Sliced strawberries over cake, with whipped cream. AKA strawberry shortcake.

These frozen lemon ice cream sandwiches look really good, elegant, and are a little different, IMHO.

Here is a link that might be useful: Dessert Forum

is it after lunch or dinner? if lunch, what about an assortment of cookies and fresh fruit? (like strawberries and lemon crisps)

after dinner something richer? brownies, scoop of ice cream with fudge sauce...

Blueberry Dumplings (Paula Deen)

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar, plus 1 1/2 cups
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/4 cup milk
1 quart fresh or frozen blueberries
2 cups water
Vanilla ice cream or fresh cream, for serving

Stir flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, baking powder, and salt together
into a medium bowl. Cut butter into dry ingredients, using a pastry cutter
or fork. Add milk to form dough. Set dumpling dough aside.
In a large saucepan, combine berries, 1 1/2 cups sugar, and
water and bring to a boil. Drop dumplings into hot boiling berries by the
tablespoonful. Cover pot, reduce heat to low, and cook slowly for 20 to 30
minutes. Do not remove the lid before 20 minutes has passed, and do not stir
dumplings. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or fresh cream.

These muffins are very good!!!Freeze well too

BUTTER RUM MUFFINS

1 1/3 cups sugar
2/3 cup soft oleo
4 eggs
2 Tablespoons baking powder (yes, this is correct)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. butter flavoring extract
1 tsp. rum flavoring extract
2 cups milk
4 cups flour
12 oz. bag butterscotch chips

Cream sugar, oleo and eggs. Add baking powder, salt, flavorings then add alternately the milk and flour. Stir in butterscotch chips. Put in greased muffin pans and bake 375 degrees for 25 mins.
12 Texas-size muffins

I haven't made these yet, but will do it for a quick breakfast on the 4th.

Paula Deen's Gorilla Bread

1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
2 (12-ounce) cans refrigerated biscuits (10 count)
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Spray a bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray. Mix the granulated sugar and
cinnamon. In a saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar over low heat,
stirring well; set aside. Cut the cream cheese into 20 equal cubes. Press
the biscuits out with your fingers and sprinkle each with 1/2 teaspoon of
cinnamon sugar. Place a cube of cream cheese in the center of each biscuit,
wrapping and sealing the dough around the cream cheese. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of
the nuts into the bottom of the bundt pan. Place half of the prepared
biscuits in the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, pour half of the melted
butter mixture over the biscuits, and sprinkle on 1/2 cup of nuts. Layer the
remaining biscuits on top, sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon sugar, pour
the remaining butter mixture over the biscuits, and sprinkle with the
remaining 1/2 cup of nuts. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and
cool for 5 minutes. Place a plate on top and invert.

I make rhubarb bars, using the recipe that I use for lemon bars. Double the egg and sugar mixture, leave the lemon juice out and use rhubarb instead! Yummy!

Have been wanting to try this for so long, and just don't have the chance
This recipe is all over the internet, and sounds delicious.
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Strawberries with balsamic vinegar will not hold for any length of time. You can sugar the berries an hour or two before serving them, but no longer. Sprinkle on the vinegar and pepper, very judiciously, just before serving. Feel free to mix in some blackberries or blueberries for color; their addition is a striking one. The berries, of course, can be served solo. But for an even more elegant presentation, add a few crisp cookies or a slice of pound, sponge or angel food cake. A glass of slightly sweet, lightly sparkling wine would complete the picture.

STRAWBERRIES WITH BALSAMIC VINEGAR
Time: 15 minutes

1 quart strawberries, rinsed, hulled and sliced
1/2 pint blackberries or blueberries, optional
1/4 cup sugar, or more to taste
1 teaspoon high-quality balsamic vinegar, or more to taste
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Chopped fresh mint leaves for garnish, optional.

1. Toss strawberries and other berries, if using, with the 1/4 cup sugar, and let sit for 10 minutes or longer. Do not refrigerate.

2. Sprinkle with the vinegar; toss gently, then taste and add more sugar or vinegar if necessary. Sprinkle with the pepper, toss again, and serve, garnished with the mint, if you like. Spoon into a glass or bowl, and serve next to cookies or a piece of cake. Or just with slices of great cheeses/ or topped with good vanilla ice cream
Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

and I drool every time I see Barefoot Contessa serve this one!

---------------------------
INGREDIENTS
1¼lb Good White Chocolate (Coarsely Chopped)
2½ cups Heavy Cream
2 tablespoons Vanilla Extract
2¼lb Frozen Mixed Berries Or Frozen Raspberries
Method
Combine the chocolate, heavy cream, and the vanilla in a heat-proof bowl and set it over a pan of simmering water until the chocolate melts.
About 5 minutes before serving, remove the berries from the freezer and place them on individual serving plates. Ladle the warm chocolate sauce over the berries and serve.
Note
You can either buy frozen berries, or freeze your own by placing the berries on a flat tray in layer. When the berries are fully frozen, keep them a plastic bag in the freezer. Larger berries, such as strawberries, do not freeze well.

Peach/wine sauce over fresh peaches or ice cream. You make the sauce by simmering a chopped peach with basil in white wine, then remove the basil, mush up the peach and cool. Serve over fresh peach halves, 2-3 to a customer. Garnish with more basil. It's just delightful and summery. If you want the recipe, say so, I'll post it tomorrow.

Here are recipes for my two favorite desserts:

FRUIT PIZZA

1 batch sugar cookie dough OR 1 roll Slice and Bake sugar cookies - baked according to package directions. Put cookies close together so there wonÂt be any space between them. Bake in a regular-sized pizza pan. COOL.
Mix together:
4 oz. Cool Whip
8 oz. softened Cream Cheese
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Spread mixture on cooled dough, almost to edge of pan.

Top with circular pattern of any fresh fruit you like. I use canned peaches, and whatever other fruit desired (i.e., kiwi, berries, etc.). Bananas are great, but put a little lemon juice on them first so they donÂt turn brown.

Then spread peach (or strawberry) pie glaze over the top

TRIFLE

Angel Food or Pound Cake
1 large Strawberry Jello
2 small instant jello pudding (French vanilla)
1 package frozen strawberries (large)

Slice cake into 2" pieces and line dish or pan.
Make jello using 1 cup less water.
Add strawberries to jello and pour over cake--set in freezer until firm.
Make pudding, let set til just pouring consistency; pour over firm jello and cake.
Let set; when pudding is firm, top with whipped cream.

(Can add 2 sliced bananas to the pudding before it gets firm.)

THIS IS THE BEST CAKE !
Southern Red Velvet Cake Recipe courtesy Cakeman Raven, Cakeman Raven Confectionery, NYC
Vegetable oil for the pans
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine salt
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons red food coloring (1 ounce)
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Frosting, recipe follows
Crushed pecans, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil and flour 3 (9 by 1 1/2-inch round) cake pans.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In another large bowl, whisk together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla.

Using a standing mixer, mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined and a smooth batter is formed.

Divide the cake batter evenly among the prepared cake pans. Place the pans in the oven evenly spaced apart. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through the cooking, until the cake pulls away from the side of the pans, and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

Remove the cakes from the oven and run a knife around the edges to loosen them from the sides of the pans. One at a time, invert the cakes onto a plate and then re-invert them onto a cooling rack, rounded-sides up. Let cool completely.

Frost the cake. Place 1 layer, rounded-side down, in the middle of a rotating cake stand. Using a palette knife or offset spatula spread some of the cream cheese frosting over the top of the cake. (Spread enough frosting to make a 1/4 to 1/2-inch layer.) Carefully set another layer on top, rounded-side down, and repeat. Top with the remaining layer and cover the entire cake with the remaining frosting. Sprinkle the top with the pecans.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 pound cream cheese, softened
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter (1 cup), softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 - 1 cup Chopped Pecans

With a electric mixer in a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, sugar, and butter on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to high, and mix until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. (Occasionally turn the mixer off, and scrape the down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.)
Reduce the speed of the mixer to low. Add the vanilla, raise the speed to high and mix briefly until fluffy (scrape down the bowl occasionally). Add pecans, mix in. Store in the refrigerator until somewhat stiff, before using. May be stored in the refrigerator for 3 days.

Yield: enough to frost a 3 layer (9-inch) cake

Can't beat red velvet cake! Please pass me a piece :o)

Wanda's fruit pizza is delicious. She served it when I visited her in 2002.

I don't know where the post went, I forgot the subject title, and I don't remember who to give credit to... but it was someone here.

Yogurt-Jell-O Pie.
The directions were: stir 1 - 3 oz box Jell-O into 1/4 c. hot water until dissolved; add 6 oz yogurt (same flavor) and wisk; fold in 8 oz. Cool Whip. Put it all into a graham cracker crust and chill til set.

So I made that a few days ago. I made strawberry (and I used 2 -6 oz. yogurt cups). It was so good! I had to take some to my neighbor. The next day she askef for the recipe and made another one for herself (and shared w/me). So today I made a Key lime one (cuz my mom is here and likes that flavor). Ooo, it's so good!

Next time I'm making blackberry and adding real blackberries to it.

I LOVE this recipe and will make the ingredients a stock item in my pantry! It is light and perfect for summer, the color says spring/summer. And it's versitile, and so easy a child could do it. You can make any flavor, or jazz it up with real fruit, or even make a sugar-free version if you used sugar free jello, yogurt and cool whip!

Whoever posted it last week, take credit. I am hooked!