Cherry Berries in a Cloud, a vintage dessert that begins with a baked meringue shell, is topped with a cream cheese, whipped cream and marshmallow layer and finished with a cherry and strawberry pie filling.

Cherry Berries in a Cloud

I had all but forgotten about this vintage dessert until my daughter-in-law's grandmother Mimi showed up with a pan of it at one of our holiday gatherings. Not only is it delicious as it always was, but it's a perfect dessert for Valentine's Day too!

 

  From my 70s Betty Crocker cookbook, one of my first cookbooks as a new bride!

What do you get what you marry the concepts of Paula Deen's Is it Really Better Than Sex Cake and a Mandarin Orange cake? This delectable treat!

Fresh Citrus Cake

These are the two cakes that stuck out in my mind when I had several pounds of tangerines left that I needed to use and I knew I wanted to use them to make some sort of a cake. So I took the two concepts and created this Fresh Citrus Not Better Than Sex Cake But Pretty Darned Good. Hey, don't look at me ... I didn't name it that originally.

Now first, I used the fresh tangerines because I had them and needed to use them, but absolutely substitute canned mandarin oranges! Keep it easy y'all.

Now, I do have to put in a disclaimer here for my local readers, since I can hear y'all saying "that is not a Better Than Sex Cake Mary."

Yes, I do realize that Paula Deen's "Is it Really Better Than Sex Cake" is nothing like the similar named "Chocolate Sin Lush Cake aka Better than Sex Cake" (that I did not name by the way) we know and love down here in this part of the south. Our "Better Than Sex Cake" always involves chocolate and nuts and cream cheese and Cool Whip and a few other ingredients, none of which are actual "cake."  You can find that delicious layered concoction right here and man oh man is it good.

Southern Style Creamed Corn - fresh corn, stewed down in bacon drippings and cream, and finished with butter. A great side dish anytime.

Southern Style Creamed Corn

This creamed corn is perfect made with freshly shucked sweet corn, and especially Silver Queen variety, when it's available and in season, the kernels shaved straight off the cob, and juiced of the milk, ummm-ummm, some kinda good. But when you don't have any corn on the cob handy, two cans of drained whole kernel corn or even a bag of frozen corn (try the shoepeg corn) both make mighty adequate substitutes. For fresh corn, you'll want just about one ear or so per serving.