This hot summer weather is calling for lots of quick to prepare light meals, thus lots of salads and refreshing desserts.

Jello desserts are one of my favorite desserts for the summer, because they are light, and served cold.

My raspberries produced abundantly this year, so they were my fruit of choice for this dessert.

I found this recipe on another site, posted in Polish.  I translated it, and tested it last weekend on my family.  Everyone really loved it, so I had to share it with all of you, my loyal readers.

Ingredients:

• 1 box Lady Fingers cookies
• 1 box of Cherry Jello (3 oz)
• 1 1/4 cup heavy cream , cooled (for whipping)
• 1 1/2 cup fresh fruits (I used raspberries – see TIP below)
• 1 large box of Raspberry Jello (6 oz)

Directions:

Line bottom of a glass casserole dish (9 x13) with parchment paper.

Layer the Lady Fingers cookies to cover the whole bottom of the dish, as shown above, or in your own way.  You may need to trim them to fit snugly, to cover the bottom.

Prepare the whipped cream, by using a cold mixing bowl, pouring in the whipping cream, and using a mixer, whipping  it to stiff peaks.

Do not over whip, so you don’t end up with butter, rather than whipped cream.  Keep the whipped cream in the refrigerator, while preparing the jello.

Prepare Cherry Jello, dissolving it in only 1 cup of boiling water, but not adding any cold water.

To speed up the  cooling process, pour it in a cold container, place it in a bowl of ice water, and keep on stirring until room temperature, or cooler, but not jelling yet.

Slowly add the cooled jello to the whipped cream.

Fold the jello nicely into the whipped cream, do not mix too much, so you do not break up the whipped cream.

Scoop the Cherry Whipped topping over Lady Fingers, and spread evenly, making sure it is well packed near the edges of your casserole dish, so the jello in the next step does not leak down the sides, and moisten the cookie base.

Position the fresh fruit over the whipped cream layer.  I butterflied my raspberries so they do not stick out too high.

Prepare the raspberry jello, also using only 1 cup of water, so it will stay firmer and not soften as quickly during serving.

Slowly pour cooled raspberry jello over the fruit (I used small gravy ladle), until completely covered.  As you can see some of my fruit still was poking out of the jello layer, but that is fine, since you do have a thin layer of jello poured over it.

Cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate for a couple of hours, or overnight, and enjoy this refreshing dessert.

TIP: You can use any  fruit of your choice, however kiwi and pineapple will not hold well in the jello layer.  Next time I would like to try Lemon Jello with the whipped cream, and mandarin slices for the fruit, covered with  Orange Jello. Yum…that sounds wonderful already…eh?  Lady Fingers cookies can be a little expensive (I paid $3.99 for a box), so to cut down on cost, you may use sponge cake for the bottom layer.

Who wouldn’t love raspberries?   They look so succulent, fresh, inviting and delicious, right? While all of this is true about the fruit, growing them in your garden is another story.

As the old saying goes “every rose has it’s thorns”, and the same is true about raspberry bushes.  Despite the great appeal of the fruit,  the plants require quite a bit of TLC, which I learned after I planted mine (ignorance is bliss…sometimes).

Before you decide to add them to your gardening plan, please click on the highlighted words above, to familiarize yourself with the whole process.

You will find out that there two different types of raspberries, those that produce fruit once a year, during early summer, like mine, and the overbearing ones, that produce fruit at least twice during the year (summer and fall).

They begin producing fruit in their second year of growth, as during the first year they try to establish themselves, and strengthen their Primocanes, which develop into Floricanes, thus fruit bearing canes.

Raspberry bushes are scratchy and full of fine thorns, thus tending to them requires wearing protective gear, mainly long sleeves and gloves.  The canes need to be thinned out and pruned.

These are my raspberry bushes with new growth this late spring, after I pruned them in early spring.  Here again, read the linked article on the pruning method.  I pruned mine to about 3 feet tall canes, and cut out all the dead canes, and removed the very thin ones (the suckers).

I also would not recommend planting raspberry bushes close to your vegetable garden, like I did, because it creates additional weeding, as the roots spread into my garden, and new (unwanted) plants spring up everywhere.

This picture was taken at the beginning of June, and as you can see, there are lots of raspberries getting ready to ripen, and to be picked.  How exciting is that? So far, the birds have been behaving pretty well, and not beating me to the ripe fruit.  It almost makes me forget how many times I have been scratched by these  prickly bushes.

Raspberry bushes need to fertilized twice per year, pruned regularly, kept weed free, and supported by trellis ( I planted mine against the fence).  Raspberry plants, just like rose plant, do not like to be watered from the top, over their foliage, but rather close to the roots, to prevent the growth and spread of mold and disease.

Since I try to keep my garden as close to organic as possible, I only use natural fertilizer.  Actually, since I planted my raspberry bushes in mushroom soil, two years ago, I did not use any additional fertilizer yet.

I am dreading the Japanese Beetle season, since I try to pick them off, rather than spraying my plants with any pesticides.  They will love to get on these lovely leaves and chew away,  so I really will have to keep an eye out for those pesky beetles.

I used to strategically post these special beetle traps, but found out that these actually attract more beetles to my yard, due to the aroma of the lure, which does lure them towards the traps, but not all of them end up in the traps, but rather attack other flowers and plants they find just as attractive and tasty.

I also, prepare my own organic bug spray, by mixing hot pepper sauce, vegetable oil, water and dish detergent.  It works on bugs, but it needs to be applied often, especially during a rainy season.

Please share your gardening tips and stories with all of us, and leave a comment.

Summer is officially here.

Lots of  hot days in the sun, more time for outdoor fun, and less time to spend in the kitchen.

This is a very refreshing fruit salad, great for any occasion, and very easy to prepare.

This is my son-in-laws favorite salad, so my daughter is becoming an expert on preparing it for her family.

Ingredients:
•    8 oz can pineapple chunks, drained
•    16 oz can sliced peaches, drained
•    16 oz can mandarin oranges, drained
•    3 medium bananas, sliced
•    2 medium apples, peeled and chopped
•    3.75 ox instant vanilla pudding mix
•    1 ½ cups milk
•    1/3 cup thawed frozen orange juice concentrate
•    ¾ cups sour cream

Directions:
1.    Combine dry pudding mix, milk, and orange juice.
2.    Beat until blended –  1 to2 minutes
3.    Beat in sour cream
4.    Fold in fruit mixture
5.    Cover, and chill at least a couple of hours, or over night.

photo credit: erix!

Father’s Day is such a special day to recognize, and honor, all the father’s and father’s-to-be, all over the world.

Father’s Day is celebrated in the US, and many other countries, on June 20th, this year.  However, numerous other countries dedicate this holiday to their dads on different days.  In Ukraine, it is also celebrated this Sunday, but dads in Poland have to wait until Wednesday, June 23rd.

If your country celebrates Father’s Day on a different day yet, please share it with us.

Someone shared with me a very nice statement about what is a Father, presented to him by his son:

FATHER:

F - Finds time to assist his child

A - Actively participates in his child’s future

T - Takes the lead in hard work

H - Has his child’s best interest at heart

E - Enjoys spending time with his child

R - Rescues his child from harm

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY

TO ALL DADS

ALL OVER THE WORLD!!!

photo credit: craigCloutier

A while back I shared with you that I am following this wonderful  website , which provides numerous tips on “living green”.

I love nature, enjoy pesticide free gardening, and try to contribute to saving Mother Earth as much as possible, I promised to share some of their tips with you.

Here is one  I saved for you for today:

Avoid Chemical Pesticides

Read the full tip online

What?
Protect your family – and the environment – by avoiding the use of pesticides in your lawn and garden.

How?
Work with your eco-system, not against it.  Plant native and complementary plants.  Then weigh living with a few dandelions versus using a pesticide that could poison your child or pet.

Why?
Pesticides have been linked to cancer, birth defects and nerve system damage in humans.

Did You Know?
Most of our water sources are contaminated with pesticides.  Over 95% of river and stream samples, as well as over 50% of well samples, contain at least one pesticide.

Okay, But How Hard Is It?
As easy as keeping your yard safe for children and pets Two Smileys

I love gardening, and especially growing my own herbs to have on hand to use in my recipes.

One of the herbs I enjoy in my dishes, is fresh Basil.

Someone shared this recipe for a homemade vinaigrette, so I am sharing it here with you.

Fresh, homemade salad dressing is not only convenient, but also very refreshing.

Yields: 1 2/3 cups of dressing.

Ingredients:

• 9 Tbs white wine vinegar (plain or any other vinegar you have)
• 1 1/2 Tbs honey
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt (or regular salt)
• 1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil, or Canola oil
• 3 Tbs chopped fresh Basil
• 3 Tbs minced fresh Chives

Directions:

1. Combine vinegar, honey and salt.
2. Whisk in the oil, until combined.
3. Stir in Basil and Chives.
4. Cover, and store in a refrigerator up to five days.

TIP: In case you do not have fresh Basil or Chives, you still can make a simple salad dressing by mixing some Extra Virgin Olive oil with vinegar, and adding some salt, pepper to taste, plus some dried Italian herbs, such as Oregano and Basil.

Those of you who enjoy gardening, will be excited to see the 2010 additions to my flower patch, and my vegetable garden.

Last year I posted all my monthly blooms from May through September, so as not to bore you, this year I will only share the new additions and any amazing changes to last year’s plants.

As you already know that I use only natural fertilizers and do not spray my vegetables with any chemicals.

I also deposit my kitchen vegetable scraps into my vegetable garden to create compost as an additional nutrient for my garden soil.  Some of these vegetable scraps include potato peels, or chunks of potatoes not suitable for cooking.  Many of these potato pieces sprouted into new potato plants, and will produce new potatoes for us to enjoy.

Potatoes are not one of those vegetables that most small gardeners would plant, as they take lots of space, and I am one of those gardeners.  However, this one is a keeper since it is so vibrant and in full bloom now, so it will produce at least 2-4 potatoes, enough for one dinner.  I am very excited about that, because homegrown potatoes are delicious.  At the bottom of this post I will share a close up picture of a potato flower, if you never had a chance to see one before.

Sweet Williams – what a perfect name for these flowers, as their fragrance is truly very sweet.  Aren’t they lovely?

Perfect for cut flower bouquets, but I prefer to admire them live, in my garden.

These were here last year, but this year they really spread out and I totally admire the numerous blooms.

Pruning these rose bushes this spring, resulted in numerous new branches, full of gorgeous blooms.

Here is my self grown potato plant, and a close up view of the potato flower.  I would be curious to know how many of my readers had ever seen a potato bloom before.

This year I have added few artichoke plants and sweet peas.   Sweet peas will be able to produce this year, but the artichoke will only build up strength to produce next year.  I will share an update on its progress, and hopefully enjoy some fresh artichokes next year.

The Raspberry Torte has been my daughter’s favorite Ukrainian torte for many years now, so I try to make it for her special occasions.

She received this recipe from a very nice lady in our church, who is an excellent baker, prepares her own rose-hip jelly, which makes her baked goods so decadent, and irreplacable.

This torte requires some delicate handling of the baked cake layers, since each layer is baked separately, and somewhat challenging to remove from the cake pan, similar to the Irene’s Torte.

Cake Ingredients:

• 1 ¾ cup sweet butter, softened
• 5 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups flour

Directions:

1. Mix egg yolks and sugar together until light color.
2. Add butter and vanilla, beat well.
3. Add flour and mix until smooth and well blended.
4. Place dough in a bowl, and refrigerate for a couple of hours, to set.  Grease, and flour, 5 cake pans.
5. Divide dough into 5 equal balls and fill pans.
6. Bake at 325 for 15 min.
7. Cool off slightly.
8. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes, for easier removal.
9. Invert each pan onto a cooling rack.
10. Use a plastic knife to loosen up the sides of the cake from the pan.
11. Firmly tap on the back of the pan to remove cake.

Cake Filling Ingredients:

• ½ pint heavy cream
• 1 heaping table spoon of sugar
• 1 cup ground nuts (I use walnuts)
• 3-4 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam, or rose-hip jelly

Directions:

1. Whip the cream to for a firm mixture.
2. Mix in all remaining ingredients.
3. Store in the fridge until ready to use.

Cake Frosting Ingredients:

• ¼ cup butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon of sour cream
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons of lemon juice

Directions:

1. Spread the filling on the first cake layer.
2. Cover with another cake layer
3. Repeat the above process with each layer.
4. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the prepared frosting.
5. Decorate with cake candy, or your favorite cake décor.
6. Keep it cool in the fridge until ready to use.

(Freezer friendly – see Tip below)

TIP: To store this torte in the freezer, keep in the the fridge for several hours, or overnight, so the frosting sets well.

Wrap the whole cake in waxed paper, then in foil paper, to prevent it from frost bite.  Place it in a plastic bag, and

keep it in the freezer for up to 3 months.  Unwrap fully before thawing. Thaw it overnight, in the refrigerator.

Since posting the recipe for the Polish  Strawberry Soup, which was suggested to be served with pasta, I reminisced a little, and remembered my mom’s quick egg drop noodles (Lane Kluski), which she served with her homemade cherry soup, or chicken broth, or even as a breakfast meal served with fruit syrup.

If you ever had this dish before, but have not tried making it yet, here is my mom’s recipe for you to try, which yields about 1 cup of pasta.

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 2 1/2 tablespoons flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Separate the egg.
2. Beat the egg white until frothy.
3. Add the egg yolk, and beat for a minute longer.
4. Continue mixing,  add salt, and slowly add the flour.
5. Fill a pot with about 6 cups of water, and bring to boil.
6. Pour the batter slowly, in a a steady stream, into the boiling water, while mixing the water with a wooden spoon. (I tilt my bowl of batter over the boiling pot of water, and using a teaspoon, I release down about 1/2 teaspoon drops of the batter into the water, and mix the water with a wooden spoon from time to time, until all the batter is used up).
7. Boil for a minute, so all the pasta comes up to the top.
8. Strain through a colander, and serve.

That is all there is to this process. It takes only a few minutes, and your pasta is done.  This pasta is very light in texture.

If you decide to try it for a breakfast meal,  add 1 teaspoon of butter to the cooked pasta, garnish with fruit syrup, or mix in fruit jelly, and enjoy.

You can also cook this pasta in 2 cups of boiling milk rather than water, add 1 tablespoon of sugar or honey, and serve it as a hot cereal for breakfast, or as a light supper.  This usually was our breakfast during cold winter months.