Simple summer sweets

Feeding people graciously and lovingly is one of life's simplest pleasures; A most basic way of making life better for someone, at least for a while.

-- Anna Thomas

"I really believe that's what cooking is all about," Jungck said. "You're making somebody feel special."

In fact, it's hard not to feel at least a little special when you walk into her store. The shelves are stocked with high-end specialty groceries and a clerk is sure to offer you a taste of whatever strikes your fancy. If you drop in between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturdays, you'll find a selection of items ready to taste as part of the Weekly Tasting Extravaganza.

Jungck serves a single take-out menu for lunch and another for dinner every Tuesday through Friday. If you ask Jungck when your favorite lunch item will be on the menu again, she just might add it to next week's menu. The same goes for baked goods, although rich, gooey brownies are almost always in stock.

If you love a certain item, she will call you to let you know the next time she makes it. Although, with the new Web site, it's easy to find out what Jungck is cooking up. She updates the menu at www.themarketandmore.com each morning.

A cook all her life, Jungck left her work in business to attend culinary school a few years ago. Her idea for the store stemmed from a class assignment. She graduated from Le Cordon Bleu School of Culinary Arts in Las Vegas and opened The Market and More in February of 2008.

"There is hardly a day goes by that I don’t revel in how it looks and all the amazing products we have," Jungck wrote in an e-mail. "But beyond that, I am so excited about all the great people I’ve met because of the store."

On the following pages, you'll find a few of Jungck's favorite summer dessert recipes. She has gotten some of them from friends and is passing them along to you to share with your friends and family.

Emi's Ice Cream Cake

This lemon, vanilla ice cream pie is a great dessert to serve at summer barbecues because it can be quickly assembled or even prepared ahead of time. Juanita Jungck, owner of The Market and More in Casper, shows just how easy it is in a video at www.trib.com/livewell.

Ingredients:

1 package graham crackers

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup almonds

1/3 cup butter, melted

Vanilla ice cream, softened

Lemon curd

Instructions: Process crackers, sugar and almonds in a food processor. Add melted butter. Press in a pie pan and bake at 350 degrees for five to 10 minutes, until it is lightly browned and set. Let cool.

Spoon softened ice cream onto crust, filling it only half-way. Put dollops of lemon curd on the ice cream and swirl it in with a knife. Repeat to fill the crust. Wrap in foil and freeze until hardened. To cut, heat a knife in hot water, wipe off the blade and cut. Repeat for each cut.

Marylou's Peach Pie

Marylou's Peach Pie is best when made with fresh, large peaches.

Ingredients:

Pastry for a nine- to 10-inch pie plate (see recipe below)

1 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

4 to 6 ripe peaches, peeled

1 cup heavy cream

Instructions: Mix the sugar and cornstarch together and sprinkle the mixture over the crust. Lay peaches on the crust (cut side up if using half peaches) and pour the heavy cream over the peaches. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and cook for 40 to 45 minutes.

Pie Crust

Makes one double-crust or two single-crusts for 9- to 10-inch pies.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces

1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

Instructions: In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour and salt. Add butter, and process until the mixture resembles

coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds. With the machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through the feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; do not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, a tablespoon at a time.

Divide the dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disc and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least one hour. Dough may be stored, frozen, up to one month.

Strawberry Hors D'oeuvres

The Strawberry Hors D'oeuvres are fast and easy to make, yet impressive.

"You can make a lot of your friends and family happy for not much money and not much time," Jungck said.

Ingredients:

Ripe strawberries

Nutella

Strawberry cream cheese

Crushed pecan or walnuts, finely chopped (optional)

Instructions: Cut strawberries in half. Place a tip in a pastry bag. Put the Nutella and strawberry cream cheese each in a separate pastry bag. This will allow you to switch flavors without a mess. Squeeze the Nutella or cream cheese onto the center of each strawberry. For added texture, sprinkle crushed pecans or walnuts onto the tips of the strawberries.