I love the creaminess of the custard filling in a Napoleon dessert, the flakiness of the pastry layers, and the sweetness of the glazed top, accented with dark chocolate.

Today was a perfect day to make this delicacy for my family.

It was an easy project, thanks to Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry dough, instant pudding mix, my home grown strawberries, and fresh whipped cream.

If you are looking for a quick, delicious, and impressive looking dessert, you will love this recipe (listed on the Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry packaging).  I made some minor adjustments to their recipe, to suit better my taste.

Makes 9 servings.

Ingredients:

• 1 package of Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry (use only 1 sheet)
  
• 3 1/2 oz Vanilla Instant Pudding Mix and Pie Filling (1 small package)
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup heavy cream for whipping
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp milk
• 1 1/2 cup fresh strawberries, sliced
• 1 oz semi-sweet baking chocolate (1 square), melted
• 1 tsp heavy cream
• 2 drops of rum extract

Directions:

1. Take out one Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry sheet, and thaw at room temperature, until ready to handle (about 40 minutes).
2. Using a pizza cutter, cut into three pieces, lengthwise, along the folds.
3. Cut each long piece across into three equal pieces (single servings).
4. Grease two baking sheets (I use Crisco), and set above cut pieces on there, spacing them slightly.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
6. Bake on the middle oven rack, for 17 minutes.
7. Remove from the pans onto a wire cooking rack , and cool completely.
8. Cut each square horizontally, to make three layers of pastry.
9. Set aside.

Pudding filling:

1. Pour 1 cup of cold milk into a medium size bowl.
2. Pour in the pudding mix.
3. Whip for few minutes, until creamy pudding forms.
4. Set aside.

Whipped Cream:

Use a small bowl,pour in 1 cup of cold heavy (whipping) cream.

Whip until firm peaks form.

Fold into the pudding mixture.

Cover and refrigerate for now.

Sugar Icing:

1. In a small bowl, add 1 cup of powdered sugar.
2. Add 2 tsp of milk, and 1/4 tsp. of vanilla extract.
3. Mix all well, to form glaze.
4. Set aside.

Strawberries:

1. Prepare strawberries by removing the green leaves, rinsing and drying them.
2. Slice into thin slices (1/16 inch think).
3. Set aside.

Dessert Assembly:

1. Starting with the bottom layer, spoon 1/4 cup of pudding filling.
2. Arrange strawberry slices around the edges, with the pointy ends outward.
3. Dab some pudding mixture on the bottom of a second pastry layer (for better hold), and place on top of the strawberries.
4. Spread 1/3 cup of pudding on top of this layer, and arrange strawberries slices as before.
5. Spread the sugar glaze on top of the last layer, dab some pudding on the bottom of this layer (for better hold) and place over strawberries.
6. Repeat the above process with all remaining pastry pieces.

Chocolate topping:

1. Using a double boiler, melt 1 oz of dark semi-sweet baking chocolate, mix in 1 tsp heavy cream, and 2 drops of rum extract.
2. Remove from heat, and drizzle over the sugar iced top layer of each dessert. (I placed the melted chocolate in a freezer zip lock bag, made a small pin hole in the corner, to form a thin chocolate flow for decorating the tops). I also, drizzled some chocolate on the bottom of the dessert plates, before setting the Strawberry Napoleons on it.

Enjoy this creamy, super yummy dessert.

Jello desserts are great any time, but I love them that much more during the summer months.

Then again, whipping up a jello dessert mixed with cream cheese and fruit, how can you beat that?

The recipe I am about to share with you is also very quick and simple to prepare, and it makes a very refreshing dessert for your family barbecue, or a dish to pass at a neighborhood get together.  I made this jello mold for numerous occasions, and I never had to worry about storing any leftovers…..it’s yummy!

Ingredients:

• 2 boxes  (3 oz each) of Strawberry Jello
• 1 cup hot water
• 1 large box frozen strawberries (12-16 oz)
• 2 cups crushed pineapple , drained ( 2 – 20 oz. cans)
• 1 small sour cream ( 8oz)
• 1 package cream cheese ( 8oz)

Directions:

1. Dissolve jello in hot water.
2. Drain the strawberries, and mix into jello.
3. Cool until partially set (the frozen strawberries will cool the jello very quickly).
4. Mix in the crushed pineapple.
5. In a separate bowl, mix the cream cheese with the sour cream, to a smooth paste.
6. Add to the jello mixture, fold in well.
7. Place in a serving bowl.
8. Cover.
9. Refrigerate until well set (couple of hours or overnight).

Enjoy!

Strawberry season is in full swing now in my garden.  This year’s crop is quite abundant.

There are so many different ways to consume strawberries, such us serving it plain, sliced with whipped cream, baking a Strawberry Shortcake, making a berry smoothie, and also cooking a very refreshing summer dish – Strawberry Soup.

The recipe for the Polish Strawberry Soup has been posted by Barbara Rolek on her blog.

This weekend,  I prepared this dish  for my family, as it only took minutes to prepare.   It may be served as an appetizer, a refreshing drink any time, or with a dessert.

Barbara suggested serving it hot, or chilled, with pasta, however my family requested it chilled, without pasta.

I tried my strawberry soup warm, topped off with a scoop of Vanilla Ice cream, and it was just perfect!

We also agreed that it would be great as a base for a cocktail drink (with rum or vodka), or as a salad dressing for an exotic salad of fresh spinach with mandarin orange segments, walnuts and strawberries, maybe with a dab of vinegar to add some tartness to it.

If you had the pleasure of tasting Strawberry Soup, or decide to try some of the above suggestions, we would love to hear your comments.

TIP:  Any leftover soup can be used to make Popsicles.   Great for kids and adults!!

I already showed you some of my flower patches, and I mentioned my small organic garden, which I started two years ago. All my plants are cultivated in a mix of mushroom soil and organic gardening soil. I do not use any additional fertilizers, and definitely no pesticides.

I grow perennial herbs and fruits, and annual vegetables.

This is my organic garden.

Here are some of the plants in my garden:

Parsley, Basil, Dill Weed, Oregano,Green Beans, Potato Plant, Red Beets

The fruit group includes:

Blueberry Bush Blueberry Flowers Green Blueberry Fruit

Raspberry Bushes Raspberry Flowers Raspberry Green Fruit

Blooming Strawberries Blushing Fruits First Harvest

My vegetables selection changes annually, but mostly consists of: Tomatoes, Zucchini, Summer Yellow Squash, Red Beets, Cucumbers, Green Beans, and this year I have added a couple of potato plants and Sorrel plants.

I will share some pictures of these as the “fruit of my labor” begins to show a little bit more.