Do you love strawberries? Who doesn’t? If you want to learn how to make incredible homemade ice cream, celebrate National Strawberry Day with me, Kathey Raskin of Las Vegas, this Wednesday, February 27^th! Strawberries are showing up in the markets again just in time for this favorite food holiday. Once you’ve had a taste of this rich, decadent strawberry ice cream, you may not be able to go back to store-bought!

This is the perfect dessert for spring and summer, and here where it’s warming up already it’s a good choice for winter as well. I promise this will be the best strawberry ice cream you’ve ever tasted, with a burst of fresh berries and vanilla in every bite. There are recipes with egg and without, and this one is the latter...

February 20^th is National Cherry Pie Day! Celebrate with me, Kathey Raskin of Las Vegas, by trying my favorite cherry pie recipe. I know apple pie is the traditional American dessert, but cherry is a close second, which is funny when you consider that the first cherry pie was made for England’s Queen Elizabeth I. Traditionally this favorite dessert is made using tart cherries rather than sweet. Tapioca starch is the key to making your cherry pie turn out just right every time. Are you ready to get started? Let’s bake!

Crust

The secret to perfect crust: pastry flour.

Ingredients

3 cups pastry flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup ice water

1 tbsp vinegar

Directions

Using a pastry cutter, cut cold butter and shortening into your flour, then mix in vinegar and ice wa...

I am Kathey Raskin of Las Vegas, and I’d like to invite you to celebrate National Peppermint Patty Day with me! Since they were introduced in 1940, York’s Peppermint Patties have remained a favorite with candy lovers around the world. If you think the temptation is too much to resist when you see these candies in the grocery store checkout aisle, just wait until you try the homemade version! These should come with a warning label, because they’re addictive.

Ingredients

5 cups sifted powdered sugar

3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk

1 ½ teaspoon peppermint extract

1 tbsp refined coconut oil

1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

24 oz finely chopped dark chocolate

½ cup corn syrup

2 teaspoons shortening

Directions

Sprinkle half the powdered sugar over parchment paper...

February 5^th is World Nutella Day, and if that isn’t reason to celebrate then I don’t know what is. I am Kathey Raskin of Las Vegas, and I’d like to welcome you into my kitchen for some delicious, nutritious, homemade Nutella! This is one of those foods we don’t normally think of making ourselves at home, but I think the extra work is worth the effort. Try it for yourself and let me know in the comments how you thought this recipe stands up to the real deal!

Ingredients

1 ½ cups raw hazelnuts

½ cup almonds

1 ½ tbsp vanilla extract

¼ cup cocoa powder

3 ounces of bittersweet chocolate

4 ounces milk chocolate

3 tbsp honey

¼ tsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp oil

½ cup whole milk

¾ cup powdered whole milk

Directions

The first step in this recipe is toasting the nuts in your oven,...