Spring Sunshine Cake | Strawberries Lemons & Vanilla Bean Buttercream

 

Spring has arrived!

Besides the longer days, warmer weather and abundance of bugs trying to invade my home, my lovely coral roses tell me so.

I have been frequenting my local produce store a little more often and stocking up on lemons, strawberries and other yummy bright fruits and veggies. Spring is my favorite time of year. I love all the beautiful colors and yes, the abundance of nature that blossoms too. I felt inspired to make something with all this spring-time bounty. So, I decided to make a cake that reflected how I am feeling.

I came up with this sweet and tart, creamy sunshine cake made with lemons, strawberries and Madagascar vanilla beans.

I don't have a recipe to share just yet, because I was just experimenting and need to do some tweaking first. But I started with a basic yellow cake from scratch that was infused with lemon zest, coconut/pineapple juice and of course some fresh lemon juice.

I usually don't make my cakes from scratch because I find them to be very dense and box cake mixes always seem to be light and fluffy. However, I found a basic yellow cake recipe and it looked promising. I added a few of my own ingredients to mix it up and I will say that it did come out a little denser than I would have liked but overall it was good and had good flavor.

{This is where those tweaks need to be made}

I do like that the cake mix from scratch stayed fairly level and I didn't have to cut a hug mound of cake off the top to get it level, like I would have had to do with a box mix. I think they add massive amounts of baking powder to the box mixes.

{Just a guess}

After I let the cakes cool, I poked holes all over the cakes and basted them with this lemon and vanilla bean simple syrup that I made. I did this to make sure that the cakes were extra moist and also to infuse them with a little extra flavor. Doing this was very helpful and it did not make them soggy at all. I only used a few tablespoons on each cake.

Once the syrup soaked into the cakes, I then made a strawberry and lemon reduction that I used to fill the middle layer with. I usually don't like fruit fillings in the middle of my cakes but since I wanted this cake to represent some of the yummy fruits of Spring and not overwhelm it with buttercream, I felt this would really make it delicious.

I covered the whole middle layer with the reduction and it almost looked like a strawberry glazed cheesecake. I could have left the cake like this, gone no further and it probably would have tasted like heaven on it's own. But I didn't . . .

I added the second layer of cake and pressed firmly on the top which allowed some of the strawberries to ooze and drip down the sides.

{kind of like blood. LOL. I kid}

I added my homemade Vanilla Bean buttercream just on the top of the cake and used a spoon to create this swirl pattern. You can see all the specs of vanilla bean seeds in the buttercream and it just seems to add a little extra sweetness to the buttercream as opposed to just using a vanilla extract.

Oh how I do love Vanilla Beans. I love the way they look, smell and taste.

I can't say the same for my fiance' because he said it looked like I put two sticks on the top of it. Lol

{Not everyone gets it}

But that is okay. I like the way the vanilla beans and the curls of lemon peel looked on the top. I also added a couple of my coral roses to the top as per my first picture. It just looked so good with the colors. I had too.

Overall I am happy with the way my cake came out and besides needing a couple of tweaks in the cake mix, It was really yummy, bright and fruity.

Think of sunshine in your mouth.

That is what I was going for after all.

I hope this cake gives you a little inspiration to get in the kitchen and make something yummy of your own. If not to kick off Spring, then just to stuff your face with. In moderation of course. I ended up sharing this with the neighbors because I certainly couldn't eat it all, no matter how much I may have wanted too.

Blessings to all

 

How to freeze berries

It has been such a gloomy and dreary day. But I got these fresh strawberries and a giant thing of blueberries on sale and I am washing them up good so I can freeze them. I love fresh berries and freezing them while they are in season or on sale is a great way to ensure their availability.

I can't stand to see my fruits and veggies go bad before I can eat them. For some reason I always forget about freezing them. Really, you can freeze just about anything. Think about all the varieties of food that fill the packages in the frozen food aisle at the grocery store. Green beans, corn, onions, squash, zucchini and everything else under the sun. In order to stock my freezer up and make sure that I don't waste any of my food, I am going to start taking half of my fruits and veggies and wash them and freeze them. I started with my berries that are so sweet and bright. I was surprised to stumble upon such good berries and at such a great price in January. I don't want to let these puppies go to waste.

Freezing berries or really anything is actually quite simple. First, I get a baking sheet and cover it with two layers of papers towels so that I can dry/drain the berries of their excess water after rinsing.

Take all of your fruit that you want to freeze and give it a good washing. I use a strainer and let them sit in the sink for a few minutes to drip off as much excess as possible. I then spread the fruit out over the paper towels to dry off. After a few minutes I turn the fruit over and try to get the other side too. If you have any paring or trimming to do with your food, this would be the time to do it. I usually cut out the core and take off the greenery on my strawberries before freezing them.

I then throw away the paper towel and use a silicone mat on the baking sheet to prevent the berries from sticking. This isn't necessary. I just happen to have one. You can place your berries directly on the cookie sheet. I wouldn't use paper of any kind because the berries may stick to the paper as they freeze. Try to separate your fruit as much as possible. Sometimes the berries will freeze together when they still have water on them. The goal is to try to freeze your berries separately so that you can use as much or as little as you want from your bag without them all being frozen in one big clump. That is why drying them on the paper towels is an important step. After they are washed, dried and spread out on the cookie sheet, you can then put the cookie sheet of fruit in the freezer for about an hour. You mostly want the berries to get pre-frozen enough not to stick together. After an hour, take the berries out of the freezer and put them into your freezer-friendly ziplock bags that have been pre-labeled with the date they were frozen and the name of the item. Then you can store them in your freezer for up to six months.

If you like smoothies as much as I do, then this will also make smoothie-making that much easier. A great idea for smoothies is taking this same concept but preparing baggies of pre-prepared fruit combinations for your smoothies. For instance if you love strawberry banana, then you can make a bag of already sliced bananas and strawberries for a smoothie. It's a great way to save time and to make sure that you have the fruits you want when you need them. Try this with spinach and yogurt too. Like I said before, you can pretty much freeze anything.

Happy Berry Freezing!!!

Blessings to all

Amazing Fredericksburg Peach Fruit Smoothies

Freshly picked Fredericksburg Peaches

Just imagine the most tender, sweet, melt-in-your-mouth, plump peach you can think of. That is what a Fredericksburg peach tastes like. And even more, that is what an Engel's Orchards peach from Fredericksburg, Texas tastes like. I literally cannot express how delicious these things are. I eat them every Summer and before the next one I almost forget how truly wonderful they are. Then the next Summer rolls around and I sink my teeth into one of their peaches and I remember all over again why these peaches are the best peaches I have ever had.


I love these peaches so much that I made a sweet and creamy fruit smoothie in honor of their amazingness. Not only is it full of sweet and delicious fruit but I also added some Vanilla Protein to mine to make it a little more healthy and a little more amazing.  However, you will feel like you are eating a big gallon of fattening ice cream because these peaches are so sweet that it's almost like eating candy. This smoothie is so delicious that I couldn't keep it to myself. I had to share it so that you too can partake in this sweet journey of peaches and creamy smoothieness. Plus, it's Summer and what a nice treat a homemade fruit smoothie is.

Without further ado...Here is how we do this

What you will need:

Gadgets:
A badass blender
A spoon
A knife
Cups
A mouth for tasting

Ingredients:
One Banana
About 5 Cherries (fresh if possible) pitted
One big Peach or two small ones
6 Strawberries
A cup of ice
1/2 Cup of natural coconut pineapple juice (I use L&A brand)
1/4 Cup reduced fat milk
3 Tbsp Sugar or Honey
1 scoop or 3 Tbsp Vanilla protein powder (optional)

First, get out the blender and plug her in. Then use your knife and cut up all your fruit (banana, cherries, strawberries and peaches) and toss them in the blender. Then add the juice, milk and sugar or honey. I use sugar because I don't drink a lot of sugary drinks and I'm cool with a little sugar here and there. As usual moderation and balance in everything is important. Blend all of this together on the puree setting if you have one. If not, the lower setting. Just to get it all pureed. After that you can add the ice and blend for a couple of minutes or until the ice is completely blended. Add the vanilla protein powder and blend, if you choose. It just adds a little something extra and turns the smoothie into more of a meal replacement smoothie. This smoothie is great before or after a workout. Once everything is blended, use your spoon to taste the smoothie and make sure that it is up to your standards and preferences. If it is too thick then just add a little more juice or water to thin it out. If it is too runny then just add a little more ice, a cube at a time. It should be pretty close to perfect. Pour into your cups and enjoy!

Fredericksburg Peach Smoothie

If this wasn't enough to convince you that Fredericksburg peaches are the best in the state if not the country, then I highly recommend that you get your little fanny on down to Engel's Peach Stand in Blanco, Texas. These peaches come straight from the tree in Fredericksburg, Tx and delivered fresh everyday. They are there all week. Engel's makes fresh peach ice cream and cobbler on the spot as well as carry a full variety of veggies and fruits. What a wonderful way to spend a hot summer day than to pack up the car, take a road trip and stop off for some fresh peach cobbler and ice cream. Make sure to buy a the big box of peaches. Trust me. Once you get home and realize that half the box is gone in the first two days, you will be thanking me that you bought the big box.

I hope you get a chance to get down to Fredericksburg, Texas and get a big box of peaches to make your own recipes and if you can't make then don't be afraid to experiment in you kitchen with different smoothie recipes. Smoothies are a great way to get lots of fruit and sometimes veggies in all at once. Most importantly, Enjoy your journey in the kitchen.

Blessings,



Eat & Drink

 

I love to cook. I have ever since I was a little girl. I was raised on real good southern food like buttery biscuits and creamy sausage gravy, chicken fried steak, enchiladas and all of the other fattening southern dishes you can think of. The older I got the more I loved cooking and the better I got at it. I can make some mean fried chicken and a delicious apple pie from scratch. I've always loved those southern favorites, and I still do. The older I get though, the healthier I want to eat. I do a lot of research and read a lot of articles on health and nutrition and once I became educated, I just couldn't go back to the way things were. The more I ate healthy, the better I felt. Foods that may have tasted disgusting to me before, soon became delicious and highly enjoyable. I feel great after I eat healthy food. I have become addicted to eating healthy over the past couple of years.

 

I am a baker at heart and I love sweets, so I still enjoy indulging occasionally and I still make less then healthy meals sometimes. However, the important thing to remember is always "moderation." Have some cake, but don't eat three slices. Have some bread, but not the whole loaf. It is okay to enjoy and indulge in moderation. Don't starve or deprive yourself. You will only pay for it in the end. There is some satisfaction and pride that comes from having a few bites and allowing yourself to enjoy something but then having enough self control to stop when you feel satisfied instead of gorging. Eating smaller meals throughout the day has proven to be the best way to keep the body's metabolism up and to maintain a healthy weight. It makes sense. 

 

"we all have a love affair with food"

 

You can check out my full collection of photos on my Food & Drink page. I am working on putting recipes to all of the photos. My 5 month old isn't interested in my recipes right now. So it'll take time. In the meantime, use them as inspiration to create your own healthy dish. Remember to have fun cooking! Experiment and play. Cooking is art and the expression of your soul through food. Whether you like to create or simply take part in the delicious creation someone else has made, we all have a love affair with food. We all associate memories and experiences with different events that revolved around food. Get the kids involved! It is a beautiful thing when a child is helping in the kitchen. I let my son help me cook and bake all the time and he really really loves it. Letting little ones help in the kitchen allows them to be creative and understand the process of making something with your own hands and then enjoying the fruit of their labor. It's teaching our little girls to be confident in their skills and they will take that with them to being a wonderful wife. I love cooking for my husband. I know he loves it. We are teaching our boys to be confident cooks as well, but also independent and a great husband. It's nice to know if I had a long day and don't feel like cooking every now and then that he can hold his own in the kitchen. So get cooking and enjoy the journey in the kitchen!

 

 

 

Tequila & Lime marinated Shrimp Tacos

 

 

My attempt at Chuy's Salsa Fresca

It came out REAL good! I think I may have liked mine better!!!

 

 

Giant Lump Crab Cakes

 

 

Shrimp Salad

I love making bowls. Rice, beans, cheese, veggies and sometimes a protein like shrimp or chicken. This shrimp salad bowl is so yummy. I use whole grain rice, black beans, pico de gallo, avocados, shrimp and sprinkle with a little cheese. Squeeze a little lime juice over the top. Enjoy!  I use very little fats and they are good fats. I sautee' my shrimp in extra virgin olive oil (coconut oil is a great alternative.) This reminds me of an Island dish. I love Island foods. I could probably survive off of fruits, veggies and fish.

 

 

Texas Teas at Chuy's

I love Chuy's. You may have never been there before. But let me tell you.... One, they make one of then best Texas teas that I have ever had and Two, they make some amazing salsa fresca and this delicious little concoction they came up with call "creamy jalapeno." Mmm, so good!

If you ever find yourself in San Antonio, you should stop by a Chuy's and enjoy some of their out of this world Tex-Mex dishes and taste bud tantalizing Texas Teas. You won't regret it. Spicy!!! 

 

 

A good hostess provides a collection of mixers and liquors!

Getting ready for the New Years Eve Party. I like to get at least a small to medium sized bottle of 4 to 5 liquors and at least 4 to 5 mixers as well. It is also a good idea to get a few citrus' together. Some lemons, limes and maybe oranges or pineapples for garnish too. It's always nice to have options.

 

 

This is what 21 well spent dollars at the produce market looks like. I love that I live in walking distance of the market. I put the baby in the stroller and we take a little walk. I will say that it makes it much easier to eat healthy and eat veggies when there is a convenient way to get them. A good reason to start a garden.

 

 

Banana Blueberry & Strawberry smoothies to start off the day. I love making smoothies. It is a great way to get a lot of fruits in at once if you have a hard time eating fruits. Use some sugar free natural apple juice or orange juice instead of milk. Other healthy options for smoothies include any other fruits, yogurt, honey, flax seed and kale. Their are smoothie combinations than I could even name. Have fun playing and experimenting until you find your favorite. Who knows you could come up with some amazing flavors.  

 

 

"Enjoy the Journey in the kitchen"