Homemade Oreo Cookies-Isabella's Summer Snacks

As I write this, my hard working husband is huffing and puffing it somewhere along his 110 mile ride for Sunshine Kids in the Tour De Steamboat. I love that I am married to a man who has the stamina and mental discipline to attempt such a thing. If you know Jeremy, you know he's not lolli-gagging along. Rather, he is giving it his all, demanding excellence of himself and pushing a little harder each mile. I am not the only one who greatly admires him for that, although he wouldn't want to know it.

Today the kids and I made homemade Oreo cookies. Isabella has been eagerly awaiting the day we make these and I'm not surprised. Who doesn't love a good Oreo? And, If you're out there, who are you? We decided we would bring a couple to Daddy after he crosses the finish line in a bit to congratulate him on his ride. It's an odd choice, to bring him Oreos since they wouldn't be his first pick (I guess I just answered my last question). But they have sugar and carbs, which will be much needed in his body and the kids are so very excited to give them to him.

Honestly, these are not the easiest snack for kids to make, but I guess that's what I'm there for! They are quick to whip up but you have to bake the cookies in batches and it takes a while. Once they are baked and the filling is made (which is a snap as well) the fun part is filling them, of course. I filled some and the kids filled the others.

Homemade Oreo Cookies

adapted from Retro Desserts

For the cookies:

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) at room temperature

1 large egg

for the filling:

1/2 stick butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup shortening, at room temperature

2 cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

For the cookies, place the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt and sugar in the bowl of a mixer of food processor and pulse or mix a few times to combine. Add the butter and the egg and mix until the dough comes together. Dump out onto a lightly cocoa dusted counter, or pastry mat and roll out to about 1/8 of an inch thick. Cut out with a round cookie cutter as big as you would like. We used one about the size of a real Oreo but any size will do. If you don't have a cookie cutter, use the rim of a glass. Alternately, you can just drop by the teaspoonfuls onto a sheet pan and lightly press down with damp fingers. Bake cookies in batches for 9 minutes. Let them cool on the pans for 2 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.

While the cookies bake make the filling. Combine butter and shortening in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat with the paddle attachment until combined. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and mix on low until combined then turn the mixer up to medium high and beat for 2-3 minutes until fluffy.

Transfer the filling to a pastry bag with a very wide tip, or a ziplock bag with the end snipped off and pipe about a teaspoon or so of filling onto half the cookies. Top each with another cookie and push down until the filling reaches the sides.

dunk in milk!

Makes 22 cookies

It might seem like there is not enough filling for all the cookies, but trust me there is! Were off to the finish line now!

Soba Noodles with Shiitakes

It's no secret that I love to cook. However, I have had my share of flops in the kitchen and 8 times out of ten the culprit is Chinese/Asian food. I love and adore this kind of food and crave it on regular basis. When we are in Denver we make it a point to either go to PF Changs or Pei Wei (or Tokoyo Joes) if not both, multiple times. Now I know they are chain restaurants people, and there are probably so many other, better more authentic choices out there, but I don't know about them. So, if you know the Denver area well and like this type of food, please send me a shout-out!

While this type of cuisine is delicious it tends to be daunting in the kitchen. That whole balancing perfectly the salty, sour, sweet, spicy thing just messes me up. I have made decent Pad Thai, but it wasn't great or anything. I have made good cold Asian cucumber salads, but come on, not too many people could screw that up. I did make good orange shrimp once, come to think about it...hmmm, I might have to dig that recipe out and test it again. OK, but my stir-fry's are pathetic and most of the time taste like burnt soy sauce and just the other week I made an atrocious (and I mean that) Asian salmon noodle bowl. It was foul. I don't even know how I could mess it up that badly. Well, in my defense, the recipe itself was messed up first, but I did absolutely nothing to save it. I managed to make it worse, actually.

Anyway, given my track record, I was shocked I tell you, when I made this (which is Chinese-ish) and it tasted really good. Dang good actually. It wasn't especially complex and maybe that is why I succeeded. Whatever the reason, I am feeling victorious! And after you make this, you will too.

It's light but hearty. It's a great summer dish but would be equally good in cold weather and just take note; it tastes better if you eat it with chop sticks. I admit, I steal a couple wooden ones whenever I am at Pei Wei. I know, its horrible. Please don't think less of me. The only thing is I would have liked something else to go with this. My husband thought it was great on its own so it's not a must, but a little cold Asian cucumber salad would have been nice. Or dessert. I guess if I had had dessert after I might not have felt this way. You make the call!

Soba noodles with Shiitakes and Cabbage

adapted from Gourmet Magazine August 2007

For the sauce:

1/3 cup water

1/3 cup soy sauce

2 teaspoons korean hot-pepper paste (or sriracha, which is what I used)

1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

For Noodles:

3 tablespoons sesame seeds

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoons finely chopped peeled ginger ( I omitted this b/c I don't enjoy ginger)

1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic

10 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced

6-8 cups Napa cabbage, thinly sliced

6 scallions, thinly sliced

8 to 9 ounces soba noodles (buckwheat noodles)

1 cup frozen or fresh shelled edamame

Stir together all sauce ingredients until brown sugar is dissolved, then set aside.

Toast sesame seeds in a dry skillet (not nonstick) over medium heat, stirring until pale golden, then transfer to a small bowl.

Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then saute ginger and garlic, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add shiitakes and saute, stirring frequently, until tender and starting to brown, about 4 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, then add cabbage and most of the scallions (reserve some for garnish) and cook stirring occasionally, until cabbage is crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Add sauce and simmer 2 minutes.

While cabbage is cooking, cook soba and edamame together in a pasta pot of boiling, salted water until noodles are just tender, about 6 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse under cool water to stop the cooking and remove excess starch, then drain well again. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with vegetable mixture. Serve sprinkled with reserved scallions and sesame seeds.

*If you aren't able to find Korean hot-pepper paste (or sriracha) substitute 3/4 teaspoon chinese chili paste and reduce the amount of soy sauce to 1/4 cup.

Serves 4

I didn't feel like spending $18 for all the fresh shiitakes called for in this recipe. If you don't either, just buy one carton (usually 3-4oz) of fresh shiitakes and one pouch of dried shiitakes. Reconstitute the dried shiitakes in a small bowl of very warm water for about 45 minutes. Save some of the water you soaked the mushrooms in for the 1/3 cup water called for in the sauce. it will add more flavor. Just make sure to only use the first third of the liquid so you don't get any of the grit at the bottom that have fallen off the mushrooms. Then slice up all the mushrooms and saute as directed, except them remove them from the pan and set aside. That way, you can sprinkle the mushrooms on top of every ones dish rather than them being randomly mixed in. Then, you can make sure everyone has a nice portion.

Did I mention how healthy this is for you? Buckwheat is actually a vegetable and that is what soba noodles are made from. It's awesome.

Spumoni Sundaes with Espresso Hot Fudge Sauce

I am, at this very moment sitting, gobbling down slippery spoonfuls of this very dessert in my smart martini glass very, very thankful for having made this sundae mid-day just for the heck of it! I love spumoni. My husband does not. Therefore, If I was going to have this dessert I was either going to have to make it for other people (oh, and I will!) or indulge in a little lunch time decadence, which is exactly what I did and highly recommend.

Real spumoni is a classic Italian frozen dessert of ice cream, whipped cream, rum, nuts and candied fruit. Usually, we see it here in the states as an ice cream with 3 flavors (cherry, chocolate and pistachio) like neapolitan. Those three flavors are the essence of spumoni and this sundae channels it like none other. Its a very tasty, and sexy dessert in my opinion. It's also sophisticated, especially served in a martini glass. Oh, and it also only took 20 minutes to make from start to finish. A very nice plus!

I first had spumoni ice cream at a restaurant in Camarillo, CA called Ottavios. We used to go to that restaurant when we would visit my great-grandfather. His wife, my Nani, died when I was about 12 or so and he usually ate out. Later in life we he would frequent the Wood-Ranch Grill, but for a long while, we only went to Ottavios. I don't remember how great the food was, but since my Grandfather was Italian, I bet it was pretty good. But what I do remember was the spumoni ice cream that I would get each visit! It was so good! There is just something magical about that chocolate/cherry/pistachio combination and It holds a certain sort of nostalgia for me.

This spumoni inspired sundae is my new favorite. Because it has fresh ingredients, it breaths new life into the classic dessert taking it up a notch or two. I was a bit afraid of the espresso powder in the hot fudge sauce since a coffee flavor would not be authentic, but never fear, it was perfect. It didn't overwhelm, it just added a special something and was delicious. What I didn't put on top was whipped cream and honestly, it doesn't need it one bit but it would look pretty if you had some on hand.

Spumoni Sundaes with Espresso Hot Fudge Sauce

adapted from Bon Appetit, August 2010

1/4 cup amaretto or other almond liqueur

3 tablespoons cherry preserves

1 cup (6 ounces) fresh cherries, pitted, halved

2/3 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon honey

1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder or coffee powder

4 ounces semi sweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 pints pistachio gelato or ice cream

lightly sweetened whipped cream, for garnish (optional)

chopped pistachios, for garnish (optional)

Bring amaretto and preserves to a boil in saucepan. Reduce heat to medium; boil gently until mixture is reduced to 3 tablespoons, stirring often, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat . Add cherries; let soak at room temperature at least 3 hours. You can make this up to 1 day ahead.

Bring cream, honey and espresso powder to a simmer in another small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and butter; whisk until smooth. You can make this 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Rewarm just until pourable before using.

Spoon 1 tablespoon fudge sauce into each of 6 dessert glasses. Add 2 scoops of ice cream in each glass. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon fudge sauce over gelato on each. Top with whipped cream, cherry mixture, and pistachios.

I said I made this in 20 minutes, but really if you are doing this correctly you are supposed to let the cherries marinate in it's sauce for at least 3 hours. True, this would have made the cherry flavor more concentrated and thus better...but it was outrageous without letting it sit, so there.

I don't own a cherry pitter so I just cut the flesh off the cherry around the pit, like you would a mango. It's very easy.

Peanut Butter Cookies

These peanut butter cookies, dare I say, are the best you could ever possibly make. I will never try a different recipe again. That's how good these are (I'm not too terribly dramatic, am I?). These are a version of what they sell at the Magnolia Bakery in New York. They are cakey and soft and covered in sugar. I'm a peanut butter cookie purist and don't like a lot of add-ins but I think the original recipe calls for chocolate chips and peanuts. I can see why as they are very rich and very plain, although, I mean that in the best way possible. But, the addition of a semi-sweet chocolate chip or two might cut the peanut-butterness of it down a notch which might be welcoming for some people. If you like a lot of things going on in your cookies, by all means, add them in at the end after you have made your dough and then bake.

I used to eat at this place called BJ's Brewery when I lived in California and they used to have something on the menu called a pazooki. I don't know why it was called that as it seemed it was just cookie dough baked in a skillet instead of on a sheet with ice cream on top. Whatever it is, they were incredible. It's a chain restaurant, I believe, so it's strange to me that something from there could be that delicious. It's probably because they were just baked and who doesn't loved fresh baked cookies? My favorite version of this pazooki was the peanut butter, so imagine my delight when I first bit into this very cookie and it took me right back to the memory of the pazooki. I have yet to try making this cookie into a pazooki, so I can't give specific instructions, but if you just happened to have individual sized skillets on hand (or another heavy, bigger baking device like an oval gratin dish) you could just pat some of this dough in an even layer across the bottom of the dish and bake until done (probably just a bit longer than it takes to bake a cookie). Place a hefty scoop of vanilla bean ice cream down over it while still warm and voila! However, if you just choose to make the cookies instead like I did, they won't taste any less incredible.

Peanut Butter Cookies

adapted from the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup peanut butter, at room temperature (I used smooth, but you can use chunky)

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature*

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Optional: 1/2 cup chocolate chips and 1/2 cup peanut butter chips or peanuts

For sprinkling: 1/4 cup regular sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and the salt. Set aside.

in a large bowl, beat the butter and the peanut butter together until fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until smooth. Add the egg and mix well. Add the milk and the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat throughly. Stir in the peanut butter and chocolate chips and peanuts/peanut butter chips, if using. Place the sprinkling sugar (about 1/4 cup) on a plate. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls into the sugar, and roll them around in it, then onto un-greased cookie sheets, leaving several inches between for expansion. Using a fork, lightly indent with a criss-cross pattern but do not overly flatten the cookies. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Do not over bake. Cookies may appear to be underdone, but they are not.

Cool the cookies on the sheets for 1 minute, then remove to a rack to cool completely.

makes about 30 smaller cookies or 20 bigger ones

*oh snap, you started making the cookies and just now realized your egg should be at rom temperature, but it's not. No problem! Just put the egg in a bowl of warm water for about 5 minutes to take the chill off and use.

The only thing I beg of you is to not skip the step of rolling the cookies in the sugar. That's what makes them in my opinion. Also, use regular sugar for the rolling. In the most recent batch I made of these I used bakers sugar, which is very fine granulated sugar and it didn't have the same effect. Enjoy!

Zucchini Ribbon Pasta with Basil Oil

Your first bite with all it's long and ribbony strands of zucchini just barely cooked and still deliciously fresh is just that. Delicious. Running through whole wheat al dente pasta that tastes faintly of basil and garlic and all tied together with salty parmesan cheese and a light dressing of oil. It's light but substantial and a perfect summertime dinner for anybody.

See my note down below to make this dish vegan.

I have the obvious suggestions like make sure you only make this dish when zucchini are in season and to use freshly grated parmesan cheese. When you have a meal like this that uses only a few choice ingredients, it's important that they be of high quality. It sometimes can mean the difference between a good meal and a great one.

I'm not sure who to credit this dish to. I suppose Michael Chiarello. I saw him make it a long time ago on food network and had seen it in one of his cookbooks at my friends house and had wanted to make it but never got around to it. Isn't that always the way? Then, while perusing that wonderful Smitten Kitchen blog I saw she had made it and brought it to my attention once again. So here it is, probably changed a bit from the original as Smitten tweaked it and then I tweaked it a little bit more. Well, thats not really true since all I did was change the way you cut the zucchini. The original recipe calls for a mandoline so you can cut the zucchini with the fine french fry cutter to make long, thin matchstick strands that resemble spaghetti. This makes total sense and would be easy to eat it that way with the pasta and all but I don't own a mandoline. So, I shaved zucchini into long ribbons by using a standard vegetable peeler and it worked out very well. The point is to have the zucchini very thin so that there is no need to cook it. You just add it into the hot pasta and it slightly wilts and becomes absolutely perfect.

Zucchini Ribbon Pasta with Basil Oil

adapted from Michael Chiarello

3/4 pound whole-wheat dried spaghetti

3/4 pound zucchini

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons minced garlic (about 6 cloves)

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

3 tablespoons coarsley chopped basil leaves

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

basil oil (or your favorite store bought flavored oil)

Basil Oil:

makes 1 1/3 cup

4 cups packed basil leaves

2 cups good olive oil

For the oil: In a blender, puree the herbs and oil together until completely smooth. Put the mixture in a saucepan and bring it to a simmer over moderate heat. Simmer for 45 seconds, then pour through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. Don't press on the mixture, but you can tap the strainer against your and to get the oil through faster.

Note: fresh herb oils are better to toss into pasta at the end rather than cook with, so the oil keeps it's fresh, uncooked taste.

For the pasta:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt (at least 2-3 tablespoons. You want it salty to flavor the pasta) Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes.

While the water comes to a boil and the pasta cooks, run a vegetable peeler over the zucchini to create long, thin ribbons. Or, cut with a mandoline or by hand into the longest and finest juilenne you can manage. Assuming you zucchini is very finely cut it does not need to be cooked. Otherwise place it into the pot of water with the pasta for the last minute of cooking and drain with the pasta. The zucchini should still be slightly crunchy.

heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat until hot. Add the garlic and saute briefly until light brown. Add the red pepper flakes. Quickly mix in the basil and remove from the heat. When the pasta is al dente, drain through a colander, reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water.

Pour the pasta into a warm serving bowl; add the zucchini, basil oil (recipe above) the garlic mixture, and 1/2 cup of the cheese. Toss well, adding cooking water as needed to make a smooth sauce. taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed. Grate about 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese over top and serve at once

My kids ate this up like it was candy, so it's a winner all around. I have to admit that I didn't use the basil oil for this recipe as written. I have made this oil before and it is incredible but my Grandma just brought me back fresh tuscan herb olive oil from the wine country a week ago and I used that. It, was also incredible. If you have flavored oil on hand by all means use it too.

You could make this vegan by omitting the parmesan cheese. It has so much flavor that it would be equally delicious.

Fourth of July Flag Cake

Every 4th of July, I am expected to make an American flag cake for my families annual BBQ. Every year my side of the family gets together on this day either at my Grandparents or my house to celebrate and eat food. We used to go to the rodeo and stay to watch the fireworks. It was tradition, that just what you did. Now my allergies are too bad to tolerate the dust so mostly we end up going back home to watch the display which works out better for a family with young kids anyway.

My side of the family is very predictable. They get together at every single holiday imaginable and it is always the same. For years, Christmas to me meant "Eggs Grillo" at my Grandma's house and then later, my Aunt Kellie's. Now it means "Eggs Grillo" (which is basically eggs benedict with a beer cheese sauce instead of hollandaise) at my house. I love this tradition and tend to find comfort in doing the same things. However it is just now dawning on me that most families I know don't operate like this. Sure families in general like to get together, but it's done differently in each. In Jeremy's family, if they have a get together, it is almost always unexpected and last minute. The attitude is if you can make it, great, we would love to see you but we are going to have a great time with or without you. That might sound slightly mean or weird and for a while I thought it was, but really, it's awesome. There is freedom in that attitude. Freedom from expectations. Freedom in saying no if you have (or would like to make) other plans. Freedom in knowing their feelings will not be hurt if you decline because they are secure in your love for them. Freedom. Freedom. Freedom. And do you know ultimately what that freedom does? It makes you rarely want to say no. Why would you? You want to be with them and at the party that is flexible, unfussy and relaxed where you are free to do whatever it is you want to do whether it be nap on the couch or play bad mitten in the backyard because anything goes there.

When Jeremy's side had a family reunion last year I was sort of shocked at how it was conducted. Jeremy's Mom has 4 brothers and sisters so there are 5 families who's sole purpose was to see and visit each other during the course of a week. In my family, that might be a stressful situation for me personally because when you have a family reunion it is expected (probably as it should be) that you will be together, doing things together, eating together, etc. This is the general idea when Jeremy's family gets together, but there are no expectations of what the time will look like. Basically, each family went off and did their own things. Dan and Sandy's family went river rafting. Gracie's family was hiking. Tim and Sherry went out to lunch with Laura and Randy (and no one else's feelings were hurt that they were not formally invited!) and Cindy was home with her Mom who was napping while she cleaning her house for that night's dinner. When it was time for dinner there was no set time to come. You just came whenever you were done with your nap, or with the activity you were doing. No expectation, no judgement. Just family wanting to be together, unselfishly without their own agenda in mind. If you couldn't come because you had a headache there was no reason to feel badly. You would just see everyone the next day if you were up to it. It was strange. It was downright weird but in the end I rather liked it (shocker huh?)

My family is not flexible. I don't mean to say that in a bad way. They are just not flexible and that's the truth. There are expectations. On the fourth of July the flag cake must be made, we must have a BBQ and we must get together come hell or high water. If you had another invitation from anybody to do anything else you must decline it because you have already committed to do this same thing year after year. It's like an unwritten code. They are not Nazi's. I just read this paragraph over and it sounds like my family might be Nazi's. I assure you they are not and they are lovely people but they just march to the beat of a different drum. On the other hand, Jeremy's family description sounds like they are hippies. HA! They are sooooo not hippies. I remember when we first got married Jeremy saying to me "Your family gets together for every single holiday. That's kind of strange". Poppycock! Your family are the strange ones! Jeremy would sometimes say something like "Let's go to the Heit's for Thanksgiving, wouldn't it be fun?" Fun?!?! Thanksgiving is a holiday. It is for families (the un-written code). The Heit's are our friends. I couldn't call my Grandma or my Mom and say "oh yeah, were not going to make it tonight. Oh, no were fine. No, no ones sick. We just want to go to our friends house who doesn't have any family in town to celebrate with, instead". Yeah no. That would not go over well.

Somewhere along the line, after 6 years of marriage, Jeremy's logic is starting to make more sense to me. I'm sure, somewhere at sometime, during some holiday I will make that fateful call to my family to tell them I will not be coming, but yes I am in town and that I have other plans that year. In a good relationship you should have the freedom to be able to do that. Your family should know and rest in the fact that you like to be with them and will be, just not maybe on this particular day. It should be no big deal. Just writing that, however, makes me kind of dizzy. It won't be this year. It won't be this fourth of July. Nope, today I will log off this computer, march straight into the kitchen, allergies and poor sleep be damned and make this flag cake. After all, it is tradition!

American Flag Cake

adapted from Barefoot Contessa Family Style

2 1/4 sticks (18 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 cups sugar

6 extra large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup sour cream, at room temperature (or plain yogurt or buttermilk)

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup cornstarch

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

For the icing:

4 sticks (1 pound) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 pounds (3 8-oz packages) cream cheese, at room temperature

1 pound confectioners sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

To Assemble:

2 half-pints blueberries

3 half-pints raspberries

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour an 18x12x1 1/2-inch sheet pan.

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed, until light and fluffy. On medium speed, add the eggs, 2 at a time, then add the sour cream and vanilla. Scrape down the sides and stir until smooth.

Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until just combined. Pour into prepared pan. Smooth the top with a spatula. bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool to room temperature.

For the icing, combine the butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla int he bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mixing just until smooth.

Spread three fourths of the icing on top of the cooled sheet cake. outline the flag on the top of the cake with a toothpick. Fill the upper left corner with blueberries. Place two rows of the raspberries across the top of the cake like a red stripe. Put remaining icing in a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and pipe rows of white stripes below the raspberries. Alternate rows of raspberries and icing until flag is completed. Pipe stars on top of the blueberries (optional).

This isn't about the cake. Can you tell that? it's all about the decor on top so feel free to you use your favorite vanilla or chocolate (or carrot, banana, etc) cake recipe. You don't need to use this one as most recipes for a 2-layer cake will be the perfect amount of batter for the sheet pan. Just make sure to use white icing or it won't look like the flag. I use a different recipe almost every year, but it's supposed to be the same so don't tell my family! :) Serve this cake right in the sheet pan. If you want to be able to remove it after it's baked then put parchment paper in the bottom of the pan before you butter and flour it. But for best results I'd say to serve it in the pan.

Another thing is I never have my eggs at room temperature when I need them to be. Eggs add more volume when they are not cold so in order to achieve this last minute, I put the amount of eggs called for in a bowl of warm water for a couple minutes. It does the trick!

I was in a hurry today and didn't add the stripes of icing in-between the raspberry lines like I usually do. It looks better if you do it, but as you can see it's a beauty anyway. God bless the USA and all our families too.

Refrigerator Dill Pickles-Isabella's Summer Snacks

This week Isabella and I made refrigerator dill pickles for her summer snack. She loved the idea of actually making pickles instead of just buying them. What she didn't love is having to wait for them to pickle. The recipe said we would have to wait 10 days until they would be done, but on day 3, although not totally ready, they are pretty pickely. Were very happy wih the results!

I chose refrigerator pickles because they don't require traditional canning which is a long process not suitable for my 8 year old. Instead you just mix up the vinegary solution and spices, add the cucumbers and set in the refrigerator to marinate. They don't keep long term like when you can them correctly, but rather for about a month in the refrigerator. Pickles don't last a day in my house, let alone a month so I am not really worried. I also chose them because, like most kids, Isabella loves pickles!

These have good flavor, although maybe a little heavy on the vinegar side. I will write the recipe exactly how we made them, but if you don't love very pronounced vinegar, reduce it by about 1/4 cup, substituting with water and it should be perfect.

Refrigerator Dill Pickles

adapted from allrecipes.com

6 pickling cucumbers, or 1 regular cucumber cut into wedges to fit the jar

1 cup water

1 cups white vinegar (3/4 cup for milder pickles)

1 package (.66oz) fresh dill

2 tablespoons white sugar

4 cloves garlic, smashed

2 tablespoons kosher salt

1/2 tablespoon pickling spice

In a large canning jar, combine the vineagr with the salt and sugar and let stand a minute. Add the garlic cloves, fresh dill and pickeling spice. Place the cucumber wedges in an fill to the top with water, about 1 cup. More if you didn't add as much vinegar. Secure with the lid and shake. Place in the refrigerator and shake once everyday. Pickles will be ready in 10 days, but Isabella thinks they are fine after 3!

Use within 1 month.