Chocolate Heath bar ice cream cake

This is the Chocolate Heath bar ice cream cake I made for my son's 16th birthday this past week. I know a couple of people who are eagerly awaiting this recipe, so I am posting it ahead of my intended schedule. This cake was a huge hit at my house! Everyone, including myself, were so surprised that you can make your own ice cream and cake that tastes even better than Dairy Queen's! This cake is a take on another Norwegian treat that you are very likely to find at any celebration. It is traditionally called Daim cake, which is the name of the crunchy toffee chocolate used in making it. If you have an Ikea store close by you can purchase it there, if not the Heath bar is an almost exact match.

Potato and butternut squash gratin with corn and ham

A very busy and eventful week end is over and now it is time to relax! I worked my butt off last week to get ready for the annual neighborhood garage sale. We really cleaned out a lot of stuff this time. It is just mind -boggling how much stuff we accumulate over a few years. The last few strays of baby equipment had to go, along with other odds and ends I have clung to for sentimental reasons. Despite a mediocre forecast we had a splendid day and lots of bargain hunters. We sold 90 percent of our things. Pretty good! The leftovers were taken to Goodwill and some things just had to find their way into the trash because they were not going back in the house. What a relief it is to get rid of excess stuff.

Double-decker Baked Quesedillas

These are the quesadillas I served alongside the tortilla soup. Two layers of cheese make them extra delicious. These are a favorite with my kids.They are so easy to "whip" up for a snack or light lunch. I used Monterey Jack cheese in the second layer for half of them for my little ones, and the Pepper Jack, which is spicier, for us older ones.


Double-decker Baked Quesadillas
9 (6-8-inch) flour tortillas

2 cups shredded cheddar

3 scallions, chopped

1 1/2 cups shredded pepper Jack cheese
Sour cream and cilantro, for garnish




Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Brush one side of 3 tortillas with oil and place them, oil side down, on a large cookie sheet. Mix the cheddar with the scallions and divide between the tortillas evenly. Top with another tortilla and top each of those with equal amounts of pepper Jack cheese. Set the last tortilla on top and brush the tops with oil. Bake the quesadillas for 10 minutes, then cool for a few minutes to set. Cut each into 4 wedges.

Serves 6 well


Recipe adapted from Rachael Ray,  Book of 10, 2009

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Throughout this past winter one of my favorite foods to eat for lunch was Tortilla soup. A couple of my local grocery stores made it fresh and hot to go, and I would get a cup just about every week. Hot soup season is slooowly winding down, but since it has been so rainy and blustery around here lately, I thought this was an opportunity to make my own Tortilla soup.

Asiago-crusted pork chops

Doesn't this look like the perfect weeknight dinner? I thinks so. I have made these pork chops a few times now and I just love them, and since I finally purchased a non-stick skillet they now come out beautifully golden and crusty, m-m-m!

Heart shaped chocolate ganache cake

As I am writing this I am getting increasingly excited to see the BIG wedding tomorrow. My 13-year-old daughter and I have decided to get up before the crack of dawn to see history in the making. It is also my 17th wedding anniversary on the 29th, so it is a special day for me regardless of Royal weddings. I hope William and Kate's journey through life together turns out as wonderful as Robert's and mine has been, and continuous to be. Best wishes to them and many more for us too!

Wheat berry salad with apples, walnuts, dried cranberries and Gouda

As I walked to my computer to write this post, I caught a glimpse of my 4-year-old daughter dancing and singing along to the Doodlebpops. I had never heard of these guys until we found this DVD at our local library. They are three rock star/clown-looking people, singing and dancing some pretty catchy tunes. My 13- year- old thinks they are sooooo creepy looking, but my little one is completely captivated. It will be hard to bring this DVD back to the library, but I wouldn't mind a break from the same tunes over and over and over. Now, on to today's recipe which captivated me. A Wheat berry salad with some of my favorite ingredients: nuts, cheese, fruit, red onion -yum! And that is exactly what I said when I took the first bite. This salad is fantastic! I love everything about it, the flavors, the texture and the fact that it is so healthy.