photo OP: MEMORIAL day weekend

RER 5.25.15

This Memorial Day Weekend was much quieter and more reflective than it was going to be initially. People go wild for a three-day weekend, no matter its reason. But a warm-weather cold had me sick and feverish, enchanted by “Gilmore Girls” and Howe’s The Misfits, draining tall mugs of hot tea and Nalgene after Nalgene of tasteless water, and dreaming of brownies, desserts, and twelve dancing princesses.

RER 5.25.15

RER 5.25.15

RER 5.25.15

RER 5.25.15

RER 5.25.15

RER 5.25.15

RER 5.25.15

RER 5.25.15

Memorial Day brought clearer sinuses and lighter lungs. There was grilling of Italian sausages and brats that tempted but are reserved for later in the week and smoking (kinda) of salty spicy ribs. There was blending of rum and frozen pina colada mix with a multitude of ice cubes and mixing of trusty Bisquick and butter for dessert. There was chatting and sunning on our deck as we sucked down our frozen beverages and listened to the grill sizzle as sausages cooked and dinner cooled. It was lovely, and quiet, and us. Our long weekend ended in our traditional summer favorite—strawberry shortcake, sweet and bright, and heavy on whipped cream. The perfect finish.

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5.25.15

MangiaMore: CHEESECAKE(s)

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RER 7.30.14

In honor of National Cheesecake Day last Wednesday, I went in.

My sister announced one of the most important days of the year by saying “july 30 = national cheesecake day. get on it.” She was so direct, but so correct. So I got on it. I couldn’t just make one plain cheesecake —it’s a celebration! Many mini cheesecakes. Done.

RER 7.30.14

RER 7.30.14

I’ve made cheesecake before. I went wild with a sinful salted caramel cheesecake pie for Thanksgiving last year. Not a super run of the mill, plain old cheesecake, that’s just not me.

This time, I dared to make four flavors with different add-ins or toppings using the Philadelphia Mini Cheesecake recipe.

RER 7.30.14

Blueberry Lemon

For this little gem, I added a little bit of fresh lemon juice to the filling. Um, yum. This made the heavy cake feel a little lighter and fresher, like summer. And the blueberry lemon compote topping took advantage of beautiful summer blueberries. The combination of the smooth cheesecake and that sweet and tart fresh compote was absolutely lovely.

RER 8.2.14

RER 7.30.14

Oreo Sprinkle

We had Oreos. And we had sprinkles. Boom. Oreo sprinkle cheesecake. My mother questioned my sprinkle addition, but I was baking and I wanted sprinkles. I saw them at the very top of one of our cabinets, next to the cookie cutters, food coloring and extracts, and I went with it. I wanted to add some fun and color to these babies. Even though they look a little funny and silly, they had just the right amount of chocolate to tone down the sweetness from the base, graham cracker crust, and explosion of rainbow sprinkles.

RER 7.30.14

White Chocolate Strawberry Swirl

I’m going to say right now, swirling is not my forte. I was hoping that these would turn out pretty and refined, but they didn’t. Boohoo, they still tasted bomb. Melted white chocolate chips went in the filling and heated strawberry jam (Bonne Maman is my jam!) was “swirled” in with a knife. Can’t say they look superb but they are pretty darn tasty.

RER 8.2.14

RER 7.30.14

Caramel Almond

Well, mostly just almond. I failed at the caramel. Oh well, t’was super delicious anyway. This little guy had some ground almond mixed in with the graham for the crust and some golden Disaronno in with the creamy filling. This might have been a favorite within my test group, for its simplicity. Just yum.

Do anything special for National Cheesecake Day? Like, I dunno, stuff your face with sexy cheesecake…

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7.30.14

loungy LUNCH with friends

RER 6.20.14

There is nothing more delicious than lunch with friends, taking in the sunshine and eating our veggies. It was all about sundresses and chatting, while filling our bellies with fresh food and white wine.

RER 6.20.14

RER 6.20.14

Our hostess put together a delicious strawberry and balsamic bruschetta appetizer using this recipe from Pinch My Salt, paired with smooth and tangy goat cheese on crispy bread. This was so yummy. The recipe played to my mild aversion to tomatoes in bruschetta by replacing them with fresh strawberries. A touch of sweet and tart balsamic, a dash of salt and pepper, and chopped lively basil, made the appetizer sing. Goat cheese added heft and luxury, but kept with the summery theme.  Who knew how delicious savory strawberries could be!?

RER 6.20.14

RER 6.20.14

RER 6.20.14

RER 6.20.14

We also munched on a delectable salad, complete with all of my favorite toppings. There was blue cheese for salt and bite, craisins and apples brought mild sweetness and tang, meaty walnuts, and crunchy carrots, all on top of crispy romaine. Salad is not as stressful when there are a ton of tasty goodies resting on top. I like to think of the greens to be a kind of plate, serving up all those colorful toppings.

RER 6.20.14

RER 6.20.14

At the end of our little luncheon, we shared some mini cupcakes from Louissa's Cupcakes (more on those later). A special sweet ending to a lovely afternoon!

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6.20.14

RER 6.20.14