Strawberry Shortcake Trifle

Among many other things, I inherited my Mom's trifle dish when she passed away. When I unpacked it, I put on display in my Kitchen and there it has sat on display unused... for almost 5 years!! I look at it a lot and think "someday, I am going to make something just so I can use that dish." Today was that day!

Having no real trifle recipes in my index, I improvised a bit and just made a strawberry shortcake. My kids were so impressed. Layering the shortcake into this dish elevated it from something ordinary into something elegantly "awesome." My kids just couldn't get enough of it. I will admit that seeing it layered into this dish was pretty impressive- and beautiful. Funny that one specialty dish, some time and patience can produce such an easy but beautiful presentation that leaves folks asking for more. Enjoy!

Portuguese Cioppino

Cioppino originated in San Francisco and is usually made from a mixture of the day's catch, which can be any combination of crab, clams, shrimp, scallops, squid mussels and fish. The seafood is then combined with wine in a tomato based sauce, and served with toasted bread for soaking up the rich, delicious broth.

I used a Portuguese white wine and added some Portuguese dry-cured sausage to our cioppino and we enjoyed it very much. While I used haddock, you can use any hearty fish you enjoy. This dish comes together very quickly so it can easily be used for a weeknight meal yet is still elegant enough to be used for intimate social gatherings and date-night dinners. Enjoy!