strawberries

Angel Food Cake and Macerated Strawberries with Vanilla Bourbon and Brown Sugar

Fresh Picked Strawberries

Father’s Day in our house is weird, as the both my Dad and my children’s Dad are no longer with us. We are in this mode for a few years now so the sting isn’t as strong but it is for sure not the big family get together so many people we know celebrate. Add to it Covid and sheltering at home. Add to it the world being angry and unfolding. Things just look really really different this year.

I have been pondering the many father figures throughout my life and those who have impacted my children’s lives. It’s the everyday things that have touched my heart as a mom that I’ve centered on. Like the one time when things were rougher , a family friend ventured way out onto the sand bars with my son to talk and just see how far out they could go. Or the one who volunteered every year to bring my daughter to the Father/Daughter dance. The coaches and teachers who have stepped up to practice or check in, the friends who have given advice or just asked the questions. It is a reminder that in a time of isolation, we are not and have never been alone.

So many reasons to grieve on Father’s Day for some. For those who never knew their Dad, or for those who did and it was a disappointment. For those who were lucky to have a wonderful father taken away too soon, or those who have a Dad with them now but wait while sickness is a slowly fought battle. It’s this life, this beautiful heart breaking life, that makes us or destroys us, and kind of transcends all of the other things. We all have fathers. We all come from some family story.

My Dad was not a berry picker. He was however, a fan of strawberry shortcake. I have never really chosen this as my ideal dessert, it’s a dry biscuit to juicy berry and whipped cream thing. I haven’t loved it. However, my brain got to thinking…could we make this better?

This year I wondered if there would be berry picking, so many things are slowly opening up and when they do…it all looks different. I understand the reasons and I am a mask wearer social distance pro, soap and sanitizer freak. But berry picking, if at all possible, is a go out in the field isolated event. So when I heard my local farm was allowing you pick, I was there. Early. With the rest of the weirdos who like that thing. It was glorious.

I was listening to the people around me. The older women speaking in another language. The two friends talking about their grown children, families with little ones shouting “I found the perfect strawberry!” It was wonderful. Now, I understand that to MANY the idea of kneeling in the hay picking berries in the early morning sun may seem like a horrible task…but for me, I’m pretty happy in that scene. I’ve embraced it. Even flying solo, there is a peaceful rhythm to it all.

A flat of berries and two batches of freezer jam later, I still had berries. So, shortcake it is.

Only…

What if I took an angel food cake recipe and then made the berries darker and boozier?

Angel food cake is easy to make. It’s egg whites whipped until stiff peaks form and then sifted dry ingredients are folded in. The mixer does most of the work. For a Schitt’s Creek fan, the phrase “fold in the cheese” comes to mind. You gently fold in flour and sugar that’s been sifted several times to be light and fluffy and bake.

The berries are simply mixed with brown sugar and bourbon and left alone. When you are ready, slice the cake, spoon the berry mixture on top, and if you like whipped cream, add it. I would like to say I made homemade whipped cream for this. I did not. Hey, I made the cake. I also like mine without. But if I did make the whipped cream, I would be adding maybe a little of the same bourbon to that, because I can.

My Dad loved Angel Food Cake. We haven’t had it since before he passed, and it was a treat to spend Father’s Day thinking of him, using his mixer, and assembling something I think he would have enjoyed.

We don’t get to chose our Dads. If we are lucky, we get a good one. If we aren’t, we get to decide what we do with the hurt that comes along with it. We get to decide how we raise our children, whether it be similarly or vastly different. We get to choose the next part of our story. We get to map out the next steps, even if we don’t see the whole path ahead.

Friends, I wish you light and love today. For those who have been hurting and broken, I feel you. I have been more humbled and fragmented lately than ever, but the best way. The kind where you realize all the stuff you didn’t know and work on doing the right thing. The place where you unearth the junk and figure it out. Which is hard stuff. But, if we are going to be home with our thoughts for say months on end, we might as well do the hard work, right?

So get to cracking those eggs and separating out the whites. Put your mixer on, sift and fold. And then, slice a big piece of heaven and cover it with sweet berries. It’s a beautiful thing. It really is. And if for some reason you decide to eat leftovers fro breakfast, that’s totally okay too. Fruit, egg whites…it’s all good.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always, thank you for coming to the table.

Love, Chrissy

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Angel Food Cake and Macerated Strawberries with Vanilla Bourbon and Brown Sugar

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Light, spongy cake covered in a sweet bourbon strawberry sauce.

  • Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Ingredients

Scale

Mascerated Strawberries:

  • 2–3 Cups of sliced fresh Strawberries (more if you want more)
  • 1/3 Cup to 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar (depending on how sweet you want them)
  • 1/4 Cup Vanilla Bourbon (again, you can adjust this to taste)

Angel Food Cake

  • 1 1/2 Cups Egg Whites (approximately 9 Large Eggs)
  • 1 Teaspoon Cream of Tartar
  • 1 Teaspoon Almond Extract (this can also be 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla, 1/2 Teaspoon Almond, or 1 Teaspoon Vanilla)
  • 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
  • 1 1/4 Cups Flour (I used regular, you can also use Cake Flour – you are sifting either way)
  • 1 3/4 Cups White Granulated Sugar 

 

Instructions

  1. Prepare a Tube Pan with spray and flour and set aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 325*
  3. Separate Egg Whites and with a mixer, beat until stiff peaks form. 
  4. Add Cream of Tartar, and extract. Beat until combined.
  5. Sift Flour, Sugar, and Salt several times to combine and make lighter. (I did this approximately five times)
  6. Gently fold dry ingredients into egg white mixture. 
  7. Pour cake mixture into tube pan and place in the oven.
  8. Bake for approx. 45 – 50 minutes. 

Berries:

 1. Slice berries and combine with bourbon and brown sugar. (I used a vanilla bourbon but that’s what I had on hand).

2. Mix thoroughly and set aside in the refrigerator to allow flavors to blend until ready to eat. I am a firm believer that you can add more or less of any of these ingredients to taste.

Notes

I have seen recipes where you can place the cake pan in the cold oven and bake at 325* for 60 minutes. 

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On Raising Humans and Strawberry Jello Pretzel / Pretzel Jello Salad

It’s funny, because when I started this blog post back in February, I have no idea what I planned to write. But here I sit, and the title still works, so we will go from there.

We find ourselves in a pandemic. I said to my daughter last night, “You get that you are living history right now?” Which, in truth is both interesting and really scary. She looked over at me and smiled. I’ll take it. In a time when we are spending a whole lot of time with our own children, smiles are good things.

As a Reading Teacher in a pretty good sized school, I get the privilege of seeing a lot of little faces. Many cannot pronounce my last name correctly, and that’s ok. I answer to a lot of things. I also get to do the announcements in the morning, and I am missing the jokes of the day I get handed to me on scraps of paper from the students. It’s all of the tiny moments that make up the school day. I really do have great stories. I often say, “If you didn’t work here, you wouldn’t believe it.” And my colleagues? I am one of the lucky ones. Our building is family. That’s a gift.

This week was the onset of “distance learning.” A week where teachers are gathering materials and supporting students online. A time where parents are with their children all day, and working on materials they may or may not understand. It’s all very different looking, and feeling. We are finding work spaces in our home spaces. We are thankful for the internet. We are trying to make it work. And it is challenging for many.

I’ll just say it, raising humans is hard and exhausting. Go back and reread that, because it is worth repeating. If you are a parent and you are depleted at the end of the day, and wondering…”Did I do everything I could?” breathe, you are normal.

We don’t always use our teacher voices when we talk to our own kids. We don’t always see their struggles like we would our students, because, well, they have us for parents…how hard can their lives be?

Now, my kids have always been my priority, and we are past the help with bathing, help with potty, help with bedtime rituals. They don’t really need me. I mean, they need me but not really. I think I did a good job raising them and then, I realize an area where I just missed the mark. Where I say to myself, “how did I miss that?” or “I could have handled that this way.” Hindsight is awesome, isn’t it?

When I knew I wanted to have children, I had three foundational rules as a mom. 1. I would say the following things and mean it. “I am sorry”, “I am proud of you”, and “You are loved.” 2. I would step back and give myself a few breaths before reacting. 3. I would cuddle and hug my kids if they let me. I was raised by non-huggers. I have worked to become a hugger, but I think I actually raised cacti. But hey, we try. I hope I have succeeded in these goals. My eerie calm when stuff goes down proves the step back part worked…but I still find pockets of sucky parenting if I analyze it enough.

So, that being said, one phrase I hate to hear is, “There is nothing to eat.”

Cue the evil eye.

Here is a recipe that will not get that comment. I’ve realize that “There’s nothing to eat” actually means, “I don’t see anything in the fridge I want to eat.” Different sentence. This is not one of those things. This is a birthday, Easter, and picnic/gathering staple. Is it dessert? Is it a side dish? Is it called Jello-Pretzel or Pretzel Jello salad? I don’t know. I just know if I make it the kids eat it.

This was first introduced by the amazing Nonni in PA, and I lost her recipe somewhere along the line and the internet found me another one. I think they are all pretty much the same in that it is a layer of salty pretzels, a layer of cream cheese cool whip goodness, and a layer of strawberries in Jello.

Don’t judge. Salty, sweet, creamy, crunchy. It’s good stuff.

I guess if I were going to parallel it to parenting, its got the whole spectrum, the ups and downs, the smooth and the rough. It’s not just one thing, ever. And, I am finding as my children become adults, the worries get bigger and harder. But that’s for another blog post.

Make this dish. You won’t be disappointed. I am not sure what our Easter will look like, but I can guarantee this will be on the table.

Oh, and you are doing a great job raising your kids, in case no one has told you today.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always, thank you for coming to the table,

Chrissy

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Strawberry Jello Pretzel / Pretzel Jello Salad

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This is a layered side dish/dessert that consists of a salty crushed pretzel layer, a sweet cream cheese cool whip layer, and topped with a strawberry jello layer. If you can use fresh strawberries that’s amazing but frozen work just as well!

  • Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Ingredients

Scale

Pretzel Layer

  • 2 Cups crushed pretzel rods
  • 3/4 Cup melted butter (I use salted)
  • 3 Tablespoons Sugar

Cream Cheese Layer:

  • 8 Ounce package of cream cheese
  • 8 Ounce container of frozen whipped topping (cool whip)
  • 3/4 Cup Sugar

Strawberry Layer:

  • 6 Ounce package Strawberry Gelatin 
  • 2 Cups Boiling Water
  • 20 Ounces Frozen Strawberries (or Fresh)

Instructions

  1. Preheat Oven to 400*
  2. Mix crushed pretzels, butter, and sugar together and press into a 9×13 pan. This should form a thin pretzel crust. 
  3. Bake for 7 minutes and set aside to cool.
  4. In a mixer, combine cool whip and cream cheese to a light fluffy texture. 
  5. Spread over cooled pretzel crust and refrigerate until chilled.
  6. Combine boiling water, Jello, and strawberries and combine. Cool slightly.
  7. Pour strawberry mixture over cream cheese layer and refrigerate.
  8. When the Jello Layer is set, cut and serve.

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