Today in American history…former First Lady Rosalynn Carter was born on August 18, 1927 in Plains, Georgia.

Rosalynn Carter was well known for her advocacy work with mental health and caregiver issues.

Some other interesting facts about her life are:

✔️ One of her favorite things to do was to go fly fishing.

✔️Mrs. Carter has a rose, an orchid, a camellia and an azalea named for her.

✔️Was valedictorian of her Plains High School graduating class.

✔️President Jimmy Carter’s mother helped to deliver Rosalynn Carter into the world in the house next door to his home (the families were neighbors). Three year old Jimmy Carter met baby Rosalynn soon afterwards.

✔️Mrs. Carter was an honorary chair of the Last Acts Campaign to improve end of life care and was an early advocate for the hospice movement and palliative care.

✔️Mrs. Carter was a key advocate for passage of legislation during the Carter administration requiring vaccinations for school children.

🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

In honor of Mrs. Carter’s birthday today, I made a delicious Strawberry Cake and used her own personal recipe.

The cake is so moist and delicious. If you love strawberries this is the perfect cake for you – it’s filled with them! 🍓

You can serve it plain but wow it is extra delicious and yummy with homemade whipped cream too! Or maybe even a scoop of vanilla (or strawberry!) ice cream 😋

In the written recipe, it says to use an angel food cake pan. I’ve made this cake previously and a Bundt pan would work perfectly too.

Today in American history…former First Lady Florence Harding was born on August 15, 1860 in Marion, Ohio.

Florence Harding was the first future First Lady to vote in a Presidential election following the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Consititution.

During her tenure as First Lady, she used her platform to advocate for animal rights, veterans welfare and women’s equality.

President Warren Harding and Mrs. Harding enjoyed waffles very much. If you ever get the chance to visit their home in Marion, the waffle iron can still be seen on the stove. There is also a plaque in the kitchen that reads, “You eat the first fourteen waffles without syrup, but with lots of butter. Then you put syrup on the next nine, and the last half-dozen you eat simply swimming in syrup. Eaten that way, waffles never hurt anybody.”

It’s been a hard season for gardening in our little area here in Virginia. However…my friend Joyce just so happened to have had an abundance of summer squash that miraculously survived in her garden. Thankfully, she brought over and shared with me her plentiful bounty of squash – what a wonderful friend!

This bread is incredibly moist and delicious – especially with the lemon glaze over the top. It’s definitely “a keeper” and something that I will be making again (and again!) in the future. Who knew that a squash bread could be so tantalizing and delicious! 😋

Lemon Summer Squash Bread

Ingredients

For the bread…

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs, well beaten

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Lemon Zest (one lemon)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup summer squash, grated

For the Lemon Glaze…

1 cup confectioners sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon milk

Directions

Grease and flour (or use parchment paper) a 9×5″ loaf pan.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium mixing bowl add the beaten eggs, vegetable oil and sugar and mix until well blended.

Add the buttermilk, lemon juice and lemon zest to the mixture and blend well.

In a separate medium bowl, add the flour, salt, and baking powder and whisk.

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients.

Mix well – make sure all of the lumps are gone in the batter (you don’t want lumpy batter!)

Add the grated squash into the batter and fold gently.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 45-55 minutes until the top is a golden brown.

Remove from the oven.

Allow the bread to cool for at least 30 minutes in the pan before removing.

Cool the bread completely before adding the lemon glaze.

Directions for the Lemon Glaze

In a small mixing bowl, mix together the confectioners sugar, lemon juice and milk.

Drizzle over the top of the bread. Enjoy!

(For the drizzle…I personally use an icing piping bag. It’s much easier and comes out more uniform)

Today in American History…our 31st U.S.President, Herbert Clark Hoover was born on August 10, 1874 in West Branch, Iowa. His favorite food was fried chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans. His favorite dessert was his Grandmother Hoover’s Peach Cream Pie. So to honor President Hoover’s birthday today we are enjoying his favorite meal 🇺🇸

I’ve made this dessert on many occasions throughout the years. It’s perfect for a get together or just to make at home for dessert because you enjoy it (like in our home!) You can easily whip this up in minutes because it’s so incredibly easy and simple – which I love!

Easy Pound Cake Trifle

Ingredients

8 cups pound cake, cubed (I used 2 Sara Lee frozen pound cakes, thawed)

2 3.4 ounce packages instant vanilla pudding mix

4 cups milk

8 ounces of Cool Whip (reserve just a little bit for the last layer)

3 cups sliced strawberries

2 cups blueberries

A bar of chocolate, diced

Directions

Cut the thawed pound cake into bite-sized cubes.

In a large bowl, whisk together the packages of pudding with the milk until well combined and the pudding is thickened.

Add in the Cool Whip and whisk together until the mixture is combined.

It’s now time to start layering the trifle. Use a large glass trifle bowl if you have one – or just use a regular large glass bowl.

Start layering.

Begin by placing a layer of the pound cake cubes into the bottom of the bowl.

Add a layer of the pudding mixture over the pound cake,

Add a layer of the strawberries and blueberries.

Repeat the layering process – will be three layers total.

For the very top layer add the reserved Cool Whip and spread evenly over the top.

Top with the diced chocolate. Scoop into small glass bowls and enjoy!

Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies

I love oatmeal cream pies. When I was a young girl it was a given that we always had a box (or two) in our home because my mother loved them just as well. The oatmeal cookie with the cream filled center…there are just not enough words to explain the deliciousness 😋

While grocery shopping a few days ago, I came across a box of oatmeal cream pies and thought…lemme try and make those at home to see if I can get them to taste anywhere near the ones I loved (and still enjoy!) from childhood.

I was so excited because they actually came out just as I remembered. I was also able to make in my own kitchen which makes it even more awesome.

Ingredients

1 + 1/4 cups unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)

1 cup packed brown sugar (you can use light brown sugar or dark. I used light)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg (at room temperature)

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 Tablespoon molasses

1 + 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

3 cups quick oats (do not use whole oats)

Cream Filling

3/4 cup unsalted butter (softened to room temperature

3 cups confectioners’ sugar

3 Tablespoons heavy cream

1 + 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

A dash of salt (optional)

Directions

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Use a handheld mixer to cream the butter and sugars together until light and creamy – about one minute.

Beat in the egg, vanilla and molasses.

Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and oats.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.

You can use a mixer to mix the ingredients but the dough will be super thick. I recommend using a wooden spoon to mix by hand (use those muscles!)

Use a large cookie scoop or make sure each ball of dough is about two Tablespoons each – place onto the prepared baking sheet. Make sure each ball is about 3” apart because the cookies will spread!

Bake the cookies for 10-11 minutes or until the cookies are lightly golden around the edges.

Remove immediately from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for at least 5-10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.

While the cookies are cooling it’s time to make the filling.

In a medium bowl, use a handheld mixer to beat the butter until creamy – will take about one minute.

Add the confectioners’ sugar and beat for 1-2 minutes.

Add in the heavy cream and vanilla extract.

Optional: Add in a pinch of salt and stir.

Beat for another 2-3 minutes until the filling is a fluffy texture.

Spread the cream filling on the bottom side of the cookies and top with remaining cookies right side up.

Applesauce Cookies are quite delicious. They remind me of a pumpkin cookie – maybe because it has all of the delicious spices of cinnamon, ground cloves…nutmeg…but instead of using pumpkin – applesauce is used as its replacement. These are perfect Fall cookies that’s for sure! And right about now with these high temps and icky humidity I am ready for Fall, aren’t you? 🍁

Applesauce Cookies

1 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 egg

1 cup applesauce

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1 cup raisins (optional)

Directions

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.

Grease baking sheets or line with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, beat the sugar and butter by hand or use an electric mixer until smooth.

Add in the egg and applesauce and blend well.

In a separate medium bowl, add the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cloves. Whisk the dry ingredients until all is well incorporated.

Add the dry ingredients into the applesauce mixture.

Fold in the walnuts and raisins (optional)

Drop a spoonful of cookie dough 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake in the preheated oven until the edges are golden brown – about 14 to 16 minutes.

Remove from the oven and leave the cookies on the baking sheet for a few minutes in order for the cookies to set.

Remove from the baking sheet to completely cool onto a wire baking rack.

There is nothing like a fresh warm coffee cake directly from the oven. The buttery cake with brown sugar and cinnamon in the mix is truly amazing and delicious.

I used a simple classic recipe from Betty Crocker from 1973 and is truly timeless.

Homemade Coffee Cake

Cake Ingredients

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 cup milk

3 cups flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Topping Ingredients

3/4 cup brown sugar

1-2 teaspoons cinnamon

3 tablespoons melted butter

1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine oil, eggs and milk in a medium bowl.

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Mix the wet ingredients into the flour mixture until combined.

Spread the batter into a well greased 9 x 13 baking pan.

Combine the topping ingredients into a small bowl and sprinkle over batter (I swirled the topping into the cake)

Bake for 35 minutes.

Let the cake cool about 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

It was my hubby’s birthday a few days ago so I made his ultimate favorite cake of all time: a chocolate mayonnaise cake with peanut butter buttercream frosting.

Marlin’s mother made this cake for all of her children’s birthdays (there are 6 total…only one, Ruby, wanted something different which was a pineapple upside down cake).

She also made it for Marlin’s dad’s birthday as well.

My husband and his siblings didn’t grow up with a lot of money and they had tough times but there sure was a lot of love amongst this crew of six – and there still is to this very day. I listen to the childhood stories of Marlin’s upbringing and the forefront of it all was his mother’s love. She didn’t have much to give for each child on their birthdays but she anyways gave this special token of love in making them their favorite cake on their special day.

So…it is definitely a family tradition that still lives on to this day. The Dixon’s love chocolate mayonnaise cake (except for the rebel “pineapple upside down cake lover”, Ruby ❤️)

Happy Birthday (again) to my Marlin. May your new year bring you all of the blessings and greatness that you deserve. And as your sister Ruby likes to say on each birthday…eat cake 😋

Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

Cake Ingredients

6 TBSP Hershey’s Unsweetened Cocoa

3 cups King Arthur’s All Purpose Flour

1 TBSP baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups Duke’s Mayonnaise

1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups cold water

Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

4 cups confectioners sugar

1/4 cup of milk, heavy cream or half and half (I use whole milk)

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

A heaping tablespoon (or more…all depends on your preference) of creamy peanut butter

Cake Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 8″ cake pans or line with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, sift cocoa, flour, baking soda, salt and sugar and mix well.

Add the mayonnaise, vanilla and water. Use an electric mixer at low speed and mix until smooth. Do not over mix.

Pour the batter into the cake pans and bake for 30 minutes or until completely done.

Remove from the oven and let the cake sit in the pans for at least ten minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans and onto a cooling rack.

Cool completely before frosting.

Frost with your favorite frosting.

Chocolate frosting is a popular one for this cake. I always make Peanut Butter Buttercream for the cake because it’s a personal favorite.

Directions for Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting

With a handheld or stand alone mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy – about 2 minutes.

Add 4 cups confectioners sugar, the milk, vanilla extract and peanut butter.

Beat for 2 minutes.

(Adapted from Duke’s Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake recipe)

I was at a farmers market recently and came home with way too much zucchini. So what’s a girl to do? Make zucchini bread of course!

Zucchini Bread

Ingredients

3/4 cup light brown sugar

2 tablespoons orange juice

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon table salt

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

2 cups grated or shredded zucchini

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Optional: 2 tablespoons light brown sugar for sprinkling on top

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease (or use parchment paper) a 8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ loaf pan.

In a medium bowl, beat together the brown sugar, orange juice, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla until smooth and creamy.

In another bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.

Stir or beat until smooth.

Stir in the zucchini and walnuts.

Add the batter into the prepared pan.

Sprinkle the top with brown sugar if desired.

Bake the bread for 55 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it in the pan for at least 10 minutes.

Remove from the pan onto a rack to cool completely.