Buttermilk Bundt Cake with Fresh Cherries and Lime Glaze

Posted on July 7, 2013 | 1 comment

Happy Fourth of July! Woke up this morning and wanted to bake something new to bring to our friend’s house this evening. Fresh cherries and a new cherry pitter so let’s bake a cake that we can incorporate these beautiful fresh cherries into. I also added buttermilk but you can use regular milk, I had the buttermilk in the house and I just thought it would be perfectly fine to use in this recipe and it was. I found this recipe awhile back and have made some changes to the original. This is cherry season and they are just amazing but if you can’t find fresh cherries you can always use frozen and they’re already pitted as an extra added bonus. DSCN0318DSCN0326DSCN0321photoWhat I actually did to make the pitting easier was to freeze the fresh cherries for a few hours, usually they will work well right out of fridge but it was even easier to pit them while they were a little bit frozen. It’s always a little scary when you offer to bake something for someone and it’s the first time you’ve actually baked it yourself. This was delicious. Pretty light and very tasty, and a beautiful presentation . We had a wonderful night with our friends and a very Happy Fourth of July.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup lime juice

3/4 cup buttermilk or regular milk ( I actually take milk out of fridge so it’s not very cold )

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs ( room temperature please)

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup cherries , pitted and cut into quarters ( fresh or frozen) I sprinkle a little flour over the cherries. (app. 1/2 a tablespoon of flour)

Glaze:

2 cups confectioner’s sugar

Zest of one lime

3 Tablespoons fresh lime juice

*if glaze is too thick add a little water, up to 1 tablespoon will probably do the trick, glaze did get a little thick so I did add tablespoon of water to thin out, use a whisk or a fork to get it going. You need to be able to spoon over cake so not too thick.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a standard bundt pan or just spray with Pam Baking Spray.

Combine lime juice and buttermilk in a small bowl and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the oil, eggs and sugar until smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla extract, the baking soda and the baking powder. Beat well to combine. Turn the mixer to low and add half the flour , then add the juice and milk , then the remaining flour, beat until just combined.

Pour about 3/4 of the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Sprinkle the chopped cherries over the batter. Pour the remaining batter over the cherries, covering them completely.

Place the cake in the preheated oven on center rack and bake at 350 degrees for 40 – 45 minutes. I actually cooked for 43 minutes, using a cake tester that came out clean.

Remove cake from oven and allow to completely cool before glazing.

Combine all glaze ingredients until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake.

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Happy Fourth of July and the Pursuit of Happiness

Posted on July 4, 2013 | 5 comments

Happy Fourth of July !

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It’s the fourth of July again! Happy happy! Celebrating the fourth is always so much fun, bringing back memories of being a kid. Have fun, pursue a little happiness and please do check in on some of the recipes on my site that may help you celebrate the Fourth. Please subscribe for free and you will receive my emails and hopefully be inspired to cook something new. Happy birthday America!

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Orzo Salad – and a delicious red wine vinaigrette

Posted on July 2, 2013 | 2 comments

Here’s another awesome recipe for the summer. I posted this last July and if you’re looking for a wonderful cold salad for your barbque this Fourth of July this could be it. Play around with ingredients to your own liking, Red Wine Vinaigrette is awesome just the way it is. Enjoy and Have a wonderful Fourth of July.

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This is a wonderful recipe I am passing on, the original was from Giada de Laurentis and I’ve since doctored it up to suit my tastes.  Upon going to prepare recipe I realized that I didn’t have any garbanzo beans so I substituted red kidney beans.  Feel free to add and subtract ingredients and  do whatever you like with this delightful recipe.  Sometimes you feel like pasta but not really and this is it.   It is perfect at room temperature. What I mostly like about this recipe is that you can use what you have in the pantry and in the house. I have to say the mint and the basil gave it a wonderful fresh flavor and I wouldn’t omit them.  Super Fresh! The vinaigrette is delicious and fresh tasting as well, so give it a try. It also cooks up very quickly which is always a plus for…

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Smoking Hot Salmon ( on grill or in oven) and a quick Corn Salad from leftover grilled corn

Posted on July 1, 2013 | Leave a comment

Re-blog Monday and this recipe just jumped out at me from last July. Super good and super easy. How many different ways can we do Salmon should be my new blog. This corn salad was a great variation as well. Enjoy and Keep cookingwithcandi.

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Always on the prowl for new recipes for Salmon. I usually cook it on the grill in the summer but this could easily be cooked indoors if no grill available. I actually cook this on a piece of aluminum foil on the grill, it really is like an outdoor oven. You can use a basket but I always find it makes such a mess. Whatever works for you, when I have placed fish right on grill it’s just a disaster, so I’ve taken to doing it this way. I played with these ingredients for the marinade and you know I took liberties with the cayenne pepper, so just put a sprinkle if you don’t like it too spicy. The marinade thickened up and it was perfectly delicious with a sprinkling of fresh cilantro. Cilantro can be eliminated but we love it, so it stays on in this house. I had some leftover ears of Grilled Corn…

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Ranch Dressing – BLT Salad

Posted on June 28, 2013 | 1 comment

photo (2)DSCN0290photoDSCN0292One of the best things to come out of writing this blog is being in touch with so very many different people and getting inspired by their ideas as well as my own. Bree emailed me to tell me about this dressing that she made from Ina Garten. I was so happy for the email and a new dressing to make. I followed the salad dressing recipe decreasing the salt and changing the salad to a Bacon Lettuce and Tomato salad. So yum, and thanks again Bree for thinking of me and writing to me, I love that you thought of me and that you inspired me to make this new dressing.  This is one helluva great dressing and it would make one helluva great dip. Another perfect summer salad. Thanks!

Ingredients:

3 scallions, white and green parts , chopped

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves, lightly packed

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 – 1 teaspoon kosher salt to taste

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup good mayonnaise ( you can use light but not fat free please)

1/2 cup Greek style yogurt , I used 2%

1/2 cup buttermilk, shaken ( you can use lowfat)

Salad Greens:

for 6 people you will use 3 small Bibb Lettuces, or Boston Lettuce or Romaine. Whichever you prefer. I could only find Romaine so that’s what we had. We like our lettuce chopped so that’s what I did.

2 large ripe tomatoes or small grape ones, whichever you prefer.

6 slices of Bacon ( I used microwave Bacon) it’s awesome–no fuss no muss

*1 red onion thinly sliced ( optional)

*avocado cut into chunks ( also optional)

I made all the salad dressing because it will keep in fridge for a few days , I used less lettuce and less other ingredients just for the two of us. I used the red onion and avocado for my 1/2 of the salad.

Directions:

Place the scallions, basil, lemon juice, mustard, olive oil, garlic , salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Puree for about 20 seconds till smooth. Add the mayo, yogurt, and buttermilk and blend till smooth. Transfer the dressing to a container and refrigerate for at least an hour till flavors blend together . Put together salad ingredients and pour dressing on it. So delish! Great with protein on it, and this salad dressing would make a great dip for raw veggies! I love this dressing, we ate it 3 nights in a row!

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Broccoli Slaw and Bowties — Vegan Style

Posted on June 26, 2013 | 5 comments

DSCN0239DSCN0243DSCN0247DSCN0241DSCN0261My new obsession seems to be this broccoli slaw. It is so easy to use, has a lot of crunch and tastes delicious in different ways with different dressings. This one is super easy to put together, and I used Vegenaise but you can clearly use Mayonnaise if you don’t care , either or. Ingredients are easy to obtain in almost any supermarket today. I used 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne and it had a bit of kick, if you don’t like the kick take it down a notch or omit it entirely and it will be just fine. This is a great raw summer slaw/pasta salad packing nutrients, crunch and sugar and spice. I used about 6 oz. of farfalle ( bowtie pasta) and again you could probably make this and leave out the pasta entirely if that’s the way you’d like it. I would then double the slaw. I bought the broccoli slaw in a 12oz. bag.

I love this salad. We ate it with my Lemon grilled chicken breasts for dinner

*easily serves 6 – 8 as a side dish and easily doubled

Ingredients:

6 – 8 oz. of farfalle noodles ( bowtie)

1 bag of broccoli slaw ( mine was 12 oz. use up to 16 oz.)

1 cup sunflower nuts ( roasted and unsalted) you don’t need extra salt or slivered almonds would be nice

1 cup dried craisins ( you can use raisins, cherries or whatever dried fruit you prefer)

1/2 cup 2% plain greek yogurt – Fage is perfect

1/4 cup Vegenaise or mayonnaise

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar ( you need to neutralize the acid in vinegar)

*1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper ( use at your own discretion) you know we love it spicy

app. 1/2 tsp. kosher salt and a few grinds of the black pepper mill — use a little at a time, and taste.

Directions:

Cook pasta according to directions for al dente. Cool.

I put broccoli slaw, nuts and dried craisins in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, I whisked together the yogurt, vegenaise, cider vinegar, sugar, cayenne pepper and salt and pepper. I tasted dressing for salt and pepper, adjusted accordingly and ended up adding a little more salt, bringing the salt to the 1/2 tsp. I started with 1/4 teaspoon. Remember you can always add salt but you really cannot take it away, so be mindful.

Add bowties to slaw, and add the dressing and stir to combine. Taste for salt and pepper again. I didn’t add any this time around.

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Chicken Pesto

Posted on June 24, 2013 | Leave a comment

Since it’s Monday re-blog I wanted to re-blog one of my most favorite things to do with chicken on the grill. I use the pesto recipe that I have posted on my blog and marinate the chicken breasts in it. I didn’t have time to marinate for more than 2 hours and they were perfectly delicious. Just don’t overcook chicken , turn them every 3 minutes so they don’t burn . Shouldn’t take more than 8 minutes to cook . If you’re looking for something new to do with chicken on the grill and you missed this recipe last summer here you go. Enjoy!

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A few weeks ago I made some fresh Pesto Sauce for Pasta, I successfully froze the remainder with a thin coating of oil. It came out of the freezer perfectly and I used it as a marinade for some chicken cutlets and it turned out to be so delicious that it is one of my new favorite ways to cook chicken this summer. I love Pesto made with fresh basil, cheese, butter and all those good ingredients why not use it on the chicken? Give it a try, make some pesto and use it for a marinade for chicken and for pasta. And remember if you’re freezing it just put a thin coat of olive oil on top, when it defrosts the oil just seeps into the pesto without disturbing it at all.

I am going to re-post my recipe from my BFF Susan, it is her recipe for Pesto which I still think is the best tasting…

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Lemon Poppy Poundcake

Posted on June 23, 2013 | Leave a comment
Lemon poppy seed loaf and Valentines Day brownies in July

Lemon poppy seed loaf and Valentines Day brownies in July

DSCN0216DSCN0227DSCN0228DSCN0230DSCN0232Back to baking again and anything containing lemons has me interested. This pound cake contains olive oil and buttermilk and lemons and poppy seeds. Nothing and I mean nothing is as easy to bake as a loaf style cake. I am thinking that this would make a good bundt cake as well. Baking at altitude is always a challenge for me because I hate to change quantities of liquids etc.  I just keep recipe as is and pray for the best, it usually works out just fine. You gotta love a cake recipe that doesn’t require anything but a bowl and a whisk, no electronics on this one!

This time I baked my cake, and when it was completely cooled down I wrapped it and froze it . When I will want to use it I will defrost , bring to room temperature and then do the glaze. It’s great when I know I need a dessert and it’s already baked and in the freezer ready to go. I would serve this pound cake with some beautiful berries alongside.

I got this recipe from the NY Times food section , I love the Wednesday Dining Section I try and never miss it.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

zest of 2 lemons ( I prefer large lemons)

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup buttermilk

3 tablespoons plus 4 teaspoons lemon juice ( the 2 lemons you zested should do it) you may need an extra lemon for extra 4 teaspoons of lemon juice for glaze.

3 large eggs ( room temperature for baking is best )

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar (for glaze)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour an 8 ” loaf pan. Or you can spray with Pam ( for baking I use Pam Baking Spray)

In a bowl, combine lemon zest and sugar and rub with your fingers until it resembles wet sand. Whisk in buttermilk, 3 tablespoons lemon juice and the eggs.

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk dry ingredients into the batter, then whisk in the oil and poppy seeds.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake until a cake tester emerges clean, app. 1 hour. Let cool in pan until warm to the touch, then turn out onto a baking rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Turn cake right side up.

Glaze:

Whisk together remaining 4 teaspoons lemon juice and the confectioner’s sugar. Use a pastry brush to spread glaze evenly over the top and sides of cake. Cool completely before slicing.

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Macaroni and Peas

Posted on June 19, 2013 | Leave a comment

Here is a delicious vegetarian pasta which is a perfect pasta for the warm summer nights and quite frankly hearty enough for the winter. It’s a sort of pea pesto , perfect at room temperature or hot . Here’s the thing, Joel has been on a very strict no carb diet for a while now and he would hate this anyway, he wouldn’t ever touch anything this green. He told me it looked like it belonged in the Exorcist movie. Once again, he doesn’t know what he’s missing, his loss but a perfect time for me to make it since he wouldn’t eat it anyway. I must say I loved it but you gotta love peas. This is also a great dish for kids, they get macaroni which they all love and all the vitamins from the peas.

Season liberally with salt and pepper and don’t be stingy with the parmesan cheese. Not a lot of ingredients but all super flavorful. This one is very heart warming and comforting to me somehow.  If you’re looking for a new take on basil pesto this could be the new one . I did use 3 tablespoons of butter and I know some of you are wincing but it’s a box of pasta it’s not all going into one individual serving. This can serve 4 -6 as a main dish and probably 8 as a side. All I can say is yum.

Ingredients:

1 pound shelled small peas, fresh or frozen will do ( I used frozen )

10 ounces pasta, I prefer the small shapes for this. Macaroni, fusilli, cavatappi, penne etc.

3 tablespoons butter ( unsalted)

1 garlic clove , chopped

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, coarsely grated (more for topping)

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper – I would start with 1/4 tsp. kosher salt and a few grinds of the pepper mill. Season according to your own taste.

Directions:

In a saucepan add enough water to just cover the peas, bring to a boil and cook until tender– about 3 minutes should do. Drain the peas–but reserve the cooking water.

Cook the pasta according to directions for al dente. Meanwhile melt the butter in a small pan over low heat; add the garlic and cook gently for a few minutes. Remove butter from the heat.

Put half of the cooked peas in a blender or food processor  with 6 tablespoons of their cooking water, the butter and garlic, and the 1/4 cup grated cheese. Puree unti smooth, adding more cooking water if necessary. Combine with whole peas that you didn’t pureeDSCN0200DSCN0211DSCN0208DSCN0203DSCN0214 and season liberally with salt and pepper. As I said I started with 1/4 tsp. of Salt, it was enough for me. I gave pepper mill a few grinds , you will season according to your own taste.

Drain the pasta and toss with the pea sauce. Serve with more grated cheese if you like.

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Lemon Marinade (perfect for Chicken Breasts on Grill)

Posted on June 17, 2013 | 1 comment

This was one of the first posts I ever put on my blog. May 2011, before I even wrote a little story. This is my favorite lemon marinade, so very perfect for chicken cutlets. You’ll want to marinade overnight , other than that this is so super easy and cooking is a snap. Whenever I have a lot of people over this is my go to meal. It’s light and tasty, and you can grill them up very quickly. So next time you’re planning a get together or just for yourself remember this marinade with very easy ingredients. You’ll be happy you did. Have a great Summer and keep cooking. I promise you’ll be keeping this one .

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Ingredients:

3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 – 5 small lemons) (2-3 large)

3/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Tsp. Kosher salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1/2 teaspoon dry thyme

I use a large measuring cup to put all the ingredients into and use a small whisk to combine.

2 lbs Chicken Breasts (I prefer not too thick. Thin ones are good and are usually available. If not, ask the butcher to pound them.)

Let chicken sit in marinade overnight . I use a large baggie and squish it around. The longer it sits, the better. Before I put it on the grill, I usually put it into a glass Pyrex (easier to put on grill from Pyrex than baggie) and when it’s in the Pyrex I lightly sprinkle it with a little kosher salt, you’ll need to do this for a bit more flavor.

Put chicken on the…

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