Snow White (Light)

Turn back the calendar to the 1950's, to a small town in Idaho not far from Bear Lake. On the main drag there's a Rexall drug store where my mom worked as a soda jerk. This is the reason we had a "soda fountain" birthday party for her this year. My daughter made a 50's play list, there were pink and grey balloons and streamers and poodle applique decor.

Planning the party, I learned about soda fountain drinks I'd never heard of like Black Cows and Snow White. When the party arrived I decided to try the Snow White (with updated ingredients).

 

Snow White (Light)
Sprite Zero
Vanilla Frozen Yogurt
Lime (quarter - optional)

Add 1-2 scoops of frozen yogurt to a cup. Pour Sprite Zero over the ice cream until the cup is about 2/3rds full. The drink will bubble up, so wait a minute then add more Sprite Zero to fill the cup. Add the juice from a quarter of a lime. Serve with a straw and spoon.

Enjoy,

Suz

The Soup Kitchen

The Soup Kitchen (Sugarhouse, Utah)

The Soup Kitchen is one of the places my husband and the guys from his work used to go to lunch when he worked in Sugarhouse. It's located in an older neighborhood--and is across the street from a used bookstore. Score! You may have a difficult time finding parking, but you can usually find a spot. The prices are reasonable and it's especially nice on a cold, cloudy day. You'll find cool 70's art on the walls, a huge chalk board menu and a clear-your-own table environment that enfolds you in a feeling of "welcome."

Above: The Soup Kitchen Special (SKS) turkey, bacon, swiss sandwich.

They're famous for their chunky breadsticks. The Cream of Tomato soup is so creamy and good it makes me think of the soup described in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory without the blueberry ending. ;)

(The soup is at :21 seconds)

The Soup Kitchen

2012 South 1100 East

Sugarhouse, UT

Suzanne
Cookbook Bites
Subscribe to Cookbook Bites (Google, Twitter, Yahoo!, AIM) 
Get posts right to your inbox (Subscribe right below my pic)

Yosemite

I learned the name "Ansel Adams" when I was a kid because of a photo of "Aunt Tilly" (as my dad would call her) which was hung on the wall directly behind where I practiced the piano. The photo is actually called "Woman Behind Screen Door, Independence, California." I would wonder "Is she really my aunt?" and "Is she watching me practice?" (In a Haunted Mansion kind of way.) Ansel Adams also photographed Yosemite National Park which is where my family visited this summer.

The black and white photo above? Not an Ansel Adams, my husband took it. Scroll down to see the photo in color.

Wow! Right?!? In the late afternoon we came to an outlook with a view of Bridal Veil falls. At first we could see the mist at the bottom of the falls was kind of orange. After a few moments the mist of the waterfall had blossomed into a rainbow.

We stayed at a bed and breakfast, the Alpenglo Inn, just outside of the park. Which I recommend for amazing sunsets, star gazing, constellation-spotting and Milky Way viewing (take your Off spray). Tim, who runs the inn, made us a hearty breakfast casserole, the recipe he said was traditional Americana goodness--Betty Crocker. I'm not sure if this is the recipe, but I think it's close: Do Ahead Breakfast Bake. I think I'll try baking it when the ice cream trucks have retired for the season. There's a point during summer in Utah when you just stop using the oven.

I took this photo with my phone. I didn't want to make a production by getting my camera. Taking pictures at the table? You know, etiquette and all. ;)

Hope you're having a nice summer!

Suz

Strawberry Shortcake (Recipe for Shortcakes)

This year I decided I didn't want to buy the strange little spongey, moist-yet-dry shortcakes that are sold in the produce section right next to the strawberries. I decided to apply the whole "cook it yourself" mantra to Strawberry Shortcake. The result? I was asked to not lose this recipe. It's old school--Betty Crocker. The dough makes a sweet biscuit that soaks up the magic strawberry goodness. I used the recipe for macerated strawberries (strawberries, with fresh OJ and sugar) from last April's post. I also omitted the sugar from one batch of strawberries and that worked fine too.

The Shortcakes
1/3 C butter (chilled)
2 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1/3 C sugar
1 T baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 C milk
1 egg yolk slightly beaten
1 t granulated sugar

Cut butter into flour and add the 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut butter into flour with butter knives or a pastry cutter until it resembles large crumbs. Add milk and knead until dough forms. Pat out to about 1 inch thick. Cut into rounds (I chose to make diamonds). Place on cookie sheet and brush tops of biscuits with egg yolk and sprinkle with the 1 t sugar. Bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Cool.

How to Turn this into Strawberry Shortcake
Prepare the strawberries as listed above at least 2-3 hours ahead so the syrup has a chance to get rolling. To serve, cut a biscuit in half then spoon the strawberries (and juice/syrup) over the biscuit letting the juice soak in. Add whipped cream and it's done.

Enjoy!

Suz

Recipe Source: BettyCrocker.com: Strawberry Shortcakes

Book Club: Summer Reading List

There's something about summer... for my dog? He loves the wind in his ears! Me? I love summer reading lists! Want to have some fun reading this summer? I've created a list that we cooking fans will hopefully enjoy! Ingredient or cooking-related mysteries, romance, recipes, biographical--definitely not a cookbook list! I hope you'll tuck one of these books in your bag, or grab the eBook and join the fun!

Cookbook Bites Summer Reading List

1. Chocolat by Joanne Harris (Nook)
   
2. Black Coffee (Hercule Poirot Mysteries) by Agatha Christy (Nook)
3. The Love Goddess' Cooking School by Melissa Senate (Nook)
4. The Fortune Cookie Chronicles by Jennifer Lee (Nook)
5. Chalice by Robin McKinnley (Nook)
6. Fatally Flaky by Diane Mott Davidson (Nook)
7. Monsoon Diary: A Memoir with Recipes by Shoba Narayan (Nook)
8. My Life in France by Julia Child and Alex Prud'Homme (Nook)
9. Cream Puff Murder by Joanne Fluke (Nook)
10. Cherries in Winter by Suzan Colon (Nook)
11. A Guide to Health by Mahatma Ghandi (Nook FREE)
12. Blackberry Wine by Joanne Harris*
13. Killer Pancake by Diane Mott Davidson (Nook)
14. For All the Tea in China by Sarah Rose (Nook)

* Not available on Nook.

*Note:
I haven't read these books either (with the exception of Chalice) so I'm hoping these books will simply provide us all with some fun (and occasionally educational and inspirational) summer reading. There are enough books here to read one a week through the end of August.

I'd better get started...

Suz