good 'n planty

Bet you thought you were getting a recipe, huh? Well I can't talk about Strawberry Shortcake without remembering the doll of my childhood and a story, so you're getting the recipe with a little nostalgia first- (this isn't exacty the same Strawberry Shortcake doll I had as a kid, but it's similar except mine actually smelled like strawberries. Kind of gross when I think about now). Anyways, I always loved to cook and bake, and have never been as good or interested in the cleaning up after myself part, so getting to mess around in my parents kitchen was a real treat when I was little. One exceptionally warm summer evening, my mom gave me a recipe for shortcake, a container of strawberries, and announced we would be eating shortcake for dinner and I would be making it. I thought it was the most fabulous thing in the world. Not only would I get to make my first shortcake, we were eating dessert for dinner! What a special treat. So here is her recipe for a summer standard:

Strawberry Shortcake:

4 Cups Flour

2 Cups Sugar

3/4 Shortening

Mix until well blended and crumb-y. Reserve one cup.

Add to the mixture:

1 1/2 Cups Milk

3 Eggs

2 heaping tsp's baking powder

Still until smooth and pour into 9x13" pan. Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture and bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

(For the strawberry topping, I just slice them and toss with a little sugar and leave them at room temperature while the shortcake bakes).

Enjoy!

What about you? Have any special family recipes?

Most of my readers probably already know I am an avid thrifter with a love for anything vintage. A few months ago I posted a photo of the sweetest retro deer planter and these are a few of my latest thrifted finds:

My last trip yielded a funky 70's owl vase, 3 glass jars that would make a lovely tiny terrarium collection, a ceramic apple souvenir and this awesome daschund dog planter. I know my mom (and probably some of my readers!) might call the owl and dog "tacky"...but I prefer "kitsch." :)

This summer I want to really get the most from my herb garden, so I found a few uses for herbs beyond the standard pesto recipe.

Lavendar Lemonade- my lavendar is back this year and looking better than ever! This sweet treat gets an exotic hint of flavor with lavendar.

Rosemary Skewers Mm...Can you imagine how good rosemary skewered grilled potatoes would be? I'm sure if you parboiled them they would thread more easily on the rosemary stem.

Herb Salt So simple to make! I think this would make a lovely housewarming gift as well.

Oregano Olive Oil- brilliant! My oregano is a bit out of control so I think I'll flavor some olive oil from the stems I need to cut back.

Basil Ice Cream- Ok, truthfully I'll probably never get around to making this one. But it does look awfully refreshing.

(photo of herb salt by Lucullian Delights)

I got to see so many cool things at the Renegade craft fair in Brooklyn this weekend, but my favorite booth was a pottery shop called Perch! I perchased (haha, see what I did there?) these sweet candle letter balls for my friends Gwen and Andrew, who are getting married this summer.

Quite a bit had been sold by the time we stumbled on this booth, so I wanted to check their site to see all the products and they have some really cool gardening pottery, including this awesome mod bird feeder and lovely planters, as well at the hanging planter shown above:

I felt so good about buying something handmade and supporting a craftsperson, my next purchase from Perch will have to be something for myself :)

If you've poked around this blog before, you might have noticed that I'm a little crafty, and I am ridiculously excited to go to the Renegade Craft Fair this saturday in Brooklyn! I am so inspired by the artisans and craftspeople who are making a living from the handmade goods they sell- (speaking of which, did you see that NYT article on working with your hands? pretty compelling...).

I'm sure I'll be exposed to tons of new artists but there are 2 booths in particular that I am really excited to see in person, including:

Something's Hiding in Here, a super talented couple from Philly

Kayte Terry, author of Complete Embellishing

Anyone going as well?