In the baking world, as with most things in life, there are trends. The latest baking trend is fancy-pants meringues! Seriously fancy-pants, like plaid or Moroccan or cartoon hearts fancy-pants. Ok, so maybe cartoon hearts aren’t that fancy, but I think some of the designs are really…groovy! (I couldn’t resist. And here’s a meme just because that’s what’s going on in my brain right now. You’re welcome.)

What are they really? They’re edible transferable images for meringues.

How to use them?

• You place the pretty coloured sheets on a baking tray
• pipe the meringues onto the sheets
• bake as usual
• and then peel the meringues of the sheets.

And voila, your meringues are extra-fancy! It really is that easy.

I saw these debuting on some blogs last year and bought some for myself as soon as I could. The company I bought them from is overseas (this one), but I just found out that there is a Canadian one now (this one), so I plan to order from there next time.

I think these are an easy way to make an event a bit fancy, say for a baby shower or a wedding dessert table, or just a holiday gathering. The meringues look extra pretty and hey, it’s a conversation piece too!

Would I buy some more? Probably, just because it’s fun and adds a nice touch. There isn’t any taste or change in texture, although the DH wasn’t particularly fond of them (he prefers my usual meringue recipe, instead of the one I used this time).

Do you have a favourite meringue recipe? Would you use these sugar sheets for your meringues? Let me know in the comments!

Next Post: Maybe about the AH-MAZE-ING bread recipe that I came across recently and made several times already, maybe about the myriad of canning that I did this week, maybe something else entirely. So many delicious things to write about!  

Linking to: Think Tank Thursday, Meal Plan Monday (x2), & Living Proverbs.

The summer has arrived in Toronto, and with it, the humidity. Whenever I step outside of my air-conditioned workplace, I’m hit with a wall of humid heat. Same goes for stepping outside of my condo; even going out into the hallway to do some recycling, the temperature is tangibly humid.

Which is when the DH and I beat a hasty retreat to our air-conditioned refuge! Even those we’re both campers, and even though I was out camping at Georgian Bay for the Canada Day long weekend, where I managed to get scrapes, bruises, and waaaay too many mosquito bites in delicate areas (still an AWESOME weekend!), I’m so happy to come home to my air-conditioned condo.

And luckily for me, the DH is the same! I always joke that he chose the best country to emigrate to: we have WINTER! So nice and chilly for so many months!

And speaking of nice and chilly…how ’bout some no-churn strawberry ice cream?

I had some whipping cream leftover from my Rose Frasier cake, and some strawberries leftover from my recent dehydrating experiments, so I decided to whip up some ice cream! I mean, is there really any better way to beat the heat? Besides a/c? (Actually, the two together really work for me!)

This ice cream uses the same base as my Brownie Chunk Ice Cream (Gluten-Free) that I made last summer (visions of brownies dance in my head!), mixed with a quickie version of homemade strawberry jam. Easy-peasy, and so, SO creamy and full of strawberry goodness!

NO-CHURN STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM

Strawberry Mix-In

• 2 cups halved strawberries
• 6 tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 c. water
• 1 tsp. pectin powder

Mash strawberries and mix with water and sugar. Boil until reduced to a chunky syrup and starting to stick to the pot sides. Add in pectin and stir every minutes until it looks like runny jam and is starting to stick to the bottom of the pan. Pour into bowl and let cool.

Vanilla Ice Cream Base

• 1 c. whipping cream
• 1/2 can condensed milk
• 1 tbsp. rum
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Beat whipping cream in a cold bowl with a cold beater until stiff. Stir in condensed milk, vanilla extract, and rum. Scoop into bread pan and stick in freezer until semi-firm, or until the strawberry mix-in is cool.

Poke holes in ice cream, and pour 1/4 of strawberry mix-in into those holes. Then pour 1/4 of strawberry mix-in over ice cream, and use knife to create marbled streaks.

Freeze for 4-8 hours until frozen through. Scoop, serve, and enjoy!

You’ll end up with maybe 1/2 c. of strawberry sauce leftover, but really, do you think that’s going to last long? (It certainly wouldn’t around me and the DH.) Serve it with French toast, over other ice cream, mixed into homemade ice cream floats, pour it over cobblers…or just eat with a spoon!

What I love about this ice cream is that it has the consistency of store-bought ice cream, the really good stuff. It’s eminently scoopable; you don’t have to drag your spoon across the top only to end up with a scraping. This will give you luscious scoops each time! (I just mis-typed and wrote “eat time”. I think my subconscious is trying to tell me something. Which I am so down for. Up for? At any rate, am for!)

This recipe is also easily customizable! Mix in a different fruity jam, or add in some crumbled graham crackers or lady fingers for a strawberry shortcake ice cream. I can totally see this with a fresh peach jam mixed in. *drools while gazing off into the distance* If you make this recipe, tell us which mix-ins you made!

Next Post: Hmm…which delicious thing shall I make next? Any requests? Oooh, shall I tell you about the deeeelicious (and easy!) sandwich bread recipe that I came across? Yes, I think I shall. Stay tuned!

Post-Pub Edit: I’m still working on my plan for foodie world domination (“What are we going to do today, Margaret?” “What we do every day…plot to take the foodie world by storm!”), and part of that plan is taking part in the lovely Christie Jordan’s Meal Plan Monday link-up. Lots of bloggers, lots of yummy recipes. Check it out here and here!