My Birthday

Yesterday was my birthday and it was like most typical weekend days for me. I cooked, cleaned and spent time with my bf. I enjoy the simplicity. For my birthday we did take Katsu to the dog park...his second visit ever. Now that he is neutered, chipped and feeling tons better, I feel only slightly better about his off leash play...you see Katsu doesn't have the greatest recall skill. We are working on it. I look at it this way at least at the dog park he can run and play in relative safety.

So last nights dinner was a new recipe that I spied online a few weeks back and I have wanted to try. I love meals that cook up in the crock pot. I consider it a form of torture to have the aroma of fantastic food wafting through the house all day long. Not to mention the simplicity of not having a ton of pots and pans to clean up before, during and after the dinner.

You start with a crock pot...then after you take the photo you wash the crock pot again because someone didn't get it clean the last time they used it...me.

Into the crockpot you add one 14oz can of diced tomatoes with the juice.

Then you add some fresh Thyme (about 1 or 2 teaspoons), one medium diced onion, two cloves minced garlic and roughly one small can of tomato paste (if you use the whole can of tomato paste I would add a little red wine). Give it a good stir to combine with the tomatoes.

You can used a chuck roast, but I happened to have an arm roast on hand. I cut the bone out (fed the marrow to the chupacabra who was watching me intently) placed the roast on the top of the tomato mixture in the crock pot. Liberally salt and pepper the meat

Put on the lid and set it to cook for 8 hours on low. That's it. Done. When the dish is done cooking go in with a couple of forks and pull apart any large chunks of meat that remain.

Doesn't that look amazing? To finish this dish you take a 1/2 cup of fresh chopped basil, zest from one small lemon and a drizzle one or two tablespoons of olive oil and toss together in a small bowl.

Place the meat and sauce on top of hot pasta and the basil topping on top of the meat followed with some fresh grated cheese. See doesn't that look amazing? Don't forget the crusty bread...Yum. Perfect dinner. I used trottolle pasta. It is fun and interesting.

What's a birthday without a birthday cake? So I did not make my own birthday cake...everyone was surprised about that, but I did get a really nice tiramisu cake from a local bakery...It was really quite good...seriously who bakes there own birthday cake?

My kids were here for dinner last night which was nice...thanks D.H. and D.C. for washing the dishes and tidying up the kitchen for me. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. We are off to a family gathering today, and I was smart enough to take a day off tomorrow to spend some time with me.

Blueberry Cake

Late last summer the bf and I went to one of my happiest places on earth (we actually go there often). I have been going here for the past 19 years to pick berries and buy produce of all descriptions over the years some things have changed, but some things have not. The friendliness of the people who love what they are doing, the welcoming feel you get when you drive into the farm, and the serene peace you get when out in the fields picking berries. I love this place and I am very glad that through the years I have been able to share it with my children and close friends. Last summer we were out to get our annual fix of berries, and last year blueberries were on the top of my list.

Blueberry Cake 101 This recipe is so simple it is scary, yet scrumptious enough to impress friends and complete strangers if you take it to a dinner or potluck...that is if you don't eat it all your self. Nobody has to know that you put it all together and in the oven in less than 30 min.

Into a large bowl add 1 cup of white sugar and 6 Tlb. of very soft unsalted butter.

Cream the two together until fluffy.

Add one room temperature egg.

Add the zest and juice from one medium lemon (fresh is best), and whip it all together.

Into a bowl sift together 2 cups of flour, 2 tsp. baking powder and a pinch of Kosher salt. Into another bowl combine 1/2 cup of whole milk and 1/4 cup cream. Note I did use 2% milk, but I also used heavy cream.

Alternate the addition of the flour and milk while combining in with the butter and sugar until you get a very thick batter.

My favorite part...fold in 2 cups of blueberries. Frozen or fresh either way this is going to be good.

Really beautiful.

Spread batter into a greased and floured 8 x 8 baking dish.

Sprinkle the top of the cake with a mix of cinnamon and sugar before you slide it in to the oven.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for roughly 30 or 40 min. Keep an eye on this cake you do not want to over bake it. Mine took almost an hour due to the fact that I used frozen blueberries. I pulled it from the oven the very second it was done. Cool cake completely before cutting.

Delicious, decadent and seriously delightful this blueberry cake stands alone, of course you could dress it up with a dollop of whipped cream sweetened with some honey or even some creamy ice cream, but you know what you don't need to. This cake was moist and magical all by itself.

Have a wonderful rest of the weekend.

Almond Lemon Bread

I made this amazing bread/cake last Thursday evening, so it would be waiting for me Friday morning when my self imposed calorie restrictions are put aside for the weekend (I love weekends). This bread went together in minutes and baked for about an hour making the house smell like Christmas. This is not my recipe, but I had to share anyway because it really is amazing and makes buying a half gallon of almond milk, because it is on sale, and making your bf drink the rest on his breakfast cereal except for what you needed for the Almond Lemon Bread completely worth it.

I stumbled across this recipe while browsing through the recipes on Piterest and I saw this amazing looking bread. I had all the ingredients except the almond milk, so I thought I would give it a try. Having never cooked or even drank almond milk I was a little concerned.

For the bread: 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. baking powder 1 cup granulated sugar (take the 2 tablespoons of zest and toss it with the sugar and set aside. 2 tablespoons lemon zest 3/4 cup Almond Milk 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil 2 large eggs, slightly beaten 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon almond extract Combine all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl, the mix the wet ingredients together in a separate bowl. Pour the wet ingredients in to the dry blending well. Pour the bread mix into a lightly greased and floured bread pan and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for roughly 1 hour. Let the bread cool some before running a knife around the sides and removing from pan. Let it cool even longer before drizzling the glaze over the top (You have to have the glaze). 1 cup powdered sugar 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon almond extract 3 tablespoons sliced almonds, for sprinkling on the loaf to make it pretty.

This bread does not disappoint the taste buds in any way shape or form. This is the perfect bread for taking to a dinner for dessert, summer BBQ's or just when you want to have your cake (excuse me bread) and eat it to. Delicious, simplistic and moist. Like I said earlier this is not my recipe and I want to give all the credit to "Two Peas & Their Pod" for this wonderful bread.

Wishing everyone a wonderful week ahead!

Needful Things

We all have them, those needful things we just cannot do without, things that make our life easier…simpler. Personally, I have many of those things located in my kitchen. Tucked away in drawers, prominently displayed on the counters in what free space I can find, and hidden away high up on shelves. despite having a small kitchen one of my weaknesses is kitchen gadgetry. I love the little tools that make cooking and baking simpler, or just more fun.

This zester is new to my collection. I received it as a gift last Christmas from one of my children. I use this anytime I need to zest a lemon, orange, or any citrus fruit. It is super handy, easy to use and wicked sharp giving me the finest little shreds of citrus zest. If you don't have one I seriously recommend getting one.

This cutting edge garlic press is simply fantastic. I actually bought this as a gift (stocking stuffer) for the bf a couple of Christmases past, but strangely I seem to use way more often than he does. You simple roll (with pressure) over the top of a peeled garlic clove and Shazam! crushed garlic. I got a solid stainless steel one because we use and obscene amount of garlic, and I figured this one would be more durable.

This handy dandy power tool for the kitchen is just the thing for small blending job. Back in the day I owned one of the first versions and I had it for years (loved it), and when it finally died I never got around to replacing it, but my lovely children gave me this one for Christmas last year and I use it every chance I get. For example the other night I was in need of a can of tomato sauce but had none in the pantry...I took a can of diced tomatoes and Zap! tomato sauce in a jiff. It also works well for hot liquids that need to be blended like soup or gravies. I haven't tried it on fruit smoothies, but I have a feeling that would be no problem.

Motar & Pestle I don't use it often, but more often than you would imagine. I don't have counter space for a large electric spice grinder, and honestly I prefer my handy little Motar & Pestle. It works great, cleans up easy, and I don't have to wonder what was ground up last. I truly love the rustic feel of grinding spices in this. I have had this set for at least 100 years (in other words I don't remember when or where I got it.)

Butter Bell. This is my second one. This first one I had for a really long time, but it ended up getting a pretty good chip, and my daughter gave me this one for Christmas a couple of years back. It seriously is the best invention since sliced bread. It keeps the butter soft and fresh and looks nice on the table during dinner. If you don't have one you should.

Next to that wonderful Butter Bell is one of two food scales I own. I don't think you can function in a kitchen without a food scale. I use it for everything and anything. This one works great for dry ingredients. The other one I have has a larger flat surface for weighing big bulk type things.

This wire whisk represents a collection of five wire whisks that I currently own. This particular whisk is a flat whisk. No two are alike in size or flex. I have a silicone one just for the non-stick pans. I use at least one daily for something I am concocting in the kitchen. You can't have just one, so go out and buy more. You will thank me for it later.

Last but not least this old Coke Cola bottle I have been toting around for the last 20 some odd years. It serves only one purpose, and you are looking at it. I use this wonderful classic bottle for inverting my Angel Food cakes so that they cool properly. Single use tool that it is in all these years I haven't found something (or looked really) that works better. I tuck it away under my kitchen sink and wash it before each use. It is a simple as that.

I hope you all enjoy my wit and witticism. Going to be a warm day here, which honestly up to 80 I am fine more than that and I get cranky and downright mean. I hope everyone has a wonderful day.

Birthday Dinner

Even though the weather was not cooperating last night giving me the warmth and sunshine I craved to be able to sit outside and have cocktails on the patio dinner was a success! I kept it simple and made things ahead so I could actually stand around and do nothing when the the birthday boy and his lady arrived.

I made a roasted red bell pepper hummus with fresh veggies and warmed pita bread for an appetizer. The recipe is as easy as 1 can of chick peas drained (juice reserved), 1 whole roasted red bell pepper seeded, sliced and skinned, 3 Tlb. of fresh lemon juice, 1 1/2 Tlb of Tahini, 1 minced clove of garlic (I think I used two), 1/2 tsp. cumin, 1/2 tsp. cayenne, 1/4 tsp. salt. Toss all of that into your food processor and hit the button. If you need to thin out your hummus use a tiny bit of the reserved chick pea juice.

The next thing I put together a little bit a head of time was a Italian salad, which was made up of mixed greens, grape tomatoes, sizable amount of shredded fresh basil and fresh mozzarella ciliegine (small balls). I dressed the salad with a little homemade balsamic olive oil dressing. There is no exact amount for this. You just eyeball it and adjust according to your own taste. Don't forget the salt and pepper.

For dessert I put together a angel food cake and topped each slice with a couple of spoonfuls of marionberry/raspberry sauce that I made with berries from our annual family berry picking last summer, and healthy dollops of whipped mascarpone cheese. I took 1 cup of mascarpone cheese, 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream, 1/4 cup warmed honey and 1/2 tsp of rose water and whipped it. Now if you want a lighter texture you can reduce the cheese or add more whipping cream. The choice is yours to make. It turned out great you get this spongy, cheesy, sweet and tart thing going on in your mouth.

The berry sauce was easy. I thawed a couple of cups (like 3) of mixed berries then I put them in a sauce pot added about a 1/3 cup of white sugar and a little cornstarch and presto changeo! you have a quick sweet and tangy sauce. The main course was grilled 1/3 lb burgers (I weighed each one) sorry I didn't get any pictures of the burgers grilling but the light was gone by the time we started grilling. The best thing about this entire birthday party was I made everything ahead of time. The hummus I actually made three days ahead the flavors had time to marry which gave the hummus a really rich and vibrant flavor, the veggies I cut up and stored in the fridge. The mascarpone cheese, cake and berry sauce all made ahead. I even made up the salad and dressing about an hour ahead along with the hamburger patties. The only thing that needed doing was grilling and guess what...not my job. My bf is the master griller and he made some awesome burgers last night.

F.Y.I Birthday boy and his lady...yes I knew angel food was the favorite cake...I hear things and store it away in my mental rolladex...I listen a lot and talk little .

Oh Yeah I Forgot Easter

I didn't really forgot Easter it is just that I am running on little sleep and about a week behind in my blogging. Super sorry bout that, but raising a puppy takes a lot out of me but I have decided it is still infinitely easier than raising children.

For Easter dinner I made a delicious boneless leg of lamb that I had butterflied open and spread onto the inside a paste of the zest of two lemons, 5 cloves of minced garlic, 1/3 cup chopped Italian parsley (fresh), 2 Tlb olive oil (plus more for coating the meat), kosher salt and pepper.

Spread the paste onto the butterflied leg of lamb.

Roll the leg of lamb back together the way you butterflied it then tie it off with butchers twine. Good thing I don't have audio for this because there was swearing.

Until I sprout an arm from the center of my stomach to help in these trickier kitchen jobs there will not be photos...so sorry.

The next thing I put together was a Roasted Red Bell Pepper and Carrot Puree. It was super simple and went together in a flash. First you roast a red bell pepper.

Then you peel, cut up and steam 1 1/2 lbs of carrots.

Then peel and seed the roasted pepper put it into your food processor along with the steamed carrots, 2 Tlb. olive oil, 2 Tlb fresh lemon juice, 1 pinch of cayenne (I used bout a pinch and a half), salt and pepper. Then just hit the switch and puree it until you have pureed carrots and red bell pepper.

Then for added color and flavor I roasted about 1 lb. of Brussels sprouts. Super simple just cut the little bottom off of them and drizzle with a fair amount of olive oil and sprinkle with plenty of salt and pepper. Roast in a hot oven ( I slid mine in alongside the leg of lamb) and roast until tender. stir them around on the pan to get good color on all sides.

Dinner was super easy and delicious, and I wanted to make a holiday meal that was over the top without having so much food before, during and after that you were sick of looking at it. I think I nailed it.

Now moving on to my favorite part of the dinner...dessert. I can not take credit for this recipe, but what I can attest to is that yes this cake is "The Best Chocolate Cake". I know it is the best I have ever had in all my years. So I am just going to tell you is buy the black cocoa powder, make the cake and have friends over if for no other reason than just to eat this cake.

This cake is so good that if your are single you could get yourself a husband or wife with this cake...I am not joking. FYI I followed the recipe to the letter and make the buttercream frosting that is linked from the cake page.

Well that's all folks. I am off to get ready for my day job. Hope your week is a good one.