A New Dessert for the Holiday

Vanilla Cakes with Strawberries and Blueberries are a staple on the Fourth of July.  However, here is a great recipe to make a different red, white, and blue dessert.  You can make mini berry pavlovas at home for your party next weekend  You can find more great Fourth of July recipes at The Kitchn.


Mini Summer Berry Pavlovas with Strawberry Sauce
Serves 8

1 pound strawberries, hulled and cut into quarters
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 mini pavlova shells, baked and cooled
2 cups fresh berries (any combination of raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, or sliced strawberries)


Combine the quartered strawberries, granulated sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until sugar has dissolved and the liquid at the bottom of the pan is simmering. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Using a blender or food processor, process the fruit into a smooth sauce. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate until cool. (Sauce can be made and refrigerated up to 3 days in advance.)

Combine the cream, powdered sugar and vanilla in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.

To assemble, place a pavlova shell on a plate and top with a spoonful of strawberry sauce, a dollop of whipped cream and a scattering of fresh berries. Repeat with remaining shells. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
The baked pavlova shells, once cooled, can be kept in an airtight container for several hours, or frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw for 2 hours at room temperature.

Things To Do

There are tons of things to do in Happy Valley during the summer weekends. Check out this cave and water park in happy valley. It is America’s only all water cavern. It is also a working farm today. Keep reading to learn more.

America's only all-water cavern and wildlife park are nestled in Central Pennsylvania's scenic Penn State Country.

The cavern tour is a guided one-hour tour by motorboat on an underground stream. Along the limestone corridors, stalagmites, stalactites, flowstone cascades and draperies decorate the interior rooms, while underwater, trout swim and jump for feed!

The farm and wildlife tour is a guided 90-minute motorized tour over 1,500 acres of Penn's Cave forests and fields which have been carefully preserved as a natural habitat for birds, plants, and animals. North American animals, such as bears, wolves, elk, deer, bobcats, bison, longhorn cattle, mustangs as well as the Penn's Cave Icon, the cougar, are seen, along with the African adventure museum.

Penn's Cave also remains a working farm operation, and was presented with the Century Farm Award in 2008 by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.

Spend the day at Penn's Cave & Wildlife Park! You will be entertained, as well as educated about the geology, biology, geography and agriculture of Central Pennsylvania.

More here: http://www.pennscave.com/

A New Take on Pasta and Rice

Are you looking for a new healthy alternative for lunch and dinner?  Check out Quinoa!  It is a great substitute for pasta and rice.  This is a great recipe to make this delicious substitute at home in no time.  You can find out about more great recipes at The Kitchn.

Quinoa has come a long way in the last few years. From health stores to the mainstream, its high protein content and delicate texture have made it a popular substitute for starchier pasta and rice. Several of us here at The Kitchn like to make a big pot of quinoa on the weekends and eat it throughout the week with curry, grilled vegetables, or braised meat. It's one of the most delicious, fast-cooking lunch staples we know (not to mention healthy). Here's how to cook great quinoa — not mushy, not bitter — but delicate and perfectly fluffy.

Cultivated in the Andes for over 5,000 years, quinoa has been called the "mother grain" and "the gold of the Incas." (It's technically not a grain but a seed, but it is used in virtually the same ways as other whole grains.) Today, the popularity of quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is growing steadily as people discover its pleasant nutty taste and superfood qualities. As a complete protein source also high in iron, magnesium, and fiber, quinoa is not only one of our healthiest pantry staples, but also one that's incredibly easy and quick to cook.

We've read that there are 1,800(!) varieties of quinoa, but just three main types are found in markets here: the most common white variety, as well as a red one and a black one.

Here is our standard method for cooking any of these.

Basic Quinoa Facts

How much cooked quinoa does 1 cup dry quinoa yield?
1 cup dry quinoa yields about 3 cups cooked quinoa.

How much liquid do I need to cook quinoa?
To cook 1 cup quinoa, you need about 2 cups liquid.

How long does it take to cook quinoa?
1 cup quinoa will cook in about 20 minutes.

How do I make quinoa less bitter?
Nearly, if not all, of the natural bitterness of quinoa's outer coating can be removed by a vigorous rinsing in a mesh strainer.

How do I make better-tasting quinoa?
Quinoa is really excellent when cooked in vegetable or chicken broth. Also, add about 1/4 teaspoon salt to each cup dried quinoa when cooking. Try adding other spices aromatics during cooking as well: A clove of smashed garlic, a sprig of fresh rosemary, a dash of black pepper.

Can I use my rice cooker to make quinoa?
Yes! Just use the 2:1 liquid to quinoa ratio and follow the instructions on your rice cooker.



How To Cook Quinoa
What You Need

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa (any variety — white or golden, red, or black)
Olive oil (optional)
2 cups liquid, such as broth or water
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)

Tools

Fine mesh strainer
2-quart saucepan with lid
Spoon
Instructions

1. Measure quinoa and liquid. Measure out 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups liquid.

2. Rinse the quinoa. Place the quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer, and rinse thoroughly with cool water. Rub and swish the quinoa with your hand while rinsing, and rinse for at least 2 minutes under the running water. Drain.
Why rinse quinoa? Rinsing removes quinoa's natural coating, called saponin, which can make it taste bitter or soapy. Although boxed quinoa is often pre-rinsed, it doesn't hurt to give the seeds an additional rinse at home. Some cookbooks suggest soaking the quinoa but, in our experience, this is unnecessary.

3. Dry and toast quinoa in saucepan. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in the saucepan over medium-high heat, and add the drained quinoa. Cook, stirring, for about 1 minute, letting the water evaporate.

4. Add liquid and bring to a boil. Stir in the liquid and the salt (if using) and bring to a rolling boil.

5. Lower heat and cook covered for 15 minutes. Turn heat down to the lowest setting. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.

6. Let stand covered for 5 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn off the heat and remove the pot from the burner. Let stand for 5 minutes, covered.

7. Fluff and eat! After 5 minutes, remove the lid, fluff the quinoa gently with a fork, and serve. (You should see tiny spirals (the germ) separating from and curling around the quinoa seeds.)

Additional Notes:
• One cup of dried quinoa yields about 3 cups cooked.
• Some people like to add olive oil, butter, salt, or pepper. Cooked quinoa can also be used as the basis for pilafs, salads, breakfast porridges, and more.