Raspberry Pavlova

What does one do with the last small bowl of raspberries and four people to share them with?

Make Pavlova!

Confession: I have only made pavlova once before this summer.

I have no idea why. 

I've made it twice in the past few weeks. 

Pavlova is so easy to make. 

I mean really easy. 

I put two egg whites in the mixer bowl and whipped to a froth, then slowly added 1/2 cup of sugar. When they were whipped and glossy white I scooped spoonfuls onto a silpat lined baking sheet. Then, they were popped into a preheated 200 degree F oven for two hours. Once they were done baking -don't let them brown - I pulled them out of the oven and left them on the cookie sheet to cool.

Once cool, I whipped up some Chantilly Cream (whipping cream with a bit of sugar and vanilla) spooned some onto each meringue and added a few berries. So easy. So good. And the berries were divided equally between the five of us. My daughter will be so jealous when she gets back from camp...

If you haven't tried making pavlova yet (unless I am alone here in my previous pavlovaless life) I definitely recommend it. It takes some planning ahead, but very little hands on time. 

Tart, sweet, fresh berries...luscious whipped cream...and crunchy, chewy melt-in-your-mouth meringue...delicious.

Feeling Blessed

I am loving the daisies growing in the backyard and have been enjoying bunches of them on my kitchen table.

This week I am really enjoying the small blessings in life.

My hubby was unexpectedly out of work for a week and a half which unfortunately caused some severe budgeting changes right at the beginning of cherry season. Very disappointing...until a friend who is the lucky owner of five cherry trees called. She had too many cherries and wanted to know if we would be interested in two trees to pick! YES PLEASE! Not only did I get what I am sure was over a hundred pounds of cherries for free, but my husband was also home to pick them while I processed.

I spent three days in the kitchen canning cherries, three kinds of jam, and two ice-cream sauces: cherry almond and chocolate cherry (which I like mixing with some whipped cream and using as a filling in chocolate cake). For three nights I pit cherries until very late while catching up on some movie watching...and froze two dozen bags of pitted cherries. We've eaten cherries by the bowl full, made pie, and I even tried making cherry pyrahi, a flavour I have never made or tasted.

They were really good (although strawberry is still my favourite). I was able to process way more cherries than I was planning on buying. My canning cupboard is starting to fill up already! 

Last night, I was able to head over to one of my parent's neighbours who were away for a few days. Before they left they asked if I would be interested in picking their raspberries while they were gone! The boys and I have been eating raspberries all morning (my daughter is away at her first girl's summer camp this week). I was able to freeze six bags of raspberries for our favourite raspberry, lemon muffins this fall... 

In between my picking, processing and eating the yummy goodness of summer I was able to read "The Dirty Life" by Kristin Kimball which I loved. "Farm porn" for us would be farmers. In the book she talks about her husband's "magic circle" luck that seems to follow him and gives him a belief in the human tendency towards goodwill and kindness. I have witnessed a little of that this week and am very grateful...

Thank- you so much.