Classic cheesecake

Classic cheesecake with Strawberry Creme Anglaise

It's one of those recipes that you pop out for your loved one or somebody special.  But I say you should just make it for yourself because you deserve it.  Working hard, juggling jobs, parenting, relationships and the list goes on.  

I had a chance to watch Disney's Brave with my almost seven year old son.  I was thrilled to see that the princess finally did not need true love to find happiness.  There's something that she said at the end of the movie that resonated with me.  Princess Merida: "There are those who say fate is something beyond our command. That destiny is not our own, but I know better. Our fate lives within us, you only have to be brave enough to see it."  So what is fate and why do people believe in it.  Is it really as simple as Merida tells us?  Does fate live within us?  And how does psychotherapy fit into it?

Theraputic topic for the week: fate and destiny.

Destiny is different than fate. Destiny, as psychiatrist Alexander Lowen (1980) notes, "is related to the word destination. It refers to what . . . [we become], whereas fate describes what one is." (p. 49) Destiny is what we do with fate, how we play the hand we're each dealt by fate. Destiny is determined not solely by fate, but by how we choose to respond to fate. We are responsible for those choices. Part of each person's fate includes a personal destiny. But whether that destiny is fulfilled or not depends in part on the person and whether he or she is willing to accept responsibility for and courageously pursue that destiny. Finding and fulfilling our destiny is a principal goal of existential depth psychology.

Excerpt from Psychology Today in an article called Essential Secrets of Psychotherapy : Fate, Destiny and Responsibility written by Stephen Diamond.

Classic Cheesecake Recipe

Adapted from The Williams Sonoma Baking Book

Ingredients:
For the crust:
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For the filling:
2 lb. cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbs. water
1 tsp. unflavored gelatin

To serve: Strawberry Creme Anglaise

2 cups half-and-half or whole milk
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1/2 cup sugar
4 large egg yolks, at room temperature

1 cup strawberries

Directions:
Preheat an oven to 350°F.

To make the crust, in a food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and lemon zest, and process to mix well. Add the butter and process until the crumbs begin to stick together. Drape your hand with plastic wrap to form a glove, and press the crumbs evenly and firmly over the bottom and 2 inches up the side of a 9-by-2 1/2-inch springform pan. Bake the crust 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

To make the filling, in a large bowl, combine the cream cheese and granulated sugar. Using an electric mixer, beat on medium speed until well blended. Beat in 1/2 cup of the cream and the vanilla until incorporated.

Place the water in a small saucepan. Sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let soften for 5 minutes. Place the saucepan over low heat and stir until the gelatin is dissolved, then gradually whisk in the remaining 1/2 cup cream. Add the gelatin mixture to the cream cheese mixture and beat until fluffy, about 1 minute. Spoon the filling into the cooled crust. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days. 

For the strawberry creme anglaise: Set a large fine strainer over a medium bowl and set the bowl in a shallow pan of cold water. In a large saucepan, combine the half-and-half and vanilla bean and cook over moderately low heat just until small bubbles appear around the rim, about 5 minutes.
In another medium bowl, whisk the sugar and egg yolks just until combined. Whisk in half of the hot half-and-half in a thin stream. Pour the mixture into the saucepan and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the sauce has thickened slightly, 4 to 5 minutes. Immediately strain the sauce into the bowl in the cold water bath to stop the cooking. Scrape the vanilla seeds into the sauce. Refrigerate until chilled.  Hull strawberries and add blender with the creme anglaise. Blend thoroughly. 

To serve, run a knife around the pan sides to loosen the cake. Release the pan sides and place the cake on a plate. Cut the cake into individual slices and spoon strawberry creme anglaise over each slice.

Trifle dessert

Mixed Fruit Trifle

When I was growing up everyone and their mother was your "auntie".  No, I'm serious.  We called all females, auntie.  Over the weekends my parent's friends came over with their kids for get togethers. When they came to her house she was known for her trifle trifle dessert. When the parents called us down for "dessert time" we all raced each other down the stairs for who would get auntie's trifle first.  This incredible crowd pleaser would be scarfed down in minutes by adults and children alike.  That's how good this dessert is.  Now of course I have tweaked it to make it mine but the base stays the same:  layers of cake, fruit, and custard marrying together absorbing each others flavors.  That is the key, letting this dessert sit for a hours allowing the cake to absorb the custard and the fruit juices.  And it's so simple to make.  I just use whatever fruits are in season but for me bananas and strawberries are a must.  Makes for a great breakfast the next morning -- my ultimate favorite leftover.

Fruit Trifle Recipe
Adapted from Zubeda Kazi

INGREDIENTS:
1 (13x 9 inch) white cake, baked and cooled or use one Sara Lee pound cake from the freezer section
2 pints fresh strawberries, sliced, half cup reserved
1 pint fresh blackberries
2 bananas, sliced

1 can of peaches in water, chopped, drained

1 can of pineapple chunks, drained

1/4 cup orange juice
2 (4 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix or make custard from scratch

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS:
Follow directions for pudding mix until set. Cut the cake into 1 inch cubes. Combine the fruit with the pudding until evenly distributed.  Use half of the cake cubes to line the bottom of a large glass bowl. Layer half of the fruit and custard mixture.  Repeat layers in the same order.  In a medium bowl, whip the cream to stiff peaks, add powdered sugar and vanilla to combine.  Spread over top of trifle. Garnish with reserved strawberries.  Allow to sit in the fridge for at least four hours.  Serve and enjoy.

strawberry season

Strawberry Mostachon Cake

A stunning way to celebrate the beginning of strawberry season! The sweet and tart strawberries add freshness to the lightness of the meringue cake. Perfectly balanced with lightly sweetened cream cheese and crunchy walnuts.

Mostachon is a traditional cake from Mexico and it means macaroon in Spanish.  Typically Maria crackers are used in the batter but I substituted vanilla wafers instead.

Therapeutic topic of the week: Treating depression with a specific diet?

It's obvious, what we eat affects how we feel. Food should make us feel good. It tastes great and nourishes our bodies. When eaten in too little or in excessive quantities, however, our health and appearance can be altered, which can create negative feelings toward food.

A recent study published in Nutritional Neuroscience by a group of scientists from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in Spain determined the effect of the classic Mediterranean diet (with some slight modifications) upon levels of BDNF in patients who suffer with major depression and in those who did not. BNDF is a protein that is responsible for many important brain functions. 

The Mediterranean diet is characterized by the consumption of fruits and nuts, vegetables, legumes, olive oil, cereals and fish, with a low consumption of dairy products and meat, and a moderate intake of alcohol. The nuts chosen for this study are rich in monounsaturated (almonds) and polyunsaturated (walnuts) fatty acids as well as many different antioxidants. Fruits, vegetables, and red wine are rich in polyphenols that exhibit antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

The patients were followed for three years! The reason is that dietary changes often affect brain function rather slowly and the full impact of any diet may take many months to be realized. Patients with prevalent depression who consumed the Mediterranean diet supplemented with nuts showed the greatest increase in blood levels of BDNF. Participants who were not clinically depressed showed no change in their blood levels of BDNF. These results were consistent with prior epidemiological reports of an inverse relationship between a healthy diet and the prevalence of depressive symptoms.

By Gary Wenk, Ph D. author of "Your Brain on Food"

Strawberry Mostachon Cake Recipe

Adapted from Marcela Valladolid

Ingredients

Cake:
Nonstick cooking spray
4 egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch salt
1 cup chopped walnuts
One 11-ounce box of vanilla wafers, chopped

Frosting:
8 ounces (1 cup) cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 pounds sliced fresh strawberries, for garnishing

Directions
For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch nonstick springform pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In an electric mixer on high speed, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add the sugar slowly, then the vanilla, baking powder, and salt while beating, about 2 more minutes. Turn the power off and fold in the walnuts and Maria crackers. Transfer to the prepared pan. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes.

For the frosting: In an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, sour cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until soft peaks form and the mixture is smooth.

To assemble: Remove the cake from the oven. Let cool for 15 minutes. Remove the springform. Using an offset spatula, spread the frosting all over the cake. Garnish with the strawberries and serve.

Blueberry Scones

Blueberry Scones

These blueberry scones have a layer of strawberry jam in the middle which is my secret to keeping the scones moist and soft.  Who wants a tough scone on Valentine's day or on any day for that matter?  Valentine's day is not just about spending time with a lover.  The essence is to show the people who are important to you how much you care.  It can be as simple as making a blueberry scone from scratch.  Don't feel the need to plunge for the heart shaped box with the overpriced chocolates or buy flowers that will die in a week.  Do something different for those special people and impress them with your baking skills!

Therapeutic topic of the week: Psychological benefits of a piece of chocolate?

Usually we only allow ourselves small amounts of fattening or sweet foods or limit it to special occasions.  Here's some food for thought: enjoyment actually affects the nutritional value of food.  The greater  the pleasure, the more nutrients are absorbed.  Think about it, food is something we do regularly that manages to please all of our senses at once.  It can be the scent of freshly baked bread, a sizzling fajita plate in a restaurant or  a beautiful arrangement of fruit on a plate.  These invoke our taste buds on our palate giving you a heightened sense of liveliness  --- but only if you allow yourself the time and freedom to appreciate it.

A recent German study gave women a chocolate bar to eat at any time in their day.  Once they ate the chocolate there was a significant increase in mood when compared with those who ate an apple or nothing at all.  The women with the chocolate bar said that they were energized and happy.  Okay, so that's nothing new we all know we feel good after we eat chocolate.  But it doesn't end there.  The benefits lasted for over half an hour which researchers reported was because of the taste and experience of eating it.  Not a neurochemical change that it may have brought that created the sensory delight.  The best part was that these sensory qualities reduced any further cravings for chocolate.

Blueberry Scones Recipe

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar, plus more for sprinkling tops
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries, picked over and rinsed
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/3 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing tops
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup of strawberry jam

cinnamon and sugar mixed together for topping

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with rack in center. Place a baking mat on a baking sheet, and set aside.
In a large bowl, sift together flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut in butter until the largest pieces are the size of peas. Stir in blueberries and zest.
Using a fork, whisk together cream and egg in a liquid measuring cup. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients, and pour in cream mixture. Stir lightly with fork just until dough comes together. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead a few times to mix well.

Pat dough into a 6-inch square about 1 1/4 inches thick.  Spread a layer of strawberry jam.  Roll the dough up into a log.  Seam side down, flatten the dough  to a 12 x4 inch rectangle.  Using a floured knife, cut into four 3-inch squares or  use a cookie cutter of your choice. Cut squares in half on the diagonal to form eight triangles. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Brush tops with cream, and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake until golden brown, 20 to 22 minutes. Transfer scones to wire racks to cool.

Adapted from Martha Stewart

Berry Bagel Puffs

Berry Bagel Puffs

So I have neglected the blog long enough and now I'm getting back into the swing of things.  Recently I have been obsessed with these super soft bagels that are packed with flavor.  And everyone knows, there is nothing more disappointing than a hard chewy bagel.  So I went on a quest to find a bagel recipe that achieved the texture I was looking for.  I found it but gave it a twist to your original bagel by putting the filling inside.

We had some good rain in the past few weeks which helped the berry crop immensely.  Which is why this bagel is filled with fresh blueberries, strawberries and a hint of cream cheese.  The house filled with an intense aroma of sweetness and the taste was incredible.  The purple berry filling oozing out of the top ensures you will get a delicious bagel puff.  It's the perfect breakfast on the go and the kids will eat it up too.  Berry bagel puffs are a fine line between inventive and traditional and that's what makes them so irresistible. 

Berry Bagel Puffs Recipe

From Kelsey Nixon

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons sugar
One 1/4-ounce package dry active yeast
2 tablespoons sugar, plus 2 teaspoons
1 1/2 cups warm water
4 1/4 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
2 teaspoons kosher salt
8 ounces fresh strawberries, chopped
6 ounces fresh blueberries
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons Mary-Yum's jam or store bought jam
1 large egg
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

DIRECTIONS
Combine the water, sugar and yeast iIn the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water. Allow to stand until bubbly, about 5 minutes. Add 2 cups flour, the salt, and mix on low speed until well combined, about 2 minutes. Switch to the dough hook attachment. Add the remaining flour gradually and mix on low speed until fully incorporated, about 4 minutes. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until the dough is heavy, smooth, and not sticky, about 5 minutes. Lightly oil a bowl, place the dough in the bowl, cover loosely and set aside to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

In a medium bowl, combine the strawberries and blueberries. Add the softened cream cheese and strawberry jam and mix until well combined. Set aside.

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Divide dough into 12 pieces. Cook Tip: To portion the dough evenly roll the dough into a log shape. Cut the log shaped dough in half, then cut the two halves in half leaving you with 4 equal pieces. Cut those pieces into thirds which will give you 12 even portions. Take one piece of dough and flatten it into a 4 inch circle. Place 2 1/2 tablespoons cream cheese mixture (or filling variation - see below) in the center. Fold up the ends of the dough and pinch closed like an empanada or potsticker. Tuck the ends into the center and twist to form a nice ball. Be careful not to make the bottom of the roll a lot thicker than the top to keep the dough even around the filling. Place the roll, seam side down, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining rolls. Beat the egg in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon water. Brush the rolls with the egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake in the preheated 375 degrees F oven until golden brown, 20 to 22 minutes. Allow to cool prior to serving Add one 6-ounce package blackberries, sugar, instant tapioca and water to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook until saucy, about 10 minutes. Remove the syrup off the heat. Put the remaining blackberries into a large bowl and pour the syrup. Toss to combine and set aside to cool prior to filling bagel dough.

A Delicious Mess

Eton Mess

Eton mess is a traditional English dessert consisting of a mixture of strawberries, pieces of meringue and cream, which is traditionally served at Eton College's annual cricket game against the students of Winchester College.  The dish has been known by this name since the 19th century and was originally made with either strawberries or bananas mixed with ice-cream or cream.

The word mess may refer to the appearance of the dish, or may be used in the sense of "a quantity of food", particularly "a prepared dish of soft food" or "a mixture of ingredients cooked or eaten together". A popular, though thought to be untrue, myth is that Eton mess was first created when a meringue dessert was dropped accidentally, but what could be salvaged was, and it was served as a crushed meringue with strawberries and cream.  Whatever the reason it was created, it is a delicious bit of mess.

Light, airy and slightly sweetened cream mixed with berries and pomegranate is the perfect end to a heavy meal.  The balance of crunchiness from the meringue with chocolate chips is a perfect touch.  Whip it up in no time for unexpected guests for what seems to be an extravagant dessert.

Therapeutic topic of the week:

Stress and food intake. You really do crave rich foods when stress is unrelenting. And a very special and well-meaning collaboration between your brain and your body makes you do it. We seek chocolate, ice cream or napoleons, scientists have discovered, not just because they taste good. It's actually the body's attempt to put a brake on the runaway machinery of chronic stress. "One of the functions of stress hormones is to move energy around," explains Norman Pecoraro, Ph.D, a postdoctoral fellow on the San Francisco team. The escalating levels of cortisol released in chronic stress usher the excess calories straight to your abdomen, where they get deposited as fat. By virtue of its location, abdominal fat has privileged access to the liver. That allows it to be quickly mobilized for energy.

Here's the mark of the body's brilliance. Those fat deposits are absolutely crucial. They send out some metabolic signal that feeds back to the brain, telling it to shut off the stress response. Those who eat cream puffs and chocolate are trying to give the body what it needs to dampen output from their stress system, Pecoraro says. "Eating seems to ameliorate some of the symptoms of depression, so you won't feel as anxious. This seems to be the body's way of telling the brain, 'It's OK, you can relax, you're refueled with high-energy food.'"

The catch is, consumption of calorie-rich foods may make us feel better and function better, but it's bad for long-term health. The stresses we face today are not like the eat-or-be-eaten stresses we faced when our bodies evolved. Nowadays we're up against long-term job insecurity and romantic rejection. The stress goes on and on and we feel immobilized by it. The energy reserves do not get used up.

There is a way out, Pecoraro says. There are other ways to shut off chronic stress. There's exercise, yoga, meditation, hot baths and, yes, sex. They all stimulate the same pleasure centers in the brain that make us seek comfort food. Relaxation techniques may work even earlier in the process, by reducing the psychological perception of stress in the first place.

"In the short term, if you're chronically stressed it might be worth eating and sleeping a little more to calm down, perhaps at the expense of gaining a few pounds," says Pecoraro. "But seeking a long-term solution in comfort food—rather than fixing the source of the stress or your relationship to the source of the stress—is going to be bad for you."

Written by Hara Estroff Marano, published on November 21, 2003.  Original article published in Psychology Today.

Eton Mess Recipe

Ingredients
2 cups strawberries

1 cup raspberries

1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses
2 cups whipping cream
1 package of chocolate chip meringue cookies (store bought or homemade)

Directions
Hull and chop the strawberries and put into a bowl with raspberries and pomegranate seeds.  Add the sugar and pomegranate molasses and leave to macerate while you whip the cream.

Whip the cream in a large bowl until thick but still soft. Roughly crumble in a few of the meringues cookies - you will need chunks for texture as well as a little fine dust.

Take out about half a cupful of the chopped fruit, and fold the meringue cream and rest of the fruit mixture together.

Arrange in four glasses or in a mound, and top each with some of the remaining macerated fruit.

French Patisserie Inspiration

Raspberry Almond Petit Four

A petit four is a small confectionery generally eaten at the end of a meal or served as part of dessert. The name is from the French petit four (French pronunciation: [pə.ti.fur]), meaning "small oven".   Petits fours glacés (glacé meaning "iced") are iced or decorated in some way, such as tiny cakes covered in fondant or icing.  This small individual dessert is elegant, sweet and a showstopper. The raspberry filling and almond cake is delightful and a perfect way to impress your guests.  It tastes even better with my homemade raspberry and strawberry jam!  

Stress relief tip of the week:

Meditation. The calming effects of meditation are well-known and have been linked anecdotally to easing symptoms of anxiety. The nuts-and-bolts scientific demonstration of these benefits is less clear. But the lack of information need not be a deterrent to use of the approach, since there are no side effects of meditation.  If a treatment like meditation "is proven to be safe, it may sometimes be recommended despite lacking conclusive evidence of effectiveness with the belief that it is unlikely to hurt but has a potential to help,” says Amit Sood, MD, director of research for Mayo Clinic’s Complementary and Alternative Medicine Program in Rochester, Minn.

Raspberry Almond Petit Four Recipe

Ingredients

Cake:
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus melted butter for pans
3/4 pound or 12 ounces almond paste
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
6 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
Pinch fine sea salt
1 1/3 cups of my Strawberry Raspberry Jam
8 cups tinted Royal Icing, recipe follows
Decorative dragees for garnish

Royal Icing:

3 tablespoons corn syrup

1 tablespoon almond extract

8 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar 

Green and violet food coloring (or your favorite colors)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Brush 2 18 by 13-inch rimmed baking sheets (otherwise known as half sheet pans) with melted butter. Line the pans with parchment paper, leaving a few inches of overhang on opposite sides. Butter the top of the parchment paper as well, then set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the almond paste and sugar on medium speed until well combined, about 5 minutes. Add the almond extract. Roughly cut the room temperature butter into pats and gradually add to the almond paste-sugar mixture. Beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl if needed. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating to combine after each addition. Add the flour and salt and beat until just combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared baking sheets, smoothing the batter out with an offset spatula. Gently tap the baking sheet on the table to remove any air pockets in the batter. Air pockets will cause holes in the baked cake and give a ragged look to the finished product. Bake until just set, but not browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Give the baking sheets a turn halfway through baking, after about 8 minutes, for even baking, if needed, but don't worry too much because we're covering the cakes. Test with a toothpick or skewer and if clean, remove from the oven and transfer to wire racks to cool.

To make the jam easier to spread and to prevent tearing the cake, puree the jam in a food processor. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Turn 1 cake layer out onto the lined baking sheet. Spread half of the raspberry jam in an even layer over the cake. Carefully flip the cake out of the baking sheet and top with a second cake layer. Spread with the remaining jam. Cut the cake in half width-wise. Carefully flip the right cake layer and top the cake jam side down. This should create four layers of cake.  Place a piece of parchment paper over the final layer and top with a second baking sheet. Weigh down with 2 large 28-ounce cans. Chill in the refrigerator overnight.

Remove the cake from the refrigerator and cut into 1-inch squares. Place onto a wire racks over at least 2 baking sheets, leaving at least 1-inch between each cake piece.

For the royal icing.   In a large heatproof bowl, combine 3/4 cups water, corn syrup and almond extract. Once incorporated, slowly whisk in the sugar until fully combined. Alternately, slowly mix together in a stand mixer and transfer to a heatproof bowl prior to icing cakes.

Divide the icing into 3 heatproof bowls.  Place each of the tinted royals icings in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, with the bottom of the bowl not touching the water, until pourable. You should have about 4 cups total. You'll be using about 1 heaping tablespoon icing on each. Carefully place a cut cake on a  small fork. Place the cake over the icing and spoon the icing onto the cake. If the cake drops into the icing, carefully pick it up with your spoon and place back onto your fork. Place back onto the wire rack using another dipper or fork to slide onto the wire rack. Top with decorative dragees, as desired. Repeat with the remaining icing and cakes. Let stand until set, about 30 minutes at room temperature or cover and place in the refrigerator for up to 1 week until ready to serve.


Adapted from Anne Thornton

A very berry summer

Very Berry Pavlova

This dessert was inspired by a bakery in Los Angeles called Proof.  They have these amazing meringues made with dehydrated strawberries that gives it extra flavor.  I used this concept to make a pavlova, a light crisp delicate crust with a soft sweet marshmallow center.  It's filled with sweetened mascarpone cheese, topped with a vibrant raspberry sauce and fresh berries. I can't think of a better way to celebrate the summer.

Stress relief tip for the day:

Know Your Stress Type. Dirk Hellhammer, noted stress researcher, and Doctors Stephanie McClellan and Beth Hamilton have identified four stress types that specifically impact women. They are as follows:

a. Flat and frazzled. You are generally calm, but when stress hits, you have a big response. You are extremely sensitive to stress.

b. Life observer. This is the most rare stress type marked by an extreme state where you feel like you're living in a bubble watching life pass you by.

c. Constant overdrive. Your engine is always revved. You have a hard time sitting still, often tap your feet or hands, and frequently clench or grind your teeth.

d. Sprint and crash. Stress keeps you focused and running so you can close deals, prepare for a big meeting, and manage all of your clients, but once the stress is reduced or eliminated, you crash.

Psychology Today, 2011

Very Berry Pavlova Recipe
Makes 8-10 individual pavlovas

Ingredients

Pavlovas:
5 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 tablespoons lemon zest 

1 ounce freeze dried strawberries, unsweetened

Filling:
1 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
2 tablespoons of milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Raspberry Sauce:
1 half-pint fresh raspberries
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup raspberry jam
1 tablespoon raspberry syrup

Directions

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Whip the egg whites to medium peaks, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the granulated sugar once the whites reach a foamy consistency. Once peak is achieved, add the salt, cream of tartar and lemon zest. Increase the speed to high and beat until the mixture holds stiff peaks, about 3 to 4 minutes. Fold the sifted powdered sugar and strawberries into the meringue mixture in thirds.

Pour the meringue mixture into a pastry bag with a star tip.  Make a circle on the bottom of the parchment paper, then pipe circular rounds on the edge of the circle to form a cup.  Repeat until meringue mixture is finished.

Bake for 2 hours. Turn off the oven and allow the meringues to cool completely in the oven for 2 hours. Store airtight in a plastic container for up to 1 week. 

To make the filling, mix together the cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth in a small bowl.  Pipe in the center of the baked meringue with a round tip.

To make the sauce,  place the raspberries, sugar and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 4 minutes. Pour the cooked raspberries, the jam, and syrup into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until smooth. Pour on top of filling with added blackberries, blueberries and strawberries.

Mary-Yum's Jam

Strawberry Raspberry Jam

Strawberry Raspberry Jam Recipe 

Ingredients

 

2 quart strawberries, topped and quartered
2 pints raspberries
2 cups sugar
1 orange, zested and juiced
2 packages powdered fruit pectin 

Directions

 

In a large bowl, combine the strawberries, raspberries, sugar, orange zest and juice. Stir to combine and let macerate for 30 minutes. 

After 30 minutes, gently smash the fruit mixture to start breaking the fruit down. 

Remove half of the fruit mixture and pulse (not puree) in the food processor and return it to the bowl.  Take the other half and puree it.

In a small saucepan, combine the pectin and 3/4 cup water. Bring the water to a boil and boil for 1 minute, no longer. Add to the fruit and stir for 3 to 4 minutes. 

Cover and place in the refrigerator to set for 2 hours or overnight.

Recipe adapted from  Anne Burrell

Homemade Ice Cream

Strawberry 'n Cinnamon Ice Cream

Although it is not a popular combination, the heat from the cinnamon and tartness of the strawberries work really well together.  Creamy, smooth ice cream with sweet strawberries and a hint of cinnamon you can feel at the back of your throat.  It's truly an indulgent experience.  The secret is the low-fat cream cheese to achieve the creamy consistency with less fat than cream.

Strawberry 'n Cinnamon Ice Cream Recipe