Zucchini Double Header

Take a look at these pictures I just took in my backyard...

 

I have never seen a double-headed zucchini flower. EVER. Once, last summer, I had a two-headed zinnia grow in my garden. But alas, I did not take pictures of the flower so it remains an urban legend. 

Note: this is not a developing zucchini "fruit" - it's merely one of the buds on the plant... can't wait to for the summer squash to ripen so I can make this.

Summertime...

It's a warm, bright summer day and I'm craving something sweet. Although I'm not allowing myself desserts right now, I've got a couple ideas on my mind for the ultimate mid-afternoon-on-a-Friday-in-June snack.

 - Strawberry Sorbet
Prepare fresh strawberries by washing them and removing the hulls. Crush two-thirds into a paste then add the remaining third that have been sliced. Add sugar to taste and mix evenly. Put into freezer-proof container and freeze until solid. Add fresh mint leaves for extra flavor when serving (or eat right out of the bowl).

- Brownie Sundae
Bake up a tray of your favorite brownies - but take them out of the oven just when the edges are cooked. Let it cool for 20 minutes. Spread your favorite flavor of ice cream (I recommend mint chocolate chip or coffee) evenly across the surface. Pop into freezer until the ice cream has hardened (if you can wait that long). Top with fudge sauce, honey roasted peanuts or whatever you're craving.

- Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie
Save time and throw your dough for a batch of chocolate chip cookies into an un-greased 10 inch pie pan. Bake until the top is slightly golden brown - the center should be gooey. Slice, er, spoon out portions and top with vanilla ice cream a la mode.

Hmmm. The strawberry sorbet isn't exactly a dessert... or is it?

Update on Life - September 2010

It's been too long...

Although I've been theoretically taking a "year off," these past nine months or so have been anything but a vacation. At the very beginning of my gap year I didn't have a job and had only one regular commitment (besides meals). Now, at the final stretch of summer before I pack up and leave for college, I have a full-time job and my "free-time" is filled with running errands, going to baseball games and swim meets, rehearsals, picnics with friends, and trying to stay out of trouble (which usually means staying out of the kitchen).

To give you a glimpse into what a gap year can look like, here is one snapshot from each month of year.

 
                                         September

From a Mother's Perspective...

(The following is a narrative composed by my mom about this past week's exciting events that started in the kitchen and culminated last night with the auction of the top five cakes from the contest)

Skippy's Goshen Country Fair Hershey's Cocoa Cake won first place on Thursday night.  She was all by herself in our kitchen and could actually focus without interruption.  The entry had to be an original cake, with recipe submitted... and it needed a name, so before she delivered it to the judges, one of the kids suggested Raspberry Patch (there were two round layers, split in half - one layer I think had raspberries and cream filling, the others were a ganache frosting)....but the top was covered with fresh raspberries, with fresh mint leaves from out front around the edge of the top.  The whole effect was really cool.

Friday Night at The Fair

The Winner of the bidding war with his pricey cake!

Our adorable puppy did not even place! The judges did seem partial to pugs...

The kids after an exciting night!

Goshen Country Fair 2010

You Can Almost Taste This...

Oh so yummy. The ganache did not slide off the cake (fortunately) though it was constantly in danger from the high temperature of our un-air conditioned kitchen and August humidity!

 Making sure that each raspberry is placed in the correct spot - I'm adjusting those that were too close together. The mint leaves were freshly picked from our organic vegetable/herbs garden.

I experimented with a light dusting of powdered sugar... after seeing it, I tried to remove what I could. Embellishments to this cake would have "gilded the lily" and not something I was looking for...

The Results Are In!

Yes folks, it's official... I won the 2010 Goshen Country Fair Hershey's Cocoa Baking Contest and will be heading to Harrisburg to enter the same cake (not actual cake, but the recipe I used) in the statewide contest against about 50 other tough competitors! First Prize in Harrisburg gets a check for $500... if Sarah Palin can pay for college by winning beauty contests, maybe I can earn money for school by winning baking contests...