cherry cake

We set out on a mission early last weekend to check out a small farmer's market in our town where we bought some fresh berries. We also picked up some bing cherries but I still had a batch that I bought on sale at the grocery. I thought it was best to try to make a dessert with them. My search led me to the Joy of Baking website once again. I love their recipes, baking tips and videos. Many cake recipes in the website become less complicated thanks to the videos. This cherry cake recipe caught my attention as I've never made it before. It was exactly what I was looking for. I like the striking contrast of the juicy red bing cherries and the light cake batter. The cake was at its best the day it was baked.

Too bad most of the cherries I put on top sank and didn't come out as perfect as in the picture in the website but the cake was super moist with the cherries. It was very good fresh but the next day, as the cake absorbed too much moisture from the cherries, it became less appealing although the flavor was still good.

best the day it was baked

bing cherries (above) and my other favorite rainier cherries (below)

kohlrabi

It's always interesting to get our organic produce box and discover vegetables that we've never seen and tried before like this kohlrabi which comes in green and purple varieties. I think the purple color is beautiful and the way the stems come out and extend from the sides makes it very unique.

We first tried them raw, simply cut into matchstick-size strips, in a salad along with carrot strips, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and romaine as shown above and below. The kohlrabi can easily take the place of crunchy jicama or radish. It has a mild taste similar to cabbage. It's often described as a cross between cabbage and parsnip. I also tried to cook it with ground pork and scrambled eggs as a filling for fresh spring rolls wrapped in Vietnamese or Thai softened rice paper. It made a perfect substitute to water chestnuts which are most often used for additional texture and flavor in Asian cuisine.

fresh fruit basket

This refreshing combination of fresh fruits was just what we needed to help us beat the summer heat! I've never made a watermelon basket before so this was a fun project for me. I found so many creative carved fruit baskets online. This idea with a scalloped rim was just one of the simplest.

Happy 4th of July !!!