Midsummer's night feast!

I have always treasured summer nights; the long, warm evenings, barbecues in the backyard, bike rides to the nearest park. Or just laying on your green grassy carpeted cathedral, listening to the cheerful yells of neighborhood kids, the smell of freshly mowed grass, the comforting buzz of busy bees, and having a happy contented feeling that you are home! This is how I like to spend my summer evenings! To top off this wonderful day, we had a resplendent barbecue, just my family and me! We had some juicy barbecued shrimp, accompanied with a jazzy horseradish dipping sauce ( SOOOOOO YUMMY!!), some roasted red potatoes, and a fresh green salad, dressed in a light refreshing vinaigrette. For dessert we had warm peach cobbler, topped in vanilla ice cream. (My little sister Ronni made the dessert with me at baking class today.) So all and all we had a summery feast. I will post some pictures and the recipes! You've got to try this sauce!!!

Outback Dipping Sauce
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons ketchup
• 2 teaspoons creamed horseradish
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 dash black pepper
• 1 dash cayenne

Peach Cobbler
Peach Mix:
• 2 peaches, diced
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 vanilla bean /1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
Topping:
• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch salt
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter- melted
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Sauté peaches in butter, then add vanilla bean and sugar.
Mix all dry ingredients with the melted butter, buttermilk, and vanilla until dough is formed. Fill ovenproof dish with peach mixture, top with biscuit mixture, sprinkle brown sugar then bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 375 degrees until golden brown.
Serve with vanilla ice cream.

The Fourth of July with Good Old Apple Pie....

Happy Fourth of July! When I think of Independence day I think of barbecue fume filled air, fire crackers bursting in your eardrum, and a good cinnamony bite of apple pie in melting your mouth. Apple Pie is the most American dessert out there! I like my apple pie baked with a crisp streusel topping and, while still warm, smothered in some creamy, slow churned vanilla ice cream. My pet peeve about apple pies is that the apples must be marinated in a cinnamon sugar mixture before baking, until they are deliciously juicy and full of flavor. But whatever flips your pancake! Apple pie is the best no matter what. I hope everyone had a supercallerfragilisticexpialidocious Fourth of July! I sure did!!!!!

Food of the Angels......

I love Angel Food Cake!! It is so light and spongy! It practically melts in your mouth. In my opinion, the only way it can be improved is when it is chocolate and served with raspberry mousse! Yum!!!!!! Well, today, I did just that! It was a sunshiny day. This light combination was perfect for this summer day! Here's the cake recipe and some pictures of the cake!

Chocolate Angel Food Cake
Ingredients
• 3/4 cup cake flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 3 (1 oz.) squares semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, grated
• 12 egg whites
• 1 tsp. cream of tartar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
• Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Process
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees (F). If it does not have a removable bottom, line a 9 or 10 inch tube pan with parchment paper.
2. Sift together the flour, cocoa and 3/4 cup of the sugar. Set aside.
3. Grate the chocolate (my beloved microplane grater really came in handy for that) into a small bowl. Stir in 3 tbsp. of the flour mixture.
4. Using an electric mixer set at low speed, beat egg whites until foamy. Increase mixer speed to medium, stir in cream of tartar and salt, and continue to beat until egg whites form soft peaks. (The eggs should look soft and still fold over on themselves when you remove the beater.) Gradually mix in the remaining 3/4 cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. (The eggs will have a sheen, and they won’t fold over anymore). Don’t overbeat! I don’t think this should take more than 5-10 minutes with a stand mixer. (I always had problems whipping egg whites with my hand mixer, so it might take longer if you’re using one of those. Just make sure to stop and test the thickness of the whites every few minutes.)
5. Gently stir in the vanilla and lemon juice.
6. Very gently fold the flour mixture into the beaten egg whites, then fold in the grated chocolate, stirring just until blended. (I had problems with it not being mixed well at the bottom of the bowl, so I found it helpful to transfer about half of the mixture to the pan and then finish folding the rest.)
7. Gently scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Smooth the surface of the batter and tap the pan lightly to remove any air bubbles. Bake in center of the preheated oven for 45-60 minutes, or until the surface springs back when touched.