Frozen Fruit Salad

It's been about a thousand degrees around here.  I really shouldn't complain because this week is forecasting rain and 80 degree temperatures which is unheard of in Oklahoma.  But we have plenty of 100+ degree days too and those are the days I want to do nothing.  Literally I want to hang a fuzzy tiger blanket over the windows, block out all of the light and lay in my couch/cave and try to perceive some measure of cool.  Then there is Mr. Devilish Dish who exclaims, "I love it" as he heads to the golf course.  Apparently no day is too hot to keep him off the fairways.  Those are the days I can't possibly think about cooking anything in the oven or eating any sort of heavy meal.  And that's where Frozen Fruit Salad comes in.  This is so light, cool and refreshing.  The perfect snack, side dish or dessert on a hot day.  I actually got up from my couch/cave in the dark for a second helping!

Frozen Fruit Salad...hits the spot on a hot summer day!

Crown and Gummy Cokes

I'm not a huge cocktail drinker.  'Ol Mr. DD likes to unwind with a glass of scotch now and then, which I think tastes like licking your dad's wallet.  I will on occasion enjoy a Crown Royal and Coca-Cola.  They were meant to be together.  Kind of like peanut butter and jelly.  For grown ups.  That like to booze.  My Drunken Gummy Bears were such a hit, I thought I'd experiment with some other gummy candies and liquors.  Crown Royal and Gummy Coke Bottles seemed like an obvious choice.  I will warn you, these are quite a bit stronger in flavor than the gummy bears.  (Smoooooooth if you know what I mean.) But what a fun treat to serve at your next party or tailgate.  Football season is only 4 Saturdays away!!!  I need to visit the candy store soon!

Kick up your next Kick Off/Tailgate Party
with some
Crown & Gummy Cokes!

Red Wine Dark Chocolate Hot Fudge Sauce

National Ice Cream Day was a couple of days ago.  (Honestly National Ice Cream Day should probably be everyday...) and I wanted an ice cream dish that would top off a pretty snazzy meal.  We've been so busy this summer I haven't had a lot of time in the kitchen and I wanted to make a true Sunday Supper for the family.  Mr. DD grilled some steaks and I made wedge salads with Cracked Peppercorn Dressing and Tomato Cobbler with Blue Cheese Biscuits to accompany them.   Which is all pretty fancy coming from the girl who had a banana and a chocolate chip cookie for lunch.  I decided to top off the meal with a simple sundae.  Vanilla ice cream topped with a rich, thick Red Wine Dark Chocolate Hot Fudge Sauce.  I even served the sundaes in stemless wine glasses to make them look fancy.  It sounds impressive right?  The best part is the sauce is only 3 ingredients.  Very simple, but a great finish to a snazzy supper.

 

An impressive, but simple dessert...
Red Wine Dark Chocolate Hot Fudge Sauce

If you want a REALLY indulgent dessert...
May I suggest serving this on my pal
Tampa Cake Girl's Sinful Sundae??
It's inspired by a recipe from an Australian
Steakhouse chain, but sadly it's no longer on
the menu.  It was called
Sydney's Sinful Sundae, but it should be
Cydnee's Sinful Sundae after Tampa Cake Girl!

Fresh Cherry Crisp

When I was a kid, my grandparents had a cherry tree in their backyard.  We would pick cherries until our hands were stained red and then run our haul to the kitchen.  Grandmother Mary would take requests and make whatever each of us wanted with our yield.  Some chose cherry jam, but my dad and I always chose cherry pie.  Of all the fruit pies, cherry is my favorite.  This Fresh Cherry Crisp is a variation on a cherry pie, but quicker.  The crust is much less labor intensive that a regular pie crust, and I like the rustic look.  Top it with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream because seriously?  What's life if you aren't living a la mode???

Fresh Cherry Crisp...
Like Cherry Pie only easier!

Don't have a cherry pitter?
Don't worry.
Check my tutorial on how to pit cherries WITHOUT A PITTER:
HERE.

2 cups of fresh, pitted cherries...

I love the rustic look
(and ease) of making a crisp!
Even better, it looks gorgeous in my
Le Creuset baking dish...

Serve warm, A LA MODE of course!

How to PIT CHERRIES Without a Cherry Pitter

I'm a gadget girl.  I love kitchen gadgets.  I especially love ones that have more than one purpose or make a task that I do often easier.  What I don't like is a cluttered drawer full of gadgets that have only one purpose that I maybe use once every ten years.  Our market had the most beautiful, plump juicy cherries and I couldn't resist picking up a couple of bags.  Of course I don't own a cherry pitter and I was dying to get in the kitchen a bake something, not run out gadget shopping so I improvised.  The first recipe I made I used a small paring knife.  It worked but it was slow and made a HUGE mess.  Then I tried the star tip from my pastry set.  I simply set it flat on the cutting board and pushed the cherry down onto it.  The pit came cleanly out.  I pitted two cups of cherries in no time!  By all means if you have cherries in abundance and use them on a regular basis, invest in a cherry pitter.  They are very handy, and do a quick, clean job.  (You can also pit olives with them.)  But if you're impatient like me, and impulsively buy things at the market that you can't wait to bake with, then this method is for you!

Oven Roasted Cabbage

A while back my mother-in-law was sweet enough to share some yummy Vidalia onions with me.  I knew right away I wanted to make Beefy Grilled Vidalia Onions.  I suspected they might go great alongside some Oven Roasted Cabbage and I was right!  I rounded out the meal with a batch of my Slow-Cooker Candied Kielbasa and it turned out to be the perfect summer supper. 

Oven Roasted Cabbage
Good and good for you!

Oven Roasted Cabbage,
Beefy Grilled Vidalia Onions
and Slow Cooker Candied Kielbasa.
The perfect summer supper.

Apple Pie Tacos

My pal Michaela over at An Affair from the Heart invited me to do a guest post on her blog today, so I'm sharing Apple Pie Tacos with her readers and mine!

When Michaela asked me if I wanted to do a guest post for her blog, I was like: “DUH of course!” 
We go way back.  Many years ago I lived in Nebraska and met Michaela at a scrapbooking party.  She sold me one blue pencil for tracing pictures.  I spent a whopping $1.99 with her so I really don’t know why she decided to be my friend.  But I sure am glad she did.  Thankfully we share many more things in common besides that dumb pencil.  There’s a mutual love for tailgating during football season (although she’s a Husker and I’m a Sooner…) our moms are both twins, we’ve belly-ached about raising kids and why our husbands love racing and golf so much, and we share recipes just about every five minutes.  I was planning a birthday dinner for my mom and aunt, so of course I needed to run the menu by Michaela.  She was as excited about the dessert as I was.  APPLE PIE TACOS!  What’s not exciting about that?  A cinnamon-sugar coated taco shell with yummy apple pie filling and plenty of whipped cream and caramel.  A match made in Heaven.  Just like Michaela and me.  Here’s to you friend!  A dessert that is as fun and sweet as you are!  Thanks for inviting me to guest post at An Affair from the Heart, and thanks for being my friend all these years even after that dumb blue pencil incident.

Apple Pie and Tacos
go together like Michaela and Me!

Here's the flour tortilla circles waiting to be fried.

Carefully use tongs to fold each tortilla circle
in half to create a taco shell.

Sprinkle each taco shell generously with cinnamon-sugar
mixture and allow to cool completely on paper towels.

Spoon apple pie filling into the center of each taco shell.
Top with a dollop of freshly whipped cream and a generous
drizzle of dulce de leche sauce.
Enjoy!