Whipped Cream Valentine Cake

(Lion House Recipes)

1 10-inch angel food cake, baked and cooled
1 package (10 ounces) frozen strawberries or raspberries, thawed*
1 Tablespoon (1 envelope), unflavored gelatin
2 cups heavy cream, whipped until stiff
4 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cut angel food cake into 3 horizontal layers. Drain juice off thawed strawberries or raspberries into a small bowl. Over the juice sprinkle gelatin and allow to stand until softened. Set small bowl into hot water and stir until gelatin dissolves.

Combine the gelatin mixture with berries and barely cool. (If it cools too much the gelatin will set). Add sugar and vanilla to whipped cream. Fold berries into cream. Do not worry if fruit seems too juicy - it will soon set up. Cover the cake layers generously with cream mixture. Adjust the top layer and spread mixture over entire top and sides of cake. Refrigerate until firm. Makes 10 to 12 servings.

*I use a small container of sweetened sliced frozen strawberries (1.5 lbs). There will be a lot of juice. I add an extra cup of whipped cream to make sure it isn't runny.

Angel Food Cake

(Lion House Recipes)

1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons sifted cake flour
1 1/2 cups sifted sugar
1 1/4 cups (10-12) egg whites (at room temperature)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Sift flour and 1/2 cup sugar together. Combine egg whites, salt, cream of tartar, and flavoring in large bowl. Beat with flat wire whip, sturdy egg beater, or at high speed if electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add remaining 1 cups sugar gradually, 1/4 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. When beating by hand, beat 25 strokes after each addition. Sift in flour mixture in four additions, folding in with 15 fold-over strokes each time and turning bowl frequently. (Do not stir or beat). After last addition, use 10 to 20 extra folding strokes.

Pour batter into ungreased 9 or 10 inch tube pan. Bake at 375˚ for 35 to 40 minutes for 9-inch and 30-35 minutes for 10-inch cake, or until cake springs back when pressed lightly. Cool cake in pan, upside down, 1 to 2 hours. Then loosen from sides and center tube with knife and gently pull out cake. An angel food cake pan with a removable bottom is ideal for removing cake in perfect condition.

Cream Puffs

(Better Homes and Gardens)

1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup all purpose flour
4 eggs
Whipped cream, pudding, or ice cream
Powdered sugar (optional)

In a medium saucepan combine water, butter, and salt. Bring to boiling. Add flour all at once, stirring vigorously. Cook and stir until mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat. Cool for 10 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well with a wooden spoon after each addition.

Drop dough by 12 heaping Tablespoons onto a greased baking sheet. Bake in a 400˚ oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden. Cool on a wire rack.

Cut tops from puffs, remove soft dough from inside. Fill with whipped cream, pudding, or ice cream. Replace tops. If desired, sift powdered sugar over tops. Makes 12 cream puffs.

***Ratatouille***

(from Smitten Kitchen blog)

½ onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
1 can tomato sauce (15 ounces) (or puree such as Pomi)
2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 small eggplant (Italian Eggplants are less than half the size of regular ones; it works perfectly)
1 small zucchini (may need 2 if they are small)
1 small yellow squash (may need 2 if they are small)
2 longish red bell pepper
Few sprigs fresh thyme (or dried ground thyme)
Salt and pepper
Few Tablespoons soft Goat Cheese (this makes the dish rich with a creamy taste)
Brown rice or other grain
Parchment paper

Pour tomato puree into bottom of an oval baking dish, approximately 10 inches across the long way. Drop the sliced garlic cloves and chopped onion into the sauce, stir in one Tablespoon of the olive oil and season the sauce generously with salt and pepper. Trim the ends off the eggplant, zucchini and yellow squash. As carefully as you can, trim the ends off the red pepper and remove the core, leaving the edges intact, like a tube. On a mandoline, adjustable-blade slicer or with a very sharp knife, cut the eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash and red pepper into very thin slices, approximately 1/16-inch thick.

Atop the tomato sauce, arrange slices of prepared vegetables concentrically from the outer edge to the inside of the baking dish, overlapping so just a smidgen of each flat surface is visible, alternating vegetables. You may have a handful leftover that do not fit. Drizzle the remaining Tablespoon olive oil over the vegetables and season them generously with salt and pepper. Remove the leaves from the thyme sprigs with your fingertips, running them down the stem. Sprinkle the fresh thyme over the dish. Or very lightly sprinkle some dried ground thyme (you can always add more later if needed).

Cover dish with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit inside. Bake at 375˚ for approximately 45 to 55 minutes, until vegetables have released their liquid and are clearly cooked, but with some structure left so they are not totally limp. They should not be brown at the edges, and you should see that the tomato sauce is bubbling up around them. Serve with a dab of soft goat cheese on top (it will melt and add a creamy taste to the sauce), alone, or with some crusty French bread, atop polenta, couscous, brown rice or your choice of grain.

recipe found here

Fudge

(Nestle Tollhouse)

Preparation - 10 minutes Cooking - 6 minutes Cooling Time - 2 hours refrigerating

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup (5 fl. ounce can) Evaporated Milk
2 Tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 1/2 cups (9 ounces) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Line an 8-inch-square baking pan with foil. Combine sugar, evaporated milk, butter and salt in medium, heavy-duty saucepan. Bring to a full rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil, stirring constantly, for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Stir in marshmallows, morsels, nuts and vanilla extract. Stir vigorously for 1 minute or until marshmallows are melted. Pour into prepared baking pan; refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm. Lift from pan; remove foil. Cut into 48 pieces.

For Milk Chocolate Fudge: Substitute 1 3/4 cups (11.5 ounces) Milk Chocolate Morsels for Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels.

For Butterscotch Fudge: Substitute 1 2/3 cups (11 ounces) Butterscotch Flavored Morsels for Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels.

For Peanutbutter Chocolate Fudge: Substitute 1 2/3 cups (11 ounces)Peanut Butter & Milk Chocolate Morsels for Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels and 1/2 cup chopped peanuts for pecans or walnuts.

recipe found here

Super Fast & Easy Dinner

1 pound lean ground beef, or 2-3 chicken breasts, or 1 container firm tofu
1 jar salsa (preferably fresh, not canned)
Brown Rice
Cheese (optional)

Brown ground beef until no longer pink, or boil chicken breasts about 10 minutes and shred when no longer pink, or drain and dice tofu. Add the jar of salsa to the meat and warm on stove. Serve over rice with cheddar cheese or other toppings.

Homemade Applesauce

Serve hot applesauce right from the pan with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a light and delicious dessert, or plain, or even can it for later.

5 apples (any kind, but the sweeter varieties will need less sugar added)
water
1/4 cup sugar

Peel and core apples and throw in a pot with enough water to almost cover the apples. Boil until tender to a fork. Drain apples. A large spoon should do the job smashing them up, I like them a little chunky. If they are too thick mix in a little water, until you like the consistency. Add about 1/4 cup sugar and taste. Add more sugar to taste. Serve hot or cold. Makes about 4 servings.