Tattooed Chef's Vegan Two Cheese Pizza

 Trying to find a vegan pizza is hard. Most pizzerias don't offer it or you'd have to find one miles and miles away. Not to worry anymore. Tattooed Chef has a great vegan one that's loaded with non dairy cheese and the much desired thin crust.

I love Tattooed Chef's products.I'mm a big fan of their baked  mac and cauliflower .Now I've tried their two cheese pizza and it's a winner. Forget Blaze and my local pizzeria This is the pizza to get.

I just doctored it up a little bit with a good sprinkle of oregano  which I  love on pizza and a drizzle of olive oil.

It was just popping it into a 450 degree Farenheit oven for ten minutes. The baked oie was a gooey , delicoius slice with a super crispy crust  - always a plus.Its' crispiness comes from the mix of cauliflower and rice flour and starch along with chia flour. The cheese is a mix of  soycheddar and soy mozzarella I am definitely going to try their vegetable and plant based pepperoni versions. It really is the perfect pie.

Forget going to the local pizzeria. Get the Tattooed Chef's pizza for a delicious vegan treat. It; has every pizza lover's requirements , ac heesey top and super crispy crust. That more could you ask for? It;'s just pure yummy.

Hot Out? Take Out!

 Most of the wrls is literally burning up right now. The temps are high. Spirits are low. Who want's to cook? No one.It's time to take out.

That's my philosophy. Normally I would make any kind of salad for a ninety plus degree day like today. ecept I wasn't even into chopping veggies. This is where my local Subway comes in.

It's just easier. They create a vegan garden style for me with sliced tomatoes , tangy vinegar soaked green peppers which take like relish and sliced olives. It was just a quick, no fuss dinner. Keep in mind that you don;t have to have a hot burger and fries. Any one of the fast food restaurants, from Wendy's to McDonald's have a variety of different cold, fresh  salads. Wendy's has brought out their famed strawberry salad again for cool summer eating. Have it with one of their lemonades. With McDonald's finish with a frosty Coke  slurpee. Go visit your local hot do vendor and get a garden dog  along with a  chilled birch or root beer.Don't  bother getting hot, Italian  Chinese or Indian take out. Save those for cooler fall days.

You could push yourself to make a salad. I just combined fresh Roma tomatoes with purple basil which has a sweeter taste than regular basil. I'ts just chopping both with garlic and adding olive oil, salt  and pepper.This will be a quick side with the sandwich but also the main dish for tomorrow's Sunday supper. I just have to add some sliced Italian bread drizzled with olive oil to round it out.

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It's hot. Don''t cook. Get a simple hero or a salad. Make a salad if you feel a bit ambitious. Just enjoy a cool meal on a sweltering day.

Just Add Water

 Everyone is sweltering under these hot temps. The one thing to keep cool is drinking water and lots of it. Always keep a bottle or container of aqua.

What's the best water to drink?Some swear by their tap which is fine. You can r constantly refill an empty water bottle with it to save money Another idea is filling a metal container with tap water and ice cubes. This is perfect for long car trips and days at the beach when being hydrated isimportant. You can easily get an all purpose theemos at either Targer or Walmart. Some even have neat and pretty patterns on them. If you want , an add in think Splenda. It is always a tasty alternative. Try their iced tea, mandarin orange or strawberry watermelon for a different twist. Splenda also has a zero calorie water additive in such flavors as sweet tea,fruit punch, pink  lemonade and peach mango. A more natural flavoring is lime or lemon juice with a tiny bit of simple syrup drizzled in  Simple syrup is just cooking white sugar and water together to form a slightly viscous syrup. You could add rosemary or even lavender  for extra flavor. You could even put sprigs of herbs in your ice cube tray for flavored cubes. This gives water a nice dash of flavor.

What about the boittled kind? What brands are the best? Some say that Mountain Valley is one of the  top ones in the country.Theirs comes from springs located in the Ouachita Mountains between Arkansas and Oklahoma. It's one of the oldest being first bottled in 1871 ans it's still being sold in glass bottles. Another of the best tasting water is Smart Water sold in every convenience store. It comes from springs in Britain It also contains those needed electrolytes  for muscle contractions and movement. Bottled water afecionados will tell you that Fiji water , coming from artesian wells is th e most tastiest. The only problem is that its' bottle o alsmost half the size of the other water bottles. Still its worth it , with the liquid coming all the way from Fiji. There;s also the Hawaiian based Waiakea.It;s a natural alkaline water from the island of Hilo.It  is amix of rain water and snow melt  and is filtered  through thousands of feet of prourous rock. The flavor is crisp however it is hard to find in the NY Metro area. Purists will stick with Evian and Poland Spring which are fine .

Everyone needs a  good bottle of water right now. It can be a fine one from voclanic rock and artesian wells or it could come from your tap. The main purpose is to be hydrated.

A Kiwi Sweet Treat

 Imagine a different kind of ice cream. It's fresher less sweet and airier. Can there be a new twist on tis classic? Yes.It's coming from New Zealnd and it's their take on the iconic cone.

Regular contributor Priya Krishna wrote about this different kind of cold treat in yesterday's New York Times food section. I'ts now coming to the States with shops  selling it in Boston, Portland Oregon and Austen , Texas. The New Zealandrs call it  real fruit ice cream and it's a scoop of vanilla blended with fruit in a machine that produces a barely sweet swirls with a buttery texture. Real fruit ice cream probably originated in the country's berry orchards and has been the desired dessert for decades. However when the Americans took it over they made major changes. Cookies and other sweets are being added , much to the chagrin of New Zealander manufacturers of the Little Gem, the ice cream  blender that makes the blended ice cream. Dennis and Chris Little, brothers who make the machine  say that  they've been getting  alot fo requests from America but feel that adding cookies or candy to the mix would not make for a big seller.

This is upsetting to a culture that  leads te world in ice cream consumption An average New Zealander eats about 5.3 gallons a year while Americans eat only 3.5 gallons annually. What separates the two cultures is that the US is almost hedonisitc when it comes to the frozen sweet according to August Radhill, owner of Far Out Ice Cream in Brookline Massachusetts.It serves cones of real fruit ice cream.He and his business partner, Drew Beja opened up their store in 2021 wit just two flavors and four toppings. Yet customers asked for more toppings. Zeds Real fruit Ice Cream in Austin offers several flavors and toppings along with sundaes like berry Butterfinger, a strawberry real fruit ice cream with chocolate sauce and Butterfinger candies. sales have been so brisk that the onwer Mack Brown is looking for a second location.Its te drizzles or sauces that get the Americans not the ice cream itself. The reaction is mixed .some like it  like Kelly Ferrarosome like Otan Oy don't claiming it's too drippy. Americans ar enot used to the taste of fresh fruit in their ice cream.

Will real fruit ice cream replace American soft serve. That's a hard question. Americanslove their sauces and toppings yet the idea of a new kind of ice cream is intriguing.

The Surprisingly Easy Baguette

Mention baguettes to home bakers and they flinch. Most think it's a compliicated loaf to create but it really isn't. It has a scant number of ingredients and is not bad to whip up. Once created then it becomes a must bake on any list.

You Tube personalityand regular contributor Claire saffitz  wrote about this delicious bread in today's New York Times food section.french bread is well suited for home baking because they're made with commercial yeast instead of a sourdough starter. This means that there's no task of maintaining a starter and then feeding it as it advances before you can start. The entire ingredient list is simple, It's just flour water, yeast and salt. However the flour quality is important. She recommends the  King Arthur brand which has a ten to twelve protein level (check th elabel for this) King arthir has 11.7Other pluses is that it's widely available and has a bit of barley. This enhances fermentation and flavor. The protein rich flour also facilitates gluten development to trap gas and create those various sized holes. You don't want too many interior holes because they can cause the baguette's shape to misshapen. Apart from the flour  you do need a baking stone and a four by twenty inch wooden baking peel and a thirteen by twenty inch wooden board for sliding them into the oven. You can get these onlien ro have your local plywood store custom cut them for you.

After you have all the equipment start planning your time line. The dough has to rest overnight in the fridge which will improve its' flavor and quality of the crust. doing this gives you some flexibiluty in baking it the next day. Start by making the poolish a type of preferment much like a sourdough starter but made with store bought yeast the morning of the first day. Let it ferment. Then mix the dough in the evening pop in the fridge the next morning and bake. Ms. Saffiz' recipes will yield three loaves. If this is too mch , then refrigerate the dough and bake later. Keep in mind that french bread dough can be sticky and a little soft. This can make for tricky kneading. Ms. Saffitz recommneds using minimal flour and a light touch during shaping. The first  dozen or so baugettes that you'll make may not be bakery perfect but they'll still have that great taste and deliciously chewy texture not to mention that crackly crust. They'll be gone in an instant being sliced and slathered with butter or being turned into yummy sandwiches.

A tasty baguette is easy to create. It's just four ingredients mixed together and baked into a loaf of deicliousness. Try it for a flavorful bite.

 

Just Salad It

Most of the Northern Hemisphere is roasting right now. Theres no way anyone wants to cook let alone sraind in front of a hot grill flipping burgers. What to  do? Turn all those ingredients into a salad.

A salad can be just as simple or as compl.ex as you want it cna be. It can have lettuce or not. if you want a hearty one though, then add some protein to it. You can easily buy any kind of cold cut and julieene it into thin strips and pieces. Think Italian cold cuts like salame and capacola cut thin and mixed with a crisp lettuce like Batavia or French crisp. Add some sliced tomatoes or whole grape ones and chunks of mozzarella .Add a zingy Italain dressing, redolent with oregano and garlic. A nice side is sliced Italian bread drizzled with olive oil. This makes for a satisfying and tasty lunch or supper. A shredded rotisserie chicken also makes a great base for a salad. Save the legs and wings for munching on later. Shred the body and skin and add to a bowl of cold , crisp Romaine lettuce. Croutons would work here along with sliced almonds. You could turn it into a chicken Caesar with dressing or go for something lught like a lemon  or lime juice vinaigrette.Even fried chicken can be cut up and added to a salad. Add some cherry tomatoes and a honey mustard dressing for a quick and flavorful dinner.

Can you sub in another ingredient for the lettuce? Yes Cole slaw works well with any other ingredient . Think an Asian cabbage  one with fried tofu squares and a ginger dressing. You dont have to fry tor bake the tofu. That'll creare too much work and generate too much heat. Cube it first . Coat in cornstarch and then air fry it for five minutes, the toss and then air fry for an extra five more minutes. Add  some sliced carrots and water chestnuts for more Asian flavor. Serv with a soy sauce  based dressing. Rice is an excellent sub in for lettuce. A tasty rice salad can include tomaotes, broocoli and a hard cheese line Parmiginao or Gran Padano. If you want mor eflavor think about adding a few artichoke hearts. You coukld make the fun cowboy rice salad which is combining the grain with black beans.it has the usual salad extras like tomatoes,peppers and onions but corn kernals are also adde dalong with the beans. The dressing is a tangy lime dressing. If you want to make it heartier, sub in chopped steak for the beans. Macaroni also makes for a good salad base.  Put in some summer sausage along with mozarella , tomaotes and broccoli. Again an Italian dressing works here.

It's summer.It's hot.It's not the time to cook. Make a cool salad for easy eating during these  sweltering days.

A Big Girl Barbie Birthday Party

 Every little girl has had a Barbie birthday party sometime in their young lives. Yet what about the big girls who are Barbie aficionados? They too can have a fun , frilly birthday do with pink themed  food and drinks. Just give it an adult spin for more sophistication.

What would you drink at a Barbie birthday bash? Try a grapefruit MImosa. This is a heady mix of grapefruit juice with splash of Asti Spumante . The juice's tartness is the perfect foil for the bubbly's sweetness , creating a sweet tart flavor. Aother crowd pleaser is a strawberry pina colada.Its the same recipe as for a regular pina colada, made with Coco Lopez, water pineapple jiuce and half and half The pureed berries are added to this for a fruitier taste and a light blush coloring. You could also serve pink lemonade with vodka. It's just mixing the two and serving over ice. Omit the vodka, sub in ginger ale and you have an equally fun mocktail. Of course there is the Cosmopolitan the ultimate pink alcoholic beverage. This is a blend of vodka, triple sec, lime juice and cranberry juice which gives it its' pink color. It's an easy shake in a cocktail shaker and then poured into a martini glass. What about dessert?A pink hued tea like Kashmiri pink chai tea would work.Its boiling Kashmiri tea with sugar water, cardamon and cinnamon. You can add baking soda if you want. Some recipes call for it The tea  turns red as it cooks and when milk is added a softy rose.

With the drinks comes food. Little girls may be happy with just a slice of pink cake but adults want something more. Think a shrimp pate to be served on crostini. The pate is made with shrimp first being roughly chopped and mixed with mayo, lemon juice parsley , scallions and mustatrd powder. THis mix is then added to tomato paste cooked with butter and shallots .Tomatoes are also put into this mix. The pate is refrigerated for three hours to set. Spoon over crostini - although you can also serve it with any kind of cracker like Saltimes or Ritz. You could also have devilled ham sliders too. The filling is a mix f the meat and mayo. if you're more ambitious you can make your own devilled ham.It taking sliced ham pureeing it wht mayo and then adding spicy brown mustard tabasco sauce, Worcester sauce and lemon. Ground black pepper gives it some bite.As for dessert. think a strawberry cake (you can use a Duncan HInes mix) with fresh whipped cream and sliced strawberries for added flavor. A cooler treat is strawberry granita, an refreshing blend of sugar, pureed strawberries lemon juice and water. It's a refreshing treat especially on a hot summer night.

Yes, big girls can have a Barbie  party too. Serve fun pink cocktails and mocktails with tasty bites of rosy hued food. It's a great way to celebrate a birthday

A Good Old Fashioned Cobbler

 This is the season for cobbler. The fruit is ripe for it , especially peaches and it's a simpler bake than a pie or tart. It's also a great summer dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

What is cobbler exactly and how did it get that name? The recipe came over with the British colonists and it is a sub in for suet pudding. They were unable to get enough bread for a traditional one so they covered stewed fruit with a batter.A cobbler's top is usually made from a batter biscuit or, if in Britian , a dumpling top. As for th e name it was first recorded in 1859 and possibly derives from the archaic word cobeler meaning wooden bowl. Another version may stem from the fact that the topping may have the look of a cobbled stone pathway. A third explanation comes from the Oxford english Doctionary has roughly assemble or cobbled together . Earlier home bakers would use leftover scraps of  pie or scone dough to make the cobblers top over whatever filling that was readily available. Apple pan dowdy,., another great dessert is a cousin of the cobbler. This is where the dough is mixed into the fruit filling and baked.Another cousin is the Betty which is made with a bread crumb or crushed graham cracker  topping. There are also slumps too which are cobblers baked on a stove top instead of in the oven.

This is definitely the season for cobblers. Peaches are in season right now and they're perfect for a juicy , sweet cobbler. The cobbler dough is usally made with flour, sugar salt,  and butter. One egg yolk is added for color and body. You also need vanilla extra for flavor and two tablespoons of very cold water ( put a small cup of water in fridge for this). As for th e filling, if you are picking the fruit fresh, look for a perfectly golden hued peach. This kind yileds a very sweet flavorful fruity taste.As for the skin if 's up to you to leave the peel on or not. eigh peaches are used to make the filling. They should be sliced thin and pitted. Mix these with a quarter cup of white sugar, quarter cup brown sugar and quarter teaspoons each of cinnamon and nutmeg. Also add lemon juice and cornstarch  to the slices. Toss them in this so each are evenly coated. They're then baked in a 425 degree Farenheit oven for ten minutes. As they're cooking , prepare the dough. Sift the dry ingredients and then add the butter with your fingertips until it resembled a coarse meal. Add water and stir. remove the peaches from the oven and drop the  dough over the peaches. Then sprinkle an equal mix of cinnamon and sgar over the dough. Bake  in a preheated oven (arounnd 425 degrees Farenheit) for thirty minutes. Serve with a big scoop of ice cream or better yet a big blob of whipped cream.

I'ts summer and that mean'sa fresh peach cobbler. It's an easy make and bake. Create one for a lovely hot weather dessert.

Cold And Easy

 This is the time for a cold dessert or snack. Nothing beats soemthing that's a  snap to make  along with being eeasy to prepare. Look to some simple sweets that are frosty and delicious.

Many love homemade ice cream. Nothing beats the taste of a homemade chocolate or vanilla.Home chefs can create an eggless one using cocoa powder, whole milk, sugar and heavy cream . A dash of vanilla is thrown in to heighten the chocolate flavor. Everything is whisked together and the put in the fridge for thirty minutes before it s oured into an ice cream maker. You can add chocolate chips or even nuts for a Rocky Road flavor. Vanilla ice cream is also an easy make.I'ts just taking whole milk and combining it with heavy cream granulated sugar and vanilla. You can also make a vegan version using coocnut or plant based milk milk and cashew butter. It still uses vanilla as flavor. You could also try an ice cream that doesn;t require a machine.Melissa  Clark offers a  no churn caramel one in Wednesday's New York Times  Food section.It's an easy make of whipped cream,  blended with  a  can or jar of dukce de leche . A sprinkle of flaky sea salt cuts the sugariness. Serve ti in a cone of waffle bowl, with a spoonful of hot fudge for decadence.

That Italian classic granita is another cool treat that's super easy to make. A favorite is a coffee granita, a homemade ice that's served with whipped cream and chocolate syrup.Mix three cups of strong espresso with three fourths cup of sugar and teaspoon of vanilla extract. Stir until everything is dissolved and pour into a nine by thirteen inch pan. Place the pan in the freezer for one hour until the mixture becomes slushy. Rake the crystals with a dinner fork to break up the crystals. Pop back into the freezer and then rake it every thirty minutes. Serve in parfait or martini glasses with a drizzle of chocolate syrup and whipped cream. Granita can be made with fruit too. You just need four cups of any cubed fruit, a quarter cup of any flavorful liquid and a quarter cup of granulated sugar. A pinch of salt can be added to bring out the fruit's flavor. As for the flavorful liquid, try lemon or lime juice but even wine or kombucha can do. Puree all the ingredients and then freeze in a metal pan. Freeze anywhere between thirty and forty five minutes and start to flake it with a fork afterwards. Keep doing this every thirty minute two or three times. It't then frozen for four hours before serving.

A sweet cold treat is just as easy to make as it is to eat. Make a quick ice cream or granita to beat the heat.It's great way to beat the summer heat.

Vegan From The Pantry

A pantry can yield a host of different ingredients. You can get tinned cherries for a pie or sundae.There are the basics for making sauce ro chili. You can even go vegan with  all these cans.

New contributor Hetty Lui McKinnon and co author of the great vegetarian cookbook Tenderheart wrote about easy vegan cooking in yesterday's New YorkTimes Food section. As with any vegetarian diet  she recommends eating seasonally but don't stress if you can't find what you need or head to a farmer's market. Go to your pantry, Her recipes are built on te presence if unami or the Japanese word for deliciousness. The veggies themself star in the dishes as opposed to be second string. The first recipe is crispy potato tacos, made with chunks of any kind of potato cut into one and a half sized pieces, They're cooked and then roughly mashed with cheddar cheese (you could sub in Montery Jack for some bite)cilantro, garlic and cumin. The spicy red salsa can be made with fresh or canned tomatoes. It's mixing them with red onions, Serrano chiles.garlic cumin and oregano. A pinch of sugar is added to this as it's placed into a food processor and pureed.It's then poured into a saucepan with vegetable broth and cooked for fifteen to twenty minutes.It'll turn dark and become slightly thickened. Serve it over the warm tortillas for more flavor. Add sliced avocadoes if you want.

The other recipes also from Ms. McKinnon;s cookbook Tenderheart is a tasty soy butter corn ramen and salt and vinegar kale chips with fried chickpeas and avocado. The ramen is a nod to pasta dishes, fusing Japeanese and Italian cooking traditions. This is made with four ears of fresh corn, now in season. strip the cobs of th e kernal and add these to boiling water. Cook until the smell of corn permeates the kitchen. Noodle blocks are then added to this, being boiled until the pasta is loosened up for about two to two and half minutes. Drain and add the soy sauce, corn and butter.Tosss for a few minutes  and then sprinkled some chopped scallions on top. There is the fun kale chips. The kale is tossed with olive oil, either red wine or apple cider vinegar and garlic.The leaves are spread on two sheet pans and roasted for twenty-five to thirty minutes at 275 degrees Farenheit. After remove from the oven and season with salt. The olive oil should be fried in about three to four tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet. Reuce the heat a bit of the chickpeas pop and bounce out of the skillet. Take them out of the skillet with a slotted spoon,  and drain on paper towels. season the peas with cayenne and  paprika. Add salt and pepper if you like. You can add a  fried egg and sliced avocado if you want. This makes for a nice brunch bit also for a good appetizer  at a barbecue,.

The pantry can yield up all sorts of canned ingredients. Use these treasures to create a tasty vegetarian dinner or even a brunch dish. They three great recipes for bringing more veggies into the diet

Fueling Those Concerts

 Everyone has to eat and that includes rock stars. They have to be fed while on tour and a quick meal from a nearby eatery isnt going to do it.They need an army of chefs and their staff to provide them with ther favorite foods, It makes touring that much easier,

Multi media journalist and first time contributor Soo Yuon wrote abote this in today''s New York Times Food section. Just like an army that marches on its' stomach a singer and his or her entourage which include roadies and technicians also runs on their stomach as well. Being an on the road chef is challenging but interesting. The production demands are significant . The standard for a sizable tour is four meals on set up and show days. There's breakfast, lunch and dinner along with an after dinner meal usually eaten on a tour bus.Not only does the star have to be well fed  but also the back up singers and dancers, stage builders, the pyrotechnics crew and security guards. Also included are the managers and bus drivers, along with whoever else is involved in the concert. Usually these chefs and their staffs cook in the arenas' vast kitchens but sometimes kitchens have to be assembled.These custom based ones have to have shelves and cabinets built along with ovens..These have to be packed and repacked in specialized flight cases that are assembled and reassembled in each city visited. Sometimes they're  assmebled in parking lots too.

Then there is the problem of picky perfomers. Lizzo is a  vegetarian. Her recent show at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert , California had a juicing station with a blender ready basket of vegetables. There were also corn dogs and Southern fried chicken for the carnivores - namely the roadies - on her tour. She also had plant based Impossible sliders, couscous , squash  ,carrots and cookies. Stars  are not as bad as they were in the past. The band Van Halen had put a ban on brown M&M's in their candy dishes. Gene Simmons of the classic band KISS always wanted a turkey sandwich  with lettuce, pickles and tomatoes on the side. yet he only ate the sandwuch and nothing more. Marilyn Manson demanded that  boxes of Kraft's baked mac and cheese be shipped to england when he was touring there. Kraft does produce it in the UK but the taste is different. Beyonce does her own pastry chef Grant Byrd who bakes her favored cookie, a kind of chocolate chip with Belgian milk chooclate and chopped Reeses peanut cups folded in. One thing that all chefs have to watch - food poisoning. A sick star can cost an arena millions of dollars in cancellations. The food always has to be fresh

A full stomach and good food make a star shine brighter. These chefs and their staff work just as hard as these celebrtities to make a tour stand out. They are just as inportant as any musician.

A Chef's Kiss

 What happens when a restaurant loses a master chef? It continues as best it can. The recipes carry on despite  them not being as good as the original.

I feel that way with my Mom whose birthday is today. She would have been 101  - a great age.Her years with us were  very  great learning periods.Her imprint is felt in our cooking  and baking today. She was always a big one for mixing olive oil and butter to temper the oil. It's almost a knee jerk reaction to add a knob or two of Melt plant butter (what would she have thougth of that - maybe she would have liked it). Combining the two also gives sauteed and fried dishes a better flavor along with some body. Mom also cooked rice in vegetable broth which makes for a perfect quick lunch or weekend supper, but also a good base for ratatouille.Her risotto was amazing too and her patieince in creating this tempermental dish was also nothing short of amazing either. Both it and her other signature dish polenta (which she grew up on thanks to my Piedmontese grandmother) require constant stirring. That takes a  great amount of patience especially during warm weather. Yet the end result is worth it as she always proclaimed.

My Mom also passed down her love of culinary travel and boldness in making dishes from other cuisines. We were the first family on the block to have tacos for dinner. She was the first to have a wok.One of her all time favorite dishes , the Szechuan ants climbing a tree is still made. It's what connects me to her. I've tweaked it and made it vegan , using plant based beef crumbles instead of the real thing.Her culinary sense of adventure made me try Ethiopian lentil and tomato stew with Berbere spices.I try to step put of the box as I test out new recipes or vegan versions of traditional ones. Would she have like the fact that everyone uses the internet instead of traditional cookbooks nowadays? That's a good question. It is easy to get any kind of recipe yet there is something about reading a cookbook cover to cover. You do learn about the recipes better instead of a quick glance before combining ingredients. She loved to pore over the glossy photographs and imagine that's what her rendition would look like. There's also something about a cookbook with stained pages and tweaks pencilled written in.

It's hard when a master chef leaves. Yet the restaurant goes on. The food may not be the same but the love and sense of love for food still exists.

The Local Cuisine

 One of the biggest question any vacationer has is where do the locals eat  and even shop for food? It's impoirtant to go to decent eateries and shops where you know you'll get good food. However where do you begin? The locals.

Check out the your destination for all sorts of a good places to eat and drink. what helps is Googling the town or city and then typing in the best restaurants. Forget their websites . TRy the Yelp and even Facebook fan pages. Diners are brutally honest on these. Yelp reviewers even post pictures of their favorite dishes and desserts too. what happens if the dish is too expensive? Go for the eatery's cheaper dishes. They're probably just as good as what's posted.what if it's a big city like Paris or New York? Again Yelp reviews help but also restaurant guides and with New York , The New York Times always has excellent and pretty honest reviews. Check out reviewers' Sam Sifton and Pete Wells along with Ligaya Mishan. All three also cover the boroughs too and sometimes restaurants, on Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut. Another way is ask the locals themselves. Don t be afraid to quiz at the gas station or even at the local drugstore. If it's a small town like a Jersey shore one, you'll get a whole slew of answers just by standing on line.

This also applies ot local farmers markets and grocery stores. Many are heading to shore towns, like in New Jersey. Most motel rooms have kitchenettes where you can cook a quick meal. You'll also need dishwashing soap and if you haven't packed them, shampoo and sunscreen too. Local groceries stock these too. How do you know of the local grocery store is a good one? Check out the parking lot. If it's relatively full then you kniow its a popular store. Again some grocery stores will have their deli sections reviewed  and list what it good to buy. Also local groceries usually get their produce from nearby farms so you know the fruits and veggies you;re buying are going to be tasty and fresh. Locals also buy from these farms too so check them out. They may also have great sovenirs and gifts, like homemade jam or honey along with homemad e ice cream and ices. Rememember to check out the local fish stores too if you want to make lobster or filets.

Alsways trust the locals when you go on vacation. They have the best advice when it comes to where to eat and shop. Heed them for a better holiday experience.

Frosty Drinks

 This is definitely the time for a nice cold drink. It doesn;'t matter if it's store bought or home made. As long as it's filled with ice and wintry cold. 

One of th emost fun frozen drinks is A slurpee ro Icee. Mc.Donamds; is offering their version  in both the Fanta Blue raspberry and Coca Cola Classic/ The lastt is really a gift. It is cold sweet and numbingly icy. I've been choosing it over regular soda when I grab a burger there. Another must sip (or slurp) is QuikChek Quick Freeze Try their Coke and Jarrito's manadarin orange flavors. Jarrito's is really refreshing and has a tang to it. You can easily make something similar at home by using a Zoku Slush cup. This is two cups with the inner cup being put into  freezer.  Keep in mind to use only regular soda and not diet. The best slush comes from a good fizzy sugary soda like Coke or Pepsi.

Iced coffee is a must too these days. Starbucks has a rich almost liquid-y dessert brew Chocolate Java Mint. This is more of a coffee slushie that should be sipped slowly through a straw. Get a vente  of that or their Mocha Cookie crumble for a tasty cool drink. Another must drink is their refreshers which have all sorts of fruits in it. A good place to hang out is Dunkin Donuts. Nothing beats a huge cup of their iced cappucino which is more like coffee ice cream. It's so thick that it can be eaten with a spoon.A nother is their refreshers. These come in such tasty flavor combos as raspberry watermelon which I could drink down in seconds. Try their peach mango or their dragonfruit strawberry combos.

The weather is hellish. Coool or ice down with a big sip of something chilling. It's a tasty way of beating the heat.

Reselling Your Kitchen

 Can a kitchen be taken apart and sold?The answer is both yes and no. Some things can easily be given over while others are better off junked. what works in a garage sale and what doesn't?

Appliances can be resold.If you love in New Jersey you can "sell" your fridge to the utilities company and receive one hundred dollars for it. There are companies that will also buy your stove too if you're getting a new one. Keep in mind the newer or "younger it is the better the resale. No one is going to buy an appliance that's reaching it;s third decade. Think anywhere from five to ten years in age. Also there are some brand slike Frigidaire and Whirlpool along with GE that are going to be more preferrable. Think about selling your college graduate's mini fridge too. There are many college freshman who would jump on the chance to get a lower priced  one .What about the smaller appliances like air fryers and microwaves? Again the newer model ones have a better chance of being resold.These are coveted items at garage sales where just starting out home chefs will snap them up. make sure you hve any kind of warranty to pass on for any appliance. This will be vital if there are repairs.

Smaller kitchen items are always a guaranteed sale. Thrifty home bakers will snap up holiday themed cookie cutters and cake pans. Try to keep all themed bakery items together.  although you could offer an all year round cookie cutter or cake set that includes Christmas trees, pumpkins, flowers and Easter egg shapes.A cookie or dough shooter is also a coveted garage and yard sale item. Make sure the barrel is thoroughly cleaned before you sell it . Also make sure the discs that cut the dough are also clean and shiny.The same applies to an icing gun and the nozzles. Sometimes it is hard to get the frosting out of the last. rewash just to make sure. Also check to make sure you have all the discs and nozzles before you sell the guns.KNife sets, espcuially Cutco and Faberware are also much desired resales. Keep in mind that they should be sharpened and checked for any rust or scratches.Cookbooks are also big re sellers. These are the opposite of the other kitchen resale items. Vintage ones from decades and centuries pasts are much in demand. each tells a story especially through ancient stains and notes written ;

Yes you can sell off your kitchen. Just make sure they're all in working order , whether its'a fridge or a cookie cutter. It'sa fun way to make extra cash and get rid fo what you don;t need

The Peach Drought

 Peaches are a big part of summer dining. They're eaten fresh after a wash in icy cold water. They grace pues, crumbles and cobblers. Unfortunately there's a peach drought,impacting fruit lovers across the country.

 Regular contributor Kim Severson wrote about this problem in yesterday's New York Times Food section. It's well known that Georgia supplies the country with peaches.even South Carolina who supplies more peaches - namely seventy five per cent is also suffering from this. Yet the ones available are shining,, soft , fleshy and juicy. yet the peach drought can also be found in New England where harvesters are hard pressed to find one.Again it has to do with the weather where there was a blossom killing February cold snap that took temperatures below zero. One state is shining through and that's New Jersey. The Garden State now has a terrific peach crop. The weather here has been perfect, without excessive rain that can render the fruit mushy according to Pegi Adam f the New Jersey Peach associatiom..TRhis will be great for the many peach farms throughout the state that rely on July and August picking season for revenue. California is also have a good season, The California summer has been cooler which results in a sweeter, tastier fruit .

Yet what are Southern cooks and bakers doing about this? They're still using Southern grown peaches. Steve Satterfield , chef at Atlanta's Miller Union is not about to supplement his precious allotment of just two cases. He does not want it use New Jersey or California peaches. Instead he is building recipes around the deficit.His pastry chef, Claudia V. Martinez is slicing them extra thin for layering on a cornmeal cake with vanilla ice cream. Tomaores and cucumber s paly supporting roles in a peach salad that also has ricotta ,herbs and crunchy granola. The bartender is pondering whar to do with the peach pits for non alcoholic mocktails. Some chefs are simply giving up. Erika Council who runs the Atlanta breakfast spot Bomb Biscuits is making jam with pineapple and canteloupe, Customers will have to wait next year for her peach reaper sauce made with Georgia peaches and Carolina reaper peppers. She doesn't want to use canned or frozen peaches because they wouldnt give the sauce that fresh taste. Theere also too expensive as well

Hopefully this peach drought will just be temporary. The world needs the sweet goodness of Georgia peaches. They are true gems tha thopefulyl make a comeback.

A Historic Take On Masa

 Mexican cooking would be nothing without masa, This ground corn meals yields everything from tortillas to tacos.it is one of the cooking traditions that migrated to the US and became a staple here. However it's not the same as the original until now.

Chef and host of the TV show Mi Cocina Rick AMartinez wrote this interesting piece on Mexican corn in today's New York Times Food section. For decades Americans have been eating tortillas and tacos made with processed corn loaded with preservatives. Even though we're used to the taste the flavor is very often musty and sour or bland. However a new generation of Mexican  American chefs are going back to using heirloom qualities of Mexican corn.Chefs are infusing traditional flavor into their tortilla along with tiocoyos, a street food made of a thick fried corn dough filled with pork cracklings and beans along with tamales and taquitos. Making true masa requires nixtamalization a three thousand year old practice of Mesoamerica.It's even been documented back to 1500 BCE.it's simply simmering dried corn in water and calcium hydroxide or cal until the kernals soften. They're then ground into a homogenous dough that holds what ever shape the cook wants. There are thin circles for tortillas , thicker ones for gorditas and plump triangles or ovals for huaraches or dumplings. Masa is also the backbone of a well loved chocolate drink chappurado. it cna also be crumbled into stews for body too.

There are many diffrent kinds of Mexican heirloom corn. Red ruby colored corn glints and grows in the Mexican state of Tiaxcala. Oaxaca give the Mexicans green corn while in the west  central state of Nayarit has fields full of corn stalks. These varieties are making their way to metro areas across the US. Tortilla and totopo - corn chip makers have the masa. They most likely nixtamalize the corn daily for their own products.Chef Martinez also gives recipes for tortilla made on comal or a tortilla maker. If you don;t have one a skillet works well too. They're  like pancakes being flipped every thirty seconds. There are also recipes for gorditas de maize, fat versions of pita or naan.These are slit open warm and filled with a variety of different meats , beans and cheeses.Chef Martinez also includes a recipe for tetelas de frijos negro or black bean filled dumplings. The black bean filling is easy .it's cooking black beans and sixteen cuoso f water with avocado leaves, garlic and white onion.The dumplings are stuffed with this and sprinkled with cotilla, the crumbly fresh cheese. They're cooked in a skillet or comal.

True masa requires true Mexican corn.It can be hhad here in the States. use it to create authentic tasting tortilla, taco, goritos, huaraches and gorditos

Barbie Party Time

 The girl of the summer is definitely Barbie. Thanks to the Margot Robbie -Ryan Goslin movie , the original girl power is everywhere. There are Barbie Crocs, dresses , jackets and even pillows. Now Barbiephiles can celebrate the doll and the movie with a Barbie core do,

Most fans will probably have a pink themed party with Cosmos and trays of little girl pink Double Bubble gum. However Barbie herself may have more sophisticated that. yes , you could have Cosmos to celebrate the Nineties version (and yes, there are Sex and the City inspired barbies) along with putting the gum with ahost of other pink candy as favors. However Barbie has always been a California girl, right down to her Malibu Beachhouse. HAve a California themed party featuring burgers to symbolize the In and Out ones along with a host of food truck food to symbolize Los Angeles food truck culture. Think about fish and bulgoki tacos where guests can put all sorts of toppings from traditional pico di gallo to kim chee. Tater tots with a cheddar topping is another big food truck iitem and they're easy to make in an air fryer.Avocados are a big  Southern California product so think about a refreshing salad made with them and a tangy lemon vinaigrette. what to serve afterwards? LA's own chiffon pie fist made in 1929 by Los Angeleno baker Monroe Boston Strause, It's a kind of  a vanilla mousse fillling in a graham cracker crust. Serve with strawberries if you want a bit of pink.

Barbie has been around since 1959 so another party idea is picking a decade themed party. The Fifties and Sixties brought an era of both  hominess and sophistication. You could feature a baked ham with pineapple alogn with an ambrosia salad fullof marshmallows and citrus fruit like pimeapple and oranges. You could also end with a pineapple upside down cake, very popular in the era. The Sixties also brought us Camelot and Jackie Kennedy's love of anything French. Think croissants filled with tarragon chicken salad, or steak Diane with a creamy Bearnaise sauce.Dessert could be Barbie pink  strawberry macarons (although you can throw in some chocolate and pistacchio ones along with lemon ones) The Seventies brought us fondue but it's too hot for that. Try cheese balls dipped in chopped nuts along with a platter of  devilled eggs. You could also serve party franks with a tangy sauce and mini crabcakes. Barbie embraced the glam Eighties and you can too. Serve lobster canapes and champagne along with caviar topped crostini. What about the NIneties and the early Aughts? Try comfort food, like pizza bagels and beer that got us through the Y2K anxiety. You could also make comfort sweets like cupcakes which had a revival twenty years ago. Think Funfetti ones with mounds of homemade strawberry icing.

It's the summer of Barbie! Get wild with a LA - So Cal themed do or pick a decade and celebate. All are perfect for toasting this doll  of a woman. Enjoy the movie and the food of her life.

J 'Aime Tarragon

 One of those herbs that is over used and underestimated is tarragon. It can be employed in a variety f different dishes. You can use it to season chicken or Cornish hen or add zing to mayo. There's so many fun recipes with it.

I was glad to get the plant (which I highlighted in Saturday's post). Tarragon has a wonderful flavor both dried and fresh.Use it fresh if you have the plant.

What is it exactly? It's formal name is estragon and grows wild throughout Euope and North America. What home gardeners grow is really French tarragon. There is also Russian tarragon which is a hardier and more robust plant. Freshly picked leaves have a licorice - anise type of flavor.I've used them in mayo. They worked and the condiment was good slathered on  plant based chicken patties. However in the future I plan on using my Mom's herb grinder to make tarragon flakes.

I like tarragon in mayo but you can also try it in a creamy sauce,made with whole cream, lemon, shallots  and butter. Chicken breasts are cooked in this and you could serve them over herbed rice or pasta. Salmon also benefits from the herb.Think of combining the fresh leaves with a mix of Dijon mustard, mayo and lemon juice along with a pinch of sugar. Spoon over grilled salmon for a delicious dinner. Keep in mind that the herb is perfect in both viniagrettes and creamy salad dressings.I'ts usually mixed with Dijon mustard and extra virgin olive oil. You could add shallots for color.This would also be good over grilled veggies like eggplant and tomatoes for a different spin on a summer salad.

Plant tarragon to boost your summer cooking and grilling.Its' flavor lends an earthy sweetnss to any dish and elevates it. This silvery leafed plant is the perfect addition to any dish.

A Summer Herb Garden

 One of the best aspects of summer cooking is having fresh herbs on hand. There's nothing like a garden brimming full of tasty leaves that can enhance any dish.

I have the gamut here, from both green and purple basil, parsley and tarragon. 

This is the purple basil and parsley.Purple basil can be used the same way as green leafed basil. I may try a pesto with it or just use it in sauces. The parsley was a much needed herb which I'll use in my potato puffs. Fresh parsley takes the flavor up a notch

You can see how bright and full the leaves are .They 're also going to add to smashed potatoes too. In the upper right is the tarragon which has a wonderful sweet earthy flavor.I;ve already used in in a mayo .This made a wonderful condiment for a chciken patty sandwich. 

Nothing beats an herb garden. It means fresh flavor added to summer cooking. Grow your garden now to enhance your favoriite dishes.
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Summer Go To Recipes

 It's no secret every home chef wants to easy dishes to prepare in the summer. There's always one go to dish that works.It's a snap to prepare and tasty, made with fresh ingredients.

I feel this way about Gustavo's Gazpacho, a dish I first made four years ago.I had just reviewed Susan Lewis Solomont's autopbiography  about her time in Spain. Her husband was the American ambassador to Spain. I was curious about the gazpacho recipe and asked for it.

It ;s become one of my favorite summer go to recipes. It's cubing four tomatoes, one green pepper, one cucumber and mincing one clove of garlic. A cup of olive oil is added along with three tablespoons of red wine vinegar and and a tablespoons of onion powder.It's all pureed together with the tomatoes and cucumbers providing the water for the soup.   Then chill for a couple of hours before serving.

It's a cool, creamy fresh tasting bowl of veggies. I can taste each indiviual vegetable and taste theri blended flavors as well. Another plus is that there's no oven to heat or burner to use. I don't even have to use the air fryer. Another filling go to is panzanella , Neopolitan bread salad , made  heartier with the addition of Italian cold cuts like julienned salame and mortadella.Heroes loaded with all sorts of meats , cheeses and veggies are also great hot weather go tos. The kids will love a supper of a custom made hoagie and a bag of chips.

Have a good list of  easy go to recipes when the temperature rises. THey'll make for easy prep and easy eating.It's what you meed during these steamy hot days.

The Best Sandwich Ever.

 What makes a sandwich good? is it the bread? The filling ? Or a dash of mayo or mustard? That's a question many ask.The best way to find out is to ask the experts. These are the ones who can create great taste from just a few ingredients.

Chef and regular contributor Eric KIm asked this in yesterday's New York Times Food section.He spoke with several sandwich shop owners across the country and received some interesting advice on the fillings and construction He looked to Matt Cahn , owner of Philadelphia;s Middle Child. Chef Cahn using a very unusual ingredient blueberry jam in his Surfer sandwich. The idea came from his vacations in Maine wuth an ex girlfriend. This is really a spicy chutney layered on a split ciabatta roll with sliced turkey, arugula and either two slices of Gruyere or Swiss cheese. The arugula s dressed with olive oil, vinegar and chopped onions and placed on top of the turkey. The cheese is baked onto the ciabatta in a toaster oven.Yet' it's the blueberry jam that's the standout. This could be used for leftover turkey sandwiches at Thanksgiving or even to boost up a chicken salad sandwich.It cooking the fruit and garam masala along with granulated sugar, raisins , cinnamon sticks and a pinch of cloves to a boil.  Freshly squeezed lemon juice is also added. Add the spices last as the mixture comes to a boil.Cool the jam to room temperature and add more garma masala, ,lemon juice and salt if needed.

You could also try a roast pork hoagie done in the style of San Francisco's Palm City, a fancy sandwich shop that also sells wine and beer. Fried provolone chips provide crunch amongst the otherwise soft meaty textures. They amp up the flavor by replacing iceberg lettuce with arugula. They also have vegetarian options with roasted cauliflower, avocadoes and pickled veggies.Use a blend of Chinese spices for some zing. of course you could also match the bread to the fillings as they do at Cleveland's Bake Shop & Cafe. Curry chicken or turkey club is paied with either a croissant or pain de mie  a kind of sourdough honey bread.Housemade naan, a flat Indian bread like pita is stuffed with grilled vegetables.However your best option for a really good sandwich is a homemade biscuit. Shawnda Moye created some hearty and flavorful  biscuit sandwiches when she moved back to her native Ohio and opened up the pop up The Roaming Biscuit in 2019. She elevates the breakfast sandwich (which can also be made for lunch or dinner) It's adding egg, namely scrambled and layering ot with a slice of cheddar and brisket. Yoy could sub in any kind of ham, from Taylor to cured along with changing up the cheddar toMonetery Jack or a slice of  Gouda  or Edam.

The perfect sandwich is easy to create.It just takes a good bread along with tasty condiments to ramp up the meat and veggies inside. Then enjoy a juge bite.

A New Breed Of Texas Barbecue

 Reecipes evolve to fit the taste of a younger generation. Thisi is true of tradtional Texas barbecue which isnt that traditional anymore. There are new flavors and alternative dishes that are livening up this classic fare.

Regular contributor Brett Anderson wrote about Texas barbecue in today's New YorkTimes Food section.The best of it comes from Lockhart,a town southwest of Austen.It's changing. No longer is is the domain of white male pitmasters or central European immigrants who brought a different form  -brisket - ot the States. The new Texas barbecue gives vouce to a population that have been diversified by other states and countries. There's also a cultural dialogue between urban and rural artesans as well. Much of it nods to American barbecue orgins in the live fire cooking of the Indigenous and enslaved Africans. yet it also derives from Texans  sharing their hom e cooking with the public at large. The foot print for the recipe comes from the state's ranching industry. The quantity and quality of the "trinity", sausage, ribs and especially brisket.

Barbecue is taking on new flavors .Pitmasters are incorporating such international flavors as lemongrass, gochujang,turmeric and fenugreek.There's also kimchi and slasa negra .Lamb chops and tuna collar have also made their way int o the barbecue menu as the spicy Ethiopian chicken stew doro wat. There is also brisket curry, enchiladas', shawarma ans ramen.Texans with a Mexican background have always made batbece their way with guacamole  and charro beansalong with pico di gallo. There was also barbecue made with goat, a Mexican staple.The whole idea of white men running barbecue joints is also being challenged. Barbs B-Q,a Lockhart favorite is run by women, an unusual feat in the industry. Alexis Tovlas Morales, HaleyConlin and Chuck Chanichart are changing the landscape but also follow the othodoxy of barbecue by cooking brisket, beef and pork. Then there are Phong and Hong Tran, representative of the  large Vietnamese community who gives the recipe a South Asian spin. It; served over rice with a drizzle of tomato based sauce.

Barbecue is the backbone of Texas cooking. However it;s catching up with the times and changing. There are new flavors coming in , changing this classic dish.

Happy Fourth

For all the American readrers wherever you are. 

Happy Fourth!!!!!🎇🎇

Enjoy the rest of the day with cold drinks and ice cream, hot dogs and hamburgers! Have  a summery slice of watermelon or enjoy a frosty icy slurp.

The French Influence

It's hard not to think of the french on the Fourth of July.after all they supported us during hte American Revolution and gave is their best the Marquise  de Lafayette to help fight the war. Yet it's their cuisine that's had a lasting mark on the American table.

Our founding fathers from Ben Franklin to Thomas Jefferson spent time in the country namely Paris. Franklin was a notorious oenophile and had many good french vintages in his Passy home outside of Paris. Tom Jefferson was a farmer at heart and brought a variety of plants to cultivate here on his Virginia estate. He also had a French chef and made sure that Gallic fare was served during White House banquets. He introduced crepes, French fries (orignally Belgian but adopred by the French), meringues, ice cream and macaroons.By 1824 la cuisine francaise  or haute cuisine was de rigeur in the better kitchens. During America's Gilded Age  the wealthy would bring their chefs to Paris to pick up recipes and tips. They brought home such dishes as Hollandaise sauce,potatoes Lyonnaise ,omelettes souffle';s bisques and sweetbreads. it wasn't unusual to see omelets being served in South Carolina buffets or have a Mississippi paddle wheeler cooking up potatoes Lyonnaise for hungry gamblers.

We still adoreFrench cooking. Croissants are part of our lives, being sold everywhere from Dunkin Donuts to fancy patisseries. Macarons are such a part of our dessert table, being a standard now at brunches and showers. Then there are those frothy  sweet bites meringues which are fun to make. Brioche, once hard to get is everywhere. There are brioche hamburger buns and even bread companies like Sara Lee are selling brioche loaves.Of course there is Cajun  cooking coming from the Acadian area of Nova Scotia. These were from the French Canadians who were displaced after the French and Indian War and settled in Lousiana. then French owned. Cajun cooking has influenced many cooking emthods. They'r e big on barbecuing and injecting eats with liquod for fall off the bone tenderness. This was also the cuisine that gave us mirepoix or the holy trinity of Cajun cooking, bell peppers, onions and celery. Thanks to its' marriage with African cooking and ingredients its' give the Amercan table gumbo and boudin, a sausage made with sausage onion and green pepper.

The French have long been a facvtor in the American experiment. However it's their cooking that is a big part of our lives. It has been a strong influence for over three centuries.

Ice Cream, Cold ,Creamy Goodness

 It's July and that means one thing - it's ice cream season.It's time to enjoy this treat a variety of ways There are sundaes and sodas, cakes and cupcakes made with it to savor and refresh. 

What is the best ice cream to use ? That actually depends on you. Some love Blue Bunny. It' is the most flavroful and creamiest. Other's prefer Breyer's which has a less dense texture and lighter taste. What about vegan ice cream. Surprisingly there's just as creamy as the dairy however they do need to thaw out a bit before scooping. Try Oatley and Ben and Jerry;s for the best flavor. You can get everything from plain vanilla and chocolate to chocolate chip mint and fudge brownie. Now onto the syrups, Homemade is the best . The taste is the purest and it even makes for a yummy egg cream.It's just taking unsweetened cocoa powder  and sugar whisked together in a cold saucepan. Just boiled water and  salt are added along with a teaspoon if vanilla extract. Keep whisking th e sauce as the heat is reduced  to a low flame. wait ten minutes before serving. You cna also use Hershey's which is the gold standard of syrups. Smuckers has a good varoety of sauces too, ranging from butterscotch to raspberry. You could also try their Hot Fudge one too. As for the whipped cream topping nothing beats Reddi-Whip. It's light and airy with that milky taste we all love. They also have coconut and almond milk versions too.

What can you make with these? Melissa Clark gave three recipes in Wednesday's New York Times Food section. You can try her banana split, ice cream soda or ice cream sandwich ones. Her hot fudge recipe is for a think gooey one that turns to taffy when it hit the ice cream's coldness. She also includes the recipe for a sundae staple wet walnuts , hers made with honey and maple syrup. You cna also make it like the Dairy Queen classic with strawberries and strawberry sauce. Her ice cream sodas are fruity with homemade fruit syrups made with fresh strawberries or blueberries. Of course nothing beats a chocolate one, with two or three scoops plopped in sletzer and topped with a good shoot of Reddi-Whip. Her ice cream sandwiches are made with a giant chocolate chip cookie layered with vanilla ice cream. Try something different by using vanilla wafers stuffed with a fruity ice cream like peach or strawberry for a kind of macaron. Ice cream cakes and ice cream cup cakes are snaps to make. The only hard part is the cookie layer. Take Nabisco chocolate wafers crush in either a blender or in a plastic baggie with a rolling pin. Mix with melted butter and press half of the cookie layer on the bottom of the mold. Add one layer of ice cream  and one layer of topping. Repeat and frreze for an hour. Serve topped with Reddi-whip. You cna do the same wiith ice cream cup cakes. Use a silicone muffin tin to make a mini version. Decorate with candy confetti or sprinkles.

It's ice cream season. Have fun creating a sweet cold treat. Pick an ice cream and have fun making your favorite recipe.