Fruity Macaroons

These were good, but I kind of screwed them up. I'm not sure what happened! I only had about 4 salvageable cookies, the rest fell apart. The ones that made it were delicious.

Ingredients:

• 1 package sweetened coconut flakes
• 3 egg whites
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup dried fruit, chopped (papaya, pineapple, apricots)

Preheat oven to 325. Whisk together egg whites, sugar, and salt until frothy. Add coconut and dried fruits. Combine. Shape two tbsp of mixture into mounds and placed on greased baking sheet 1/2 inch apart. Bake until golden, 25-30 minutes. Transfer to wire rack until cool.

Ratatoille

This meal included about 95% ingredients from our garden. Exciting! I modified a few different recipes that I found.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 lg zucchini, cubed
• 1 lg sweet pepper, diced
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 3 tbsp wine, chicken stock, or veg stock (I used chicken)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• fresh basil and oregano
• salt and pepper to taste

Slice the eggplant in 1/2 inch slices, lightly salt and lay on a paper towel. This will draw out excess moisture and any bitterness in the eggplant. Let sit for about an hour, then rinse and pat dry and cut into cubes.

Saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil, until the onion is translucent. Add the eggplant, zucchini, pepper, tomatoes, stock, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to boil, lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Uncover and stir, then add the herbs. Let cook for another 5-7 minutes until the veggies are tender and serve! Great with brown rice or couscous!

Buttermilk Pancakes

I've never had much luck with pancakes. They're always too dense and never very good. This recipe is PERFECT for light, fluffy pancakes. We have a winner!

Ingredients:

2 eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

2 Tbs. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 1/2 cups buttermilk

4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 to 2 Tbs. vegetable oil or nonstick cooking spray

Maple syrup for serving

Directions:

In a bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the eggs on medium speed until frothy. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla. Stir just until the batter is smooth and no lumps of flour remain; do not overbeat.

Heat a griddle over medium-high heat until a few drops of water flicked onto the surface skitter across it. Lightly grease the griddle with vegetable oil, or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set the molds on the griddle and heat until hot.

Pour about 1/3 cup of the batter into griddle. Cook until bubbles form on top and the batter is set, about 2 minutes. Using a spatula, flip the pancakes. Cook until golden brown on the other side, about 2 minutes more. Keep warm until all the pancakes are cooked.

Repeat with the remaining batter, adding more oil to the griddle as needed. Serve with maple syrup. Makes 12 pancakes; serves 4.

source

Dorie Greenspan's Perfect Party Cake

My mom asked me to bring a dessert to her Memorial Day BBQ and I knew I had to make this cake! After seeing it in so many Daring Bakers' blogs I was inspired and it was so worth it! Everyone loved it. I had some coconut-haters in the crowd so I think I might not do the coconut next time but overall it was fantastic.

For the Cake
2 ¼ cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups whole milk or buttermilk (I prefer buttermilk with the lemon)
4 large egg whites
1 ½ cups sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 stick (8 tablespoons or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ teaspoon pure lemon extract

For the Buttercream
1 cup sugar
4 large egg whites
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 large lemons)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For Finishing
2/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves stirred vigorously or warmed gently until spreadable
About 1 ½ cups sweetened shredded coconut

Getting Ready
Centre a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9 x 2 inch round cake pans and line the bottom of each pan with a round of buttered parchment or wax paper. Put the pans on a baking sheet.

To Make the Cake
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl.
Whisk together the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl or another large bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant.
Add the butter and working with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light.
Beat in the extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed.
Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated.
Add the rest of the milk and eggs beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients.
Finally, give the batter a good 2- minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated.
Divide the batter between the two pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cakes are well risen and springy to the touch – a thin knife inserted into the centers should come out clean
Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unfold them and peel off the paper liners.
Invert and cool to room temperature, right side up (the cooled cake layers can be wrapped airtight and stored at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to two months).

To Make the Buttercream
Put the sugar and egg whites in a mixer bowl or another large heatproof bowl, fit the bowl over a plan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes.
The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like shiny marshmallow cream.
Remove the bowl from the heat.
Working with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the meringue on medium speed until it is cool, about 5 minutes.
Switch to the paddle attachment if you have one, and add the butter a stick at a time, beating until smooth.
Once all the butter is in, beat in the buttercream on medium-high speed until it is thick and very smooth, 6-10 minutes.
During this time the buttercream may curdle or separate – just keep beating and it will come together again.
On medium speed, gradually beat in more lemon juice, waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding more, and then the vanilla.
You should have a shiny smooth, velvety, pristine white buttercream. Press a piece of plastic against the surface of the buttercream and set aside briefly.

To Assemble the Cake
Using a sharp serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion, slice each layer horizontally in half.
Put one layer cut side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper.
Spread it with one third of the preserves.
Cover the jam evenly with about one quarter of the buttercream.
Top with another layer, spread with preserves and buttercream and then do the same with a third layer (you’ll have used all the jam and have buttercream leftover).
Place the last layer cut side down on top of the cake and use the remaining buttercream to frost the sides and top.
Press the coconut into the frosting, patting it gently all over the sides and top.

Serving
The cake is ready to serve as soon as it is assembled, but I think it’s best to let it sit and set for a couple of hours in a cool room – not the refrigerator. Whether you wait or slice and enjoy it immediately, the cake should be served at room temperature; it loses all its subtlety when it’s cold. Depending on your audience you can serve the cake with just about anything from milk to sweet or bubbly wine.

Storing
The cake is best the day it is made, but you can refrigerate it, well covered, for up to two days. Bring it to room temperature before serving. If you want to freeze the cake, slide it into the freezer to set, then wrap it really well – it will keep for up to 2 months in the freezer; defrost it, still wrapped overnight in the refrigerator.

Playing Around
Since lemon is such a friendly flavour, feel free to make changes in the preserves: other red preserves – cherry or strawberry – look especially nice, but you can even use plum or blueberry jam.

Fresh Berry Party Cake
If you will be serving the cake the day it is made, cover each layer of buttercream with fresh berries – use whole raspberries, sliced or halved strawberries or whole blackberries, and match the preserves to the fruit. You can replace the coconut on top of the cake with a crown of berries, or use both coconut and berries. You can also replace the buttercream between the layers with fairly firmly whipped sweetened cream and then either frost the cake with buttercream (the contrast between the lighter whipped cream and the firmer buttercream is nice) or finish it with more whipped cream. If you use whipped cream, you’ll have to store the cake the in the refrigerator – let it sit for about 20 minutes at room temperature before serving.
Devoured.

Perfect Summer Salad

Here's a quickie update since I haven't been around lately. Family is gone, I am back in business!

This watermelon salad sounds a little strange, but take my word for it...so good. Really refreshing and savory at the same time. Perfect for summer cook-outs.

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup halved, thinly sliced red onion
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 1/2 quarts seeded, cubed watermelon
• 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 cup pitted black olive halves
• 1 cup chopped fresh mint
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

DIRECTIONS

1. Place the onion slices in a small bowl with the lime juice. The acid of the lime will mellow the flavor of the raw onion. Let stand for 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, combine the watermelon cubes, feta cheese, black olives, onions with the lime juice, and mint. Drizzle olive oil over it all, and toss to blend

source

I've not forgotten you!

I swear! We have family in from out of state this week so there will likely be no updates until this weekend. Stay tuned!

Mediterranean Frittata

This is hearty enough to eat for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Mm! Adapted from a recipe in the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup half and half, light cream, or milk
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped roasted red sweet peppers
• 1/2 cup sliced kalamata or pitted ripe olives
• 1/4 cup slivered fresh basil
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• fresh basil leaves for garnish
• I also threw in some mushrooms and topped with some fresh grated parmesan cheese
  

Directions

Preheat broiler. In a large skillet (that can go in the broiler) cook onion, garlic, and mushrooms in the oil until tender.

In a bowl, beat together the eggs and half-and-half. Stir in feta, peppers, olives, basil, and pepper. Pour egg mixture over onion mixture in skillet. Cook over medium heat. As mixture sets, run a spatula around the edge so that the uncooked portion flows underneath. Continue until mixture is almost set. Reduce heat to prevent overcooking. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over the top of frittata. Broil 1-2 minutes, until top is set and cheese is golden. Garnish with fresh basil.