Use your favorite tart shell recipe. Then mix up brown sugar, butter, flour and cinnamon. Bake the tart for about 15 minutes at 375, but remove before it browns. Line the shell with 3/4 of the brown sugar mixture, arrange sliced peaches. Brush peaches with apricot preserves. Sprinkle the rest of the brown sugar on top of the peaches. Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes until bubbly. Oven may smoke a bit from the sugar on top.

My daughter’s 18th birthday cake – Chocolate on Chocolate

My Aunt’s 70th birthday – Checkerboard Cake

You’ll need a trifle bowl for this.

• 2 packages Berry Blue Jello
• 2 packages Cherry Jello
• 3 packages Jello Instant Vanilla Pudding
• 2 large containers of Cool Whip
• Pint and 1/2 Strawberries
• Pint Blueberries
• 2 cups hot water
• 2 cups ice cubes
• 3 cups skim milk

Use 2 separate mixing bowls and put the blue jello powder in one and the red in the other. Put one cup boiling water in each bowl. Mix the jello until dissolved. Then add 1 cup of ice to each bowl and mix. Let sit while you make pudding. Mix the 3 packages of pudding powder with the 3 cups of milk until blended. Put in the fridge for a few minutes to set. Remove any ice leftover in the red and blue jello bowl. Mix 1/2 of the pudding into each of the jello mixes and whisk well. Let set in the fridge for 15 minutes. Meanwhile wash fruit and slice strawberries.

Assemble the dish. Spoon 1/2 red jello in trifle bowl, cover with 1/2 strawberry layer, add some Cool Whip. Next add blue jello layer, top with blueberries and then more Cool Whip. Repeat the layers and top with Cool Whip and berries. Refrigerate for several hours to set.

I used the Joy of Baking recipe for this delicious tart. It disappeared rather quickly!

Chocolate Macadamia Nut Pie with Chocolate Heart and Chocolate Letters

I made this, along with some vanilla bean chocolate chunk ice cream, for some people I needed to thank. It went over quite well. It is sinfully delicious! I got the recipe from my Favorite Brand Name Best-Loved Chocolate Recipes book and added my own personal touches.

I made homemade pound cake using this recipe. Delicious! I just added grated lemon zest and the juice of 1/2 lemon. I baked it in 6 small loaf pans so it would bake faster. Then I whipped heavy cream with a bit of powdered sugar. Alternate cake chunks with sliced strawberries and cream.

I am always looking for ways to use my abundance of winter tomatoes (S Florida’s growing season). This is delicious!

Grilled Eggplant Spinach Tomato Soup

• 1 medium size eggplant, peeled and sliced into 3/4 inch slices
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 bag baby spinach
• 5 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 onion
• 2 TBS basil pesto
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes or canned

Brush eggplant both sides with olive oil. Grill until nice and golden on both sides with grill marks. About 4 minutes each side. Saute onions in olive oil until translucent with a bit of salt. Add garlic and saute for 2 minutes stirring so it does not burn. Add chicken stock and water. Add spinach and stir until it reduces in size. This will happen quickly. Chop up grilled eggplant and add the rest of the ingredients (except for pesto.) Let this all cook for about 15 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup. Add the pesto at the end and stir. Serve with croutons. This will make about 6 servings.

• 2 C Flour
• 3 tsp. Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• Pinch Grated Nutmeg
• 1 C Sugar
• 1 tsp. Orange Extract
• 1 Large Egg
• 5 Tbsp. Melted Butter
• 1/2 C Milk
• 1/2 C Sour Cream
• 1/2 C Orange juice
• 1/2 C choc chips

Beat butter and sugar. Add egg, orange extract. In separate bowl mix dry ingredients. Mix together milk/OJ/sour cream. Add dry ingredients alternating with milk/OJ/sour cream mixture. Mix in choc chips. Pour into greased and floured 8 inch square Pirex pan. Bake at 350 (convection bake if you have that) until done. 25-35 min depending on your oven. Do not overbake.

Mix 1/2 C powder sugar, 25 melted choc chips, 1/2 tsp. orange extract with enough orange juice to make right consistency and drizzle over top of cake when done. 9 servings. Serve with your favorite ice cream.

Here are 2 great cookbooks for kids I reviewed for Good Reads with Ronna on LA Parent’s website:

Honest Pretzels by Molly Katzen, featuring all delicious, healthy vegetarian dishes and adorable illustrations.

In the Kitchen with Kids: Every Day Recipes & Activities for Healthy Living by the Junior League, featuring everything kids love made the healthy way.

I highly recommend these two beautiful books for getting your children not only interested in cooking, but teaching them about healthy food choices.

Now on to traveling. If you are planning a trip to Germany, read Germany by Lonely Planet Books. I reviewed the book for Wandering Educators.

The best chocolate cake recipe is Hershey’s Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake. But I have to confess, I do not use Hershey’s cocoa. I use Ghiradelli instead. It’s much better. Also I substitute 1/2 of the milk for Half and Half (Half cream/half milk). You can change the flavor of this easily too. Use creme de menthe instead of vanilla, for a mint cake. Use orange extract with grated orange rind, use amaretto for almond flavor or almond extract and so on. Yum!

Here’s a birthday/Christmas cake I made for our friend, Ben,