Strawberry Shortcake

“Seize the moment. Remember all those women on the ‘Titanic’ who waved off the dessert cart.”
— Erma Bombeck

Strawberry Chocolate Shortcakes

Whirlpools and Whip cream have a lot in common. 

Small hot tubs make the most amazing whirlpools when you’re a kid. They feel like the size of a giant swimming pool when you are only 3 feet tall. I will never forget bobbing up, down and around my best friend's hot tub.  The water was cool, not hot, because it was our pool for the summer. We would walk and even run in the water to get the water spinning into giant circles.

   Our swimsuits were ragged with chlorine and faded from the sunshine, but around and around we went not stopping until the moment when we were being "whipped" so hard we would feel the water pull us back. 

Next, we stopped, and  we drifted.

We let the pool water float around our little bodies and occasionally our shoulders would hit the silver pole that was meant for the “adults” to enter.  The entry and exit bar was our personal monkey bar.  Swinging and ducking we would fall, sinking deeper into our floating whirlpool.

Eat Strawberry Chocolate Shortcakes!

Children's dreams are made from these moments, don't you think?  

What did you do? What is your favorite childhood memory? Do you have one to share?

 I have moved on to creating foodie dreams in my head. 

If whirlpools could be whip cream that’s the feeling I get when it has been whipped fully.  Small peaks and valleys of white float by my beater.  I love whirlpools to this day and hot tubs even more.

That round and round feeling continues and doesn't stop.  I watched a chef  make whip cream by hand one time, whisking and whisking, building amazing arm muscles, beating round and round until the cream began to peak. 

I don't beat my cream by hand, lazy? Nah, I like to think more inclined to value my time is all.  But I know how to whip cream by hand and that's what's important.  

Do you own a whisk? Good, you can make whip cream.

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Do you own an  electric beater or even a Kitchen Aid machine with a whisk attachment?  Great!

 Are you a crazy foodie and own a whip cream machine?  Even better! (P.S. They make amazing gifts.)

Whatever you happen to own you can make chocolate whip cream and bring something new for the next backyard party.

 People are going to ask you for the recipe.  I mean it, it's happened. 

They will want to lick the spoon, the plate and wel,l you will be the life of the party all because you found out a little secret from the white radish.  Share it, it's okay.  My secret is now yours and you don't have to keep it, cause it's too good not to share.

This is the simplest dessert you will ever make.  You can serve it with the homemade biscuits or for a gluten free option just remove them. Or if you don't have time, grab some angel food cake at the store or some premade biscuits, it will be good too. No one will be the wiser.

 This dessert has options and that's what we are all about, right?  

Make it simple, make it good, but make it!  

Show off your newly acquired skills of learning how to make chocolate whip cream.  If you don't get a few oohs and aahs then something is wrong with your friends, not you.😉  After all who doesn't love chocolate and strawberries?  It's a love story at it's best.

 Oh and just in case you have extra chocolate whip cream, don't miss out on the tips below.

And next time you are sitting in a hot tub I dare you to make a whirlpool and not think of chocolate🍫 whip cream...😉😄

Summer Berry Shortcake

 

Ingredients

  • 1 pint Strawberries

  • 1-2 tsp sugar

Biscuits-

  • 4 cups Flour (self-rising prefered if you have it)

  • 1 tsp Salt

  • 4 Tablespoons Sugar

  • 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder

  • 1 cup of Heavy Cream and or Whole Milk

  • 1 cup or one 8 oz container of Whole Milk Ricotta

Whip Cream-

  • 1/2 pint Heavy Cream

  • 1-2 TBSP Organic Cacao powder or Unsweetened cocoa powder (depending on your chocolate taste)

  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

  • 4-5 tsp Sugar (or to taste)

  • Chocolate Shavings (optional)

Fresh strawberries

Instructions:

Step 1

Chop up strawberries and place in a large bowl.  Mix with Sugar and set aside in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Step 2

Heat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Make Biscuits. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large bowl.  Whisk gently or stir with a fork.

Step 3

Next add Heavy Cream and Ricotta and mix gently by hand until combined and forms a large ball.  You can add more cream 1 tsp at a time as needed, if flour is not sticking. You want to end up with a dough ball. Knead ball for one minute on a lightly floured surface. Flatten dough using your hands and make it about 2 inches thick. Cut out using a biscuit cutter round dough pieces.

Step 4

Place the biscuits on a cookie sheet and brush the top with milk or cream lightly. Bake until browned about 12- 15 minutes. 

Step 5 

While biscuits are baking, prepare chocolate whip cream. In a mixing bowl or kitchenaid bowl lightly whisk in chocolate and sugar and vanilla. Taste and add more sugar or cocoa as needed.  Start on low speed using whisk attachment and mix until begins to thicken.  Turn up speed being careful not to splash and whip until soft peaks form. 

Step 6

 Slice biscuits in half when cooled and smother with chocolate whip cream and layer strawberries. Top biscuit and add more cream and strawberries. Serve and Eat!

Optional: Top with chocolate shavings 

Tips

  • Extra Chocolate whipcream can be used in a shot of espresso for an "espresso con panna au chocolate"

  • Extra biscuits- freeze before baking on a baking tray for 20 minutes then remove and place in ziploc bag or other container for future biscuits

 

Roasted artichokes

“
He has ‘le coeur comme un artichaud’. Eddy fumbled for her high school French. ‘A heart like an artichoke?’ ‘Oui. He has a leaf for everyone, but makes a meal for no one.”
— Poppy Z Brite

Purple Artichoke

Honestly as a kid I disliked most veggies.  The list of vegetables I did not like was long when I look back now.  I was not as picky as some kids only eating mac and cheese or chicken fingers but I definitely had my staple foods and they did not include much from the garden variety.  Somehow though, I always liked artichokes.  Perhaps because it wasn't about the vegetable as much as the moment with my mom.  

They were always steamed and usually I got to eat them with mayonnaise or with melted butter.  I would eat every leaf down to the prickly center but once I reached the heart I would have my mom eat that  because for some reason I didn't like that part.  Weird kid, I know.  Especially considering the heart is not only the best part, but the center of what you had worked for in eating the leaves.  I would take a leaf dip it into the melted butter and pull the meat off with my teeth just how my mom had shown me to do.

 Artichokes were never a quick eating meal, maybe that's what I liked about it.  We didn't eat together as a family but since my mom liked them she would always sit down and eat the choke with me.  She would steam two.  One for me and one for her knowing she was going to eat my heart.  A small bowl of melted butter sat between us and I was allowed to double dip because after all it wasn't truly about the artichoke back then but more about the butter.

 As I am now doing the "adulting" thing in my life I of course eat the hearts.  I learned however from a friend that roasting instead of steaming gives a mouthwatering flavor to the artichokes and it isn't as much work.  I still like to dip choke leaves in melted butter but I have gained new skills with this beautiful vegetable that flowers, if you let it, did you know that?  I never did. One day a neighbor was growing them and I said:

"Wow, how cool you are growing artichokes."

 Her reply, "I don't actually like artichokes but the flowers are beautiful."  

And that summer they were beautiful. 

Now I watch the flowers grow in my neighbor's yard, while I eat them in my home. The best of both worlds.😄

Ingredients:

  • 3 Large Artichokes

  • 2 Tbsp Tuscan Herbed Olive Oil (Or use Olive oil and add 1 tbsp italian herbs

  • 1 tsp Maldon Sea Salt or Kosher salt

Roasted Artichokes

Instructions:

Step 1

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. After washing artichokes cut in half lengthwise.  Remove the fuzzy part from the center that rests on top of the heart of the artichoke using a grapefruit spoon.  You can scrape the fuzz away with the teeth of the grapefruit spoon.

Step 2

After scraping away the fuzz, brush each artichoke heart with olive oil and if you do not have the herbed olive oil sprinkle the dried herbs over the olive oil on each artichoke half.  Next sprinkle using your pinched fingers the Maldon Sea Salt.  I don't use black pepper as I prefer the roasted chokes without the peppery flavor but you can choose to add that if you like it.  

Step 3

Turn the artichokes flat side down onto a sheet pan and place in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes  When removing artichokes make sure color on interior is golden brown and if not continue cooking until done.

Step 4

Tear off leaves and dip in melted butter, mayonnaise, a vinaigrette or eat without dipping.  I prefer no dip with the roasted version of artichokes but I will let you be the judge.  These are beautiful served with a steak or piece of chicken or just eat them as is, for dinner.

Enjoy! 

 

Tips:

  • Grapefruit Spoons are your best friend use them for removing fuzz from artichoke, scraping out seeds from squash or pumpkins and much much more!

  • Purple Artichokes have more nutrition than green artichokes

  • When purchasing artichokes look for tight leaves, vibrant color, heavy in size and squeaks when squeezed

Salmon Kabobs

“My life is what a salmon must feel like. They are always going upstream, against the current.”
— Laura Schlessinger

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      Loving salmon didn't begin I have to admit, in Seattle.  Rather it began at a small little restaurant now owned by it's employees with a waiter who always reminded me of Albert Einstein on the Mendocino Coast in California.  I think it might have been year

two

or three

or four...

(I can't recall exactly) of our marriage.  Our waiter I guess we will call him Albert told us about a salmon entree with a corn salsa.  I wasn't drawn to it by any means but wanting me to expand my food horizons my hubby convinced me to try it and promised to switch his meal if I didn't like it.

 He had turned my mind around on fish slowly taking me away from my days of fish sticks with tartar sauce. 😖 Now I cringe as you must be doing right now. Unless you make homemade fish sticks! 

 "It won't smell like fish" he told me "it will be fresh."

"It is extremely fresh miss.  Just caught yesterday." Albert agreed standing by the side of our garden side table.

I was unsure, questioning my new found palate.  They both seemed so sure of the fact that I would love the salmon. Heads bobbing up and down and eyes waiting in anticipation of my decision.

  I did like corn especially sweet corn.  It was summer and corn on the cob dipped in butter and covered in salt had always been my favorite treat from the California State Fair.  It can't be half bad if it had corn in the dish right?

"hummm" I hesitated...

"If you don't like it miss we will be happy to bring you something else." the waiter added.

This restaurant was all about pleasing the guest.  It was a favorite of ours and I had never had one bad thing on the menu, well, minus the one time Albert's silver hair was in my cobbler but that's another story.😉

"Okay. Sure. I will try it." I agreed.

My husband grinned from ear to ear. Triumphant.  Albert smiled with his crazy gray hair all around.  I waited.

The fish was a dark reddish color and the yellow corn contrast gleemed like golden topaz gems sprinkled all over my piece of salmon.  Small specks of emerald green jalapeno's peeked through the corn salsa.  

"Looks good" my husband said.

"Yeah. It does." I replied.

I opened my mouth and took my first bite of salmon and corn salsa.  It was good.  Soft, sweet, a little crunch from the corn and a sea salt flavor from the fish with just a hint of piquant from the jalapeno.  

"Like it?" he asked wide-eyed with hope.

"Yeah actually. I do." I answered surprising even myself.

Albert popped over from nowhere and checked up on me.

"Miss?" he asked questioning with his eyes.

"It's good." I said, " Thank you" wanting to add, Albert.

With an empty plate and a full stomach my new found  salmon love started its expansion.  I don't waver over ordering salmon at a restaurant anymore unless I am on the East Coast.  Sorry to my East Coast Foodies but Atlantic Salmon just doesn't cut it for me. (I know, snob)

Now though more than restaurant dining on salmon I prepare it at home. Sometimes I ask for a whole salmon when sockeye is in season even though our household only has two.  We just eat it all week. My sweetie calls it the bear diet.  Summer salmon and berries seems to be what we live on for a while until the fall. Until the Pacific Northwest hibernation begins. 😉☔️ Grrr.🐻 

If the fish is fresh just a little seasoning and grilling is needed and dinner is served.  This Calico fish rub which consists of:

  • Purple Sumac

  • Hawaiian sea salt

  • Black Sesame Seed

  • Chinese Chili

  • Dill weed

is a knock your socks off kind of seasoning good on fish, chicken and even vegetables.  It gives you a little kick and takes you on a world journey taking me to the sea.  You can find it here.  A little goes a long ways.  

Salmon Kabobs

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 pound of salmon per person cubed

  • small mixed blend of cherry and golden tomatoes

  • 1 teaspoon of Calico fish rub

  • 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil

 

Special items:

  • Wood or metal skewers

  • Grill

Step 1

If using wood skewers soak in water for about 20 minutes prior to grilling. Heat grill.

Step 2

After cubing salmon or having your fishmonger do so, rub the seasoning all over fish and then rub with olive oil.  

Step 3

Skewer the salmon and small tomatoes one after the other leaving not much space between each but space at the end of the skewer for turning.

Step 4

On a hot grill, grill until fish changes color and skin looks crispy on skewer about 5-6 minutes total, turning as you go.  Do not overcook as the fish will taste like rubber tires if you do so.  Better to undercook than over.  Let skewers rest for a few minutes before plating.

Step 5

Serve with a green salad and pop your  warm tomatoes over the greens and taste the sweet tomatoes blend with your vinaigrette.  Divine!

Don't forget that glass of dry Rosé🍷(only a red wine emoji...😞)

 

Fresh Sockeye Salmon and Calico Fish Rub

How do you do summer?  What do you love to grill?  

Tips:

  • Look for Fish that has clear eyes with healthy wet and intact fins

  • Touch the fish...No sticky fish! It should be cold and wet and spring back when pushed (if not keep go elsewhere)

  • If buying already filleted fish look for cracks, breaks or pooling water...your fish is or was mishandled or getting old.

  • In salmon the saturated color is a good thing...I promise I didn't saturate the photos in this blog that was the real color!

  • Last but not least if it smells run like he... double hockey sticks!