I got one,

I haven't ordered anything else from DQ since!

Ice cream, hot fudge, peanuts all dipped in chocolate.  yum.

I decided this summer we would make them at home.

The twins and I got our ingredients, and made them one night and dipped them the next.

Here's what you need:

Homemade Buster Bars

recipe adapted from Eat at Home

8 plastic small plastic cups

8 Popsicle sticks

1/2 gallon of vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt

Spanish peanuts

1 jar of hot fudge

12 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips

3 Tablespoons of vegetable oil

Line your cups up, in the bottom spoon about 1/2 T of peanuts, then drizzle with about 1/2 T of hot fudge.

the one with no peanuts is for my hubby...he says he's allergic...he really just doesn't like them!

Place a scoop of ice cream over that, and press it down firmly.

Top that again with about 1 heaping T of hot fudge, smearing it on top of the ice cream, top with 1 T peanuts.

Next more ice cream, press it down, more hot fudge and peanuts.

Place a Popsicle stick in the middle of the cup, and place the cups in the freezer.

We froze ours for 24 hours.

in they go!

After they are good and frozen, you can begin the dipping process.

Pour your chocolate chips and oil in a microwave safe bowl.  Melt in 30 second intervals stirring in between until chocolate is smooth. Let it stand for just a minute, so it isn't super hot.

I used a taller sour cream bowl to dip mine in, it needs to be pretty tall in order to be able to dunk it all of the way in and get it on the bottom by the stick.

Lightly squeeze the outside of the cup to release the ice cream.

I had to run a butter knife around the outside to loosen it up. 

(I think I got a little carried away with the fudge!)

messy messy!!

Looking at this picture now, makes me laugh.  Hayden kept using his fingers in the chocolate drippings on the counter.  You can see right where he's been!

Dunk it into the chocolate, and hold up for a second, giving it a slow twirl to distribute chocolate and let the excess run off.

Place on a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper, and place back in the freezer.  We ate ours the next night, to make sure they were good and frozen!

Notes:

I made these using the ingredients that the original recipe's ingredients.

But she only put the hot fudge and peanuts in the middle of the two layers of ice cream.

In my recollection, there were nuts and fudge on the top and bottom, too?

(Maybe that's just my dreamland that looks something like Willy Wonka's chocolate factory river?)

But that is how we did it.  So...mine got to be a little taller than what the original recipe did, therefore I ran out of dipping chocolate.  I just made more, no harm no foul.

But if you want to make them like I did, and have them full of nuts and gooey hot fudge, I would suggest making 6 instead of 8.

Make sure to PACK the ice cream down firmly!! 

I only had one stick come loose when I was dipping, and I know that's why.  I bought the wide Popsicle sticks at our Hobby Lobby, they held well!

Enjoy...but be sure you have a napkin! ;)

Grape Nut Ice Cream

Every winter we travel somewhere warm with our friends Ted and Betsy.

I love vacationing with my kids, and we do that a couple of times through the year, but this vacation is one I look forward to because it really is relaxing!!

I don't cook, we drink fruity frozen drinks with umbrellas in them, and never care what time it is!!

We have been to Jamaica a couple of times, and this past January we went there again.

For dessert one night we had this ice cream, and we couldn't for the life of us figure out what was in it, but we all loved it!!

We asked one of the servers, and they said "Grape Nuts, Mon"

Margaritaville in Montego Bay

I knew I ad to try to make it this summer!!

This past weekend, I did!!

and IT WAS!!

It won't keep me from visiting Jamaica again, but it sure was nice to get a taste of it throughout year!

Grape Nut Ice Cream

epicurious.com

6 large egg yolks

2/3 cup sugar

3 cups cream

1 cup grape nut cereal

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In a metal bowl whip egg yolks and sugar until fluffy.

In a metal bowl over a pan of boiling water on the stove (or use your double boiler) warm 2 cups of cream.

Add warm cream in a slow stream to egg mixture, whisking constantly. This is the custard.

Set the custard mixture in a metal bowl over boiling water (or use double boiler)

Stir custard with a wooden spoon constantly, until thermometer reaches 170 degrees.

Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining cup of cream, place in the refrigerator to cool for about an hour.

When custard is cool, add vanilla and grape nuts and pour into your ice cream maker.

Freeze according to your maker's instructions.

You can eat while it is soft, or freeze it until its firmer.

Pineapple Dole Whip - Homemade Pineapple Ice Cream

A while back I had a little virtual birthday party on my facebook page, so many good things were shared!

I have been trying to make some of my favorites, and this was on my "short list."

Our Little Family Adventure shared this recipe for the Disney Dole Whips that week, and being the HUGE pineapple lover that I am, I knew I had to make it!!

I have never had the Disney version, but I am here to tell ya, her version is THE BOMB.  

One note she gave was to make this into an adult cocktail by scooping it into a glass, pouring a little pineapple juice and Captain Morgan over the top.  

That is NEXT on the list!!

Here's how to make it!!

Grab your ice cream makers...let's go!

Pineapple Dole Whip - Homemade Pineapple Ice Cream

via - Our Little Family Adventure

1 quart of Pineapple Juice

3 cups cream

3 cups milk

1 teaspoon of vanilla

2 1/2 cups sugar

Pour everything into your ice cream maker, give it a stir and turn it on!

Make according to the manufacturer's instructions, Mine shuts off all by itself when it's done! :)

It was amazing, and the best part....it makes a lot! Most ice cream recipes aren't enough for my whole family to get to have more than a smidgen... this makes the whole canister full!

Thanks, Nicky!! This is a new family favorite at our house!!

Bruschetta Chicken/Homemade Bruschetta Tomatoes

How many times a week do you eat chicken?

I make it about 2-4 times per week for dinner, so I am always looking for a way to jazz it up!

I love making Caprese Tomatoes and Bruschetta, and I thought, what a great summer treat to top those fresh chilled tomatoes on a grilled chicken breast!  This particular night we had with some steamed rice, but my favorite way is to lay it on a bed of pasta.

I make my bruschetta almost the same way as my Caprese, so sometimes when I do the Caprese, I make both!
That way I am not wasting the "ends" of the tomatoes that don't make quite as pretty of a presentation on the plate. I add in a few more tomatoes and use virtually the same ingredients, and "ta-da!"
Makes a great take-along to a party with a crusty loaf of bread.

Here are my Caprese Tomatoes

Bruschetta Tomatoes

2 cups ripe tomatoes diced

1/2 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Garlic Tomato and Basil 

Sprinkle of Sea Salt

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar

2 Tablespoons fresh basil chopped coarsely

I have also made this without the fresh basil when I didn't have it on hand, that Mrs. Dash gives the tomatoes a great flavor!

Combine ingredients and chill in the refrigerator for about 2-4 hours.

Top your chicken, you bread, or even top pasta for a cool summer dinner.