Strawberry Shortcake Trifle

Daddy Bean’s family always asks me to make dessert for events and holidays, so it’s become sort of a challenge to me to make something new every time. For Father’s Day though, my mother-in-law asked me to make a dessert that I had made before, which she loved. I was in the throes of the flu, turned upper respitory infection and pink eye (and later - now - strep throat) so I ended up making a different recipe than the original. I’ve listed both here because both of them are delicious, it’s just a matter of preference (and what’s in your pantry).

I’m going to try to remember to start taking pictures of the dishes I’ve posted here, to give you an idea of what my finished product is.

Strawberry Shortcake Trifle

Version #1

1 Angle Food Cake
1 8 oz. Cream cheese
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. powdered sugar
1 c. sour cream
8 oz. Frozen Whipped Topping (thawed)
2 large container of fresh strawberries
2 tbsp. granulated sugar

1. Wash strawberries and remove berry tops. Slice strawberries and reserve three or four for garnish. Sprinkle granulated sugar over the rest of the strawberries and refrigerate.
2. Cut Angel Food cake into 1-inch squares. Set aside.
3. Blend together cream, cheese, vanilla, powdered sugar, and sour cream until smooth.
4. Fold in Whipped topping.
5. In a trifle bowl layer ingredients, starting with half the cake cubes, then half of the sugared sliced berries, and then half of the cream cheese mixture. Repeat layers and garnish with remaining strawberries.
6. Cover and chill for 4 hours in refrigerator.

Version #2

2 large containers of fresh strawberries
2 tbsp. sugar
2 pkgs. instant vanilla pudding, plus milk as directed
1 pkg. cream cheese, softened
2 c. 1/2 inch square shortcake or pound cake cut in cubes
8 oz. Frozen Whipped Topping (thawed)

1. Wash strawberries and remove berry tops. Slice strawberries and reserve three or four for garnish. Add sugar over the rest of the strawberries, mix and refrigerate.
2. Mix pudding as directed.
3. Add cream cheese to pudding mixture and blend with mixer.
4. Place half of cake squares in bottom of large glass bowl. Pour half of strawberries over cake. Cover with pudding mixture. Repeat layers.
5. Top with frozen whipped topping and garnish with remaining strawberries.
5. Cover and chill for 4 hours.

Audrey loved it, but she’s got a mean sweet tooth as it is. Maggie is not a fan of pudding, and prefers salty to sweet, so she could take it or leave it. Daddy Bean…well it’s not chocolate and anything not chocolate is sub-par in his book. He actually ate the store bought chocolate cream pie instead. Traitor!

I loved it! If you’re looking for something refreshing and summery and quite pretty, definitely think about making this easy dessert.

Beer Chicken and Potato Slabs

courtesy of Rachael Ray Magazine

INGREDIENTS:
One 12-ounce can or bottle beer, at room temperature
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt, plus more for sprinkling
6 chicken drumsticks (about 1 1/2 pounds)
2 baking potatoes
Olive oil, for drizzling Lime wedges, for serving

DIRECTIONS:

In a resealable plastic bag, combine the beer, butter, garlic, chili powder, brown sugar and salt. Add the drumsticks, seal the bag and let marinate while you proceed.

Preheat a grill or grill pan to high. Microwave the potatoes on high until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Slice the potatoes lengthwise about 1/4-inch thick. Drizzle both sides generously with olive oil.

Transfer the chicken and potatoes to the grill. Grill the drumsticks, brushing with the beer marinade and turning occasionally, until the skin is golden and crisp and the juices run clear, 20 to 25 minutes Meanwhile, grill the potatoes until grill marks appear, about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate and sprinkle with salt. Serve the chicken and potatoes with the lime wedges.

Daddy Bean: *** (He doesn’t like boned chicken.)
Audrey: **** (She enjoyed eating like Fred Flintstone.)
Maggie: ***** (She kept asking for more and told me that this dish has replaced my spaghetti and meat sauce as her favorite meal.)

What do daddies do?

This morning, amidst Corn Pops and milk, I asked the girls what they thought daddies do. Here is what they said:

A: My favorite thing my daddy does is go outside with me.

Momma Bean can cook.

I do, I really do. For those of you that know me, you are probably rubbing your eyes, certain that you just read wrong, but I feel confident in my advances over the past year to make the bold statement that I can cook.

For years, I was either bored with, intimidated by or too busy to cook. I’ve written before about what a wonderful cook my mother is and how every dish I make, I compare to her and constantly fall short. Very short. But, I’ve heard many times the stories of her cooking abilities when she was first married. She was a horrible cook and even worse, soon after she married my dad, they moved back to the United States, a country that was foreign to her with food and stores that must have been more intimidating to her than I feel trying to recreate her dishes.

That’s not to say I wasn’t a little curious about cooking and food in general. I love food. I love discovering new flavors and trying new dishes. My dear friend and I spend countless hours during the week emailing back and forth and more often than not, it is about food. We talk about new restaurants in the area, recipes we’ve found, kitchen gadgets we long for and our (her) beloved Gordon.

So, I was playing around with what to do with this site, to keep it fresh and new, to wipe away the cobwebs and neglect, and to infuse the spirit of Beans in my writing, which was my original intent. I have been losing the game with time organization and it’s been more apparent as the Beans became older. I can’t sit for long stretches of time in front of the computer, recounting their newest giggle or their latest word, before one peers over my shoulder, asking to go to “Disney Dot Com” (thank you, cross-promotion) or another knocks softly at the door wall with longing to run in the grass and water the flowers. I thought about the time I spend on the computer at home and, lately, it’s to find a recipe that would be suitable for the wide range of taste buds I have living under my roof. So, to ease back into this, I thought I’d share the recipes that I’ve tested on the Beans, and their reactions. Hopefully this will evolve into something important (to me and to them) and into me getting back to the business of writing the history of my children as they grow before my eyes.