Chanteuse Designs

Waffles

There’s nothing you can do that can’t be done……….bup ba da…….There’s nothing you know that isn’t known…..There’s nothing you can see that isn’t shown……bup ba da…..Nowhere you can be that isn’t where your meant to be…..It’s Easy……….bup ba da…….

You get the idea. Nothing like a beautiful Sunday morning to shower those you love with more love. Especially after a night of funky dreams in the time warp…..(puh-lease make those stop!???) Continuing on…..a good cup of coffee, some easy breezy waffles and fresh picked fruit make this Sunday brunch so memorable. So why not give it a try. If nothing else I promise you it will put you in a very good mood. Bup ba dada DA!

Here’s all you do:

Waffles of Insane Greatness

Brought to you by The “buddingbaketress.blogspot.com” a very big Thank you!

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg, slightly beaten
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Whisk together to blend. In another mixing bowl, beat together the milk, buttermilk, oil, egg, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients and whisk just until incorporated and few lumps remain. Set aside to rest for 30 minutes.

Preheat a waffle iron. Fill waffle wells and cook according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Cook until crisp and golden. Serve immediately with fresh picked black berries, or strawberries, or blueberries….or even sliced banana. Or just some warmed maple syrup. You can’t go wrong as they are light airy and not too sweet. And A big shout out thank you to my friend Vicki for picking these heavenly berries.

Does it get any simpler than that? Promise me you will give these a try. And don’t you just love the heart shaped waffles? Bup ba dada daaaa…….all you need is love, love…..love is all you need!

Bon Appétit!

Morning Hiking Muffings....aka Sweet Potato Coconut!

I found this wonderful sounding muffin recipe from Marcus Samuelson and had to give it a try. First off, sweet potatoes are so under rated imho! :-) But who ever thought of combining them with coconut? Thank goodness for this surprisingly light, airy and healthy recipe. Other than the fact that it feels like you need a major league baseball pitcher to stir this batter, (it was uncharacteristic and thick…..super thick… so thick I could not imagine these were going to be good!) But I assure you they puffed up so light and fluffy and warm out of the oven. Just delightful! No wonder Marcus suggested these before a workout!

They say that breakfast before working out will give you cramps. Or is that me that says that? :-)  But I believe some hungry sleeper is always benefitted by working out first. This recipe just may change things!

Here’s all you do:

WHOLE-WHEAT SWEET POTATO COCONUT MUFFINS

½ cup melted unsalted butter, more for greasing tins
2½ cups whole-wheat flour, preferably pastry flour
¾ cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup mashed or pureed sweet potato
½ cup dried, unsweetened coconut
1 egg, beaten
½ cup non-fat Greek yogurt (I sub’d buttermilk)

Preheat oven to 350˚ and grease a 12-cup muffin tin. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. In another bowl, whisk together the melted butter, sweet potato, coconut, egg, and greek yogurt. Fold wet mixture into dry mixture until just combined.

Fill muffin tins; bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until muffins are puffed and turning golden brown on top. Serve warm.

Muffins will keep in a covered container for up to 2 days.

Thank you  to Marcus. These were the lightest, loveliest little muffin! Not too much, not heavy tasting or overly filling. Like Marcus said, great before a workout. Starbucks….look out. ;-)  http://marcussamuelsson.com

I loaded up the boys and headed for some new trails!

Bon Appétit!

Nectarine Almond Tart

Summertime fruit is truly a beautiful thing. Strawberries, cherries, peaches, apricots and the stunning nectarine! Combine nectarines with some marzipan and I have just about died and gone to heaven. While this recipe calls for a non glutenous flour, I used regular flour instead and thought it just delightful. Again, we are talking marzipan here, like there could be something wrong??? I kid you not, the 1/2 cup packed marzipan is almost an entire tube, so …….I took a healthy delicious bite of the remaining and threw the rest back into the pie….um…tart (a tablespoon at most). Raw marzipan and coffee! Breakfast of champions for sure. ;-)

Here’s all you do:

Crust
2 egg yolks
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 Tbsp water
1 cup + 2 Tbsp GF Flour Mix*
2 Tbsp sweet rice flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 tsp salt
6 Tbsp cold butter, cut into 6 pieces

Filling
1/2 cup packed almond paste
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup GF Flour Mix*
3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3 ripe nectarines, thinly sliced (I only needed two)

Preheat oven to 375° (I cooked at 350˚ as my oven tends to run high and it did perfectly well). Spray a 10-inch tart pan with cooking spray and generously dust with rice flour. I had an 11-inch tart pan and as you can see it filled it, but it was pretty slim in terms of shallow waters!

For Crust:
Whisk together egg yolks, water, and almond extract in a small bowl. Using a stand mixer, combine flours, sugar, xanthan gum (which I didn’t have so I left out) and salt. Add chilled butter and mix until a crumbly, coarse meal forms. Add in egg yolk mixture and continue mixing until dough comes together in a ball.

Gather dough and place between two large pieces of plastic wrap lightly coated in sweet rice flour. Flatten dough into a 1-inch-thick disc and roll out between plastic wrap until big enough to fit a 10-inch tart pan. Remove top piece of plastic wrap and invert dough into prepared pan. Trim and patch crust as necessary, then gently prick bottom of crust 5 to 6 times with fork. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove crust from oven while you prepare the filling.

For Filling:
Process almond paste and sugar in food processor until paste is finely-ground. Add flour and butter, processing until fully incorporated. Add eggs and vanilla extract and process until smooth (filling will be fairly liquid-like). Pour filling over prebaked crust.

Arrange nectarine slices on top of filling (avoid manipulating the slices too much, as they will sink in the filling). Bake tart until filling is puffed and golden brown, about 40 minutes. Cool 30 minutes, then remove tart from pan.

In case you have some gluten intolerance, I have included the Gluten Free Flour Mix from Cakes N Bakes blog! Do visit as she has some really fabulous recipes.

Gluten Free Flour Mix

Shes’s not kidding. This is a truly delicious tart. Not too difficult and certainly a way to impress someone you love or your guests! Oh that marzipan…...heavenly. Simply heavenly!

Bon Appétit!

Lemon cake

What’s not to love about lemons? Don’t think I could live without them. And this recipe is one to add to my favorites. This is the most lemon zest I think I have ever added to a cake and it must be what makes this cake stand out. But you be the judge and let me know~

Here’s all you do:

LEMON CAKE

Adapted from ”Barefoot Contessa Parties!” by Ina Garten, and smittenkitchen.com and http://pamspantry.blogspot.com

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup grated lemon zest (6 to 8 large lemons)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Syrup:1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup lemon juice

Glaze:2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted plus 3 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

Heat oven to 350˚. Grease and flour two 8 1/2-by-4 1/4-by-2 1/2-inch loaf pans or one bundt pan, and line the bottoms with parchment paper (no parchment paper if you’re using a bundt pan).

Cream butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Mixing at medium speed, add eggs, one at a time, and lemon zest.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, combine 1/4 cup lemon juice, buttermilk and vanilla. Add flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to butter and sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Divide batter evenly between loaf pans or one bundt pan, smooth tops, and bake for ~45 minutes, until a cake tester (or toothpick) comes out clean.

Combine 1/2 cup sugar with 1/2 cup lemon juice in a small saucepan, and cook over low heat until sugar dissolves.

When cake is done, carefully invert them onto a rack set over a tray, and spoon lemon syrup over cakes. Let cakes cool completely.

For glaze, combine confectioners’ sugar (I only used 1 1/2 cup confectioners) and remaining 3 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice in a bowl, mixing with a whisk until smooth. Pour over top of cakes, and allow glaze to drizzle down the sides.

This cake is much better the day after, which seems to be the thing with bundt cakes this year. So you can make ahead and serve with sliced oranges and strawberries.

Bon Appétit!

I love entertaining my friends. I love anything with almonds, well practically. So, when my dear friend, whom I have missed for months, recently came for a visit I knew exactly what I wanted to make. This flew around the web awhile back, but I didn’t have the right opportunity to make it until now. So glad I did too. It was delicious, EASY…..(love that word) and a make ahead dessert.

Here’s all you do:

Almond Shortbread Tart

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

8 ounces almond paste

½ cup sliced almonds

1 egg

2 tablespoons water

Preheat oven to 325º.  Butter a 9″inch round tart pan with a removable bottom.

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Then add the flour and salt and mix until just combined. Divide the dough into two even pieces and wrap each in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for one hour. (I might leave this in overnight next time) Then take out and let cool. (As you can see by my photos below – this was taken right out of the fridge and it will fall apart like dry play dough!)

After dough has cooled, remove it from the fridge and place half the dough into the bottom of the tart pan. Press it down until it covers the bottom of the pan evenly and comes up the sides a little bit.

Roll out the almond paste with a rolling pin into a flat disk about 8″ round and place it on top of the bottom half of the dough. (OK as you can see below this didn’t exactly cut the mustard and I ended up piecing them down-no biggy as you know it will all melt together when baked. So don’t spend the time trying to roll it out into a perfect disk. Not worth the time. imho)

Then, place the remaining dough on top of the almond paste and pat it down until it covers all of the almond paste and crimp the sides together to seal. Brush the egg wash lightly (I didn’t do this lightly and loved the result ;-) on top and scatter sliced almonds over it.  Bake for 35-40 minutes or until top is lightly golden and the edges are crispy and pulled away from the sides a little.  Allow to cool to room temperature and remove tart from the pan. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve.

This has been a very big hit with my friends!! VERY big. I loved it, but I kept getting a salty taste with the first bite, and it seemed like I could cut this back to maybe a 1/2 teaspoon of salt. You let me know, will you?

Bon Appétit!

Cold Dough

Puzzle Piece Marzipan

Top Layer

Chopped Almonds

Asparagus Tart

Do you love asparagus? Do you love puff pastry? Tarts? Cheese? Do you love quick and easy? This one tops them all! I kid you not! This is a less is more type dish. Tasty. QUICK to make and gone in seconds! It was silky beautiful. Yes, I am talking about a tart. Fast, easy and it makes you feel like Julia Child was a personal friend. I guess Puff pastry has a way of doing that to you. The only down side I can say to this dish, make two!

Here’s all you do:

Asparagus Tart with Gruyere

Ingredients:

1 sheet puff pastry dough, thawed
1 pound thin asparagus spears
1/3 cup sour cream
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3/4 cup Gruyère, shredded (I was out and sub’d Jarlsberg….Yum)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. (My oven thought this was too high, so I took the heat down to 350˚.  Better safe to start low.)

While the pastry is baking, prepare your asparagus spears by rinsing and removing the woody ends. Set aside. In a small bowl, mix together sour cream, egg yolks and Dijon mustard. Stir in 1/4 cup of the Gruyère.

Remove the puff pastry from the oven and spread the sour cream mixture evenly over the inside rectangle. Top with the remaining Gruyère cheese and layer with the asparagus spears. Return to the oven and bake for 15 additional minutes until cheese begins to brown lightly and asparagus is cooked.

Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. Slice using a pizza cutter and serve.

Asparagus Tart

This tart was gone in minutes. It’s elegant, though you can’t tell my by photo (we were in too much of a hurry to just eat this) a crowd pleaser, and very little clean up. What’s not to love?

I highly recommend this recipe. You won’t be disappointed.

Wore my Poupon apron just for the occasion!

Bon Appétite!

Pineapple Coconut Pancakes

Been desperately wanting a tropical vacation. (I know, more than half of the United States is in a horrible heat wave- but not where I am!) And until I actually board a plane this gorgeous fruit, the humble pineapple, will help me dream and pack and prepare! As you may recall, I haven’t actually been a pancake fan. But after testing a few recipes lately thought that pineapple pancakes had to be a top ten pancake contender! Tell me what YOU think. My sun block is already packed!

Here’s all you do:

Pineapple Pancakes

1 cup flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/3 cup buttermilk

1 egg

2 Tbsp melted butter

1 cup pineapple chunks cut into small pieces, very well drained. (use crushed if you have)

Top with coconut shavings and macadamia nuts if you have them! Next time I will add some into the batter.

In a medium bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Make a well in center of bowl. Whisk in

griddle

milk, egg, butter, then gently fold in crushed pineapple. Pour onto well greased hot griddle and wait until the bubbles form. Once formed all around the pancake, then you can flip. Note these pancakes are little thinner due to the juices of the pineapple thinning the batter, but just delightful like a crepe. Nice and light. Do NOT forget the coconut topping as it truly makes this practically a dessert and a bit exotic for brekky!

Make sure to place in warm oven while making the rest of the pancakes. Serve with heated syrup! Top with butter, syrup and coconut shavings!

Put on some Jimmy Buffet (if you are a parrot head) or some great Hawaiian music (Israel Kamakawiwo’ole)! Make it a great day.

Bon Appétit!

Lemon Pound Cake

This lemon pound cake is a perfect dessert to make a day ahead (if you can stay away from it) of your guests arrival. It’s a sifter kind of cake for sure, but a delightful simple summertime dessert. I didn’t use the glaze listed below, but kept it fresh with sliced strawberries with some crystalized sugar and lemon juice and then topped with some freshly whipped cream. It’s great for a backyard bbq kind of meal.

Here’s all you do:

Lemon Pound Cake with Strawberries 

from BeanTown Baker.com & Feast on The Cheap 

Cake
3 cups cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp freshly grated lemon zest
8 ounces unsalted butter (or 1 cup, or 2 sticks), softened
2 cups sugar
5 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup buttermilk
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Fresh strawberries

Glaze
2 cups powdered sugar
3-4 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp grated lemon zest (or more, to taste)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour a 12-cup non-stick Bundt pan, tapping out excess flour.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. And Sift, and sift. ;-)

In the large bowl of your electric mixer, combine the softened butter with sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. On low speed, mix in half the flour mixture. Add all of the buttermilk, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla. Mix in the remaining flour, beating only just enough to combine.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a rubber spatula. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes until top is golden and puffed and a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the middles comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Gently, loosen and invert it onto a cake stand or platter to cool completely. Do not let it stand in hot bundt pan or this will become a tad bit overdone instead of silky moist cake!

Once cooled, combine the glaze ingredients in a medium bowl. Using a wire whisk, combine thoroughly. Pour the glaze over the top of the cake. It will cascade down the sides, and will set nicely once refrigerated. The cake should be refrigerated at least four hours before serving.

I also left out the part about refrigerating the cake as I wanted to cool strawberries and cream to top a moist cake. So glad summer is finally here!

Been wearing my Poupon apron….so bright!

Bon Appétit!

Ginger Ale

If you love ginger (like I love ginger) then making your own home made ginger ale is something not to be missed. Up until now I had not even thought about making my own ginger ale and unfortunately don’t turn to it unless I have an upset tummy or flu! Not that I don’t like it, that’s the problem, I really like it. But soda pop is not on my menu. So for those times like now when you want to make it yourself and feel better about what goes into your body this is the perfect antidote. AND it does not disappoint! It is so Delicious! What a super refreshingly tasty thirst quenching brew. It doesn’t take a whole lot of effort either.

Here’s all you do:

Homemade Ginger Syrup for Ginger Ale

recipe from Imbibe Magazine (But my thank you to www.JoytheBaker.com)

makes 2 cups ginger syrup

2 cups coarsely chopped ginger (I grated mine)

2 cups granulated sugar

6 cups water

Place chopped ginger in a food processor (or blender in a pinch) and pulverize until well chopped.

Place ginger, sugar, and water in a large stock pot.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours, until the liquid has reduced down by more than half.  You’re going from 6 cups of liquid to 2 cups.  The boiling syrup will become glossy and silky as it cooks down and nears completion.

Remove syrup from the flame and strain twice through a cheese cloth, or fine mesh strainer, into a large bowl.  Let syrup cool slightly before pouring into a bottle to store.  Cool completely before incorporating into drinks.

Ginger Ale

1 cup club soda

3 tablespoons ginger syrup (or to taste)

Lime wedge (I squeezed about  1 tablespoon-loved the kick!!)

Dash of bitters (optional- don’t have so maybe that is why the lime juice was Perfect)

Ice cubes

Combine all ingredients in a glass over ice.  Stir with spoon to incorporate.  Enjoy immediately.

Serve after a sunny hot day at the beach, toiling in your garden or working out and you will sleep like a baby that night! At least, that was my experience!

Bonne Nuit!

Summertime

Need something healthy to drink in the heat?? Solar tea, from Celestial Seasonings is a good place to start.

Solar Tea

I really love their Zinger selection and it’s a great tea all year round. You can make your tea the solar way (place in hot sun) or boil your water to make your tea. Let cool or place in the fridge. Then just add two large sliced oranges, 3 cups strawberries cut in half and mint leaves. That’s it!

Keep refrigerated and let the juices marinate for at least two hours. I like to keep the mint leaves whole and not slice up. It still give it a very nice fragrance and zip!

A few ice cubes is all you need along with some glasses and a hammock!,  If you need a sweetener in this drink then do so, but it is really perfect all on its own!

Great with breakfast, lunch or dinnertime, but especially summertime.

Happy Fourth of July!

Bon Appétit.

Sweet Potato Pancakes

This was a good morning for pancakes……..nuff said! Uh…..seriously a good morning for warmth on a plate with sweet gooey buttery pancakes. No really, these were super. Super easy, super fast and super fantastic! The sweet potato was, well sweet and earthy (love that!).  It needed nothing but this plain ol nothing of a basic pancake recipe and some sweet potato. It does help having delicious maple syrup warmed to perfection. Just a side note for you there, but it does put this humble breakfast dish into a new category.

Here’s all you do:

Sweet Potato Pancakes:

Adapted from Pumpkin Pancakes by Heather Christo

Ingredients

1 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
¾ cup sweet potato
1 egg
2 Tbs melted butter

Preheat a griddle to 375˚or a pan to medium.

Combine all of the dry ingredients in a bowl.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the buttermilk, sweet potato, egg and melted butter. Combine well until you have a smooth batter.

Bubbles!

Grease the griddle or pan with vegetable oil.  Pour the pancakes to whatever size you like.  When bubbles start to form on the surface,  flip the pancake. Let them cook another minute before removing them from the pan. Place pancakes on a plate in the oven at 220˚ keeping them warm (just a suggestion)! ;-)

While pancakes are cooking you can heat your syrup up. Then when you are done cooking all of your pancakes, this will be delicious for them!
Serve with fresh squeezed orange juice and fresh coffee! Viola!

These are sooooo good! Even if you are not a huge pancake lover (like me!) you will absolutely love these. Hmmmm maybe you should actually be a sweet potato fan too! Helps.

If you have guests visiting and need to fix breakfast or if the kids are having a sleep over this is an excellent choice! Really filling and for summer you are full and energized for the day. Or at the very least it will get those rug rats fed until lunch!!

Bon Appétit!

Lemon Blueberry Buckle

July is starting to look like summer is truly bonafide. With that, lemons are perfect for waking up with sunshine surrounding us. I found this little ditty and not sure how I feel about this one. It’s got great blueberries, wonderful sugary lemon syrup and a lovely topping. A perfect cake for coffee or afternoon tea time. That being said…….I am not sure if it could have needed more sugar, or that because my 9×9 pan was out on loan and making it in the 8×8 made a difference. It SURE took a longer time to cook than the 45 minutes. But I will let my taste testers tell me what they think. In the meantime you might want to try it and let me know what you think! Would love to hear some other opinions for sure.

And in the other mean time, get out and enjoy some wonderful rays!!

Thanks to http://taylortakesataste.com for sharing this recipe!

Here’s all you do:

Lemon Blueberry Buckle

“Rustic Fruit Desserts” by Cory Schreiber and Julie Richardson

To make this recipe, you will first make the crumb topping. Put the topping in the freezer while you make the cake batter. As the

Buckle Ingredients

cake is baking, make the lemon syrup. Remember, so this first!

Crumb Topping

1/2 cup AP Flour

1/3 cup sugar

dash salt

Zest of 1 lemon

1/4 cup room temp unsalted butter, cubed

In a small bowl, sift the flour, sugar, salt and lemon zest. Using a fork or your fingers, mix in the butter until pea size crumbs

Blue Berry

form. Store Crumb Topping in freezer.

Cake

1 1/2 plus 2 tbsp AP Flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

6 tbsp room temp unsalted butter

3/4 cup sugar

zest of 1 lemon

2 eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 cups blueberries

Blue Tops

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg forming the dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl, using a stand mixer or hand held mixer, cream together the butter, sugar and lemon zest.

Add one egg at a time to the mixing bowl, mixing after each addition.

Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients and 1/2 of the butter milk. Mix.

Add another third of the dry ingredients and the final half of the butter milk. Mix.

Add the remaining third of the dry ingredients. Mix.

Fold in 1 cup of blueberries.

Spread cake batter evenly over a greased 9×9 baking container of your choice. Sprinkle the remaining cup of blueberries over top.

Blueberry Done

Remove crumb topping from freezer and spread over the berries. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes until it starts to brown.

While baking, make lemon syrup.

Lemon Syrup

1/3 cup sugar

Juice of 2 lemons

In a large saucepan, bring the sugar and lemon juice to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cook 8-10 minutes until a syrup has formed.

When buckle is finished baking, pour syrup over top.

Like I mentioned, for some reason I thought it could have used some more sugar. Not really a good thing which is why I left it out, but if you have some agave, or honey…..I might try that next.  OH……and my stove is on the blink….blink….while a new part is being ordered…..that could have had something to do with the length of time it took to bake.

Other wise, put on your summer apron and give it a whirl. And may you all have a living vacuum like I do!

Woof!

Bon Appétit!

Lemoncello Cake

Once upon a time the chef brought me home some Lemoncello………! Hmmmmmm. That’s when you say “Lovely….. I don’t drink this?! But Thanks.”   So, that lovely bottle from Italy has been sitting on the shelf for years waiting for the day I paid some attention to it. With it finally being summer, I found a perfect recipe to delight this liquor. And thank goodness the Liv Life Too blog spot put it up on Tastespotting.  (http://livlifetoo.blogspot.com/2011/06/limoncello-lemon-cake-for-our-dear.html)

Here’s all you do:

Lemoncello Lemon Cake

adapted from Erika Kerekes

2 eggs

1 cup vanilla Greek yogurt

1 cup sugar

Batter

Glaze

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 1/2 to 2 Tbs Lemoncello or Lemon Juice (adjust as necessary)

1 tsp lemon zest

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, yogurt, sugar, oil, lemon zest and 3 Tbsp lemoncello or lemon juice.  In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring just until incorporated, 15-20 stirs, being careful not to over mix. (Mine was pretty lumpy but still was fine)

Baked

Spray an 8.5 x 4.5-inch loaf pan (or alternatively 3 mini loaf pans, 5 3/4 x 3 inch) with cooking spray.  Pour the batter into the pan.  Bake about 40 minutes for the larger loaf pan or 30-35 minutes for the smaller loaf pans, or until a tester comes out clean and the top of the cake is golden. Cool the cake in the pan for about 5 minutes.  Remove from pans and continue cooling on a wire rack.

When the cake is cool, whisk the powdered sugar with 2 Tbs lemoncello or lemon juice in a small bowl until smooth.  Drizzle the glaze over the cake.

I have to admit…….I couldn’t really tell the difference between this Lemoncello and adding regular plain old lemon juice to this cake. It was lovely and delicious, no doubt, but if you don’t have Lemoncello in the cupboard and aren’t prone to drinking this liquor in the first place, then you are not missing out on anything when cooking with it. Not to be disrespectful to this lovely Italian product, but not being a drinker this actually reminds me of……….well not going to go there. Just know you can do perfectly well with the lemon juice from your lemons and this cake is still going to be gone in minutes. Promise!

I better make two next time~;-)

Cucumbers

Cucumbers are a nice veggie. They mean no one any harm, no after kick, punch or bite and are low-calorie. Want to fall in love and change your opinion of the ever so humble cucumber?  Well, if that is what you have been thinking (OK if you have truly been thinking like that you might want to seek some professional help…..) but that aside here is a fabulous recipe to change your views on this garden delight. And it’s a doosey of a deal breaker in the world of opinions!

Nothing says Summertime better than these crisp, sweet, zippy, easy delicious pickled cucumbers. I couldn’t believe how delicious they made my sandwiches, salads, and just perfect for that 5 o’clock cheese platter! Too hot to cook? Too tired to cook? Too finicky for fast food? This is the side dish you have been searching for. I literally have been enjoying these every single day since I made them. Good thing I made a big batch of them. Think I found my first garden staple that I can’t live without.

Ahhhhh, don’t you just love it when something so healthy, easy and tasty lands in your lap? Yep, this recipe is a keeper. Here’s all you do:

PICKLED CUCUMBERS

2 cups rice wine vinegar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (2-3 medium limes)
4 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 pound Japanese, Persian, English or pickling cucumbers, thinly sliced (1/8-inch thick or thinner)
1/2 cup thinly vertically sliced red onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (I think I could have used more cilantro….just sayin)

Cukes!

Combine first 5 ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Combine cucumbers, onion, and cilantro in a medium bowl. Add vinegar mixture and stir to combine. Let stand at room temperature for at least 45 minutes before serving, or transfer cucumber mixture to a clean jar and refrigerate up to 5 days.

Seeeeee? Told you there was nothing to it. And I would like to highly recommend this to go with your Spinach pesto on sandwiches. I don’t think you will be disappointed in ANY way. Plus, this let’s you get out into that beautiful sunshine called summer.

Oh, and lest we forget….a special thanks to  Nourish network dot com for sharing this ditty! (http://nourishnetwork.com/2010/07/14/spicy-sweet-pickled-cucumbers/)…..Merci beaucoup!

Bon Appétit!

Egg Salad Boats

You know how some things are good for you and some things, well just a little of it can be good for you. Sorta how I feel about this little summer ditty I came up with. Not having any fresh home made bread this week, I thought this would be perfect. Easy for summer back yard finger food too. And so far, the votes say it’s so!

A lovely egg salad made with smokey paprika, capers, red onions, fresh grown shallots from my garden (can’t take credit they just bloomed!), chopped celery, and a touch of mayo and poupon. Salt and pepper to taste and slide that into some fresh clean lettuce leaves or romaine. It is perfect for an outdoor barbeque and can be made a day ahead and assembled just before your guests arrive.

Put a little Bruce Springsteen “Haight Ashbury” album  on (a classic) and raise a toast to one of our favorite sax players Mr. Clarence Clemmons. May he rest peacefully forever. Thanks for the great music Clarence!

Bon Appétit!