Coconut Cake

379.  The month of June in our family is filled with special days:  Birthdays, Anniversaries, Father's Day.  And all of these days require CAKE!  There are moments when I dream of b-day or Wedding cake, but when every week is cake, cake, cake...you have to get creative.

This year, rather than have store-bought cake we ventured into homemade cakes of variety.  The last cake we enjoyed was a homemade Coconut Cake.  My Southern Cakes cookbook by Nancie McDermott had a wonderful recipe called "Pearl Mae Oakley's Coconut Cake".  You can find the original recipe Here.

This cake was so delicious, full-flavored, satisfying, rich and lovely.

I used my own buttercream frosting and then covered the cake in sweetened coconut.

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 We all agreed this was 1000 times better than a store-bought b-day cake!

"There's lotion for your face, for your hands, for your feet, for your body.  Why?  What would happen if you put hand lotion on your feet?  Would you feet get confused and start clapping?  Each kind has something special in it - aloe, shea butter, coconut, cocoa butter, vanilla, lemon extract.  

That's not lotion.    That's one ingredient short of a Bundt cake."

~  Ellen DeGeneres

Apricot Sorbet

378.   It's summer and what better use of fresh apricots than to make a refreshing sorbet.  I found a recipe that was simple with a small amount of ingredients.  It was delicious and so satisfying.

With a bowl filled with apricots that ripened overnight, I selected the softest ones.  I cut them in half, pitted them and placed them in a 4 quart pot with a bit of water.  Brought to a boil and then simmered them until they became a smooth mixture.  In order to remove the skins, I pressed the mixture through a sieve.  It separated the skin and fibers from the beautiful pulp once the apricot mixture became soft.

This helped the texture to be consistent and smooth.  Then, added honey and vanilla and tasted for sweetness, placed the mixture into a freezer safe container and placed in the freezer.  It took about 5 hours to harden the sorbet.

The small amount following a delicious meal was so perfect, a pallet cleanser.  It was sweet, tart and the apricot flavor was so authentic and beautiful with a small shot of espresso.

"Keep calm and eat Sorbet!" ~ Anonymous

Apricots

377.  An adventure took me to a small fruit farm in Red Bluff, CA.  It was once a well-loved property with walnut trees, apricot trees and on the property were beautiful rose bushes in multiple colors whose scents were intoxicating! and an enormous palm tree.   The homestead sat in the middle of orchards but had since been rented out and the owners no longer living there.  The sweet renter's home was surrounded by 12 apricot trees that were bursting with fruit.

The trees were large and very old.  Because the now-renters live on this borrowed property, the trees are not sprayed or cared for causing the fruit to have blemishes. These blemishes are called blight or corundum blight or shot-hole.  The fruit had small brown specks over most of the surfaces and they looked daunting, but could still be eaten, they just weren't as aesthetically pleasing.  So we picked quite a few.  We gave them a water bath with Thieves cleaner 

and then separated them into over-ripe, ripe and under-ripe piles.

The process was labor intensive but rewarding.  I then made a batch of "Apricot Fool" or Kisiel Morelowy which is a Polish dessert or used in baking as a filling for donuts and sweet bread.

Then halved about 2 dozen apricots and placed them in my dehydrator and the rest, filled 4 quart and 2 gallon zip-locks for the freezer and later recipes.  There was still a good sized bowl remaining that we will eat for snacks as they ripen.  

Although the skins were unsightly, the flesh inside was divine!  And the sweetness was unmatched.  You barely need sugar due to the natural sweetness.

And the view on our way home was stunning with Mount Shasta in the distance.  This was a productive day and I am saving a few apricot pits to hopefully start my own trees some day.

"All things are God's already; we can give Him no right, by consecrating any, that He had not before, only we set it apart to His service.  Just as a gardener brings his master a basket of apricots, and presents them; his lord thanks him, and perhaps gives him something for his pains, and yet the apricots were as much his lord's before as now."

~  John Selden

Strawberry Pretzel Dessert

376.  With Independence Day fast approaching, I have a perfect recipe for you.  It is clever in that you can color coordinate with red, white and blue.  It is a dessert with pretzels in the crust, cream cheese in the filling and strawberries and blueberries in the top jello layer.  As a child I recall this dessert at picnics and gatherings with family friends.

We have a local Strawberry patch down the road with the most sweetest strawberries I've ever tasted. I used all three pints for this recipe and placed it in a 9 X 13" baking dish.

My addition to the traditional recipe is to add pecans to the pretzel crust which gives a richer, nuttier depth of flavor.  The salt from the pretzels also adds additional nuance.

 
I chose to use sugar free jello and sugar free cool whip to slash calories and eliminate extra guilt *wink*.  You could go further and use fat free cream cheese as well...but the flavor profile changes drastically when all sources of fat and sugar are removed.  If you want to create a more pronounced color profile you could use an additional 3 oz. box of blueberry gelatin with 1 cup of water and mix separately with blueberries and pour this over the red layer after it has hardened.

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"I love berries.  Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, anything with an 'eerie' in it!"

~  Jordin Sparks

"We do not rejoice in victories.  We rejoice when a new kind of cotton is grown and when strawberries bloom in Israel."

~  Golda Meir

"Strawberries are what make life taste wonderful!"  ~ Anthony T. Hincks

Brussel Sprouts Crostini

375.  A lovely and unique appetizer to serve is Brussel Sprouts Crostini.  Found originally on Giada's Recipes on Food Network.  Just following the simple steps in this recipe creates a beautiful bite.

 I was thrilled to find Brussels sprouts on the stalk.  They were fresh, green and a delight to work with.  Each sprout was crisp and was easy to work with and no discard.  Most bags of sprouts must be trimmed and have little leaves removed.

The roasting process was so simple and I used parchment paper on my baking sheet.  What did we do before parchment paper?  It makes baking and cooking with ease.

 The crostini I used was bought and had an herb garlic flavor. They were small and crispy and were a perfect size.  It is difficult finding french bread that is skinny enough for a small bite.  But if you can find it...I would use fresh bread any day, sliced, rub with olive oil and toasted till crisp.

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The recipe came together quickly and was a beautiful start to a lovely meal and they are so attractive as an appetizer.

"Brussel Sprouts are misunderstood - probably because most people don't know how to cook them."

~ Todd English

German Potato Salad

374.  My family tree is comprised of a percentage of German heritage on my mother's side.  Her mom was a culinary genius who prepared meals for hundreds of people, was a personal chef and just made amazing meals for her family of 5.  I'm grateful for this heritage, love of food preparation well honored and maintained.  So when you suggest foods from the hub of Europe where Germany lies in the center, that is what I know and love as food I grew up with.  Potatoes, cabbage, sausage, pickles, more potatoes, luncheon meats, fresh vegetables, homemade breads and pastries, soup stock and the list trails on.

This recipe for German Potato Salad was delicious and I wanted to pass it along.

Yukon Gold potatoes are always a great choice and they seem to bring a richer flavor and color to any recipe incorporated in.  It's a rich buttery taste.  The paprika also gives this salad a warm color and flavor.

Here is my recipe to save by selecting and dragging to your desktop or printing from your smart device.

The onions will wilt when you heat the potatoes but will still maintain their crunch.  Stir gently by using a spatula to go around the potatoes pulling up from the bottom.  The potatoes will want to stick together so lightly separate them apart as you stir.

German Potato Salad is a wonderful addition with chicken, pork or along side summer favorites like Brats or Sausages.  If you've never tasted this salad, I think it will be a unique surprise.  And become a great substitute for your family members who don't like mayonnaise in a salad.

"There is no sincerer love than the love of food."  ~ George Bernard Shaw

"Man sieht am Ende wohl, Wie man es loben soll."  

"The proof of the pudding is in the eating."  ~German proverbs

Rainbow Cookies

373.  Living in New York brought many flavorful experiences with bakeries, restaurants and bagel shops around every corner.  The fresh bread, daily-made bagels and any type of pastry your heart's desire at your whim and wish.  One of those bakeries, with the very best Italian Rainbow Cookies, was Country Boy Bakery in Long Beach, New York.  They would even make a Rainbow Cookie Cake that the Head Baker, Morris would make for his daughter for her Birthday every year.
If you love almond, chocolate and a cake-like texture with a slight sweetness, this is a cookie to try.

 I made Rainbow Cookies and was delighted at the process involved.  First the three separate cake-like layers, colored to create the Italian flag colors.

Then the spreading of toppings layering of each level. One level with Raspberry seedless jam and the other with Apricot jam.

 Next, stacking them carefully.  The suggestion was to place something weighted on top to press the layers together. This is important for the cookie to be compact  for easier cutting.   I used a marble slab on top which was the perfect size of my baking pan and the cakes.  And this was then topped with melted chocolate.

A similar recipe is this Taste of Home recipe.  It is tried and true but you will just need to commit to the process and not be in a hurry.  Perfection is not the goal here but patience and seeing the recipe through.  The edges are uneven but you only need to use a long knife to trim them lengthwise.  Cutting with a hot knife helps the process.  A cold knife bends the cake

You will be so proud of your accomplishment.  And the flavors...MMMmmmmmm, so good!

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This recipe could be colored in so many different varieties, i.e.:  Red, White and Blue, your team colors, Orange, Green and White for St. Patricks Day, or any colors you choose.  I have seen one Rainbow Cookie made with White, Chocolate and Orange colors where one layer of cake was chocolate and Orange Marmalade was used.  Be creative...incorporate your favorite flavors and colors.  Make it your own.

"My grannies would both bake things like cookies and shortbreads.  I think whenever I smell those kinds of things, it really takes me back to my childhood.  ~  Curtis Stone, Australian Celebrity Chef

"Baking  can be done with a few simple ingredients, so it's about simplicity and nostalgia - people are reminded of their childhood."  ~ Paul Hollywood, Chef, The Great British Bakeoff Presenter