I am one of those who tend to believe that there is nothing better than chocolate. This applies especially to ice cream. A simple scoop of vanilla covered in hot fudge or good old Hershey’s chocolate sauce is hard to beat. It has been my steadfast companion for many years. However, I may have found a new crush. I am calling him StrawBlueBarb Compote. He is a flirt. He is starts off sweet but there is a tangy bite to him. He is complex and a little naughty. I am smitten and I can’t get enough. This morning I smeared him all over my buttermilk pancakes. I am obsessed.

To taste my crush yourself, just follow these simple steps.

You will need:

• a pint of strawberries
• about 5 stalks of rhubarb
• a cup of blueberries
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 2 teaspoons of cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 3 tablespoons of triple sec

Step-by-step:

1. Remove the tops and quarter a pint of strawberries.
2. Take about five stalks of rhubarb, not too thick, and cut into half inch pieces.
3. Set aside about about a cup of blueberries.
4. Then in a heavy bottomed sauce pan, place 3/4 cup of sugar and 2 teaspoons of cornstarch. Whisk then together.
5. Put it all the berries and rhubarb and mash it all up a bit.
6. Then add in a teaspoon of vanilla and 3 tablespoons of triple sec.
7. Turn the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until rhubarb reaches desired doneness. I went about 18 minutes.
8. Let it cool a bit so you don’t burn your tongue and then find something (or someone) to pour it on.

I just clandestinely savored a cool spoonful from the fridge. Don Henley’s Boys of Summer swirls through my head. Don’t tell chocolate.

Hot weather demands cool drinks. Lemonade is fine for the kids, but adults need a pitcher of something more entertaining.

• 2 parts Vodka
• 1 part Orange Juice
• 2 parts Lemonade
• dash Lime Juice

Prepare in a pitcher with ice and share. Adjust quantities to taste.

Enjoy safely.

So once again, my husband called on my assistance with a Friday Food Fiesta challenge. This week’s theme was cookies and biscuits. I scoured my pantry, but alas, like Old Mother Hubbard, my cupboards were practically bare. The one interesting thing I did have was a bag of Hershey’s white chocolate chips. So, between my meager rations and a quick trip to our town’s tiny market for butter, I cobbled together the ingredients needed to make the chocolate, white chocolate chip cookies on the Hershey wrapper. The only alteration I made to the recipe was to substitute my favorite Ghiradelli cocoa powder for the Hershey’s that they suggested.

However, at MaisonBisson we are not satisfied with mere cookies. When I called Casey to let him know I made the cookies he responded with those three little words: “ice cream sandwiches!” Sometimes that man can be an absolute genius! I e-mailed a list of ingredients for him to pick up on his way home and let my cookies cool.

When Casey came home he brought with him a gallon of Bryer’s Vanilla Bean ice cream, chocolate sprinkles, and mini chocolate chips. We stirred up the ice cream to soften it, placed a nice scoopful on a cookie, pressed another cookie on top, and rolled the edges in the sprinkles or the chips. We wrapped each sandwich in a square of aluminum foil and let them rest in the freezer. We ended up with about twenty sandwiches. Friends stopped by and helped us polish off some of them but the others remain in my freezer taunting me. They are really very delicious and very easy to make.