Strawberry Soup

I was intrigued by this recipe, so much so, that I had to try it.  It's one of my favorites now!

Fresh strawberries are mixed with lemon juice, zest, and vanilla for a delicious soup!

Plus, the soup is topped with a light, creamy, sauce that makes it awesome!

The cream sauce is a blend of whipping cream, mascarpone cheese, vanilla, and powdered sugar.

The soup is very easy to make, the ingredients go into the blender and it's done!

The cream sauce is about that easy too, only I used a mixer to blend it.

This very unique dessert also includes a crouton topping, made of toasted pound cake!

It's DELICIOUS!!!

I can't wait for the black raspberries to come in season!  I am trying this recipe with them!

It's a light, refreshing dessert, with awesome flavors and textures!  I am sooo glad I tried this one!

Ingredients

• 1 quart fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (from 1/2 small lemon)
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons sweet dessert wine or apple juice
• Butter, for greasing the baking sheet
• 3 slices pound cake, cut in 1/2-inch cubes (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream, chilled
• 1/4 cup mascarpone, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons powdered sugar

Directions

In a medium bowl, mix together the strawberries, granulated sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, 1/4 teaspoon of the vanilla and the salt. Cover and let macerate in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or ideally overnight.

Place the strawberry mixture in a blender. Add the wine or apple juice and blend until completely smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

For the croutons, spread the cubed pound cake on the prepared baking sheet and bake until golden brown and crispy, flipping the cubes halfway through, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, add the heavy cream, mascarpone, powdered sugar and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon vanilla. Using an electric mixer, whisk on medium speed until soft peaks form. Be careful not to over-beat.

To assemble, divide the soup into 4 teacups or small bowls. Place a dollop of cream on each one and scatter the croutons around the top. Serve immediately.

Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis

Tippicanoe Walleye

It was a beautiful March day!  I was ready to FISH!

When am I not ready to fish?  Anyways, it was a good day for a drive.  I decided to head toward the Tippy.

First stop, was the bait shop.  I thought this was an awesome display:

The river was rather high.

I had waders on and it wasn't easy to wade.  Lots of big boulders and logs, not to mention a fairly swift current.  The water was badly stained, so no chance of seeing where you may be stepping.

I wasn't having any luck.  No bites at all, so moving closer to the dam seemed like a good idea.

The rush of water coming out of the dam was neat to watch.

I preferred fishing on the other side of the river.  It was a much longer walk, but much easier to wade.

A fairly large jig, tipped with minnows, was what I was told those walleye liked!

Six folks, including me, were fishing that section and we all got skunked that evening!

It was terrifying and thrilling wading the Tippy at dark!  No fish were caught, no critters were seen, and I had discovered a new hole in my neoprenes (waders)!

I may not have had any bites THIS TIME.  Just wait, an Indiana walleye is on my list! ;-)

New Fishing Buddy

I met this Sweetie at the park the other day:

He was shy at first, but quickly warmed up to me.  In fact, he became so comfortable with me that he snooped through my purse!  I don't think any of my other fishing buddies have done that!

Then, he tried to eat the string to my camera!  I'm almost certain none of my other fishing buddies have attempted that!

Most of the fish I caught were too big for the duck to eat.  But when I tossed them back he went after them, unsuccessfully.

I felt sorry for my hungry little fishing buddy, and I tied a smaller fly on the line.  A little gill ate the fly.

And my buddy got a meal!

He was one happy duck!

Apparently, he needed a beverage to dine with, as he took his live fish back to the pond!

I was amazed the gill didn't swim away.

Well, I reckon it did, just in the duck's belly!

Critters were out all over the place.  See the woodchuck in the lower right corner?

And turtles were busy trying to get a spot on the sunbathing log!

I caught a million little gills on the fly!  Next time I go back there, I'm planning on picking on the goldfish!  I wonder if my new buddy will kayak with me and keep the snakes away!  ;-)

Sickly Little Grey Kitty

The kids found this little guy in the back yard!

He is fur and bones!  Plus, he had tics, and ears loaded with mites.  One of his ears was so loaded with mites that it is not properly formed.  He is one sick kitty, his face was caked with snot, and he has a broken back leg.  Poor kitty.  When the kids showed him to me, he was unable to walk.

For the first two days, he rested in the cage. 

That is when, he wasn't being cuddled, natch.

Luckily, Independent Cat Society (ICS) was open on the day he was found.  I took him there, and they gave him fluids via iv.  They also gave me special food for him and medicine.

They treated him for parasites as well.

He is doing good, now, a week later!

He's not crazy about being photographed, apparently!

Easter 2016

Oh Yes!  EASTER!  HE IS RISEN!  HE IS RISEN, INDEED!

I prepared the eggs for coloring by hard boiling them.  I tend to overcook them to the point where the yolk turns green.  Thank goodness for green sweet relish to help the deviled eggs appear edible!  :-)

Speaking of green, I tried a new recipe-- Smothered Green Beans.   I seen it on Pinterest.

It's green beans dressed in soy sauce, garlic powder, and brown sugar, then topped with partially cooked bacon. After it's all assembled, it goes back into the oven and the bacon cooks to a crisp as it drips into the beans.  This dish is ready to go into the oven:

The kids colored eggs the day before Easter.  The Easter bunny didn't come to our house this year, as the kids didn't want to hunt for eggs.  Glenn told Troy the truth about the bunny, even though I wanted to keep it a secret a bit longer.  Troy is my baby!  :-(

Gladys colored eggs first and spilled some of the colors.  Poor Troy.  She helped out peeling the eggs at Mom's house.

While the girls made deviled eggs and egg salad, I put together a Fruit Bunny. It was another idea I had got off of Pinterest!  Although, I deviated a bit from the actual directions.

It's really simple.  I'll let the pics do the talking.

And the finished bunny:

 I served it with fruit dip made of cream cheese and marshmallow fluff.

Gladys made egg salad with her bare hands.  Why Gladys?  I took notes for next year. 

I had planned yet another Pinterest recipe, but this one was for the kids to do.  It's called Empty Tomb Rolls.  The kids were not into making them, so I did it all myself.  

 

The idea is to roll a marshmallow inside each dough and as it bakes it disappears.  The rolls then represent the empty tomb of Jesus after He has risen!

After Easter Dinner, my family and I played card games.

It was good ole Uno, but with a twist.  The Draw cards had options like make a funny face until your next turn.

Mom had to be a cat.  She meowed and rubbed her head on Glenn.  It was FUN!  :-)