Twix Cheesecake and Aiming for Perfection

Aiming for perfection—we’ve all done it. Whether in cooking, writing, parenting, or dusting, it’s a noble pursuit.

Why wouldn’t we want to be the best? With perfection as the goal, low standards disappear, rough edges are smoothed, and grand results take shape. When we aim beyond our understanding, our knowledge and abilities can be fundamentally changed for the better.

Perfection, of course, is a dangerous goal as well. Mirages are unattainable. There’s always a flavor to adjust, a sentence that’s good but not great, an A- that could be an A+, and, of course, those dust specks in the air that settle right back down until those clean surfaces. I hate those specks!

There’s always more to do. But that last step is elusive. For example, the writer of a scene that makes 80 percent of readers cry longs to learn how to pull tears from the stone hearts of the other 20 percent. Perfection is the ultimate tease. It can break your heart, erode your confidence, and taunt you like an intangible gingerbread man: “Catch me if you can!”

Don’t get me wrong, it’s worth trying for, but only if you can appreciate where it leads you more than where it hasn’t.

Since I received some lovely springform pans for Christmas, I’ve known that cheesecake has been in my future. Recently, however, I’ve become obsessed with making the perfect Twix cheesecake. And I don’t just mean a cheesecake incorporating Twix. No, no. I want a cheesecake with the full essence of Twix: the crispy cookie, the mellow caramel, and the chocolate draping over it all.

The problem, as you might have guessed from today’s lecture, is that I had no idea what I was doing. The Twix desserts I found online all sounded tasty but missed the mark of that perfect dessert of my dreams. After much thinking, I decided on a shortbread crust, a vanilla/Twix bar middle, creamy caramel, and a chocolate ganache topping. In execution, it's a very sweet, delicious dessert, though not exactly my idealized version.

Still, it is good. And perfection can wait for me to chase it another day.

Twix Cheesecake

Shortbread Crust
1 1/4 c. flour
1/3 c. granulated sugar
1/3 c. finely crushed shortbread cookies
1 tsp. orange peel
8 tbsp. softened butter
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400°. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan. Stir the dry ingredients together. Mash or cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add egg and vanilla, and mix just until the dough forms a ball.

Spread a bit more than 1/3 of the dough over the bottom of the pan. Prick dough all over with a fork. Bake until crust is lightly golden brown, about 10 to 14 minutes. Cool completely on rack. Press remaining dough around the sides of the pan, attaching dough to the bottom crust.

Cream Cheese Mixture
24 oz. cream cheese
1 c. sugar
5 large eggs
3 tbsp. flour
1 1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
12 oz. sour cream
1/4 c. heavy cream
12 fun-size Twix bars

All ingredients should be near room temperature before you begin. Cut up Twix bars into thin slices and set aside.

Beat the cream cheese on a low setting until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar, beating until creamy. Add one egg at a time and beat after each egg. Mix in flour, almond extract, and lemon juice. Add the sour cream and heavy cream and beat well. Stir in Twix pieces. Pour mixture into the springform pan.

Caramel Layer
30 caramel candies

2 tbsp. milk

Preheat oven to 325°. Melt caramel with milk, being careful not to overcook. Pour over cheesecake. (Mine sank a little into the cheesecake and made a swirl layer. You could also refrigerate the cheesecake before adding caramel for more of a coated look.)

Place in the middle of the top rack of oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes. When time is up, turn oven off, slightly prop open oven door, and leave in oven for 1 more hour. Remove to a rack and cool for at least an hour before adding ganache.

Ganache
6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 c. heavy whipping cream
3/4 tsp. butter, room temperature

Place chopped chocolate in a glass or stainless steel bowl. In small saucepan, heat cream and butter over medium heat just until boiling. Pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for a few minutes. Stir until smooth. Cool slightly and then pour over cheesecake. Evenly spread the ganache over the top of the cheesecake. Cover and return to the refrigerator for several hours or overnight. Serve and enjoy. :)

Guest Interview with Susanne Winnacker

I'm thrilled to introduce Susanne Winnacker, author of the YA thriller The Other Life (Usborne) which has already debuted in the UK this month, but will be coming to North America in May. Susanne studied law before she became a full-time writer. She lives with her husband, a dog and four bunnies in the Ruhrgebiet, Germany. She loves coffee (in every shape and form), traveling and animals. She also blogs for The League of Extraordinary Writers.

What's your typical day of eating look like and how does it fit into your writing? Do you cook much, and if so, what sort of foods do you like to prepare?

After I return from my morning walk with my dog, I drink a cup of coffee with milk (I used to add a teaspoon of sugar but I stopped a while ago because I realized I don’t really need it) and then I eat curd or yogurt with oranges and granola. I often check my emails and Twitter/Facebook while I have breakfast. For lunch I mostly eat a slice of bread with some cheese. That’s practical because I don’t have to stop editing or writing to eat a sandwich. I drink another cup of coffee in the afternoon and eat a banana or clementines. And in the evening I cook dinner for my husband and me. I always cook. I hate convenience food. I really love to cook pasta with homemade sauces (tomato-basil or bolognaise or mushroom or gorgonzola), oriental meals with couscous, hummus and falafel, roulades, Indian or Thai dishes and many other things. I love to try new things.

The Other Life is about characters who are foraging for food after an apocalypse. How did you tap into their experience?

I love to eat, so the thought of having to live without all the dishes and food I love was scary. For me, food is such an important part of life that it seems almost impossible to eat only canned corned beef or soup for years.

Now that The Other Life is out, do you have much time to eat? Have you had any amazing celebratory meals? Your tea party launch looked lovely—can you tell us a little bit about that?

Since I’m a full-time writer, I can still make enough time for cooking and eating – which is really fortunate. Of course, I sometimes forget to eat or drink when I’m in writing mode but that doesn’t happen very often. I didn’t really have a celebratory meal but I’ve had a few great meals since my book came out in the UK. My tea party was very British since it took place in London. My UK publisher organized it for me and we had wonderful food. There were scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam, all kinds of sandwiches, apple pie, trifle, chocolate cake and, of course, tea!

What kinds of meals or flavors inspire you most?

I have many cookbooks and I love browsing through them for inspiration. I really love the Asian kitchen but recently I’ve been very inspired by Oriental spices and have been trying to prepare dinners with them.

You're a world traveler, it sounds like. What are some of your favorite restaurants around the world? How about locally where you live?

Yes, my husband and I travel a lot and, because we both love good food, we always try to eat at fine dining restaurants at our destination. My favorite restaurants are Jean Georges in New York (USA), Spiced Pear in Newport (USA), Ignite in the Dove Mountain Resort near Tucson (USA), La Rive in Amsterdam (Netherlands), Joel Robuchon in London (England), Carpe Diem in Salzburg (Austria), Rickshaw Restaurant in Budapest (Hungary), L’Ortolan in Gozo (Malta), Brook in Hamburg (Germany)… Locally we love to eat at the SaRangBang, a fabulous Korean restaurant, the Gallo, an innovative Italian restaurant, and the Side, a Turkish restaurant.

A friend is down in the dumps about a rejection from an editor—what dish would you give them to cheer them up?

Either a delicious chocolate mousse or a chocolate soufflé. I think chocolate always helps!

Now for the signature Pots and Pens question: If you had to choose a single book and a single food item, desert island style, what would you pick?

That’s so difficult! I guess I’d choose chocolate because it provides lots of calories and is delicious (and maybe I can find healthy fruits on the island!). The book would be Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire!

What recipe are you going to share with us? Tell us a little bit about it!

I’m going to share a White Chocolate Mousse with you because it’s easy to make and because it’s delicious. You’ll need 400g ( 15 ounces) good white chocolate, 400 ml (2 cups) whipping cream, 400g sour cream (1 ¾ cups), 1 vanilla bean.

You’ll have to melt the chocolate slowly over a water bath. Make sure that the chocolate doesn’t get too hot! Once it’s melted and not too warm, you can add the sour cream and the scraped seeds of the vanilla bean. Fold in whipped cream. Enjoy! It serves 4, maybe even 6.

Guest Interview with Tiffany Strelitz Haber

Today I'm very excited to present picture book author Tiffany Strelitz Haber. Tiffany is the author of The Monster Who Lost His Mean (Henry Holt/Macmillan, Spring 2012) and Ollie and Claire (Philomel/Penguin, Spring 2013), a fellow Apocalypsie and a fellow member of the KidLit Authors Club.

About Tiffany

Tiffany Strelitz Haber was born in NJ, raised in NYC, has traveled extensively and lives for adventures. She will taste any food she is served, be it fried Witchetty Grubs on a stick or Calf’s Brain Ravioli, and loves being high in the air or deep in the sea. Her obsession with rhyme began at the age of 3, when a nursery school admission scout asked her, “What is a flower that rhymes with nose?”, and she proudly shouted “Rose!” Twenty-five years later (give or take), now married with two sons and coming off of a long career in finance, she has reconnected with her love of words and rhyme as a writer. Tiffany resides in central New Jersey and is available for children’s workshops everywhere.

Tell me about how food figures into your writing. Do your picture books deal with eating either imaginary or real foods?

Um…I’m kind of *not* allowed to write about food anymore. Or at least not for a while. I have one picture book revolving entirely around cheese. Another involving a *very* hungry porcupine whose penchant for dining on inanimate objects gets him in a bit of a situation. Oh, then there’s the detective who’s all about pickles. Plus, both of my forthcoming picture books actually mention food in their opening stanzas; eyeball soup and hot buttered biscuits and jam, respectively. So yeah…I might need to lay off a little. It’s really not intentional, though!

What kind of meals do you like to cook at home? Any ingredients you always have on hand?

I hope this doesn’t make me a fake foodie, (fauxdie?) but I am just now getting into actual cooking. For as long as a can remember, I’ve watched cooking shows on television, read cookbooks, loved to learn about different sauces and marinades and cuts of beef; when I lived in NYC, I sometimes brought takeout menus on the train with me as reading material because...well, because that’s what I wanted to read. But now finally, at the ripe old age of thirty-bleep, I am starting to put it all to practice. And it’s awesome. My kids love to help, and I think it’s such a cool family activity incorporating math, science, sharing, creating, experimenting, getting your hands dirty, cleaning up—it’s pretty perfect.

What kinds of food fuels a typical work day for you?

If I’m going to be in front of the computer all day, I don’t like to feel too full…so I’ll just nibble on air popped popcorn, rain-blo, spree, sour patch kids, maybe a big, giant, fresh salad.

For some of us food-obsessed types, the agent or editor lunch is one of the highlights of being published. Have you gone anywhere memorable with either one?

I’ve only had one agent/editor lunch (it was with both) We went to Sala 19 in NYC, and my order was: half a roasted portabello mushroom sandwich with red peppers, creamy goat cheese and a beautiful green salad. It was delicious, but also one of the few times food took a complete back seat. I was just thrilled to be sharing a meal with my editor and agent!

Who is your favorite food writer? Any favorite food scenes from novels?

I’m a big Anthony Bourdain fan for reasons too numerous to mention. ;-) There were so many incredible food references in The Hunger Games trilogy. From stale bread, to sauteed dove breasts with bacon drippings. Awesome.

Now for the signature Pots and Pens question: If you had to choose a single book and a single food item, desert island style, what would you pick?

Book: Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick. It’s actually two stories set 50 years apart. One is told entirely in text, and the other entirely through drawings. The stories intersect at the end, and the sensation is that of being caught inside a silent movie. It’s beautiful. I just finished it, and my first thought after turning that final page was that I couldn’t wait to do it all over again. Food: If I had only a single food item on a desert island? Well that’s easy. Dim sum brunch, of course! That counts as 1, right? ;-)

No-Bake Kahlua Torte

So, the recipe I am sharing is one my Grandma Edith taught me. We used to prepare it for family celebrations when I was little. It's perfect for kids to help with, it takes no time at all to put together, and you don't even bake it! Oh, and it's so freaking delicious, you'll eat the plate when you're done. Warning: no need to proceed without a love of Kahlua.

3 cups heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup coffee liqueur

2 packages Bordeaux cookies

1/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted

In a mixer bowl, beat cream until soft peaks form. Add coffee liqueur and beat until stiff peaks form. In bottom of 8" springform pan, arrange 9 whole cookies and one or two more broken cookie pieces as needed. Spread a generous 3/4 cup whipped cream over the cookies. Repeat layering four more times. Refrigerate four hours. Remove sides of pan and press pecans into sides of torte. Eat!

Guest interview: Cindy Sample & Outrageous Hot Chipotle Cake

  

Today I'm pleased to welcome my friend Cindy Sample, a fellow L&L Dreamspell author who brings humor and romance to her murder mysteries. Having been an avid reader from the age of four, Cindy's third-grade career ambition was to become a detective just like Nancy Drew.  At sixteen, she realized her inherent klutziness could be an impediment to becoming a private eye or super spy.  Her new mission was to be a mystery writer.

With a degree in history and a family to support, Cindy put aside her literary longings for a weekly paycheck, landing a job as a receptionist with a real estate office.  Her career path eventually led to the position of CEO of a nationwide company.

After one too many corporate mergers, Cindy found herself plotting murder instead of plodding through paperwork. DYING FOR A DATE, Cindy's debut novel, was voted the # 1 Romance in the 2010 Preditors and Editors Readers Poll. Rave reviews are already rolling in for her latest release, DYING FOR A DANCE.

Let’s say a couple of your characters are raiding your fridge right now, are they disappointed or excited about what they find? My refrigerator contents are about as eclectic as my favorite books. I have nutritional items like tofu and probiotic yogurt which are probably well past their expiration date. Protein shakes (in chocolate, of course) and chocolate whipped cream because… it exists.

Chocolate whipped cream--really? I need to spend more time browsing at the grocery store. But it’s stretching your boundaries time--is there a food you’d love to learn how to cook or a different genre or type of book you’d love to try to write? I have a mild case of ADD so while I love perusing cookbooks I never want to spend the time to chop, dice, or make anything that requires more than four ingredients. Although I have no patience for cooking, I have more than enough for writing. And you don’t get published without patience. I love writing mysteries, especially my series since it concentrates more on humor than homicide. It’s a thrill when people tell me how entertaining my books are. I would like to write something a little deeper and darker in the women’s fiction arena. I’m playing around with a plot line right now. I can’t reveal anything other than the title which I love – THE TANGO LESSON.

3.    If you could borrow one person’s zest for writing and/or life, whose and why? I admire several women who have taken their personal experiences, dosed them with humor, and provided wonderful articles, books, and screenplays.  My two favorites are Anne Lamott and Tina Fey. They are both brilliant in everything they write and produce.

 

Please share one cheesy “writing is like cooking” thought. Well, in my case, I throw in a lot of ingredients (the characters), add some spices (that would be the romance), stir it up and let them all simmer together until it’s cooked to perfection.  Sometimes the entrée is as much a surprise to me as it is to my readers.  Then the dessert would be something so delicious it just knocks them out of their chairs! 

Hot out of the oven: What inspired your latest book, and what ingredients do you hope make it a tasty treat for readers? My latest book, DYING FOR A DANCE was inspired when I took up ballroom dancing and discovered there is a wonderfully sleazy side to competitive ballroom dancing. My character, single mom Laurel McKay, is almost as klutzy as I am, so it was no surprise when she stumbled over a dead body while taking foxtrot lessons to learn a choreographed wedding routine for her best friend’s wedding. The grand finale includes an international ballroom competition with Laurel hot on the heels of the killer!  Also since I’m a firm believer in feeding the client, or now that I’m an author, feeding the fans, I love promoting with food, I bring dead body cookies and home-made two-inch chocolate stilettos to all of my book events.  I just purchased an eight-inch life-sized shoe mold and I can’t wait to use it for a contest!

What’s cooking? Can you share a bit about your next project? My next project will move the action from the California gold country to Kona, Hawaii. I’m planning on exploring coffee plantations (love that Kona coffee), vanilla plantations and macadamia nut farms. Not only will I be sampling coffee and nuts, since the title is DYING FOR A DAIQUIRI, I’ll be forced to sample a few daiquiris in search of the perfect recipe, which will definitely be included in the back of the book. 

Hmmm...do you need a research assistant? Well, we're almost done but first I have to ask, if you were marooned on an island and Pots & Pens granted your wish for only one book and one food, what would you choose? Everyone who knows me will get this answer right.  Chocolate, of course. And since this is my fantasy, dark chocolate salted caramels. I can’t imagine being stranded with only one book.  How about James Michener’s HAWAII. It’s long enough to entertain me yet again and hopefully will have useful tips on how to get off this island!

   

Recipe Row: What favorite recipe do you have for us today? I have a recipe that requires more than my usual four ingredients, but it is well worth it. I don’t have a photo handy because it’s our traditional Christmas Eve dessert, so you’ll just have to imagine it. 

OUTRAGEOUS HOT CHIPOTLE CAKE

10 oz. semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped

7 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces

5 large eggs, room temperature

1 cup sugar

½ tsp chili powder (you can add more if your taste buds can handle it)

Dash of cayenne pepper

1 tsp. cinnamon

Pinch of sale

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line the bottom of a 9 ½ inch spring-form pan with parchment paper.  Grease the sides and bottom with cooking spray.

Melt the chocolate and butter together over a double boiler or in the microwave, stirring occasionally until smooth.

Whisk the eggs and sugar in a large bowl then slowly whisk in the melted chocolate. Add salt and spices and taste, adjusting spices if needed.

Pour into the pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes clean.  Cool completely then dust with powdered sugar or serve with whipped cream. If you’re eating it at my house, you get the chocolate whipped cream. 

Well, I surely had no problem imagining that--I can almost taste it! Thanks for joining us today. You can find out more about Cindy at:  http://cindysamplebooks.com/

AND she's offering a giveaway for DYING FOR A DATE. Just comment on this post or on The Writers' Lens by Friday, Dec. 23, to enter the contest for a free ebook.

Author Interview: Ali Cross & Become

Today I’m happy to welcome Ali Cross to the Pots n’ Pens blog! Ali’s a former opera singer who had a short-lived ballerina experience turned fantastic YA and MG writer who has just released her first novel!

Thanks so much for stopping by today, Ali! Let’s just jump into it J

You just released your young adult novel, BECOME, this past Friday. The story centers around Desi the Devil's daughter, and her search to discover if the good or the bad in her will win out. Can you tell us a bit more about BECOME?

Well, people are not black or white, and neither is Desi. Neither are any of the people in her life. I think BECOME is like a caricature of real life--because we all struggle against our darker sides from time to time. 

As you worked on BECOME, what foods make you think of the book or your characters? Angel food cake or Devil's food cake perhaps ;) ? Does Desi have a favorite food?

Desi needs coffee. The darker the better--and none of those silly frufru drinks, either. Does coffee count as food? In one scene someone gives her a chicken salad croissant sandwich and Desi thinks she's never tasted anything so good.

Being a writer means inspiration can strike at any moment, so sometimes meals aren’t so gourmet. ;) … What’s a favorite go-to for you to get the family fed?

Um. McDonald's? Carl's Jr.? Haha you probably didn't mean that kind of go-to food, did you? Pancakes or waffles are always good! (We love breakfast for dinner around here!)

Haha! I’m so with you on breakfast for dinner! Though, at my house we lean more toward cold cereal! Lol! Anyway, moving on, who has been the best cook you know and what’s one of your favorite dishes they’ve served you?

The mother of my niece-in-law, Wendy is by far the best cook I know but I can't think of a single thing she's cooked for me that I liked better than the other. It seems there isn't any food she makes that isn't awesomely delicious!

What writerly snack food / drink do you keep on-hand at all times?

Sometimes when I'm stuck, a nice cup of hot chocolate helps fill the empty spots. I love Mike & Ike's too. :)

On the other hand, are you a snacky reader? If so, what are some of your faves?

You know? I am not a snacky reader! The words alone are feast enough.

What a great answer! But here’s a toughy for you. If you were marooned on an island and Pots & Pens granted you a wish for only one book and one food, what would you choose?

Oh man. Um, one book. That would have to be THE SUMMER TREE by Guy Gavriel Kay. Thefood? Well, I might as well go out in style so please let me have a box of my favorite fudge.

Yum! Fudge, you so can’t go wrong with that. And finally … what recipe of deliciousness have you got to share with us today?

I'm gonna share the recipe for that delicious fudge I love! I hope you love it as much as I do!

·         2 cups brown sugar

·         1 cup margarine

·         1 tsp vanilla

·         4 tbsp milk

·         4 spoonfuls cocoa powder, large spoonfuls

·         2 cups confectioner's sugar

·          

1. In a heavy pot, bring all but icing sugar to a full boil. Remove from stove.

2. With a mixer add the icing sugar.

3. Pour into greased pan. Refrigerate.

Thanks so much for inviting me to Pots 'n Pens today Windy! It was fun to think about my story from a different angle :)

Thanks again, Ali, for joining us today! Wishing you much success with your book (and hoping I can succeed making this fudge!).

And you can pick up a copy of Ali’s book in paperback at Amazon, for your Kindle, for your Nook, or at Smashwords! 

Happy Reading!

Harry Potter: The Series that Made my Stomach Growl

Now that we've introduced ourselves, get ready for a series of exciting interviews as well as blogs exploring the relationship between writing and food.

Take Harry Potter for example. Now only did J.K. Rowling open up the doors to a magical world of witches and wizards, but she also introduced an entire world of culinary delights such as pumpkin pasties, sugar quills, butter beer, and cauldron cakes just to name a few. And, while we as readers have never eaten such things, it isn't hard for us to imagine the way they would taste on our tongue.

Ear wax Bertie Bott's every flavour bean?

Um...yeah...

Anyway, as a die hard Harry Potter fan girl...

*cough*

*ahem*

Of course I would try my hand at making some of the foods talked about in the book. So, in honor of the Harry Potter finale now playing in theaters, I bring you my recipe for

Harry Potter Pumpkin Spice Cakes

And the best part is, they're really simple and really low in fat. Yay!

First, you'll need to gather your ingredients:

1 Box of Spice Cake Mix
1 Can of Pureed Pumpkin
1/2 Cup (or one of those individual cups) of Applesauce
1 Bag of Cinnamon Chips (located by the chocolate chips)

To start, preheat your over to 350 degrees. Add the cake mix, pumpkin, and applesauce together in a bowl and stir by hand until blended.

Next, add in the cinnamon chips.

When all the ingredients are combined, grease twenty-four muffin cups (I use the spray on vegetable oil) and fill each muffin cup with you cake mix. You can fill your muffin cups all the way to the top as your cakes will not rise that much.

Finally, put your cakes in the oven and bake for twenty-five minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. When the muffins are done, let them cool for five minutes and enjoy.

Ah, it's a trip to Hogwarts with every bite.

How about you? Are there any iconic books with food you wish you could try?

Meet the Contributors: Jonathan Schkade

I must confess it: I love food. No, not all foods, and I'm even on bad terms with many highly respected delicacies, but by and large, food and I get along very well.

Okay, that might not be a shocking statement on a cooking-related blog. Maybe this second confession will seem stranger: there are few things that relax me more than chopping vegetables. Seriously. If I’ve had a long day and want to unwind, it’s not uncommon for me to pull out some carrots or peppers or—my favorite—onions and get chopping. Often this is before I have any idea what I’m going to cook. But that’s half the fun.

I usually write the same way. First, I pull out my current manuscript and sees what’s in the “veggie drawer.” Generally there are characters who have to be in the next scene, a setting to put them against (think cutting board), and hopefully a problem that can cut my characters to the core. Still, until I finish attacking them with that problem, I have no idea how the concept will change. I can’t blame the ingredients. I’m the one who chose them. Sometimes I fail, but sometimes, in both the manuscript and the kitchen, something magical happens. Voila!

Thinking about a recipe to share here, I realized that my most recent book is packed with people eating and being eaten by gross and scary critters. There are even sticky recipes for kids on my site. But since Pots 'n Pens readers are a lovely, high-class bunch, I thought I’d start out with something more pleasant: rainbow cake.

This dessert and I go back to when I was a wee thing. Through birthdays, dinner parties, and sassy summer evenings, if I’m looking for a refreshing snack and a bit of inspiration, rainbow cake never fails me. And, of course, rainbows are symbols of hope and promise—intangibles that all writers can use in abundance.

RAINBOW CAKE

1 (3-oz. pkg.) strawberry gelatin

1 (3-oz. pkg.) orange gelatin

1 (3-oz. pkg.) lime gelatin

1 cup sliced strawberries

1 small can mandarin oranges, drained

¾ cup blueberries, drained

1 large angel food cake (Here’s a recipe link if you want to make it from scratch.)

2 quarts vanilla ice cream, slightly softened

Divide cake into 3 equal parts. In medium-size bowls, break up cake into small pieces. Mix dry gelatin into cake pieces (1 part strawberry, 1 part orange, 1 part lime).

Layer ingredients in angel food tin with removable bottom in following order: strawberry cake pieces, thawed strawberries, 1/3 of the ice cream; orange cake pieces, mandarin oranges, 1/3 of the ice cream; lime cake pieces, blueberries, final third of the ice cream. (I suggest using your clean hands to mash the ice cream evenly.)

Cover with foil and freeze overnight or longer. To serve, unmold. If fully frozen, I recommend pulling it out of the freezer 5 minutes before serving. Can be refrozen. Beautiful and delicious.

Note: I like them, but the blueberries get a little hard, so feel free to substitute pineapple, kiwi, peaches, or whatever fruit strikes your fancy.

Eat and enjoy!