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Mrs. Maria Cangemi Ledet won our cookie contest.  Her original recipe, the product of years of trial and error, produced the most amazing chocolate chip cookie I’ve ever had.  Chef Frank Brigtsen agreed, and declared Maria the winner!  Best of all, we had a wonderful time sampling and sharing ALL the cookie submissions.  There were smiles on every face!

So… Cajun Cherry Bounce.  This concoction was brought up by some of our residents as they shared memories of childhood and young adulthood.  We’d never heard of cherry bounce and decided to do a little research.  To our delight, cherry bounce is relatively easy to make, just takes time and a little attention.  A few ladies gathered together, measured out cherries, sugar, and bourbon, and our kitchen staff helped to store and turn the jar as it aged.  We let ours age for a month, but some of the recipes we found call for three or even six months of storage in a cool, dark place before serving.

We served our cherry bounce over ice cream or over ice as a cocktail.  Residents LOVED the smooth taste and the memories brought up were evident as they shared stories and laughter.  Our cherry bounce recipe was as follows:

2 lb fresh cherries (we recommend pitting the cherries though no recipe we found instructed us to do so)

2 cups sugar

1 fifth of bourbon

Combine all ingredients in a glass container, store in a cool, dark place for one to three months, turning the jar upside down every other day or so to mix ingredients and help dissolve sugar.