We have concluded our tribute to National Ice Cream Month.  Hopefully you found some new favorites here, here, here, and here.  Ice Cream Month is always fun and I enjoy eating the results.

Today we are shifting our focus to another food tribute.  Tomorrow is National Cheesecake Day.  After ice cream, that might be my favorite kind of holiday.  There are several methods for making cheesecakes.  I love most of them.  The method we are showing today uses a water bath.  This method combined with some different ingredients produce a cheesecake that is soft and creamy from side to side.

To make these treats individual we got out some old Jello molds to use for baking.  If you have these around give baking in them a try.  They would be great for small cakes, too.

Rum raisin is a wonderful flavor combination.  It is great in ice cream and fits right in with the creaminess of cheesecake, as well.  Don't worry too much about the rum.  After the cooking, all that is left is the flavor.

savour… food tributes

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Last week we brought you our recipe for simple flatbread.  We made quite a bit and thought you might have, too.  Today we offer up a couple of quick and easy solutions for flatbread use.  These are great recipes for mid-week as they are simple and, if well-planned, won't take more than a 1/2 hour to make.

The first is an Italian Sausage and Onion Flatbread.  The spicy notes of the sausage go so nicely with the sweetness of the onion.  Creamy cheese and fresh thyme punctuate the flavors.  This will quickly become a favorite.

The other dish is a Broiled Peach Flatbread.  The peaches take on a new dimension when they are lightly browned under the broiler.  We added spices in the form of ground gingersnaps.  Topped with a little cream, this is a wonderful flatbread dessert.

savour... weekday wonderful

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Our garden has an overabundance of mint at the moment.  We have used it for everything you can imagine from mojitos to salads, but it keeps coming.  After dropping off several herb bundle gifts around the neighborhood, we decided it was time to store some for the months ahead when the crop might not be as plentiful.

 
Today's tips circle around the gathering and storing of mint and one of the tools you may use.  Having a pair of kitchen shears is essential to any good home kitchen.  In our house, there are never less than 2 pair floating around.  They somehow manage to disappear when you need them most.  To keep them sharp, follow the tip below.  You'll be surprised at how easy it is.

savour... helpful hints

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Every so often we stumble upon a product of service that is really worth sharing.  We pass those along through the Today's Nest Facebook page and through Twitter, but sometimes we are lucky enough to get to partner up with some of the folks behind the scenes.

Today one such partnership has put Easy Canvas Prints at the forefront of our Savour Spotlight series.  This company will take just about any image you own and transfer it to canvas and then mount it for hanging in your home or office.  You can put together a quote for your artwork or even choose from their gallery.  You will find a few examples here.

To make things better, we have teamed up with Easy Canvas Prints to bring you another giveaway.  One lucky reader will get the photo of their choice on a 8”x10”x.75” frame.  This would be great for family photos or your favorite recipe for the kitchen.  Simply follow the contest rules at the end of this post to enter.

savour… worth a thousand words

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Today we offer up our last installment of summer ice creams for National Ice Cream Month.  It has been great fun eating  making these frozen treats.  We hope you have found inspiration here for your own ice cream endeavors. The summer days are flying by and before you know it, we will be welcoming fall.  Hopefully, you have found some time to enjoy the very best of simple pleasures that summer has to offer. 

Today's recipe calls for red raspberries.  You can use fresh if you have them, but you will achieve good results with frozen, as well.  The tart and sweetness of them works so well with cream.  To make a good thing even better, we added some hazelnuts and nutella.  If you haven't had this combination before, you are going to be pleasantly surprised.  I first had this in the form of a flatbread dessert.  It was warm and spread with nutella and then sprinkled with fresh raspberries... nothing short of heavenly.

savour... ice cream drips

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Flatbread has been around for centuries in nearly every culture.  Some are leavened (typically with yeast) and some are not.  The basic ingredients for most include flour, water, and salt although they change slightly depending on the region.

In the US, common variations of flatbread include the pancake, crepe, tortilla, pita, focaccia, lavash, matzo, and naan.  Many are available commercially, but never as good as fresh made.  Today we tackle a basic flatbread which is most similar to a pita.

These can be used on their own to accompany a meal or can be part of the meal as the base for salad, flatbread pizza, or even dessert.  After trying this, you may want to make a second batch to have on hand for the rest of the week.

savour... daily bread

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Our first tip today is a backyard bouquet.  Bringing flowers inside is one of those things that makes your house a home.  Purchasing flowers can become costly and sometimes time is an issue.  If you are looking for a quick solution, take a trip around your yard and grab some materials you already have.

Our arrangement includes everything from ornamentals to arugula.  The colorful zinnias are plentiful right now so we tossed them in for some color.  This kind of arrangement can be very loose and 'thrown together' so there is no need for you to be a floral artist to get it right. 

 
 
Tip #2 is an easy solution for getting your laptop clean.  Smudges and smears can take your screeen from clear to cloudy.  To protect your investment and prolong its life, you need to keep it clean.  The good news is that you probably already have everything you need.  This easy step by step will have you streak free and ready to surf in no time.

savour... simple solutions

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