Strawberry-Lemon Angel Food Trifle

A summer barbeque just isn’t complete without a light and refreshing dessert. This trifle recipe is sure to delight your family and friends. Who could resist layers of angel food cake, lemon crème and fresh strawberries? Not only does it make a visually stunning presentation, but it tastes as good as it looks and it’s easy to prepare.I found the ingredients in this recipe to be more than needed for the size of my trifle dish; but, no fear, Mike didn’t hesitate to help “dispose” of the excess (with spoon in hand…lol)!

First, hull and vertically slice your strawberries. Set aside. Cut your angel food cake into 1” cubes and set aside.

Next, prepare the whipped cream. I usually refrigerate my bowl and beater attachments (or whip attachment for a stand mixer) for about 15 minutes before whipping the cream. I also use a metal bowl, as this helps maintain a cooler temperature while beating. The beating process generates heat, which could keep your cream from thickening; so, you’ll end up with frothy cream instead of whipped cream. (If you’re rushed for time, you could always put the beaters and bowl in the freezer for just a few minutes.) Start beating your cream slowly, not on a high setting, or the cream will literally fly everywhere. As the cream starts to thicken, increase the speed of the mixer. Continue beating until you get a soft peak; the peak should bend over at the top when you lift the beater attachment(s). If you overbeat, your cream will literally turn to a butter texture, which you don’t want.

Gently fold the lemon pie filling into the whipped cream. Now add lemon zest and Limoncello. Although the original recipe refers to these ingredients as “optional”, I highly recommend that you include them. It enhances the lemon crème to a whole new level. 

Now you’re all set to get “creative” and start layering in your trifle dish (or dessert dishes, if you don’t own a trifle dish). Generally, rule of thumb is 3 layers, so keep that in mind when portioning your ingredients. Start with a layer of strawberries. In a trifle dish, presentation is important, so, press some of the strawberries against the dish edges. Next add a layer of angel food cake cubes, followed by a layer of lemon crème. Repeat this layering process two more times. Your top layer should be the lemon crème.

Garnish the top with a few sliced, or whole strawberries. If your top isn’t overflowing (like mine was), cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving time. Now don’t you feel like an artist? You just created a visual masterpiece (and a yummy one too)!

STRAWBERRY-LEMON ANGEL FOOD TRIFLE
Source: Food.com/BecR
Posted by: www.meldingmagic.com

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 pounds fresh strawberries, sliced
• 10-1/2 ounces prepared angel food cake, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 (21-ounce) cans prepared lemon pie filling (or lemon pudding)
• 1 pint heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2-1/2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 1 to 2 Tablespoons Limoncello lemon liqueur

DIRECTIONS:

1. Whip the cream until soft peaks form; beat in the vanilla and sugar and mix thoroughly.
2. Gently fold lemon filling into the whipped cream. Add lemon zest and Limoncello.
3. In a trifle dish or individual dessert dishes layer the strawberries, cake cubes, and lemon crème
    mixture.
4. Garnish with a few strawberries. 5. Serve immediately, or cover with plastic wrap and chill until serving time.

Creamy Macaroni Salad

Whenever I prepare potato salad, I also like to whip up a batch of macaroni salad. After all, there’s all those fresh veggies left from the preparation of the potato salad. Why waste them? I know, it’s a lot of carbs; and you probably won’t fit into your bathing suit. But, autumn is nearing, and no one is going to notice those extra pounds in a big ole’ sloppy sweater.

I like to add tuna to my macaroni salad, but I realize some people just don’t like to mix fish with cold pasta, so, by all means, feel free to omit the tuna. I marked it as “optional” in my ingredients list, for this reason.

Start by cooking 16 ounces of pasta according to package directions.I always look for an elbow shaped pasta with twists and grooves, as it soaks up the flavors better. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, add frozen peas to the water. Baby peas are my preference, as they cook up crisp, tender. In a colander, rinse the pasta and peas under cold water, and drain well.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar and packet of dry Good Seasons Zesty Italian dressing. Mix well with a wire whisk. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Drain tuna, break up into smaller chunks, place in small bowl and set aside. Chop red pepper, shred carrots, dice celery and chop onion. Once again, as with my potato salad, I like to keep the veggies in separate containers so I can layer the ingredients before mixing with dressing (for more even distribution).

Combine about 1/3 of the cooked pasta, peas, red pepper, carrots, onions, celery and tuna in large mixing bowl. Repeat layering until all ingredients are in bowl. Stir in seasoned dressing, starting with 1 cup and adding more, as desired. (And, yes, I do add the whole 2 cups of dressing. Sinfully good!) Stir until evenly coated.

Cover and chill until ready to serve. As promised, nice and creamy, even after refrigeration.

CREAMY MACARONI SALAD
Posted by: www.meldingmagic.com

 
INGREDIENTS:

• 16 ounces elbow macaroni
• 2 (5 ounce) cans tuna, drained (optional)
• 1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 cup carrots, shredded
• 1-1/2 cups frozen peas
• 1 to 1-1/2 cups celery, diced
• 1/2 red onion, finely chopped

Seasoned Dressing:

• 2 cups mayonnaise
• 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 envelope DRY Good Seasons Zesty Italian dressing
• Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Last 5 minutes of cooking, add frozen peas to the water,
    cooking until still slightly firm. Rinse pasta & peas under cold water and drain well.
2. Meantime, in small bowl, combine mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, and whole packet of dry Good Seasons
    Zesty Italian. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix well with wire whisk.
3. Combine cooked pasta, peas, chopped red pepper, shredded carrots, onions and celery in large bowl.
    Add drained tuna. Stir in seasoned dressing, starting with 1 cup and adding more as desired. Stir until
    evenly coated.
4. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Bacon Ranch Potato Salad

Labor Day is approaching and so, too, is the end of summer. However, there is still ample time to enjoy a few more summer barbeques. I have to admit, I’m a die-hard fan of grilling. I won’t hesitate to wear a winter coat and don a pair of mittens in order to relish the smoky flavors of outdoor cooking. When the craving strikes, I’m out there flipping burgers regardless of the season. But, for me, no barbeque is complete without a generous helping of potato salad, and I don’t mean the kind you pick up at the deli of your local grocery store. I have yet to purchase a potato salad that lives up to the reminiscent, home-made version. That is why today I am going to share with you a recipe for good, old-fashioned potato salad. Did I mention that this recipe includes bacon? Everything is better with bacon.

I like to cook my potatoes the night before, then refrigerate them until the next day when I’m ready to prepare the salad. Cold potatoes are firmer and dice up easier without falling apart. Don’t fuss with peeling them beforehand. Just add whole, unpeeled potatoes to a large pot of water. Bring water to a boil and cook for about 20 to 25 minutes; drain. Return the potatoes to the “dry” pot. Cover and let sit (off the heat) for an additional 10 minutes. The potatoes will continue to steam, ensuring that they are cooked through to the middle. Transfer potatoes to a large bowl and refrigerate overnight. Meanwhile, add the eggs to a pot of water. Add a teaspoon of salt, which helps to make peeling easier. Bring to a rolling boil, and continue to boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 12 minutes. Drain water from pot and keep adding cold water to pot until eggs are cool. You can add ice cubes to the water to speed up the cooling process. Transfer eggs to a bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.

First, I like to get all the vegetable chopping out of the way. Dice the celery and add to a small bowl. Chop the red onion and add to another small bowl. Grate the carrots and add to another small bowl. Fry the bacon and, when cool, crumble into small pieces and place in another bowl. Peel the potatoes, chop into bite-sized cubes and transfer to a bowl. Peel and mince the hard boiled eggs and transfer to another bowl. I know, there’s a lot of bowls, but there is a method to my madness. I prefer to prepare my potato salad in layers. This ensures an even distribution of ingredients, without the potatoes falling apart from “over” stirring.

And yet again…..one more bowl. This will be for the dressing. Stir together mayonnaise, dry packet of ranch dressing mix, cider vinegar, sugar and minced garlic. Set aside.

And yet again…..one more bowl. This will be for the dressing. Stir together mayonnaise, dry packet of ranch dressing mix, cider vinegar, sugar and minced garlic. Set aside.

Garnish with parsley, if desired, and you’re ready to go. Cover and keep refrigerated until ready to serve. This is where I encounter the toughest challenge of them all……trying to keep Mike away from the potato salad until serving time.

BACON RANCH POTATO SALAD
Posted by: www.meldingmagic.com

 
INGREDIENTS:

• 8 to10 medium Russet Potatoes, whole and unpeeled
• 6 eggs
• 3/4 to 1 cup celery, diced
• 1/2 red onion, chopped (or more if desired)
• 1 cup shredded raw carrots
• 1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled

Seasoned Mayonnaise:

• 2 cups mayonnaise
• 1 package dry ranch dressing mix* (see variation below)
• 1 Tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic

DIRECTIONS:

1. Night Before: Place whole, unpeeled potatoes in large pot of water. Bring potatoes to a rolling boil.
    Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking for 20 to 25 minutes. Drain potatoes. Put back in "dry"
    pot, cover pot and let sit (no heat) for an additional 10 minutes. This will continue to steam potatoes,
    ensuring that they are fork tender, but not too soft for salad preparation. Meanwhile, place eggs in
    pot of cold water, add 1 teaspoon salt to the water. Bring to rolling boil, continue boiling for 5
    minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 12 minutes. Drain hot water from pot and
    continue to add cold water to pot until water is completely cool. Remove eggs from water. Place in
    small bowl and refrigerate (unpeeled) until next day.
2. Next day: Chop celery, onion and carrots. Cook and crumble bacon. Peel potatoes and chop into bite
    sized cubes. Peel eggs and mince. In large bowl, alternate layers of potato cubes, hard boiled eggs,
    celery, onion, carrot and crumbled bacon.
3. In small bowl, combine mayonnaise with dry ranch seasoning packet, cider vinegar, sugar and garlic.
    Mix well. Add to potato mixture (start by adding 1 cup of seasoned mayonnaise and continue adding
    until potatoes are of desired creaminess), stirring until evenly coated. Refrigerate until ready to serve.