Hope you’re enjoying the beautiful spring weather wherever you are. We had mild winter here in New Hampshire, barely a snow flake in sight. The ski mountains had a rough winter, that’s for sure. Then suddenly at the beginning of April we started getting snow. No kidding. The crocuses were already blooming and green shoots were coming up. Then Mother Nature pulled an April Fool’s trick! Spring always takes a little longer to arrive in New England, and we just roll with it. (Like we have a choice!)

But when spring and summer finally DO arrive around here, we pull out all the stops and celebrate! We spend so much time indoors during the winter, so it’s a relief to get out of the kitchen and enjoy the great outdoors while we can.

That’s one reason I love this simple Lemon Cream Strawberry Angel Food Cake. It’s made in a flash by using a purchased angel food cake and lemon curd or spend a few more minutes to make it from scratch. (Click here for my easy homemade lemon curd recipe.)

I love lemon everything in spring and summer. How ’bout you? Fresh squeezed lemonade, lemon mousse, lemon tarts, lemon bars and this light and airy Lemon Cream Strawberry Angel Food Cake.

The combination of mouth puckering sweet and tart lemon curd, lemon whipping cream and luscious strawberries is irresistible.

This Lemon Cream Strawberry Angel Food Cake is a show stopper and perfect for all your spring and summer entertaining.

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Lemon Cream Strawberry Angel Food Cake

Angel food cake layered with lemon curd, lemon cream, and fresh strawberries for a light and airy dessert.

Course Dessert

Servings 1 cake

Author Allie

Ingredients

• 1 angel food cake homemade or purchased
• 1 pint 16 ounces heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest
• 2 cups lemon curd divided (homemade or purchased)
• 16 ounces fresh strawberries washed & sliced
• Additional lemon zest for garnish

Instructions

• In metal mixing bowl, whip heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form.
• Gently stir in 1 cup lemon curd and 2 tablespoons lemon zest.
• Set aside lemon cream mixture.
• Slice angel food cake horizontally, evenly into three rounds.
• Spread 1/2 cup lemon curd on the bottom 2 layers,
• Then spread both layers with 1/3 lemon cream mixture.
• Add a layer of fresh sliced strawberries.
• Stack layers on top of each other, ending with the cake top.
• Dollop remaining 1/3 of lemon cream mixture on top.
• Garnish with lemon zest and sliced strawberries.
• Serve immediately or refrigerate.

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You may also like:

Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins

Mile High Buttermilk Biscuits

Bakery Style Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Our two oldest children live out of state, they decided to come into town on Wednesday and stay to attend the memorial service on Saturday. The thought of the kids coming home immediately lifted my husbands spirits.

Tuesday morning I woke up, got the kids out the door to school and made my large to do list of all the things I needed to get done before the memorial. I had just finished my list when I heard a door open and wondered who was walking in the house this early in the morning.

Then I heard the little voice of my darling 15 month old granddaughter. Our two oldest children decided to surprise us by coming home a day early. It was just what we needed to brighten our day and lighten our load.

The next few days were spent getting things in order for the memorial service, all of our children pitched in helping where ever help was needed.  My granddaughter kept her self entertained by chasing around our 2 kittens. Hearing her laughter when she discovered where the kittens were hiding made everyone smile.

There are many things that can bring comfort at times like these. My husband wanted to have as much time as possible visiting with the family and friends who took the time to attend his father’s memorial. Inviting  everyone who attended to stay for dinner was the perfect solution. I made sure we had more than enough food for all of us. I would rather send people home with food than have to worry about running short by even one serving. I also made sure the  menu included plenty of delicious comfort foods. What was the one dish that was gone early in the evening? These deviled berries, combining fresh berries with this cool, light and tangy fruit filling was a hit with everyone. Thank you Teri and Jenny from Spoon Fork Bacon for the wonderful recipe, everyone agreed…….

This Pin Rocks!

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Deviled Berries

Author Adapted by Made From Pinterest

Ingredients

• 1 8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened
• 2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons superfine sugar
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1 lemon zested
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 ¼ cups heavy cream
• 16 large strawberries tops cut and split in half lengthwise
• 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs

Instructions

• Place room temperature cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, lemon juice, zest, and vanilla in a medium mixing bowl. Beat together with an electric mixer, until smooth.
• Scrape down sides of the bowl and set aside.
• In another chilled mixing bowl with use an electric mixer to beat the cream until stiff peaks form.
• Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until fully incorporated.
• Slice the backs of each strawberry, every so slightly, so they sit up straight. Using a small measuring spoon or melon baller, carefully hollow the inner center of each strawberry.
• Fill a piping bag or Zip Loc bag (fitted with a star tip) with the cream cheese mixture and pipe into each cut strawberry, raspberry and blueberry.
• Finish each with a sprinkle of crushed graham cracker crumbs and serve.

 This post is linked to Keeping It Simple, Skip to my Lou, and Making the World Cuter

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What was the occasion?

Grandchild number three was born.  We now have three grandsons!

Aren’t new babies a miracle?

Although I do have two daughters, I did not give birth to them as they are both adopted, so I have never experienced childbirth for myself.  Therefore, witnessing my grandchild’s birth was an overwhelming experience.  This is the second time that I have been privileged enough to participate in seeing a grandchild be born.

I did witness the miraculous birth of our adopted son and I can’t even let myself think about this experience without welling up in tears.  Because I was never able to get pregnant, being able to be present while he was born was a gift that I will eternally be grateful for however that will be a story for another day.

Today we are celebrating that mommy and baby are healthy and safe.  We are  celebrating that a sweet, new little spirit is joining our family.  We are celebrating the miracle of childbirth.  And we are celebrating that we get to be an eternal family through the blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  If you  want to know more about our religion, click HERE.

No matter what you are celebrating, good food is always in order and these Strawberry and Cream Cheese Pinwheels sure fit the bill!  Quick and easy to make, these light and fruity morsels make a great presentation and will be gobbled up in no time.

Quick and easy are just what I need right now as I don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen because I have a new grandbaby to hold!  So here we go!

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Strawberries and Cream Cheese Pinwheels

Course Appetizer

Author Made From Pinterest

Ingredients

• 8 oz pkg cream cheese softened
• 1 cup fresh strawberries diced
• Pinch of cinnamon
• 4-5 flour tortillas

Instructions

• Combine the softened cream cheese, cinnamon and strawberries and stir until blended.
• Lay your tortillas out flat and spread cream cheese mixture on each tortilla and then roll the tortilla up.
• Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours
• When ready to serve, cut into slices about 1-1 1/2" thick.

Quick!  Make some of these up and go celebrate being with YOUR family!

A big shout out to Mothertime Marketplace for the inspiration for these Strawberry and Cream Cheese Pinwheels because…This Pin Rocks!

We’re sharing this post with:

Living Well Spending Less

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We’re sharing these ideas at:  Home Stories A to Z, A Bowl Full of Lemons

The post 11 Valentine’s Day Ideas We Love! appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

This pin rocks!

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Heart Shaped Chocolate Strawberries

Author Adapted from 1 Fine Cookie

Ingredients

• 1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 Tablespoons Shortening
• Red Candy Melts
• Strawberries
• toothpicks

Instructions

• After washing and thoroughly drying the strawberries, remove the leaves. I tore them off by hand.
• Next cut the strawberries in half, and slice a little V at the top. Turn the strawberries cut side down and insert a toothpick to hold them together. I turned mine right side up again, and filled that little V cut with some Nutella.
• Strawberries can also be filled marshmallow fluff or leave them plain, whatever you prefer.
• Dry the cut side well with a paper towel and slather it with some melted chocolate. I used semi sweet chocolate chips thinned with 2 Tablespoons of vegetable shortening to make the chocolate shiny and easy to work with.
• To melt the chocolate using a microwave safe bowl, put the chocolate and shortening into the microwave for 1 minute on high. Stir the chocolate chips. They will not be all the way melted. Microwave in 30 second increments and stir until chips and shortening are melted and smooth. Don't over microwave your chocolate. It is best to stir when there are a few lumps of unmelted chocolate and just keep stirring until they melt.
• When that layer of chocolate has hardened, you can remove the toothpick. The hardened chocolate will hold the two halves together.
• Lay wax paper under a cooling rack and turn the strawberries over. Pour a spoonful of chocolate over the strawberries, pushing around the edges to get good coverage.
• After the chocolate on top of the strawberries has hardened, melt red candy melts using the same method used for the chips (no shortening is needed for candy melts). Drizzle candy melt over the top.
• These are best eaten within 4-6 hours of being made and are best stored room temperature until serving.

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Well you are in luck as these things are in the lineup for this week’s posts as we get closer and closer to America’s Patriotic Holiday!

When I was a teenager, I was able to visit Czechoslovakia when it was still considered behind the “Iron Curtain” and under a communist regime.  I remember being very scared as we went over the border.  We were in our travel bus but had to wait for the bus to be cleared.  As we waited we were instructed not to take any pictures of the border.  Coiled barbed wire topped the cement grey chain link fence.  Soldiers that  wielded guns took the guard dogs to sniff the bus for drugs.  Our bus was relieved of  our luggage as they laid out and opened all of our suitcases to check its contents.

I wanted to go home.

As a young and unseasoned traveler, this experience made me so grateful for the security, liberties and freedoms that I enjoyed in my home country.  It was good for me to see how other people lived and to appreciate the country, as imperfect as it is, in which I grew up.

After my european trip was over, when the plane landed on the runway in the United States of America, I wanted to kiss the ground.  Very few times since have I felt as patriotic as I did then.  And every year when the 4th of July rolls around, this memory refreshes itself in my mind and makes me grateful once again for the life that I have been blessed to lead.

In preparing for the 4th, I was looking for some red, white, and blue food ideas when I found and pinned these 4th of July Strawberries from The Sisters Cafe.  Don’t these just jump out at you?

Super easy to make, here is all you need:

Strawberries

White chocolate or vanilla candy melts. (I used candy melts)

Blue Sugar  Crystals.  Here is what I used:

Wash and thoroughly dry your strawberries.

In a microwave safe bowl, melt your white chocolate or candy melts until thoroughly melted.  Make sure you don’t overcook and burn your chocolate.

Dip your strawberry but don’t dip all the way.  Leave some of the red of the strawberry at the top so you can clearly see all three colors, red, white and blue.

This is no muy bueno.  See how you can barely see any red at the top?

This is muy bueno.  Make sure you leave a stripe of red berry at the top!

Drain off all excess white chocolate from the strawberry until it no longer drips and then dip into the blue sugar crystals. Place on waxed paper until dry.

These firmed up very quickly and made a beautiful presentation of red, white and blue!

Your guests will think that you slaved all day but I promise…with these you can impress without stress!  They are so easy!

Easy AND impressive?  Those two things alone ensure that This Pin Rocks!

Are you looking for some other ideas for the Fourth of July?  You are?  Then check out these great posts!

Layered Patriotic Drink 

Patriotic Ice Cream Sandwiches.

 Jello Stars.

Sand Candles are a quick craft.

Or try these Paper Whirligigs.

And every holiday needs it’s own wreath.

Partying with these great sites today:

 Org Junkie – Mad in Crafts – Keeping it Simple – DIY Showoff – This Gal Cooks – I should be mopping the floor – A Pinch of Joy – Flour Me with Love – Southern Fairy Tale – Jembellish – Plaid and Paisley Kitchen

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