Eton Mess

With just 4 ingredients and a few minutes to whip up, this classic ENGLISH DESSERT is the perfect summer dessert! Always a hit whenever I make this!!

We had a holiday in England last June - perfect time for all that glorious English strawberries. Naturally, we've had many a desserts that use these yummy berries. Our favorite of all is this English classic -- Eton Mess. You know why? It wasn't only delicious but has just 3 ingredients  --- meringue, cream and strawberries!! When you use store-bought meringue (which I do) all you need is 10 minutes to make this awesome summer dessert!! Intrigued? Read on....

Creamy Pesto Chicken Salad with Apples and Pecans

The perfect summer salad bursting with delicious sweet and savory flavors from apples and grapes, crunchy pecans and shredded chicken all smothered in creamy pesto mayo combo!

It seems like forever since I posted. I do apologize my dear readers for that hiatus. We've been on a month-long holiday in Europe in June which extended up to the first week of July. Thereafter, it took me a little over a week to get over the jet lag and pure exhaustion. I have only been getting back into the swing of things recently and thankfully,now, I feel human again!! Hurrah! :)

Chocolate Indulgence

This is so easy to make and it's no bake. It's got everything you want in a dessert - chocolate, caramel, cream and some toffee bits for good measure!

It's summer time and we have been experiencing such lovely weather here in England where we are on holiday and visiting some family. That explains why I have been a bit late in posting some recipes for the month of June my dear readers. We have been traveling and I am just over the jet lag, I think and I hope so.  In the next few days I hope to catch up and I finally I got a new one for you!!

Slow Cooker Blackberry Cobbler

This is so amazingly delicious and unbelievably easy to make! Best of all, no baking required as your slow cooker does all the work. Serve warm with pouring cream or ice cream - heavenly!

Blackberries were on sale the other day so I couldn't help but grab a few punnets. When  I went home I wondered what I would do with them. We usually just eat it plain or as is but I thought I ought to make some dessert using the berries because it was the weekend and hubby always wants to have a good dessert during Sunday lunch. I didn't feel like turning the oven on but wanted to have a dessert ready for when we come home. Voila - the slow cooker to the rescue!

No Bake White Chocolate Mousse and Raspberry Trifle

I am married to a British guy so we often have desserts in our house! I personally did not grow up having desserts all the time. In fact, it was considered a luxury in our house located at a tiny and somewhat remote island in the Philippines. When I was young, we had it, maybe, once a week usually on a Sunday when my Mom prepared a special lunch for everyone. If we were fortunate, we would have a family size Coke to go with it! And because it's sweet - it may count as dessert....yes, seriously!

Millionaire Pie

In 15 minutes or less you can make this easy and yummy classic summer pie that's creamy, fruity-sweet, light and no bake, too. We served this in a potluck and it was a huge hit!

I love no bake desserts in summer especially this particular summer when we experienced quite a heat wave with temperatures in the upper 90s and heat index of over 100 F. I am from the Philippines so I should be used to this muggy weather, I know, but trust me, even I didn't enjoy it a bit! Thankfully, there are many sweet treats to enjoy this summer and to help us cool down, too. Certainly, this Millionaire Pie is one of them!

12 Tried and Tested Zucchini Recipes

12 tried and tested, family-friendly, sweet and savory recipes that use summer's favorite vegetable - Zucchini!

I am a happy Mom when my kids willingly eat their vegetables. One vegetable they don't  snub is Zucchini. Perhaps because I add Courgettes (the british name for Zucchini) in breads and cakes but, certainly, they love them in savory dishes, too! Over the years,  we have enjoyed these sweet and savory recipes that all use Zucchini! We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Sautéed Zucchini with Lemon and Parmesan

A quick, delicious and healthy way to use up all these summer squash is to make Sautéed Zucchini with Lemon and Parmesan!

We are at the peak of Zucchini season and it would certainly be hard to miss these tasty summer squash. They are everywhere from the Farmer's market to your favorite grocery and yes, of course, in your neighbor's vegetable garden! In our house when I have already baked 3 Zucchini breads in a row in less than a week, then you can be sure it truly is zucchini season!

12 Easy No Bake Cherry Desserts

To celebrate Cherry season, here's a delicious collection of easy NO BAKE  Cherry desserts! 

When it's Cherry season, you can be certain my family will eat as much cherry as we can! We simply love Cherries! I certainly love to use cherries. whether they're the sweet or sour variety, in desserts. For your benefit and, certainly, ours we have searched around the web for the easiest and yummiest cherry desserts! Hope you try them all!

10 Easy No Bake Peach Desserts

To celebrate peach season, here's a delicious collection of easy NO BAKE Peach desserts! 

Who doesn't love Peach? Plump, perfectly ripe and juicy peaches! Love peach desserts but don't fancy baking in the heat of summer? Fear no more, we have searched all over the web for the most delicious and easy no bake desserts so you can enjoy all the peach yumminess this summer and beyond!

Easy Grilled Asparagus with Parmesan

Simple, delicious and healthy, this easy grilled asparagus takes less than 5 minutes to make!

This is such a crazy week for us! We recently bought a home, just last week actually. We've been renting an apartment the past 2 years since we moved to New Haven, Connecticut. We knew it would be a temporary arrangement and the right time has arrived to move to a new place. Are we excited? We certainly are!!!

10 Mouthwatering Gourmet Burgers

Just in time for Father's Day,  here's a delicious collection of the best 10 Mouthwatering Gourmet Burgers you can make for Dad!

What are you waiting for? Dig in! 

Balsamic Strawberries with Mascarpone

Hello Spring! You know Springtime has arrived when strawberries are already on sale at the grocery. Over a week ago, we bought about 6 pints worth of strawberries because my kids love strawberries and I usually give them fruits for snack in their school. However, we never got the chance to eat all of them because we were away for a few days. This was the time I met my sister who pleasantly surprised me with her presence on my birthday celebration all the way from the Philippines.

No Bake White Chocolate Blueberry Cheesecake

The answer to all your chocolate and blueberry cravings! Just 30 minutes 

to make and best of all no baking involved. Gluten-free option is provided, too.

I have been wondering what to add as my new post for this week. I have been a bit behind this month as there were so many things going on and this week is winter break for us so I thought I may not even be able to do any new post at all. Thankfully, I have quite a few recipes on draft form that I can pull out in emergency cases although some of them are just that - recipes and no accompanying photos.

Yummy No Bake Chocolate Cheesecake

Use dark, milk or white chocolate to make this luscious Chocolate Cheesecake! Just 30 minutes to make and best of all no baking involved. The ultimate dessert for any chocolate lover!

Hubby and I are huge chocoholics so you can be sure there's always some chocolate hidden somewhere in the fridge for that moment when we have an instant chocolate craving. Naturally, I often use chocolate as a main ingredient for dessert because I can be certain it will always be a hit just because there's chocolate in it. Certainly, that's the case in this delicious No Bake Chocolate Cheesecake.

Yummy Blueberry Cheesecake

Delectable blueberry cheesecake.....for me there isn't a more satisfying dessert than a sumptuous slice of cheesecake. My whole family loves cheesecake so I have made different varieties through the years - from no bake, to plain, white chocolate, dark chocolate, with green tea, one with nutella, etc - you name it. While I haven't totally exhausted all kinds of cheesecake - we are always willing to try something new.

No Churn Lemon Cheesecake Ice Cream

This post was meant to be published last month when the blazing summer sun was in all its glory. However, since we were on a holiday break certain adjustments had to be made. Since we regularly feature photographic travel journals in the blog as well, I decided to devote the month of  August to that and I think it worked out well as I managed to actually finish all the travel posts pretty much within the time frame. Hurrah!!! If you wish to see these posts, you can find them here.

Today, just before the clock strikes midnight, our family is off to Europe! We are all very excited, indeed! My husband Mark is English so every other year we go to England to visit his parents. While there we make it a point to cross over the continent so we can visit a few countries and enjoy not just the people and their culture, but of course, their food....glorious FOOD! So just before I place the few bits and pieces of stuff into my luggage and take off, I thought I'll publish this post. After all it's quite appropriate as it's a European dessert - Belgian Iced Coffee Cream (Cafe  Liegeois) - and something that makes me giddy excited about this trip!

That's me back in 2013 in a cafe in Brussels enjoying this most delicious coffee with a delightful chocolate surprise at the bottom! Apart from their chocolate and waffles, I am totally in-love as well with Belgian coffee - for a coffee lover like me - it was coffee heaven to enjoy the various types of coffee delicacy they had.

This famous Belgian Iced Coffee Cream (Cafe  Liegeois) dessert actually doesn't require a strict recipe as it's so easy to make and certainly so adjustable to one's preference. What I'll write below are the ingredients and a guide as to how I make it based on how I like it to taste.

First you really need a good Espresso! Thankfully, I live in an area where I am surrounded by 3 amazing Italian delis so I just purchased individual shots of espresso.

Then, get your favorite Vanilla ice cream, double or heavy whipping cream and your favorite chocolate sauce and some chocolate bars (the last one is optional). The original Belgian dessert actually uses either coffee extract or even  liqueur but I have kids so I thought - I'll switch it to some chocolate sauce instead so they can enjoy this, too! :) Hence, the chocolate is missing from the photo below.... :)

And after that, it's simply a matter of mixing it all together (the ice cream should be softened a little for easier mixing). You can either mix by hand, use an immersion blender or if you wish it to be more like an ice cream again - churn it once more in an ice cream maker. Either way, they're all good. Look at all that yummy chocolate sauce!

Anyway whether you're a coffee lover or not, do try this easy dessert! It is so goooood - it will blow you away! Enjoy immediately! :)

Belgian Iced Coffee Cream (Café Liegeois)

By: Manila Spoon
August 3, 2015

Ingredients

• 8 scoops of Vanilla Ice Cream, softened slightly (not thawed)
• 2-3 shots of strong and unsweetened Espresso, divided
• 8 Tablespoons of heavy or double whipping cream
• 4 Tablespoons of Chocolate sauce (homemade or store-bought)
• 1 (70 %) dark Chocolate bar (for garnish, optional)

Instructions

1. Chill 4 small glasses or bowls in the freezer while readying the other ingredients.
2. Divide the ice cream (2 scoops each) into the 4 glasses or bowls.
3. Pour over equal amounts of espresso on each bowl (depending on how strong you want it - between 1-2 teaspoons is suggested or to taste.) Follow it with the chocolate sauce and the heavy cream, evenly dividing the cream and chocolate sauce among the bowls.
4. Mix by hand or use an immersion blender. If it looks quite soft, simply place in the freezer for 10 minutes or so to harden a little or you can enjoy it right away! Garnish with chocolate shavings just before serving, if desired.

Yield: 4 Servings
Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cooking Time: 0 Minutes
Total Time: 5 Minutes

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Lazy Ice Cream Sandwich Cake

Tomorrow we will have fellowship dinner at church. Apart from a main dish and salad, I included some dessert as well as part of my family's pot luck contribution. Early in the week, I decided to look for a dessert that can be prepared at least a day ahead which does not require much fuss yet still has that palate-pleasing factor.

Quick and Easy Peach Melba

It's already Peach season (woohoo!!!) so I thought it is just the right time to share a post about one of my favorite summer fruits - juicy and delicious peaches! While we often end up just eating the ripe, plump peaches on their own unadorned, occasionally, we use them for making delicious desserts, too. One of the easiest and quickest dessert I make with peaches is Peach Melba.