Rosemary Lemon Cake

I've had this recipe saved in my Pinterest account for a long time now.  I remember reading the steps when I first Pinned it and thinking "this is way too much work"!  So I saved it and never really looked at it again...until about 2 days ago.  Our family woke up to some very sad news, that our dear friend Rosalee had passed away.  She was always full of energy and in good spirits, she was happy and healthy, and then one day, she found out she had stage 4 pancreatic cancer.  She had been suffering for a while and then we got the news.  I had a heavy heart the morning I pulled out this recipe and I thought to myself that I'd make this recipe with all of its steps as way of dealing with the sad news.

This cake has so many steps because it's meant to be light and airy, sweet and tart, all at the same time.  I thought it was a perfect way to deal with my feelings, and the little one wanted to help!  This was my first time making a meringue and actually folding it into the cake batter. It was also one of the very few times I actually made my own cream cheese frosting. I almost ALWAYS skip this part and just buy the frosting because it's so much easier.  I decided today to go through all of the steps and do it all :)

The cake actually turned out to be fabulous!   I love that it had lemon and Rosemary that I was able to grab right out of my garden!


Here is the Pinterest recipe I followed:
http://bakerbettie.com/fluffy-lemon-rosemary-layer-cake/

Here are pics of all of the steps:

The completed cake!!!

Our friend Rosalee, May she Rest in Peace

Out of the oven

Batter with meringue folded in

Batter - the green specs are the Rosemary

Meringue with stiff peaks

Deena helping me out!!!

Zucchini Lasagna!

It's been a WHILE since I've blogged! We've been doing A LOT of traveling and I've had my parents in and out of town (cooking for us!!!) and so I haven't had a chance to blog lately!  I decided to make an old favorite today and know I haven't blogged about this recipe before, so I thought I'd share it!

In my mission to cook good, fairly healthy food, I discovered this pasta-less lasagna recipe a few years ago.  It's actually sooooooo good that you don't even miss the pasta.  Now, this is a big deal for me to say because I LOVE all things starchy (bread, potatoes, pasta, rice....yum!).  But to not miss the pasta?????  It's THAT good!

Now, there are several little tricks that I've discovered along the way to make this recipe really good.  Trick #1, if you don't have a mandolin - get one!  It makes cutting the zucchini into even slices soooooo much faster and easier.

Trick #2, you HAVE TO remove the excess water!!!!  In a traditional lasagna, the pasta absorbs all the water created by the veggies and that's what helps cook the pasta. In this recipe, there is NO PASTA and so the water just accumulates around the sides and corners of the dish.  I always leave a space at the end of the dish I'm using for the water to accumulate in which means DO NOT pack the entire dish with the zucchini and lasagna ingredients.  I've found it to be soooooo much easier to remove the water by using a turkey baster!  Yes, a turkey baster!  Now there's one other time a year you can use it!  I remove the water about half way through cooking and then again after the lasagna has had time to rest.  Which brings me to Trick #3 - you MUST let the lasagna rest.  I'd say at least an hour!  This will allow more water to release and will also help the lasagna bind!  This is one of those dishes that even better the next day too!

Now for the recipe.  I don't have a Pinterest one to share for this because I saw it on TV one day and just replicated it myself, but I've checked and there are tons of Pinterest recipes out there if you need another guide! Just fyi - I used 4 zucchinis for this recipe!

Here's what I do:

1.  Make the meat sauce!  It is super important to make the meat sauce the way you and your family love it!  It's the center of the dish and it's why I think my lasagna tastes sooooo good!  I make mine from scratch by grated an entire onion over a package of 80% ground chuck in a pot.  I add salt, pepper, cumin, a touch of cinnamon, a bay leaf, and a bouillon cube to it and allow it to cook down.  Once the meat has turned brown, I add a can of crushed tomatoes, a can of tomato paste, and some brown sugar.  I stir all the tomato in and then allow it to simmer for about a half an hour and then remove the bay leaf.

We like to use this bouillon instead of the Maggie cubes whenever we can

2.  Chop up all the veggies your family likes.  I usually use up whatever I have in the fridge.  Chop them into smaller pieces so that they make a similar sized layer of veggies.  For the one I made today, I had mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, parsley, and some sweet peppers.  I place all the veggies I chop up into a bowl together.  I have a veggie seasoning that I like to use and sprinkled that over them veggies and stirred them up.

3.  Slice up the zucchini using a mandolin!  This makes nice, even pieces to help you layer your lasagna.  You are using the zucchini slices INSTEAD of the lasagna pasta, so make sure they're not too thin and give you a little bit of a bite while eating the lasagna.  This actually makes you feel like there's pasta in it when there's not!

4.  Layer your lasagna!  Spray your dish so that nothing sticks to the bottom then add a thin layer of sauce to the bottom of the pan.  Layer the zucchini down first, top it with the seasoned veggies, add a layer of meat sauce, then top with a layer of cheese (I like to use a mix of cheese - I used parmesan, cheddar, and mozzarella.  If your family likes ricotta or just mozzarella - go for it!).  Then repeat these layers one more time.  Top the lasagna off with another layer of sliced zucchini, a thin layer of sauce, and some cheese.

5.  Bake at 375 degrees F for about 45 minutes.  Make sure to check half way through to see if you need to drain some of the water.

6.  Allow to sit for about an hour and remove water as needed.

My lunch today!  After having the lasagna rest for about an hour and a half!

Tomato Soup

I want to start this by saying I'm NOT a soup person!  I think I've written about this before, however, there are a few types of soups I truly enjoy!  One of them happens to be Tomato Soup - but I'm VERY picky!!!!  I absolutely LOVE the way the restaurant The Smith in NYC makes their tomato soup and since I can't get that here in Jacksonville, the next best thing for me is Panera's.

I've never made tomato soup before and decided to give it a shot today!  I didn't use one specific recipe, but instead, blended a few different ones.  It turned out great, but.....not The Smith's.  As I've also stated previously, I don't really go grocery shopping to get ingredients for a recipe and sort of work with what I have at home instead.  This may be why the soup didn't turn out exactly like The Smith's! LOL!  Next time, I'll try to get the right ingredients.  First of all, I didn't have canned, peeled tomatoes. I decided to use some crushed tomatoes I had and broil 3 of my regular tomatoes, remove the skin, and add them to the soup.  I also didn't have half and half and instead used the whole milk I had in the fridge.  One recipe said to use a parmesan rind (which I DID happen to have) and another said to add a bay leaf....I did both of these things!  I also added a bouillon cube for flavor as well as some garlic and onion powder.

Here are the three recipes I went back and forth with while making it today:
http://www.thriftydiydiva.com/copycat-panera-bread-creamy-tomato-bisque-soup-recipe/

http://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipe/creamy-tomato-soup/11926/

http://citycookin.com/roasted-tomato-soupthe-smith/
I found this recipe after I had already started making it the other two ways....next time I might just give this one way a shot!

Here are some pics of the soup:

After pureeing and putting back in the pot with some milk

Placing in the Vitamix

Grated parmesan for garnish

Placing the roasted tomatoes in the stew with the parmesan rind

Crushed tomatoes, onions, garlic, and chicken broth

Tomatoes fresh out from under the broiler

Leave out the tomato skin!!!

Mediterranean Flavors!

After living the island life for the last two weeks and being lucky enough to have others cook for me or eat out, it's time to get back on track and back to cooking!  I'm not one of those people that looks at recipes first and then buys those ingredients when I go to the grocery store.  I usually stock up on the basics and lots of fruits and veggies when I go to the grocery store and THEN find recipes to match the ingredients I have on hand.  While searching through Pinterest today, I came across this recipe for eggplant and a mediterranean salad that looked great!  I decided to give it a try today!

Here's the Pinterest recipe I used:

http://www.themediterraneandish.com/mediterranean-chickpea-salad-with-zaatar-fried-eggplant/

Here's how it turned out!

Ginger, Oat, Banana Muffins

Three years ago, I had recently moved to Jacksonville and was preggers with my first! I hadn't landed a teaching job yet and began watching "The Chew"almost daily! Daphne Oz and I were pregnant at the same time (this happened twice actually!!!) and she made a muffin recipe for morning sickness!  I was one of the lucky ones that didn't actually get morning sickness with either of my littles (thank God!!!), but I did get bouts of dizziness and so I decided to give it a try!  It actually turned out to be one of my family's favorite recipes and I have made it a million times since then!  My husband, daughter, sister, cousins, friends, etc. all LOVE it and I tend to make them whenever people come into town - just because! It's SUPER easy and the best part is that it's made with great ingredients!  There's NO FLOUR in the recipe!!!!  It's made with oat flour (you just put regular oatmeal into a blender and voila - oat flour) and cinnamon and ginger and yogurt and molasses and mashed up bananas - great stuff!  There are a few other ingredients so check the recipe, but I almost always make them when we have a few bananas left that are about to go bad!

Since being preggers with my first, I have watched "The Chew" on and off (depending on my work schedule) and have to say - I really LOVE it!  I get inspired by them ALL the time and regularly remake things they've done on the show :)

Here's the original recipe:
http://forums.thebump.com/discussion/12087961/morning-sickness-muffins-recipe

Now.....I ALWAYS add chocolate chips to this recipe!  I think it's a deal breaker!  But I know some family and friends have made it without and love it just the same - trust me - add the chocolate chips!!!! I also skip adding the 1/4 cup of brown sugar because I add the chocolate chips. I also added flax seeds today's recipe and it was great!

Here's how mine turned out today:

Fresh out of the oven!

 Before going into the oven

Deena helping me mix the dry ingredients

Deena adding the cinnamon

Cinnamon Buns!

I was on Pinterest the other night just randomly looking through pins and came across this recipe for making "Cinnabon" Cinnamon Buns and thought "why not?!?!?!".  Picked up some of the ingredients this morning with the kiddos after story time at our local library and then began the process during "group nap" time!  As I was making the dough, I realized I didn't have enough flour (of course I realize this in the middle of the process and not while I'm at the store buying the ingredients!!!), and so I used about a cup and a half of whole wheat flour.  When my 2 year old woke up from nap, she helped me add the cinnamon center and roll it out :)  I love letting her help me in the kitchen! I think she has an appreciation for how things are made and always likes to help!

These are fresh out of the oven and I just had a chance to taste them! Soooooo yummy!!!  I have to say though....I think the whole wheat flour made them a little grainy, I probably WON'T be using it again!  LOL!

Here's the Pinterest recipe I followed:
http://www.jocooks.com/bakery/breads/cinnabons-cinnamon-rolls/


Here's how they turned out:

Fresh out of the oven before being frosted!

After adding the frosting

Making the cream cheese frosting found in the recipe

Allowing them to rise another 30 min. before putting them in the oven to bake

Rolling it up!

Adding the cinnamon mixture for the center

Deena working on her rolling skills!!!

Cinnamon mixture

Dough after rising an hour

Deena helping mix!

Carrot, Ginger, Turmeric Soup!

My husband said he tried a phenomenal butternut squash soup at Panera earlier this week and I had randomly pinned this soup recipe on the same day.  I decided to give it a try today!  Unfortunately, the link didn't work through Pinterest, but all of the ingredients were listed below the photo and so I used those ingredients and used another recipe as a guide.  It actually turned out SOOOOOOO good!  I'm not really a soup person, but my husband is, and I got his stamp of approval on this one!

Here are the two recipes I used as a guide:
http://helloglow.co/healing-carrot-soup-with-turmeric-and-ginger/
This is the one I used as a guide.  I did the beginning steps as stated with the green onions, garlic, and ginger in the coconut oil. I then added the cinnamon, turmeric, salt, and carrots also like it said.  But then I added a few items from the original recipe I pinned:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/354517801902042690/
I added a little curry powder, half a tin of coconut milk, water, and I even added some of the turkey broth that I have saved from Thanksgiving!

Here's what it looks like:

After blending and putting back in pot

Blending all the ingredients together after carrots have softened

Ingredients simmering together

Gingersnap Cookies!!!!

Tis the season for Gingersnap cookies! Yay!  I'm very picky with my Gingersnap cookies and don't like them soft and chewy, but I do like a little bite to them.  I found this recipe on Pinterest and thought I'd give them a shot!  I'm sooooooo glad I did - they're PERFECT!!!!

The recipe calls for rolling them in sugar before flattening them and putting them on the baking tray.  I decided to skip this step.  I don't like putting cookies in my mouth that are covered in sugar.  I also listened to the instructions that said you MUST cool this dough before rolling and baking it!  I put them in the freezer for a half an hour and they were perfect!

Here's the Pinterest recipe that I used:

http://dinnerthendessert.com/award-winning-gingerbread-cookies/

Here's how mine turned out!!!

YUMMY!!!!

Cold dough

Rolled into a ball and then flattened before going into the oven

Fresh out of the oven

My 2 year old LOVES to lick the spoon!

Helping mommy bake

Eating Cheerios while Deena and I bake!