Holidays
I don’t know about you, but I feel like this year is already flying by! It’s almost May! I don’t know where the time goes. Easter was just a short time ago and Mother’s Day is just around the corner. I made this sheet cake for Easter and shared it with a couple of my neighbors as it definitely made more than we could eat. I also made another dessert for my Easter table. But, if you are hosting Mother’s Day this cake would certainly make a nice addition to your menu. It’s easy to make, large enough for a crowd, and sweet, but not over the top sweet.
INGREDIENTS
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple, not drained
CREAM CHEESE ICING
1 (8 ounce) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 3/4 cup confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped nuts
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine cake ingredients, beat until smooth. Pour into a 9 x 13 greased baking dish. Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely.
FOR THE ICING
Combine the cream cheese, butter, confectioners sugar and vanilla until smooth. Spread over cooled cake and sprinkle with nuts.
Enjoy!
This blueberry lemon cake is perfect for a Mother’s Day brunch or just because! Filled with juicy blueberries with the hint of lemon. One of my favorite combinations especially with summer just around the corner. This is perfect with a cup of coffee or for a little dessert after dinner. No matter what time of day you have it, I know you will enjoy it!
INGREDIENTS
2 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 medium lemon, zest and juice divided
1/2 Tablespoon cornstarch
2 cups fresh blueberries
Powdered sugar to dust the top if desired
DIRECTIONS
Lightly butter a 9 inch spring form pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Beat two eggs and the granulated sugar in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment on high speed until light in color and thick. Add one cup of sour cream , 1/2 cup oil, vanilla and salt. Whisk on low until well combined.
In a separate bowl whisk flour, baking powder, add to the batter a little at a time blend until combined. Add one Tablespoon lemon juice and 1/2 Tablespoon zest. Rinse the blueberries and drain well. In a medium bowl, toss the berries with the cornstarch and 1 teaspoon lemon juice stirring until well combined and no dry white cornstarch remains. Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Top with half of the blueberries. Top the blueberries with the remaining batter spreading to cover the blueberries. Top with the remaining blueberries and push them slightly into the batter.
Bake for 45-50 minutes, mine took 45. A toothpick inserted in should come out clean when the cake is done. Let cake rest in pan for 15 minutes, then remove the ring and cool until it’s at room temperature. Dust with powdered sugar.
Enjoy!
This recipe comes from www.natashaskitchen.com
This is another great dish from Taste of Home. Spring is finally here and Easter is around the corner. This is a great side dish for your Easter table and I know it will be on mine I really love the addition of the lemon pepper seasoning. It’s a nice twist and lets face it Parmesan makes everything good! This recipe says it serves four but I always make more!
INGREDIENTS
1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place asparagus on an ungreased baking sheet. Drizzle with oil, toss to coat the asparagus. Sprinkle with cheese, lemon pepper and salt. Bake 20-25 minutes or until tender stirring occasionally.
Enjoy!
This is another fantastic recipe from Taste of Home! This is an easy dish to put together and easy to change up the vegetables to fit to your family tastes. This would be a great summer lunch or perfect for a Mother’s Day or Easter brunch! I just love roasted vegetables so this dish was a big hit at our house!
INGREDIENTS
1 small eggplant, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 large zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch slices
4 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 medium sweet red pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
4 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 sheet refrigerated pie pastry
1 Tablespoon cornmeal
2 Tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese (I used shaved Parmesan)
Fresh minced Basil, optional
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large bowl combine your vegetables, 3 Tablespoons of olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender and the moisture has evaporated. Stir every ten minutes.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out your pie pastry into a 13 inch circle. Sprinkle cornmeal over a greased 14 inch pizza pan (or ungreased pizza stone). Place pastry on prepared pan.
Spoon vegetable mixture over the pastry leaving a 1 1-2 inch edge around the edge of the pastry. Fold up the edges of the pastry leaving the center uncovered. Brush pastry with remaining oil.
Bake at 450 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Sprinkle with cheese. Cut into wedges and garnish with basil if desired.
Enjoy!
I recently had the chance to do a small catering job for my Mom, Lydia Williams who is an amazing photographer. She had many of her award winning photographs on metal and also featured on puzzles, Christmas cards, calendars, magazines and pamphlets at an exhibit held at our local library. One of the dishes I made was a goat cheese whip. It was a huge hit; everyone enjoyed this and it was a fabulous addition to my cheese board! So next time you are putting together a cheese board add this you will not be disappointed !
INGREDIENTS
5 ounces of goat cheese, softened
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 Tablespoon honey, more for garnish
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup pomegranate arias, plus more for garnish
Serve with crackers or toasted baguette slices.
DIRECTIONS
In the bottom of a stand mixer bowl add goat cheese and cream cheese. Using the whisk attachment, whisk on high until light and fluffy, this takes a couple minutes. Add honey, salt and pepper. Whip again about 30 more seconds. Add pomegranates and fold into the mixture. Transfer to your serving container, sprinkle with additional pomegranate, drizzle with a bit more honey and serve with crackers or baguette slices.
If you would like to see some beautiful photographs please feel free to visit my Mom’s website at http://www.lydiawilliamsphotography.com
Enjoy!
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