May.
31

Fruit Tarts

With the warm summer months now upon us in the US, it’s only natural that we’re eating a lot more of what’s considered to be “summer fruits”.  When it’s a hot day, we naturally gravitate to lighter foods.  It’s hard to even consider baking pumpkin pies or making a full-on Thanksgiving dinner when the mercury rises (though it’s sometimes what we contend with in southern California when it’s not uncommon to have temps in the 80’s on Thanksgiving day).  Tell me… how can one resist the juicy summer fruits when they’re all over the Farmer’s Markets and grocery stores?  Obviously I can’t and sometimes find I get ahead of myself and buy  too much!  And then I need to be somewhat creative in using them.  Fruit tarts are pretty simple and a rather elegant way of turning summer fruits into a beautiful dessert that looks like you spent hours making.

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May.
28

Outrageous Brownies

This week’s host of Barefoot Bloggers was Eva of the blog I’m Boring and she chose Ina’s recipe for Outrageous Brownies. If I’ve been blessed to have you as a reader of my blog for more than oh, uhm, five minutes, you will know that I’m not a big fan of chocolate.  As I’ve said, I don’t dislike it, it just doesn’t float my boat the way, say, lemon does.  Only on rare occasions does a chocolate dessert really do it for me.  One example is the Black Magic Cake that, in a single bite, changed my mind about chocolate cake.  But scoot over Black Magic Cake because Ina’s Outrageous Brownies are deservedly taking a seat next to you on that vaunted pedestal because they are JUST. THAT. GOOD!!!

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May.
14

Key Lime Tarts

While it’s taken a whole lot longer than I actually anticipated, I’ve seemingly gotten my new site up and running with only the smallest of minor glitches.  Honestly, I can’t really complain and I’m pretty darned proud of myself :)  Self hosting.  Shared hosting.  Servers.  html.  css.  php.  htaccess.  It started off as being so very confusing but now I think I’ve collected all the dots… and I’m finally starting to connect them.  I certainly learned a lot along the way and in the end it’s a good feeling knowing I completed a “DIY” project on my To Do list.  I made these key lime tarts when I was in the final stages of gettng the site ready and they were a terrific pick-me-up.  They’re very tart… very good… and very very rewarding.  Now that we’ve hit those warm months of summer (hey, it was 102°F here today!) this is a wonderful hot-weather dessert.  Whether you make them as cute little 3″ tartletts or go for a full 9″ tart, no matter, you’ll still get plenty of raves!

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May.
14

Easy Sticky Buns

This week’s Barefoot Bloggers recipe was Ina Garten’s Tuna Salad.  Now definitely I love tuna salad but to be honest this recipe absolutely did not float my boat.  That’s okay though… I mean not every recipe is for every body and this one just wasn’t for me.  I decided to participate in something new for the Barefoot Bloggers and that’s the Barefoot Backtracking.  It will be offered on occasion and allows you to make an old recipe and swap it for a required recipe.  The old recipe can be one that you’ve made and want to revamp or one that you’ve missed… and the recipe is of your own choice!  This was perfect for me this week and I took them up on the offer.  The recipe of my choice?  Ina’s Easy Sticky Buns :)

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May.
10

Lemon Curd Cake

Sunday is Mother’s Day in the US and what a beautiful addition this cake will be to your brunch spread. The lemon flavor is no slouch at all… it definitely takes center stage which makes me a very happy camper. It can be dressed up… or dressed down… frosted, glazed, dusted with powdered sugar, served alone, topped with fresh berries and whipped cream or served with a sauce. This blueberry sauce shown above can be made to suit your (or mom’s) taste and the leftovers can be used on pancakes, french toast, scones or even ice cream. If you’re looking for a fabulous lemon cake, I’m glad you stopped by because this is by far my absolute recipe for lemon cake… and I am thrilled to share it with you :)

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