Gnocchi and Wilted Spinach Salad.
Ok, ok, OK, ok, okay, OKAY! So this isn't the lightest salad to start off the New Year. I admit it! BUT it IS the salad that will have everyone asking for seconds and thirds. A double helping of greens, people, doesn't that count for something?
Showing posts with label lemon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lemon. Show all posts
January 05, 2011
January 02, 2011
Resolution Revelation
Grapefruit Basil Sorbet.
Happy 2011, friends! I hope I find you fully recovered from your New Year's Eve party, and another year healthier, wealthier, and wiser!
Happy 2011, friends! I hope I find you fully recovered from your New Year's Eve party, and another year healthier, wealthier, and wiser!
June 09, 2010
When Life Gives You Lavender...
French Lavender Lemonade.
Love thy neighbor--and if he happens to be tall, debonair and devastating, it will be that much easier. ~Mae West
We live in an older neighborhood with mature trees clustered about, and homes dating back to the 1890's. My house is on the main drag through our neighborhood with a picturesque little church across the road. It is a fairly busy street in our bustling pedestrian community. We get all the action right outside our windows. Runners, dog-walkers, strollers, bikers, the 4th of July parade, the Halloween extravaganza, the dog blessing ceremony (Asheville is a unique community)...it all happens directly in front of my house.
Love thy neighbor--and if he happens to be tall, debonair and devastating, it will be that much easier. ~Mae West
We live in an older neighborhood with mature trees clustered about, and homes dating back to the 1890's. My house is on the main drag through our neighborhood with a picturesque little church across the road. It is a fairly busy street in our bustling pedestrian community. We get all the action right outside our windows. Runners, dog-walkers, strollers, bikers, the 4th of July parade, the Halloween extravaganza, the dog blessing ceremony (Asheville is a unique community)...it all happens directly in front of my house.
May 30, 2010
Crostata Or Galette?
Mixed Berry Crostata with Lemon-Honey Ricotta Cream.
I get confused...is it a galette, crostata, free-form pie, flat tart, what? I'm pretty sure the only difference between ALL of these, is where you live. For the French, it's a galette. For the Italians, it's a crostata. For Americans...well, we Americans like to use multiple names for the same thing! I've even heard of this being called a Lazy Pie. Whatever it is--it's amazingly delectable and simple to make!
I get confused...is it a galette, crostata, free-form pie, flat tart, what? I'm pretty sure the only difference between ALL of these, is where you live. For the French, it's a galette. For the Italians, it's a crostata. For Americans...well, we Americans like to use multiple names for the same thing! I've even heard of this being called a Lazy Pie. Whatever it is--it's amazingly delectable and simple to make!
May 26, 2010
Chill Out!
Strawberry Recipe #3...Strawberry-Basil Italian Ice!
Personalities are funny little things. They are a way for us to package ourselves, for our own understanding, and to present our "qualities" to others. But they are more than that. We often hold to our personality like a security blanket, a disclaimer for our quirks, shortcomings and bad habits. "I can't help that I _____, it's just the way I AM." The truth is, any of us can change something about ourselves IF WE WANT TO. That's the beauty of humanity, we choose. Life happens, but we choose how we will respond to it.
Personalities are funny little things. They are a way for us to package ourselves, for our own understanding, and to present our "qualities" to others. But they are more than that. We often hold to our personality like a security blanket, a disclaimer for our quirks, shortcomings and bad habits. "I can't help that I _____, it's just the way I AM." The truth is, any of us can change something about ourselves IF WE WANT TO. That's the beauty of humanity, we choose. Life happens, but we choose how we will respond to it.
May 21, 2010
Farm Stand Fresh
Fresh Strawberry Yogurt Cake...
Every time I take the kids berry picking, I think to myself, "I could totally do this. I could farm...yeah it's hard work, but peaceful and gratifying." Then I imagine us buying a large piece of land and reinventing our life. I envision myself in overalls and work boots, driving a tractor. That thought always makes me chuckle! Of course, I know nothing of farming. I've never even had my own garden! This year is the first year we are going to give it a whirl--that is, be involved in a communal garden. I'm hoping to learn a thing or two. I'll let you know how it goes!
I still like to pretend, as we're picking berries, that I somehow had a part in cultivating them. I also like to believe that I'm honoring the berries by putting them in such lovely treats! (If that makes me slightly crazy, I can live with that.)
This super moist cake is the perfect way to CELEBRATE juicy berries! It's thick, soft, and packed full of fresh strawberries that weep pink tears down each tender slice. The yogurt and lemon create a wonderful tangy balance to it's sweetness. This cake slices well, and doesn't dry out quickly. It is wonderfully delicious on it's own--but is also marvelous with a scoop of homemade ice cream! A perfect dessert to take to picnics and BBQs this spring and summer!
Fresh Strawberry Yogurt Cake
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
3 Tb. lemon juice, divided
Zest of 1 lemon
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, divided
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
8 oz. plain or vanilla, greek yogurt
12 oz. fresh strawberries, diced
1 cup powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 325*. Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan
. Sift together the 2 ¼ cups of flour, baking soda and salt. Mix in the lemon zest
and set aside.
With an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in 1 Tb. lemon juice. Alternate beating in the flour mixture and the yogurt, mixing just until incorporated.
Toss the strawberries with the remaining ¼ cup of flour. Gently mix them into the batter.
Pour the batter into the Bundt pan
. Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Allow to cool 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. Once cooled whisk together the remaining 2 Tb. of lemon juice and the powdered sugar. Drizzle over the top of the cake.
Serves 12+.

Every time I take the kids berry picking, I think to myself, "I could totally do this. I could farm...yeah it's hard work, but peaceful and gratifying." Then I imagine us buying a large piece of land and reinventing our life. I envision myself in overalls and work boots, driving a tractor. That thought always makes me chuckle! Of course, I know nothing of farming. I've never even had my own garden! This year is the first year we are going to give it a whirl--that is, be involved in a communal garden. I'm hoping to learn a thing or two. I'll let you know how it goes!
I still like to pretend, as we're picking berries, that I somehow had a part in cultivating them. I also like to believe that I'm honoring the berries by putting them in such lovely treats! (If that makes me slightly crazy, I can live with that.)
This super moist cake is the perfect way to CELEBRATE juicy berries! It's thick, soft, and packed full of fresh strawberries that weep pink tears down each tender slice. The yogurt and lemon create a wonderful tangy balance to it's sweetness. This cake slices well, and doesn't dry out quickly. It is wonderfully delicious on it's own--but is also marvelous with a scoop of homemade ice cream! A perfect dessert to take to picnics and BBQs this spring and summer!
Fresh Strawberry Yogurt Cake
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
3 Tb. lemon juice, divided
Zest of 1 lemon
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, divided
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
8 oz. plain or vanilla, greek yogurt
12 oz. fresh strawberries, diced
1 cup powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 325*. Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan
With an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in 1 Tb. lemon juice. Alternate beating in the flour mixture and the yogurt, mixing just until incorporated.
Toss the strawberries with the remaining ¼ cup of flour. Gently mix them into the batter.
Pour the batter into the Bundt pan
Allow to cool 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. Once cooled whisk together the remaining 2 Tb. of lemon juice and the powdered sugar. Drizzle over the top of the cake.
Serves 12+.
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