A SOUTHERN FAVORITE...PINEAPPLE STRAWBERRY FLUFF SALAD FOR VALENTINE'S DAY

I felt like going vintage in honor of Valentine's Day..
serving the well loved fluff salad which the south
is famous for....from grandmother's to grandbabies...
we LOVE any kind of fluff salad....
my goodness, this salad, or sometimes dessert,
has been served at every holiday, church potluck
and funeral gatherings since I was a child....
and this flavor is the most lovely shade of pink,
it's perfect for your valentine's dinner...

Find your prettiest glass bowl for this salad....
Pour in one large can of undrained crushed pineapple...

Dissolve a small box of strawberry jello with the pineapple

Gently mix until the jello has dissolved...

Blend in one container of cottage cheese

Then fold in one container of Cool Whip..

lastly 1/2 bag  of mini marshmallows..

She is not only delicious and refreshing....she is so pretty

Valentine's for almost 60 years....

STRAWBERRY CAKE, FRESH VEGETABLE DINNER AND POOLSIDE AFTERNOONS

 

July has come to an end which means
we must begin to set the tone for the entire holiday
season for 2025.
Yes, school begins on August 4th in Atlanta
and August 10th here at home.
I so wish there were three full months
of summer for children like we had growing up,
Young people need this time to just be kids, have fun
and play...
We live simple days at home in our senior years
and have no travels to report on....

I do want to share a Southern Classic recipe with you
which is a delightful homemade Strawberry Cake.....

I have been making this strawberry cake since the early 1970's
and it a long time family favorite, especially for birthdays!
Talk about a taste of summer,. it is light' yet bright with a
burst of strawberry flavor in every bite!

One box strawberry cake mix
one 3 ounce box strawberry jello, using 1/2 the package
3/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup milk
4 eggs
1/2 pint fresh strawberries, nashed

THE FROSTING
1 8 ounce block cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 stick butter, room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
1-2 T. milk
1/2 pint strawberries, mashed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix cake mix and all ingredients in mixing bowl
and beat with a hand mixer until blended.
Pour evenly into two prepared round cake pans
Bake for 28 minutes.
Allow to cool before frosting.

I have always used a Strawberry cake mix for my recipe which boosts
the flavor of the berries much more than white cake mix!

One of my all tine favorite summer lunches is
chicken salad on a toasted croissant with butter lettuce
and a side salad of crisp lettuce with peaches and cherry tomatoes
sprinkled with a lemon herb vinaigrette!

I love, love, love having a pot of fresh green beans
and sliced golden potatoes on the stove in the afternoon.
This reminds me so much of my childhood from both
my Mother's kitchen as well as my grandmothers!

A delightful summer dinner with squash casserole,
beef rice and mushroom casserole, green beans
and Texas Toast!

SUMMER HIGHLIGHTS

Otis loves an afternoon of pool play...
his favorite thing recently is to JUMP~~~

What a baby....

We have celebrated family birthdays this summer,
beginning with Luke turning 17!



The Atlanta family headed to South Carolina for four
days of the National Track Meet....
I simply cannot believe he only has two more years of high school...

A fun July birthday party with our son at his home, grilling burgers
and spending time with our grandchildren!

The darling and I celebrated our birthdays together
as they are one week apart...
we no longer have candles that tell our age.....



The weather tells us today will feel like 107 degrees....
I plan on making a good Gumbo this weekend...
I am also spending time purging some of my
collections, like cookbooks, linens and seasonal decor..
Hope y'all have a good week!

PINEAPPLE CAKE WITH STRAWBERRIES..VINTAGE, EASY AND SO LIGHT AND DELICIOUS

Oh Y'all....this little dessert is wonderful!
It reminds me so much of one of Mother's summer
deserts that we loved after a fresh vegetable dinner from
the Farmer's Market!

This would be lovely to enjoy on a  hot summer evening

after grilled burgers  or a barbecue....great for a large gathering too!

And, it has only four ingredients.....

Angel Food Cake Mix
Crushed Pineapple
Fresh Strawberries
and
Cool Whip

This is very light and refreshing...
Here's the recipe for your files...y'all enjoy!

See ya' next time!

SUMMER BERRY SHORTCAKE WITH FRESH STRAWBERRY SAUCE

I have found a fabulous shortcake recipe for y'all to try!
Summer is THE season for strawberry shortcake and peach cobbler,
as we all know! It's the most requested dessert for all sorts
of summer cookouts and family gatherings....
this recipe comes from my friend Kathy over in Dothan, Alabama
which she shared on her You Tube channel, Kathy's Southern Kitchen!
Now, I changed her recipe up a bit from a simple strawberry dessert
to a shortcake of mixed berries...
strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries!

Divine, I tell you.....

This is a light, moist shortcake which bakes in 
a springform pan......

Simply dust with a sprinkling of powdered sugar for a beautiful presentation....

I made a fresh strawberry sauce by blending a pint of
fresh berries with 6 T. sugar....

Top warm cake with strawberry sauce.....

And then topped sweetened whipped cream....y'all are going to love it!

BERRY SHORTCAKE
2 cups of cake flour
 2 tsp of baking powder
 1/4 tsp of salt
 2 eggs room temperature
1 cup of granulated sugar
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
1/2 cup of heavy cream
1/2 cup of sour cream
1 tsp of vanilla extract
12 oz of chopped strawberries (used for sauce)
1 cup of mixed frozen berries, patted dry
 Powdered Sugar for garnish

 Grease a 9" nonstick springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

In large mixing bowl mix eggs and sugar with an electric mixer on high speed for approximately 3 minutes.
 Add oil, sour cream, heavy cream and extract to the egg mixture.
Mix on low speed just until combined.

 In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.
With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture to wet ingredients 1/3 at a time.
 Mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Don't over mix.

Pour half of the batter into springform pan. Top with half of the chopped strawberries. Pour remaining batter over strawberries.
Top with remaining strawberries.

 Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 45 - 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Allow cake to cool before removing from pan.
Garnish with powdered sugar and whipped cream.

Let's make the most of this summer season!

THE PERFECT POUND CAKE from THE PIONEER WOMAN! DID WE LIKE IT?

 

Truth be told, even though I simply love home goods
in the Pioneer Woman product line, I am not such a fan
of some of her recipes.
I have tried a few we didn't care for and
I feel many of her recipes call for way too many ingredients!
Sorry Miss Ree.....just an honest review.....
That's a shock to you I am sure!
But I wanted to try this pound cake she featured
on a recent Food Network show as it had
basic ingredients I had on hand.
Mother often served us Strawberry Shortcake
when she baked one of her famous Pound Cakes,
and seeing as it was one of the triple digit August
afternoons, we wanted a Strawberry Shortcake for dinner!
Here's the verdict......
It baked up beautifully.
It smelled divine.
It was light, moist and very flavorful....
This has a very delicate lemon flavor and paired
beautifully with the fresh berries!
Yes, we really, really liked it....five stars!!!

PERFECT POUND CAKE~Pioneer Woman
3 sticks butter
3 c. sugar
5 whole eggs
1 tsp. butter flavoring
2 tsp. lemon flavoring
3 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. Sprite, 7-UP, or Sierra Mist (I used Sprite)

 Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Cream butter. Add sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition. 

Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing after each addition.

 Add butter and lemon extracts and mix well.

 Add flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition.

 Add soft drink, then mix together until combined. Scrape sides of bowl,

then mix briefly.

Pour into a greased Bundt pan and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes,

until the cake is no longer jiggly.

Remove cake from oven and invert pan until cake drops out.

 Slice and chow down!

 

Oh those fresh Summer strawberries.....
aren't they simply beautiful?

The end result.....worth the wait!

I think it's impossible to be in a bad mood

when eating strawberry shortcake!!!!

SEMI-HOMEMADE STRAWBERRY PIE

Did you realize that July 30th was National Cheesecake Day?

Well then, this called for a celebration!
I just happened to have the perfect 
answer to whipping up an easy and
delicious semi-homemade cheesecake
to serve for dinner!

This is a marvelous pantry staple to keep on hand
when you have little time to prepare dinner
for family or for company.
And, for a hot summer day, it's terrific!
Top with fresh berries and whipped cream
and you have a little slice of heaven!!!

You can make a delicious tasting  cheesecake
in three easy steps and its also pretty economical
on your food budget!

This filling is light and super yummy.....

Now for the glorious strawberry glaze....

This is called easy cooking with a touch
of fresh berries making it semi-homemade!
I think this is company worthy!

Make Your Life Delicious

WHAT'S FOR DINNER? KIELBASA RICE PILAF AND STRAWBERRY ANGEL CAKE

Would you look at this?

Oh heavenly days....

I have been waiting sooooo very long

to see a sight such as this at the

entrance to the grocery store.....

just made me so darn happy!!!!

Today's recipes were recommended

by two of my You Tube gals

and they both sounded easy and delicious...

just what I was looking for for the darling and me

last weekend!

The crockpot recipe comes from

Mandy in the Making!

This recipe is just about perfect for an easy

weekend meal when you want to pull out

your crockpot and don't feel like cooking

all afternoon. Fall is the best time to utilize

a crockpot, especially if you are busy mother,

like our sweet Miss M over in Hot-Lanta!

This uses canned green beans, onion, garlic,

vegetable broth

dry onion soup mix, kielbasa and one box of rice mix.

Slice one yellow onion and place this in

the bottom of your crockpot.

Then take 2 or 3 cans of green beans, drained

and put a layer of the beans over the sliced onion.

Next sprinkle the dry onion soup over all.

Pour 1 1/2 cups of vegetable broth over the onions and beans.

Saute the sliced kielbasa with minced garlic...

layer this over the beans.

Cook on low for 6 hours.

Prepare the boxed rice, (I used Rice Pilaf) separately 

while the beans and sausage are cooking.

Spoon the rice onto your serving dish
then top with the hot onion, beans and sausage!
Smells heavenly and dinner is served!

Now, this next recipe is known to be a family favorite
at Arlynn's Country Craft Corner and she
makes this for her Dad every time he comes to
visit them in their beautiful Virginia home.
It's a light, fresh Strawberry Shortcake!

Buy an Angel Food cake at your supermarket bakery.
Break it into pieces and layer this in a 9 x 13 baking dish.
Dissolve a large box of Strawberry jello in 1 cup of boiling water.

Take one 16 ounce carton of frozen strawberries, which have been thawed
and add the juice to the dissolved jello.
Add enough water to this mixture to equal 2 to 2 1/2 cups..
them stir in the thawed strawberries....mix well.
Pour this entire strawberry mixture over the angel food cake
and gently press the cake in to the juice.

Top the cake with one carton of Cool Whip.
Refrigerate, covered, for 4-6 hours, before serving.

I have made note to add this to our menu when we
go on our next family beach vacation.....which we are
hoping to schedule for 2021!
This is seriously delightful...thank you for sharing Arlynn!

Easy, minimal ingredients and so delicious....
Are y'all into afternoon naps like we are?