Best Ever Strawberry Shortcake

May 15, 2013 by · 2 Comments

Best Ever Strawberry Shortcake

First a quick public service announcement….I wanted to let anyone in the Raleigh area know that if you are looking for a Realtor in the Triangle (or know of someone who is,) my husband, Jim (Jacobs), is now working with RE/MAX in Cary. Check out his site here. Thank you:-).

So, here is one more of my mom’s recipes.  This really is the best way to make strawberry shortcake.  There is just something about the sweet biscuit with the mashed strawberries and freshly whipped cream that creates the ultimate in yummy desserts.

My girls devoured theirs and I savored every sweet bite.

Hurry, while you can still get fresh strawberries and make this.  Here in NC we probably have a few more weeks.

Enjoy!

Best Ever Strawberry Shortcake
 
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Ingredients
  • 2 cups flour
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • 1½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • 6 tablespoons cold butter (cut into small pieces)
  • ¾ cup buttermilk
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 cup of chilled whipping cream
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar
  • Fresh Strawberries (2-3 pints) – hulled and cut into quarters
  • Additional Sugar

Instructions
  1. Combine flour ⅓ c. sugar, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl. Cut in butter until mixture is the texture of coarse meal. Make well in center.
  2. Mix together buttermilk and vanilla. Stir into flour mixture, just until ball forms.
  3. Knead gently 5-6 times on floured board. Pat into ¾ thickness. Cut into 3″ rounds. Place on baking sheet. Lightly brush with milk. Sprinkle with sugar.
  4. Bake at 425 degrees for 12-14 minutes, until the tops are a light golden brown.
  5. To make whipped cream place the cream in a bowl and beat until it starts to thicken a bit. Add 1 tablespoon of vanilla and confectioner’s sugar. Continue beating until thick (but do not over beat.)
  6. Place cut strawberries in a bowl and add enough sugar to sweeten to your liking. (when strawberries are in season you may need less sugar than you would off-season.) Let the strawberries sit for about 20 minutes and then mash to break up the berries into smaller pieces.
  7. To assemble, cut shortcakes in half through the center. Place one half on a plate and top with strawberries. Place the other half of the shortcake on the strawberries and then top with a generous dollop of whipped cream.
  8. Enjoy!

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Spinach Dip

November 1, 2012 by · 4 Comments

This is one of my favorite party recipes and I will very often have this on the spread if I am having a party. While I love trying new things for get togethers, there is just something about making something you know that everyone will love. This crab dip is another one of my favorite party recipes.

I have tried a few different recipes for spinach dip, but I always go back to this recipe using the Knorr Vegetable Soup Mix. I love it with a pumpernickel round, but rye works great, too. Try to find a nice big round to serve it in and then sometimes if I double the dip I will buy an extra loaf of bread so you don’t run out.

If you want to make this a bit healthier you could certainly use light sour cream and mayonnaise. You could also serve with vegetables instead of bread or I suppose if you found a nice whole wheat loaf you could use that, too.

One more note. You can find already diced water chestnuts in the Asian section of most groceries. The recipe calls for whole chestnuts chopped, but I very often buy the diced and they are perfect for this. Don’t skip these because they add so much to the dip!

Enjoy!

Spinach dip
 
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Ingredients
  • 1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed
  • 1½ c. sour cream
  • 1 c. mayonnaise (I use Hellmann’s)
  • 1 (4 oz.) pkg. Knorr vegetable soup mix
  • 1 (8 oz.) can water chestnuts, finely chopped
  • 3 green onions, finely chopped
  • Round loaf of pumpernickel, rye or sourdough bread

Instructions
  1. Squeeze spinach until dry (get as much water out as you can.
  2. In medium bowl, stir together spinach, sour cream and soup mix. Add finely chopped water chestnuts and green onions.
  3. Refrigerate in a covered container at least two hours.
  4. Cut a hole in the center of the round of bread and remove bread. Cut the bread from the center into small 1 inch cubes. You may want to have one extra loaf of bread cut up in squares so you won’t run out.
  5. Enjoy!

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Fresh Strawberry Pie

May 26, 2012 by · 11 Comments

Fresh Strawberry Pie

This is another one of my mom’s recipes. Such a great way to use fresh strawberries.  You can use a store bought crust to make this super simple or a homemade crust just makes this even more irresistible!

This is a great treat for your Memorial Day BBQ.  Have a great weekend everyone!

Fresh Strawberry Pie
 
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Recipe type: Dessert

Ingredients
  • 4 cups strawberries
  • 1 prepared pie crust (we usually use a graham cracker crust, but a pastry crust would work well, too)
  • 1½ cups water
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 3 oz. package strawberry jello
  • Freshly whipped cream

Instructions
  1. Cut stems off strawberries and leave whole or at least in large pieces. Place in pie shell.
  2. Combine water, sugar and cornstarch and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until it comes to a boil. Continue on low heat for 2 minutes until it thickens and is clear.
  3. Add jello to mixture. Stir and pour, while hot, evenly over strawberries. Chill until set.
  4. Serve with freshly whipped cream

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French Potato Salad

May 23, 2012 by · 6 Comments

This is the potato salad that my mom makes and it’s the one that made me realize that not all potato salads had to have mayonnaise or sour cream in order to be good. As a matter of fact, I prefer my potato salads this way. I posted Julia Child’s French Potato Salad a while back and while I will probably keep making that recipe (because I always have the ingredients on hand,) this is the recipe that I will always ask my mom to make. They taste pretty similar, but this particular recipe uses beef consomme which gives it a slightly different deeper flavor than Julia’s which uses chicken broth….or as Jim and I like to joke “the broth of a chicken…” Sorry, inside joke:-).

If you have never tried a vinegar based potato salad – you must try either one of these recipes! You can serve this at room temperature or cold. You won’t need to worry about taking these to a picnic because no mayo means a lot fewer worries over spoiling in the hot summer sun. It’s going to be in the 90′s here in NC this weekend so that will definitely be something to think about!

Here are a few more fun recipes for the holiday…I have a few more that I will try to post before the weekend, too!

Picnic Chicken

Picnic Chicken – mom’s recipe

Texas Sheet Cake

Feta Pepperoncini Dip

Htipiti – Feta Pepperoncini Dip

italian Breeze

Italian Breeze

Enjoy!

French Potato Salad
 
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Ingredients
  • 9 medium potatoes
  • ½ cup oil
  • ¼ cup tarragon vinegar
  • ¼ cup beef consomme
  • ¼ cup thinly sliced green onion
  • 2 tablespoons snipped parsley
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper

Instructions
  1. Cook potatoes covered in boiling salted water until tender. Cool slightly. Peel and slice. Combine oil, vinegar, consomme, green onions, parsley, salt and pepper. Toss gently. Cover and chill.
  2. Enjoy!

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Creamy Horseradish Sauce

March 13, 2012 by · 2 Comments

My uncle used to (maybe he still does) prepare his own horseradish and wow was it strong. The kind you buy in the store has nothing on that stuff. I remember one time my brother opened a container and told me to take a whiff. The smell was so strong that I felt like something hit me in the back of the head. It’s a wonder I like it as much as I do these days.

This is a great sauce, especially if you love horseradish like I do. I put it on my corned beef, but it’s also great on roast beef. A roast beef sandwich would be extra yummy with this sauce slathered on the top. Grilled Salmon would taste great paired with this sauce, too…(that actually gives me an idea for later this week!)

I’m sure you can come up with some other ways to use this – it’s so good and so simple. Enjoy!

Creamy Horseradish Sauce
 
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Ingredients
  • 1 cup sour cream (you can sub half of this for mayo)
  • 4-5 tablespoons prepared horseradish (to taste depending on how spicy you like things)
  • 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • Dash of Paprika

Instructions
  1. Combine all ingredients and stir until thoroughly combined. Chill for 20 minutes prior to serving.
  2. ***If you want your sauce thicker it’s a good idea to drain some of the liquid from your horseradish.****

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