Archive for April 8, 2008

Trolleys on their way to downtown Roanoke

The Roanoke Times posted an article today announcing that by the end of summer Roanoke will have buses painted to resemble classic, red street cars running between Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital and downtown Roanoke.

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Baking with Strawberries

By Arleen M. Kaptur

Fresh ruby red strawberries give your taste buds a treat. The juice is sweet and tantalizing. Even the aroma of fresh berries excites the palate and prepares the way for a great adventure in eating.

Try some of these recipes as you partake of a fruit that is luscious, beautiful in color, and heavenly in any menu plan. ENJOY!

BASKET OF FRUIT

2 cups fresh, hulled strawberries

1 cantaloupe

1 pineapple

2 cups blueberries

3 kiwi fruit

1 banana

2 oranges

Sauce:

1 egg

1 tbs. lime juice

1/4 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed please

1/2 cup orange juice

1 cup sugar

Prepare
the sauce: Beat the egg. Place in a pan with the lime juice, lemon juice, orange juice, and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and stir gently for 1 minute. Set aside to cool.

Remove the rind from the cantaloupe, and cut into bite-size pieces. Do the same with the pineapple, kiwi fruit, banana (dipped in a little lemon juice to avoid discoloration), and oranges. Wash the strawberries before they are hulled.

Wash the blueberries in cold water. Place in a clear glass bowl so your guests can admire the colors. Pour the sauce
over the fruit but do not stir. Allow to stand for 2-1/2 hours before serving. Stir very gently just before serving.

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LAYERED STRAWBERRY DESSERT

2 cups fresh strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

2 1/2 tbs. strawberry “jello” powder

1 cup cold water

1 3/4 cups cold milk

1 pkg. instant vanilla pudding

5 cups cubed angel food cake

2 1/2 cups whipped heavy cream

In a pan combine the “jello” powder, sugar and cornstarch. Slowly add the water and stir until smooth. Bring to a boil, cook, stirring constantly, until syrup has thickened. Remove from the heat. Stir in the strawberry slices and set aside.

In a mixer, combine the cold milk and the pudding mix. Beat on low for 2 1/2 minutes, until thickened. Set aside.

In a clear glass bowl (to allow the colors to show) place half of the angel food cubes. Also pour one-half of the pudding over the cubes, then one-half of the strawberry mixture, topped with one-half of the whipped heavy cream. Repeat the process. Garnish with slivers of chocolate.

Your guests will feel the luxury with every bite.

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FRUITY SUMMER DESSERT

1 pkg. white cake mix

1/2 cup strawberry preserves (not jelly or jam)

12 strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced

1-2 fresh peaches, sliced thinly

1 cup peach preserves

1/2 cup whipped topping

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a 13/x9/2”pan. Prepare white cake mix per package
instructions and bake.

Split cake in half horizontally. Place bottom cake layer on serving plate. Spread this layer with strawberry preserves. Place top layer of cake over strawberry preserves. Score the top of the cake with knife to mark 24 servings. Alternate fresh strawberries with peach slices on alternate blocks. (Quilt design)

Heat the peach preserves and strain. Brush the fruit with the warmed glaze. Garnish with whipped topping and curled chocolate strip.

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STRAWBERRY BAVARIAN CREME ELEGANTE

1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, washed, hulled, and sliced

2 envelopes unflavored gelatin

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 1/4 cups cold milk, divided

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup cold heavy whipping cream

strawberry cream

Using a 6-cup ring mold - lightly oil. Drain the strawberry slices, but keep the liquid. Add water to the strawberry juice to equal 3/4 cup. Sprinkle gelatin over the liquid and let stand for 3 mins. Refrigerate the drained berries.

In pan, combine the sugar, chocolate chips and 1/2 cups milk. Cook gently over low heat, stirring constantly until mixture is very smooth and hot. Add the gelatin mixture, stirring constantly, until gelatin is completely dissolved and the entire mixture is integrated.
Remove from heat, add remaining milk and vanilla. Pour into bowl. Refrigerate for 1 hr.

Check to see if mixture mounds when dropped from spoon. If not, continue keeping in refrigerate and repeat checking.

Using a mixer, beat the heavy cream until stiff; fold into the chocolate mixture. Pour into the prepared mold and refrigerate 3 hrs. Unmold and garnish with strawberry cream.

Creme: 1/2 pint cold heavy whipping cream

1 tsp. vanilla extract, 2-3 drops red food coloring

Mash refrigerated strawberries. Using mixer, beat whipping cream and vanilla until stiff. Fold in mashed strawberries and red food coloring. (Use enough coloring to give a pretty pink hue to the mixture.)

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STRAWBERRY SYRUP

(For pancakes or ice cream)

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

2 cups mashed fresh strawberries, that have been washed, hulled and sliced In
a pan, bring sugar and water to a boil. Slowly add the mashed
strawberries, return to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer, uncovered,
stirring constantly, for 8-10 mins. Syrup can be refrigerated.
However you serve strawberries celebrate their color, and flavor to bring added excitement to any meal menu.

©Arleen M. Kaptur March 2002

(Excerpt from Strawberry/Chocolate Recipes by Arleen M. Kaptur)

About the author:
Arleen Kaptur has written numerous articles, cookbooks, and the novel: SEARCHING FOR AUSTIN JAMES

Websites:
http://www.arleenssite.com
http://www.Arleens-RusticLiving.com
http://www.webspawner.com/users/rusticliving/
http://www.topica.com/lists.simpleliving

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Recommended Recipe Books:

Hungry Girl: Recipes and Survival Strategies for Guilt-Free Eating in the Real World by Lisa Lillien

From the Publisher

Do you want to eat burgers, chocolate cake, frozen margaritas, fudge, and French fries–and still fit into your pants? Is life not worth living without brownies and onion rings? Do you want a surefire way to tame your cravings? From breakfast ideas and chopped salads to guilt-free junk food and cocktails, Hungry Girl recipes taste great but are low in fat and calories. Check it out!

* Eggs Bene-Chick: 183 calories
* Bring on the Breakfast Pizza: 127 calories
* Ooey Gooey Chili Cheese Nachos: 216 calories
* Big Bopper Burger Stopper: 202 calories
* Dreamy Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge: 65 calories
* Lord of the Onion Rings: 153 calories
* Rockin’ Tuna Melt: 212 calories
* 7-Layer Burrito Blitz: 277 calories
* I Can’t Believe It’s Not Sweet Potato Pie: 113 calories
* Cookie-rific Ice Cream Freeze: 160 calories
*
With easy instructions, simple steps, and hilariously fun facts and figures, Hungry Girl recipes are as fun to read as they are to make!

And when you’re not in your kitchen, check out HG’s 10 mini survival guides, plus tips ‘n tricks that’ll help you make smarter food choices anywhere, anytime!

Cooking the Realage Way: Turn Back Your Biological Clock with More than 80 Delicious and Easy Recipes by Michael F. Roizen, John La Puma, John LA Puma

From the Publisher

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of RealAge® and coauthor of You: The Owner’s Manual shows you how to
cook your way to a younger you.

In his RealAge® books, Dr. Michael F. Roizen proved that incorporating simple changes to your lifestyle can take years off your biological age and leave you looking and feeling younger. In Cooking the RealAge® Way, he and nutritionist and professional chef Dr. John La Puma show you how you can create RealAge-smart and energy-rich meals that are as
delicious as they are healthy.

Cooking the RealAge® Way includes more than 80 savory recipes, from asparagus frittata with smoked salmon to a chocolate strawberry sundae, as well as tricks and techniques to help you maintain your RealAge lifestyle, from stocking
your pantry to tips on eating out and preparing time-friendly meals. It’s the ultimate guide to eating and feeling younger—without sacrificing great taste.

Desserts By the Yard: From Brooklyn to Beverly Hills: Recipes from the Sweetest Life Ever by Sherry Yard, Wolfgang Puck, Ron Manville

From the Publisher

Spago’s pastry chef to the stars and author of the James Beard Award-winning Secrets of Baking shares the recipes that propelled her to the top of her profession.

Night after night at Spago in Beverly Hills, Sherry Yard dazzles the powerful, rich, and famous with incredible desserts. Her marvelous confections have won over patrons from Madonna to Frank Sinatra. Now the country’s premier pastry chef reveals the recipes that have made her a star in her own right and won her two coveted James Beard Awards.

Desserts by the Yard begins with inspirations from Yard’s childhood, such as My Favorite White Birthday Cake with Chocolate and Butter Fudge Frosting, and culminates in the spectacular creations she makes every year for the Academy Awards. Included here are some of Yard’s most famous recipes: the slinky crème brûlée she perfected when she worked at New York’s Rainbow Room, the coffeecake that made Campton Place Hotel San Francisco’s most popular breakfast spot, and the souffléed crème fraîche pancakes with strawberry sauce she learned in Vienna. Don’t miss the chocolate caramel tart that Hugh Grant loves, former President Clinton’s favorite oatmeal raisin cookies, or the treat that made actress Suzanne Pleshette exclaim, “Bitch! You’re gonna make me fat!”

Desserts don’t get easier than Yard’s No-Bake Cheesecake, more decadent than Chocolate Bread Pudding with Butterscotch Gelato, or more holiday-perfect than Triple Silken Pumpkin Pie. In sidebars to each recipe, Yard shares tricks and techniques along with hilarious anecdotes that show her pluck, determination, andgenerosity.


Infused: 100+ Recipes for Infused Liqueurs and Cocktails by Susan Elia Elia MacNeal

From the Publisher

Infused liqueurs are the hot new ingredients for cocktails. With more than 30 infusions plus dozens of drinks to use them in, Infused combines spirits like vodka and rum with fruits, flowers, herbs, and spices to create superior liqueurs. Take the Gibson and give it a kick with Onion Vodka. Cool down with Watermelon Martinis on warm summer days, or get the heat going with Hot Mint Chocolate spiked with Mind Vodka, a perfect antidote to cold winter nights. Many infusions pair with multiple recipes: herb-infused vodkas enliven both the Rosemary Martini and the Strawberry Basil Martini. Chocolate Vodka is the indulgence in the Chocolate Martini, Brandy Alexander, and the Grasshopper. The versatility of each infusion
makes giving a bottle of homemade liqueur a unique gift for any drink connoisseur. With tips on how to shake, stir, and chill, and enough recipes and ideas to reinvent any party, this colorful little book is the ultimate infusion of fun.

A Passion for Ice Cream: 95 Recipes for Fabulous Desserts by Emily Luchetti

From the Publisher

Anybody who loves ice cream knows there’s nothing better than a scoopful of homemade. Nothing, that is, except star pastry chef Emily Luchetti’s fabulous recipes for making your own. This gorgeous cookbook doesn’t just have all the crowd-pleasers, it’s bursting with flavors you’ll never find in the store. Even better, because sometimes a spoon just isn’t accompaniment enough, there’s a host of beautiful dessert recipes featuring ice cream in all its lusciousness. There’s chocolate, strawberry, and butter pecan; there’s orange-cardamom, root beer granita, and pomegranate sorbet. There’s
popsicles, floats, and parfaits. And then there’s Coffee Meringues with Coconut Ice Cream; Blackberry Sorbet Filled Peaches; and Chocolate Crepes with Peppermint Ice Cream. But wait…There’s Shortcake and Rum Raisin Ice Cream Sandwiches; Sauternes Ice Cream and Apricot Sherbet Cake; and Chocolate Cupcakes Stuffed with Pistachio Ice Cream.
Aficionados needn’t worry if their tastebuds are more deluxe than their ice cream maker because all of these treats can be made with a modest handcrank model or the fanciest machine. And to top it all off, there’s a chapter on making sauces from scratch and a handy chart that lists the ice cream flavors alphabetically for easy reference. The reason homemade ice cream tastes so much better than store-bought is because you use fresher ingedients and less air. That means it’s richer,
creamier, and tongue-tingling with flavor. The reason Emily’s recipes taste so good is because she’s a genius when it comes to desserts. If proof were needed, ice-cream fans need look no further than these mmm, mmm, mmm, melt-in-your-mouth recipes.

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