"Fool" seems just right for the insanity of a Runamuck week. It's actually the name of a classic frothy English dessert made with mashed fresh berries folded into whipped cream. You can make raspberry, peach, nectarine, kiwi, or any kind of fruit fool the same way. Serve it with Icebox Sugar Cookies.

Serves 6 to 8

3 cups fresh strawberries, washed and hulled (frozen strawberries can be substituted)
½ cup sugar
1 ½ tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 ½ teaspoons unflavored gelatin powder (from 1 envelope)
1 cup heavy cream, well chilled

Set aside a few perfect strawberries to use as garnish. In the bowl of a food processor, add the remaining strawberries, the sugar, and lemon juice and process until pureed. Transfer the mixture to a medium saucepan and sprinkle the gelatin on top. Let stand until the gelatin dissolves, about 15 minutes.

Place the saucepan over low heat and heat until warmed, 2 to 3 minutes. Refrigerate in a large bowl, covered, for at least 2 hours or overnight.

When nearly ready to serve, whip the cream in the medium bowl of an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the chilled strawberry mixture. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

To serve, spoon the fool into parfait glasses or wineglasses and garnish with the reserved strawberries.

Our grandmothers remember the days when a deliveryman would drive through the neighborhood placing blocks of ice in the bottoms of families' iceboxes. These old-fashioned cookies got their name long ago when cooks would prepare cookie dough in advance, shape it into a log, and store it in the icebox. Then, it was easy to slice and bake small amounts. Keep some dough in your "icebox" and use it anytime you get the yen.

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
Pinch of kosher salt

Makes 4 to 5 dozen 2-inch cookies

In a medium bowl with an electric mixer, cream the butter and 1 ½ cups sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well. Stir in the vanilla. Add the flour and salt and mix well.

Divide the dough into 3 parts. With your hands, roll each piece into a 3-inch-diameter log. Wrap the logs tightly with plastic wrap, then with aluminum foil, store in the refrigerator (icebox) or freezer until ready to bake. Preheat the oven
to 375°F.

Remove a log of cookie dough from the refrigerator or freezer and cut it
into ¼-to ½-inch slices. Place the remaining ½ cup sugar on a plate. Dip one side of each cookie in the sugar and place the cookie, sugar side up, on a cookie sheet.

Bake the cookies until lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes, depending on the thickness of the slices. Remove the cookies from the sheet while still warm and cool on rack.