Berry Trifle

I took this picture on Easter Sunday at the request of my Memaw. She thought I should get a picture of the berry on top.  Wouldn't you know that this is the best picture I took of it too.  :)  I can't take all the credit for this dessert though.  Heather came up with the idea, cut up the cake, and sweated the berries while I was working on other portions of our Easter meal.  You could make this a little more special by making your own angel food cake or growing your own berries but this method suits me just fine.  Especially when trying to get a big holiday meal on the table.  You could also substitute store-bought whipped cream, if you're really in a time crunch but I would implore you to try it with the homemade whipped cream at least once.  It really does make a world of difference in the taste and consistency of this dessert.

What you'll need:

One store-bought angel food cake

Approximately five cups of berries (We used strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries.)

4 - 5 Tablespoons of sugar (divided)

a splash of vanilla extract

one 16 ounce container of heavy whipping cream

*Cut up the entire angel food cake into bite-sized pieces.  Cut up any berries that are larger than bite-sized.  Save one or two for garnish, if desired. Add a few tablespoons of sugar to the berries and let them sweat in the refrigerator for a few hours or up to overnight.  You'll know they've sweated enough when there is plenty of juice in the bottom of the bowl they're in.  You could do this on the counter for a few hours which would be faster but I prefer cold berries in this dessert.  

When you're ready to assemble (not before), pull out your stand mixer (this can also be done with a hand mixer or [may the force be with you] by hand with a whisk).  Pour all of the heavy whipping cream into the bowl, add a few tablespoons of sugar, and a splash of vanilla. It's all about personal preferences here.  My mother would have me tip over the sugar bowl into it but I prefer it lightly sweetened.  Do it the way you like it. You can always serve it with extra sugar for those with a sweet tooth. Turn on the stand mixer and let it go for awhile.  I've never timed it.  Check it every few minutes and stop the stand mixer when you have soft peaks of delicious homemade whipped cream.  Careful, beating it too long will result in some very sweet, vanilla-scented butter.  I speak from experience.  

Do not make your whipped cream too early.  You can cut up the cake and sweat the berries the night before (or earlier, in case of the cake as long as you store it properly) but the whipped cream will not survive if made too early.  You could assemble just before your guests arrive or, I have found that my guests don't mind a short break between supper and dessert.  In any case, pull out your trifle dish (or you could make it in a clear bowl or any bowl for that matter, it'll taste just as good).  Put half the cake pieces in the bottom of the dish, layer half the berries on top of the cake (with some of the juice), and put about half of the whipped cream on top of that.  Repeat layers once more and adorn the top layer of whipped cream with a berry or two, if desired.  Enjoy!

Puddle of Butter Biscuits

I know these aren't traditional Southern biscuits but they are equally yummy in their own way.  I happened upon this recipe on a blog I read sometimes called The Big Red Kitchen.  She calls hers 'Pool of Butter Biscuits' but when asked the name the first time I made these, Puddle replace Pool and it stuck.  My Dad requests these every time he gets a chance and there's usually a battle for the last crusty corner piece.  They are amazing with Heather's homemade strawberry jam.

I doubled the original recipe and tweaked it a bit to make it work for me.  This recipe makes a lot of biscuits so share with a crowd or be prepared for leftovers... not necessarily a bad thing!!  I haven't had any success halving the recipe or using her original one without doubling it so if you try it and it works out, let me know!

Puddle of Butter Biscuits
Adapted from Big Red Kitchen's 'Pool of Butter Biscuits'


1 stick butter
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
4 tsp. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. table salt OR 2 tsp. kosher salt
1 1/3 cup buttermilk or sour milk
1/4 - 1/2 cup milk

*Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Mix dry ingredients.

When your oven is preheated, cut the stick of butter into pats and melt them in a 13x9 pan by putting them in the oven for a minute or two.  Keep watch!  Butter will burn and it's not pretty.

Then mix your buttermilk or sour milk into the dry ingredients adding the regular milk if the dough seems too dry.*  Plop dough on top of the melted butter.  It really is a 'plop' not a 'pour'.  Your dough should be dough, not batter.

Spread the dough to the edges of the pan.  It's okay if some of the butter seeps onto the top of the dough.  Then use a spatula that you've dipped in the melted butter to cut the biscuits into squares.  

Bake for approximately 15 minutes and ENJOY!

*A really long note about milk:  In the ingredients list, I say you'll need 1 1/3 cups buttermilk or sour milk and 1/4 - 1/2 cup regular milk.  Let me explain.  I noticed when I made these with buttermilk that the dough wasn't thin enough to spread properly if I only used 1 1/3 cups; however, if I added more buttermilk, the biscuits tasted a little sour.  So, if you get to this point and experience the same thing, thin out your dough with a little regular milk, just until you think it will spread well.  I did not have the same problem when I used sour milk so you should only need 1 1/3 cup of sour milk if you're using it in place of the buttermilk.  What's sour milk, you ask?  Well, since this really long note about milk isn't quite long enough, I will tell you how to make sour milk.  Pull out your measuring cup.  Put a Tablespoon of lemon juice for every cup of sour milk you need in the measuring cup and fill to the desired amount with milk.  Let sit for at least 5 minutes on the counter.  Presto!  Sour milk.  So, for this recipe you would put 1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice in your measuring cup and then fill with milk to the 1 1/3 cup line.  I've heard that this can also be done with white vinegar but I have never tried it. End really long note about milk.  Phew!

**04/15/12 - I tried to make these this morning from this recipe and notice a few things were missing.... like baking powder and a cup of the flour.  I've edited the recipe.  It's correct now.  Oops.  Luckily (?) it seems that no one is trying my recipes since I didn't hear about any flat, runny biscuits.  lol.

Lucy and Biel

"What do you mean by this word 'bath'?"

I kind of felt bad about posting Mao and not paying equal homage to our other pets.  Lucy is my dog and Biel is Heather's other cat.  I don't have very many pictures of them together.  The ones I do have aren't very good.  Here's the best of what I've got of both of them... separately.  Just they way they like it.

This is how Biel lets us know she wants inside.

 One of Biel's favorite perches.

 Biel on the hunt!

 "I can see you.  How do I get in from here?"

 Lucy in flowers.

 Lucy in grass.

 Lucy being cute.

Lucy "helping" me read.

Our Newest Addition: Mao

This is Mao.  He's the newest addition to our home.  I'm not a cat person myself.  I prefer to love cats that live with someone else but Heather has a soft spot for kittens.  And I have a soft spot for pets that need good homes.  Isn't he cute?  Cats are really cute when they're this tiny, right?

Cuteness alert... I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves...