Cake for Dinner 

Seriously! Think savory not sweet. I’ve been craving a cake like this for years. The first time I tasted one was at a party in Kristinehamn, Sweden when I was 18 years old. I’d never seen anything like it!

Please meet the smörgåstårta.

The translation from Swedish to English is sandwich cake.  

Summertime is the perfect opportunity to incorporate garden fresh vegetables into a beautiful meal.

Go ahead and celebrate!

Here’s how:

Slice bread, of your choice, horizontally, into thin layers. I used two round loaves.

Sliver your favorite veggies. I used cucumbers, radishes, and carrots. I also used fresh greens and herbs.

Beat together eight ounces of sour cream and a half-pint of whipping cream. This is the icing! Oh yeah!

On the bottom layer spread a thin layer of the icing and sprinkle with herbs, such as minced dill. Add vegetables. Layer with another slice of bread and spread on more icing and vegetables and repeat until all of the layers are used. I added some smoked salmon to one of the layers.

Now you get to ice the entire cake and decorate it. For sprinkles I used dried dill and paprika.

My family loved it and we had plenty of leftovers. 
  

What’s your favorite way to use all of those summer veggies?

Happy Summer,

Heather

Line up for sweet slices of life!

When I was a little girl my grandma telephoned me and asked, “Hello, Sugar, what kind of cake would you like for your birthday?” Before, I could even answer her question, see added, “I’ll make a vanilla cake with vanilla frosting.”

My grandma was a baker extraordinaire, making certain that the lives near and dear to her were sweet. And by sweet, I mean extra sweet!

She invited me to experience slices of beauty.

“The camellia bush is in full bloom. The petals look heavenly. Come!”

“The carrots are ready to be pulled from the ground. Come!”

“The sunset is so lovely. Come!”

While my grandma seldom ventured from her Northern California home, beauty came to her. She showed me how to notice simple pleasures and how to savor simplicity.

Sometimes beauty finds us.

This sunflower popped up on its own. 

The other day I celebrated my birthday with cake, of course. My husband and daughter baked a vanilla cake from scratch, just like my grandma. Plus, they mixed up the batter in the same bowl that my mother once used. This birthday was extra special because, we had a bounty of fresh fruit.

Blueberry hands  

So we created a cake buffet. Along with a huge bowl of bite sized pieces of cake, we served blueberries picked from our backyard, cherries from a CSA farm, raspberry syrup made from berries picked from my parents’ yard, and fresh whipped cream. Let’s not forget the sprinkles!

The bites were extra sweet because they were shared with family and neighbors!

You’re all invited to line up for more slices of rural simplicity.

In the meantime, you’re welcome to share a favorite “simple” moment with the readers.

Happy summer,
Heather