Today is the one-year anniversary of cb&j and i believe that this calls for cake, and not just any cake, after all it is a special occasion. The kind of cake I want is light, refreshing and features a very uncommon ingredient in baking – olive oil.

I was first introduced to olive oil cake during a job interview. One of the questions we asked candidates was whether they enjoyed cooking, and would they participate in potlucks. It was fun and always lightened up the room. People love food, and like talking about food, so this question made everyone comfortable. When my soon-to-be friend, Alana, said that she loved to bake, and had been eye-balling an olive oil cake recipe, I immediately thought three things: (1)she is a “keeper”, (2) isn’t baking with olive oil taboo? and (3) I must have this cake.

I kept hoping she would show up to work, cake in hand, so I could taste this unique dessert, but she didn’t. Instead she brought vanilla bean pound cake and blueberry coffee cake – but no olive oil cake. I had almost forgotten about it until the anniversary of this blog. I was determined to give you another wonderful cupcake recipe, and was losing sleep over what to do – until that cake popped into my head again.

So the search for the perfect recipe began. My requirements were simple. The ingredient list needed to be short and needed to incorporate egg whites. The flavor of the oil would need to shine, but the egg whites would be necessary in keeping the dish light. Plus, I wanted to use lemons in the frosting – or in this case – a glaze, so I didn’t want anything that would combat with the flavor of the oil and the lemons.
I found exactly what I was looking for at epicurious I made a couple of adjustments – one being making cupcakes rather than cake. Baking this recipe will make your home smell amazing, and the flavors will have you craving more.

Olive Oil Cupcakes with a Lemon Glaze

Adapted from Gourmet Magazine April, 2006

• 3/4 cup olive oil (extra-virgin if desired), plus additional for greasing pan

• Zest and juice of 1 large lemon

• 1 cup cake flour (not self-rising)

• 5 large eggs, separated

• 3/4 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Put cupcake holders/papers in your regular or mini-sized muffin pan. If you don’t use cupcake liners then grease the pan will a little olive oil.

2. Zest the lemon then juice it in a separate bowl and set aside.

3. Beat together yolks and 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until thick and pale, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium and add olive oil (3/4 cup) and lemon zest, beating until just combined. Using a wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture (do not beat) until just combined.

4. Beat egg whites (from 4 eggs) with 1/2 teaspoon salt in another large bowl with cleaned beaters at medium-high speed until foamy, then add 1/4 cup sugar a little at a time, beating, and continue to beat until egg whites just hold soft peaks, about 3 minutes.

5. Gently fold one third of whites into yolk mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly.

6. Transfer batter to muffin pan and gently rap against work surface once or twice to release any air bubbles. Bake until puffed and golden and a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool cupcakes to room temperature, about 1 hour.

7. Mix the lemon juice with the powdered sugar and whisk until it’s smooth. If you think it’s too thin or runny go ahead and add more powdered sugar until you have the right consistency. Drizzle a spoonful on each cupcake and enjoy!

I’ve had a fascination with rhubarb ever since I was a kid and my parents would treat us to a Marie Calendar’s Pie.  There were tons of delicious options, but I was always drawn to their Strawberry Rhubarb pie. I never knew what rhubarb was – I just knew it was delicious, and that’s when my little crush began. Years later my crush turned into a bit of an obsession after I had an unbelievable pancake with rhubarb compote in Portland. But after a failed attempt to recreate that lovely masterpiece, my crush fizzled.

Until now.  With the weather warming, and that striking red fruit showing up at the market again, I can’t seem to get it’s long, sultry red stalks out of my mind.

After an indulgent trip to the local Farmer’s Market I was able to get a batch of hothouse rhubarb, which is typically redder and slightly sweeter than the fresh-from-the-garden rhubarb which is ready April – May. I quickly went to one of my daily reads, Smitten Kitchen, to see if Deb had any wonderful recipes for me to try. She did not disappoint.

Behold – Big Crumb Rhubarb Coffee Cake. Heads will turn and dishes will be scrapped clean when you present this lovely breakfast-dessert-concoction to family, friends or co-workers.

The big crumb portion of the dish is gently flavored with a dash of ginger, cinnamon and a large dose of melted butter, flour and brown sugar. The batter is simple with the addition of sour cream, which will bring a little tanginess and moisture to the cake. The star of the show is tossed with more ginger, cornstarch and sugar.

Once you’ve dirtied every bowl in your kitchen, you can assemble the cake. Pour the batter into your greased pan, top with the rhubarb mixture and all it’s juices. Top with the crumb. You will need to break it apart, but make sure you keep the pieces large.

Now bake low and slow. The rhubarb will soften and sweeten as the cake bakes. Once cooled, dust with a little powered sugar and serve with a hot cup of coffee or tea. You may want two pieces. Consider this your warning.

I baked this a couple of times, and the cake would cook over some of the crumb. If this happens to you – don’t worry. It will still taste delicious.  It just won’t look as gorgeous as you would like. If you have a trick to avoid this annoying little baking mishap, please do share.

Big Crumb Coffee Cake

Adapted from the NY Times by Deb from Smitten Kitten

Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 55 minutes

6-8 Servings

Ingredients:

Butter for greasing pan

For the rhubarb filling:

1/2 pound rhubarb, trimmed

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

For the crumbs:

1/3 cup dark brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick or 4 ounces) butter, melted

1 3/4 cups cake flour (All-purpose works too)

For the cake:

1/3 cup sour cream

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup cake flour (ditto on the all-purpose flour–worked just fine)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons softened butter, cut into 8 pieces.

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease an 8-inch-square baking pan. For filling, slice rhubarb 1/2 inch thick and toss with sugar, cornstarch and ginger. Set aside.

2. To make crumbs in a large bowl, whisk sugars, spices and salt into melted butter until smooth. Then, add flour with a spatula or wooden spoon. It will look and feel like a solid dough. Leave it pressed together in the bottom of the bowl and set aside.

3. To prepare cake, in a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add butter and a spoonful of sour cream mixture and mix on medium speed until flour is moistened. Increase speed and beat for 30 seconds. Add remaining sour cream mixture in two batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition, and scraping down the sides of bowl with a spatula.

4. Scrape batter into prepared pan. Spoon rhubarb over batter.

5. Using your fingers, break topping mixture into big crumbs, about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch in size. They do not have to be uniform, but make sure most are around that size. Sprinkle over cake. Bake cake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean of batter (it might be moist from rhubarb), 45 to 55 minutes. Cool completely before serving.

I keep coming back to this recipe time and time again because it’s such a crowd pleaser. It also happens to be the first recipe I ever sent out to friends and what inspired this blog.  And since I receive requests regularly for my sweet potato enchiladas, I thought it couldn’t hurt to break it out of the archives, dust it off  and resurrect it for round two.

I was given this recipe from my friend Christa who is always trying to make healthy, satisfying meals for her family – needless to say I’ve been hooked ever since. I’ve carried these into potlucks at the office, made them for a birthday dinner in honor of my mom and I’ve whipped them up for a delicious weeknight dinner. The recipe makes enough to share or to freeze and have on night when you don’t feel like cooking. And as for us veggies it’s nice to have a dish that is hearty, delicious and packed with protein.

Over the last year I have tweaked and played with the recipe, not because it wasn’t amazing but partially because I developed an addiction to poblano peppers.  All I want to do is stuff them, fry them and eat them for breakfast lunch and dinner so it’s no surprise that they snuck their way into the enchiladas. There were also times that I just didn’t have all the right ingredients so I tweaked the recipe a bit. That is the joy of cooking my friends. Recipes are only guidelines.

The best part about this recipe is that it is super easy and healthy. Peel and chop the potatoes, toss them into salted boiling water and boil until soft. While those pretty orange and white cubes do their thing, you rinse a can of black beans and toss them with lime juice, lime zest and garlic then roast and peel your peppers. Next, you drain and mash the potatoes and mix them with cumin, Serrano pepper, cilantro and your chopped roasted poblanos. Now comes the fun part – spread the potato mixture onto a tortilla, add a spoonful of beans and wrap that baby up and throw her in a pan, gently of course. Pour your favorite enchilada sauce and crumble queso fresco over the top, cover with foil and you’ll have delicious, healthy enchiladas in less than an hour.

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Enchiladas

Prep time: 20 minutes, Cook time: 30 minutes, Makes 8-12 enchiladas

Ingredients:

Filling:

1 (15oz) can of black beans, drained & rinsed

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

Juice and zest from 1 big lime

2 sweet potatoes and 1 russet potato, peeled and chopped

2 poblano peppers roasted, peeled and seeded then chopped

2 tsp ground cumin

1 seeded and chopped Serrano pepper or 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

1 small can of black olives (optional)

Tortillas (I like the fajita size)

Salt to taste

Topping:

8 tortillas (white, corn, or whole wheat)

1 large jar of enchilada sauce (I prefer green)

8-10 oz crumbled qeuso fresco – you can find it near the string cheese in the market. It’s a Mexican cheese that is salty and delicious!

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

1. Place peeled and chopped potatoes into a large sauce pan and cover with water, season with salt.  Boil until you can easily stick them with a fork.

2. Coat a 9×13 dish with cooking spray. I can usually fit enough into a 9×13 and a 9×9 dish.

3. Roast the peppers by placing them under the broiler or directly on the flame of a gas stove. Char all sides until black and blistering. Put in a ziplock bag and seal. Leave for 5 minutes and then peel off the outside skin. It’s easier to do it under running water. Slice them open and remove the seeds as well. Chop them up.

3. Drain & mash the sweet potatoes.  Add the peppers, cumin, olives and cilantro and combine.  Season with salt.  In a separate bowl mix black beans with the chopped garlic, lime zest and juice, toss to coat.  Set aside.

4. Pour half of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of the baking dish.  Spoon the sweet potato mix down the center of the tortilla.  Top with a spoonful of the black bean mix.  Wrap and place seam side down into the baking dish on top of the sauce.  Repeat with the remaining tortillas.  Top with the remaining enchilada sauce.  Top with queso fresco.

5. Cover with foil. Spray the side facing the cheese with cooking spray before you put it on.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove foil and continue to bake for 10 more minutes.

Makes 8 – 12 enchiladas.

Enjoy!!!

Chassie

The new year is a perfect time to start a new “to-do list”, set new goals and lose the ten pounds you put on during the holidays – Yes, I’m talking to myself. When I stepped off the scale at the gym a few days back, I looked at Steve with my best “how did this happen” eyes and he, as any supportive husband would, said, “at least you had fun getting there.” Touché.

So now I need to get back on the health train, curb my sugar addiction and lose some of that well-earned holiday weight.

Note from husband Steve: I’m proofing this entry for my wife at 9:00 in the morning as she’s busy in the kitchen making home-made marshmallows and rice crispy treats for a frozen PB&J dessert – so she may be using the word ‘curbing’ loosely.  I think we may be headed for a sugar intervention!

I figured what better way to jump-start a healthy New Year than with everyone’s least favorite vegetable – the Brussels Sprout.  Before you close your browser, end your blog subscription and unbookmark cbandjblog.com forever, bear with me for a few more paragraphs and, you, too may be a sprout believer.

You see, Steve and I both HATED Brussels Sprouts.  The only fond memory I have of them as a child is my father hiding one under a pile of green beans like a land mine as a practical joke.  The fact that I’m blogging about Brussels Sprouts probably has him beside himself right now. It was hard enough for him to watch me scarf down fresh pecans at Christmas – and now this! He’s probably wondering who this nut lovin’, sprout eating metro-hippy is and what she did with his daughter!

It was about two years ago now that our good friends Mitch and Amy treated us to a superbly delicious dinner featuring an amazing cauliflower soup with truffle oil, a gorgeous whole fish with orange butter sauce that I wanted to lap off the plate and… Brussels Sprouts.   In all honesty, I can’t say I was thrilled when I found out Brussels Sprouts were on the menu.  But I will always try anything someone cooks for me – and with one bite I was a changed woman.

What Amy put in front of us was a large handful of crisp bright green leaves tossed with pistachios, lemon juice and salt. They were magnificently simple – bright, fresh and delicious (words I would have never used to describe Brussels Sprouts in the past).  I have since converted many sprout haters with this delectable and healthy dish.

Most of the work takes place during the prepping period. The Pistachios need to be shelled, unless you buy them that way, but I don’t think it’s worth the extra cost. Also, the leaves need to be shucked from the sprouts. Both of these jobs are perfect for kids, husbands and/or friends offering to help in the kitchen.

About 7 minutes before you are ready to serve get your grape seed oil nice and hot in a wok or large sauté pan. You want to give yourself room to toss the leaves around. Grape Seed oil is very important here because it’s light, flavorless and can withstand high heat without smoking. We made the mistake of using olive oil once and the results were not nearly as good.

Once the oil is hot, add the pistachios and lemon zest and let them sizzle for about a minute before adding the sprout leaves. Now toss like you are tossing a salad. Don’t be shy, just get in there. After about 5 minutes you’ll have super bright, slightly crispy leaves.

Remove from heat, douse with lemon juice and sea salt. Serve and watch your guest gobble them down like candy.

My mother in law also suggest pine nuts if you have those handy. I think I’ll try that version next

Brussels  Sprouts with Pistachios and Lemon

Adapted from Bon Appetit

Prep Time: 10 – 15 minutes, Cook time: 7 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

•  3 tablespoons grapeseed oil

• 12 large Brussels sprouts (about 1 1/2 pounds), trimmed, leaves separated from cores discarded. Cut the end off the sprout for easy access to the leaves, you may need to do that a couple of times to get all the leaves.

•  3/4 cup shelled roasted pistachios

•  2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

•  Zest from one lemon

Preparation

Heat oil in large wok or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pistachios and lemon zest, and sauté for one minute or so. Add Brussels leaves and toss unit bright green but still crisp, about 3-5 minutes. Drizzle lemon juice over. Season to taste with sea salt. Serve immediately.

Notes: Grape Seed Oil can be purchased at Whole Foods and Fresh N Easy. I haven’t checked Trader Joe’s but I would imagine they would have it as well.

One more thing: Check out my Flickr photos of a sunset at Solana Beach over New Year’s weekend. It was the most breathtaking sunset I have ever seen!

Sometimes I like to daydream about owning a taco truck and driving around town making people homemade breakfast and lunch. My partner in crime would be my father in law, Big Stew.  He is accustomed to cooking for an “army”, and has no problem waking up before the sun to get his day started.  All the ingredients would be organic, and bought from fair trade and local farmers.  The food would be unique and, of course, absolutely delicious. I would cruise around to office buildings, and offer up crispy black bean tacos, veggie sandwiches and homemade soup. I think Vegas needs something like that. Plus it would be a blast to whip around town in a big silver truck feeding people and singing to The Be Good Tanyas with my father in law.

I also love the idea of serving breakfast from a truck, with fresh organic coffee, delicious homemade pastries, and seasonal pancakes made to order. But until I have my taco truck (fingers crossed Santa will bring me one this year) I will savor my Sunday morning breakfasts on the couch in my PJs,  with an oven-baked apple pancake and a “small-ish” bowl of powdered sugar.

This is truly the king of all pancakes. It’s light and airy and packed with apples that simmered in butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. When baked, the apples get chewy and stick to your teeth a little – my favorite part.  Finished with lemon zest and a sprinkle (or in my case a spoonful) of powdered sugar, it’s to die for.

Apples are in peak season right now so it’s a good time to take advantage of them. Pick ones that are slightly sweet. You’ll need to peel and core the apple.  My trick is to hold your peeler like a paring knife and start at the top of the apple peeling in one motion as you rotate the apple in your hand. You’ll be done in no time. I also highly recommend using Penzey’s cinnamon if you are in the market for new cinnamon. It has so much more flavor and kick to it than what you’ll normally find in the market. Combine this with butter, brown sugar and thinly sliced apples and you are on your way to discovering breakfast bliss.

The next step requires that you dump eggs, milk, flour and dash of salt in the blender. Whiz them together and slowly pour the mixture into your skillet of tender slightly browned apples. Put your skillet directly in the oven and in 15 minutes you’ll have a puffed up pancake and apples that have caramelized.  Add your lemon zest to brighten your palette and serve immediately.

If you aren’t much of breakfast person,  this dish would also serve well as a dessert with a scoop of ice cream. Enjoy!

This recipe came from Sunset Magazine. It was perfect as is – no need to adjust.

Oven Baked Apple Pancake
Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes
Serves 4  – or in our case 2

Ingredients

3  tablespoons  butter
1/4  cup  packed light brown sugar
1/8  teaspoon  cinnamon
1  sweet apple such as Fuji, peeled and sliced
3  large eggs
1/4  teaspoon  salt
1/2  cup  flour
1/2  cup  milk – I use Soy Milk and it’s fantastic
Zest of one Lemon
Powdered Sugar

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425°. Melt butter in a 12-in. ovenproof frying pan
over high heat. Add brown sugar and cinnamon, swirling to combine. Add
apple and cook until just starting to soften, about 3 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a blender, whirl together eggs, salt, flour, and
milk. Pour egg mixture into pan and bake until puffed and brown, about
15 minutes. Sprinkle with lemon juice and powdered sugar.

Lately I’ve had this dish that’s been sneaking into my brain and sending mouth-watering messages to my stomach causing severe pregnant woman style cravings. Ever had one of those? For Steve and I it was Mara’s Swiss Chard Ravioli with Brown Butter Onion Sauce and since swinging up to Cowichan Bay, Canada to eat it every few weekends really isn’t an option I was determined to come up with my own version, which is ambitious considering Mara is an extremely accomplished chef and a year ago I had no idea what swiss chard was.

Swiss chard is beautiful and very healthy. It sits on the shelf at the market with its big, dark green leaves and it’s rainbow veins piercing through its skin. It looks exotic but since it’s too bitter to use in a salad and I’m not a big fan of mushy cooked down greens I always kept my distance – until I signed up for Laura’s weekly veggie drops and was showered with more chard than I knew what to do with. It was time to like chard and like it quick!  So we wrapped fish with it, we steamed it with lemon juice and garlic, wrapped it around cous cous… not bad, but Steve and I weren’t exactly fighting for the leftovers. Now enter our trip to Fairburn Farm and the gates to the chard world were re-opened. Singing angels and everything.  My next mission; to create Mara’s Swiss Chard Ravioli. The occasion; a very special birthday dinner.

After an incredibly successful trip to the local Farmer’s Market where I was able to snag the first season’s crop of baby chard and a huge bag of jerusleum artichokes (more on those another time) I practically skipped out of the market dreaming of how wonderful these ravioli were going to be.

The only hiccup … I didn’t have a recipe and the star of the dinner is suppose to be this fancy ravioli that I’ve been talking about for two months. I was a little nervous. Make that a lot nervous. Keep it simple. That’s what I kept telling myself so I chopped some garlic, shallots and started to sauté the chard. Gorgeous. Toss is a couple of splashes of white wine. Lovely. Add a little veggie stock. I may just pull this off! Now what? It needs cheese. Parmesan. Ok that looks good. Let’s add mascarpone. As always a little salt – and a bit of lemon zest to finish it off.  Taste…. OMG this is delicious! How did I just do that? Oh no. I just made a cream sauce…this isn’t going to work for a ravioli. Shoot. Shoot. Shoot.

And that is how my creamy swiss chard pasta was born.  The kitchen looked like a war zone and I was relieved that my guests were running late. Steve was able to turn our ravioli dough into a quick fettuccini and we had am amazing dinner.  And of course the swiss chard fettuccini was the star! We talked about it for days and I was so pleased with that I’m going to make it for my in-laws this weekend.

Creamy Swiss Chard Pasta
Prep time is 10 minutes. Cook time 15 minutes. Serves 4.

1 batch of fresh pasta – store bought is ok too

1 bunch of swiss chard – the more colorful the better!

2 tbsp olive oil

3 garlic cloves minced

2 medium shallots chopped

1/4 cup of white wine – use one you like

1/2 cup of vegetable stock

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

6 oz of mascarpone cheese

Zest from one lemon

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil.
2. Sauté the garlic and shallots in the olive oil gently over medium heat. Cut the stem off the chard and cut the leaves into ribbons. Add chard to the pan with the shallots and garlic. Sauté until bright green about 3 minutes.
3. Add the wine and veggie stock. Bring the heat down to medium low and let simmer for 5 – 10 minutes until chard is tender.
4. Add the Parmesan and mascarpone. Stir until the cheese melts and is nicely incorporated. Season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon zest.
5. Drain pasta but leave just a little bit of pasta water in the pan. Add the creamy chard sauce and toss to coat. Serve with fresh Parmesan and feel good about eating your greens!

After a bit of a hiatus (a coworker leaving/training a new one, gearing up for two HCWS fundraisers and being out of town for most weekends in August will almost force a hiatus) but I’m happy to be back with one more recipe from our trip to Cowichan Bay.

For our one-year anniversary Steve and I decided to take a trip to a tiny town (population 5,000) outside of Victoria, British Columbia. I was actually on a hunt for a dude ranch style vacation (yes, I have finally seen City Slickers, and yes Steve makes fun of me every time he hears me say dude ranch vacation) when I stumbled on this wonderful post from my favorite blogger Molly. I was hooked instantly.

Cowichan Bay is a dramatically picturesque town. Serene, quiet yet buzzing with the songs of birds, the tide coming in and the occasional tap at the window from a misguided bug.  It’s a place where you read, nap, and go for long walks. It’s soul cleansing. The first morning we woke up at Affinity Guest House, Dwight greeted me with a cup of coffee reminiscent of Italy and told me that his ideal breakfast was a mountain of crepes that were impossible to finish and I knew at that moment that Steve and I were in the right place.  We did eat a mountain of quinoa and almond crepes that morning topped with fresh raspberries and blackberries, homemade apple butter and local maple syrup. Dwight and Vanessa continued to spoil us. Everyday they let us pick fresh raspberries, and munch on bush beans, tomatoes and sugar snap peas straight from Vanessa’s garden. I almost swooned at the amount of garlic she had, which at first I thought was corn (naive city girl. I can’t wait to grow my own with the bulbs Vanessa helped me smuggle into my suitcase

There is a small strip of “downtown” where you can buy fresh bread baked daily, homemade ice-cream, soups and salads that will rock your world and once you’ve filled up on local goodness you can suit up in a Deadliest Catch wetsuit/lifejacket/coat and jump into an inflatable boat (that Steve had to pee off of 45 minutes into the trip) with 10 other tourists and let your passionate guide, Simon, drive you an hour an half out to the ocean to admire over hundred Orca whales traveling to the San Juan Islands. Talk about magical…small boat…. loads of whales…. breathtaking.

We ate a lot on this trip – my mouth is watering just thinking about it but of all the delicious food we ate I want to share with you an Affinity Guest House specialty…Blueberry Lemon Oat Scones.

These scones celebrate summer but are so comforting that you can eat them into fall (I would just add a little cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves to the mix when October rolls around). Blueberries and lemon go really well together. I don’t know why, they just do. It one of those great pairs in life – like coke and popcorn. The oats add chewiness and the buttermilk adds a bit of a tang. You also don’t have to feel guilty about eating these because they are healthy!

The most important thing to remember is to keep everything cold. If you do that you will have nice flaky scones. My trick is to measure out the oats, buttermilk and shortening and put them in the freezer immediately and then start on the rest of the recipe. That seemed to work really well.

Blueberry Lemon Oat Scones

Prep time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 18 minutes

Combine:

1 3/4 cups flour

1/3 cup white sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

Cut in:

1/2cup shortening (remember the colder the better for scones!)

Add:

3/4 cups oats

1/2 cup frozen blueberries

Zest of one lemon

And finally add: 2/3 cup of buttermilk (this is really the secret to a good scone)

Mix as little as possible with a spoon, knead lightly and press dough onto greased baking sheet in the shape of a big pie, cut into triangles and make sure there is space between them.  Bake for about 18 minutes at 375 make sure the oven is at full temperature.  If you really want to get fancy, broil for an extra minute with icing sugar on the scones.

Ummm… so I think it’s about time I told you about the best cake on the face of the planet. And I don’t mean that lightly people. I take my cake VERY seriously. This perfect cake just happens to also be birthed from one of the most perfect places on the face of the planet, Cowichan Bay, BC. More specifically, Fairburn Farm.

Fairburn Farm is situated in the stunning hills of Duncan, BC. It’s tucked away from just about everything in it’s own private little paradise complete with a herd of water buffalo, some very playful goats and a garden that made me want to move in and become her house keeper. Culinary activist and cooking instructor (my idol) Mara Jernigan runs the Fairburn Farm retreat and every Sunday during the summer months she hosts a formal sit down six course lunch paired with wine on the verandah of the farm. It may seem silly to plan an entire vacation around a Sunday lunch – but I did – and it was worth it.

There is something very soul cleansing about sitting in a chair listening to the birds sing, feeling the cool breeze rustle your hair and in the background hearing the hustle and bustle off a kitchen getting ready to explode with a meal of unbelievable magnitude. My mouth watered and my stomach growled and I was as giddy as a girl on her first date.

Needless the say, the meal was extravagant, yet simple. Every ingredient was grown locally and each dish was paired with a locally produced wine. If I had to pick my two favorite dishes it would be the swiss chard ravioli – I am going to try my hardest to recreate those little pockets of green, earthy deliciousness – and the raspberry coconut cake which Mara was kind enough the share the recipe for.

3 of the 6 dishes: Ling Cod with Eggplant Casponata, Ravioli Stuffed with Swiss Chard & Ricotta, Sage & Onion Butter and Farm Duck Breast with volunteer baby potatoes, morels & fava beans...unbelievable.

This cake is so good that I made it 3 times in less than 10 days and I would have made it again if I hadn’t already put on 8 pounds (not just from the cake, I promise). The ingredient list is simple and other than having to use a few bowls it is a cinch to whip up. By the third time I already had the recipe memorized. The finished product has the consistency of a coffee cake, which makes an excellent pairing with coffee first thing in the morning

I really hope you run out and buy yourselves some raspberries this weekend and cook this cake up for you, your friends, your family or all three (I’m talking to you Sheri!) I promise it will be a hit.

And Mara, if you are reading this – Thank you so much for sharing your recipe. I’ll let you know how the ravioli turns out!

Raspberry Coconut Cake

Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 40 minutes

Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup shredded, sweetened coconut
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Cake:
2 cups raspberries
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter – 1 stick softened
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a spring form or 9″ square cake pan. Mix the topping ingredients by hand in a small bowl until chunky but well incorporated. Set aside.

2. Wash the raspberries and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the white sugar to macerate.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda, set aside.

4. In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the remaining sugar and butter and beat with the paddle attachment on medium high speed for 3 to 5 minutes. Add the egg and buttermilk and mix on slow speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add the dry ingredients and mix on slow speed just until incorporated. Add the raspberries along with any juices and mix in with a rubber spatula. Pour into the prepared pan and sprinkle the topping over of the batter.
Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

I had really thought that by now I would have been writing about our amazing trip to Cowichan Bay, BC and that I would be going on and on about crepes, scones, raspberry cake and berry cobbler…but something got in the way. It snuck up on me like a kitten that wants to destroy the belt to your bathrobe and it all started with a trip to the brand new Farmer’s Market in Las Vegas. This is a market unlike the block long markets on the streets and in the parks of Southern California – it’s in a business center – shielded from the 115-degree heat and Mario Batali is the man behind it all. His goal was to bring local farmers (yes – there are farmers in the Las Vegas area) to the limelight with the intention that chefs would use local produce in their restaurants. So far it’s small but it’s a huge success.

Last week I took a couple of girls from my office to check it out. I had absolutely no plans to buy any veg whatsoever. My fridge was already jam-packed but then they appeared…perfect baby purple artichokes. I think I squealed in excitement and before my brain could even register it I had a bag of 10 chokes paid for and gently tucked into my canvas bag.

My head was spinning with possibilities. What do I do with these?! Do I steam them and suck them down with melted butter, do I bake them with breadcrumbs and fresh herbs or do I (gasp) fry them?? What I decided on instead was to braise them in white wine, vegetable stock, lemon juice and a handful of fresh thyme (picked from my garden!!). The result was divine. The baby artichokes were so delicate and once infused with the wine and herbs they almost melt in your mouth.

If you can’t find purple artichokes at your farmer’s market, use traditional baby artichokes. The flavor is very similar. Make this is an appetizer to share among friends (or even just for yourself…I promise I won’t tell).

A little side note on how to eat them: Once cooked, peal the outer leaves off and use your teeth to scrape the tender flesh into your mouth. Don’t eat the whole leaf – your digestive track will curse you for days! Once you get past the first few layers the center of the choke should easily pull out and you can take nice bite out of that. Then comes the best part. The heart. Baby chokes don’t have the fuzzy center that traditional artichokes have so all your need to do it pop it in your mouth and savor the last bite slowly.

Please enjoy your baby artichokes and stay tuned for several great recipes from our Canadian adventure.

White Wine & Thyme Braised Artichokes
Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Serves: 4

8 – 10 baby purple artichokes
2 cups vegetable stock (1 can)
1/2 cup white wine (anything but a sweet wine will work)
1/2 cup water
Zest and juice of one lemon
Small handful of fresh Thyme
Sea salt

1. Peel off several of the outer leaves of the artichoke and cut in half.

2. In a shallow pan add the veggie stock, wine, water, thyme, lemon zest and the juice of half the lemon

3. Cook on medium heat for about 30 minutes. Towards the end check the liquid levels. You don’t want them to get too low. You can always add a touch of water.

4. They are done when the leaves are tender. To test, pull a leaf out and eat it

5. Just before serving squeeze the rest of the lemon juice on and sprinkle with sea salt.

I love, love, love summer fruit and I really have my husband to thank for that. I was always a chocolate kind of girl growing up. Always opting to have chocolate cake with chocolate frosting for my birthday and my favorite Halloween candy was always the mini 3 musketeers, junior mints, Hershey bars…etc. I turned my nose up at things like skittles and peach cobbler but oh how I have changed. Now the first thing I want for dessert…especially in the summer when strawberries are sweet and abundant is homemade strawberry shortcake.

I wasn’t always such a big fan of strawberry shortcake. I was more interested in the angel food cake and the whipped cream than the strawberries. I would always try to take the least amount of berries so they wouldn’t soak into that light and airy cake and ruin it. But then Steve came along and showed me the way. That man loves fruit and loves berries and loves dessert, not only after dinner but then again for breakfast. I never knew how good dessert for breakfast could be! That would have been blasphemy in my house growing up. Steve opened my eyes and my stomach to a world filled with whipped cream and berries. I can almost picture us now, hand in hand, skipping through a strawberry patch, faces red with berries and mosquitoes chasing Steve.

This strawberry shortcake recipe is my favorite. Instead of angel food cake, you make a simple biscuit batter that is speckled with lemon zest. The ingredient list is minimal and they cook in less than 20 minutes! Serve with fresh strawberries and homemade whipped cream (another very easy task) and you’ll have a dessert that looks like you slaved all day in the kitchen making. It’s a great crowd pleaser and an easy dessert when you are entertaining. The crumbly, lemony biscuits pair perfectly with the sweetness of the strawberries and the creaminess of the whipped cream.

I hope you enjoy!

Strawberry Shortcakes
dapted from William’s Sonoma Desserts
Prep time: 25 minutes Cook Time: 15 – 18 minutes Serves 6

Short Cakes:
1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
Zest from one lemon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) of cold butter cut into small pieces
3/4 cup Soy Milk or Regular milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups (1 lb,) strawberries, hulled and cut into slices or chopped
1/4 cup sugar

Whipped Cream
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar or powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

Directions:

1. To make the shortcakes, preheat an oven to 400°F.

2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest and salt until well blended. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the pieces are no larger than peas. Add the milk and vanilla and gently toss with a fork or rubber spatula until the flour is just moistened and the ingredients are blended.

3. Turn the shaggy dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently press the dough into a thick rectangle about 6 by 4 inches. Using a large sharp knife, trim the edges even, then cut the dough into 6 equal squares.

4. Place the squares on an ungreased baking sheet, spacing them well apart. Bake until they are puffed and golden, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly or completely.

5. Meanwhile, prepare the strawberries: In a bowl, toss together the strawberries and sugar with a fork, lightly crushing some of the berries. Cover the berries and refrigerate until well chilled or until ready to serve.

6. To make the whipped cream, in a deep bowl, combine the cream, sugar and vanilla. Using an electric mixer, beat on medium-high speed until soft peaks form and the cream is billowy, about 2 minutes. Cover the bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve or for up to 2 hours.

7. To serve, split the warm or cooled shortcakes in half horizontally and place the bottom halves, cut side up, on serving plates. Spoon some of the strawberries, including the juices, over each half and top with a dollop of the whipped cream. Top with the remaining shortcake halves, cut side down. Serve immediately. Serves 6.

Try to save some for breakfast, you won’t regret it.