Buttermilk-Blueberry Breakfast Cake

I can't remember now if I first saw this on pinterest or facebook, but I pinned it so I could find it again.  I made it over Labor Day weekend and it was wonderful!  And then I kept thinking about it, thinking there was still some buttermilk left in the fridge, however when I went to the Farmer's Market yesterday, there were no blueberries.  Sadly, blueberry season must be over.  Alas, I did not get a picture the time I made it.

Ingredients

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tsp. lemon zest or more — zest from 1 large lemon
7/8 cup* + 1 tablespoon sugar**
1 egg, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour (set aside 1/4 cup of this to toss with the blueberries)
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 cups fresh blueberries
½ cup buttermilk***

* 7/8 cup = 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons

** This 1 tablespoon is for sprinkling on top

*** To make homemade buttermilk, place 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup. Fill cup with milk until it reaches the 1-cup line. Let stand for five minutes. Use only 1/2 cup of the prepared mixture for the recipe.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Cream butter with lemon zest and 7/8 cup of the sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Meanwhile, toss the blueberries with ¼ cup of flour, then whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt.
Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in the blueberries.
Grease a 9-inch square baking pan (or something similar) with butter or coat with non-stick spray. Spread batter into pan. Sprinkle batter with remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. Check with a toothpick for doneness. If necessary, return pan to oven for a couple of more minutes. (Note: Baking for as long as 10 minutes more might be necessary.) Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

Cranberry Layer Cake

The recipe for this cake was in the October/November 2014 issue of Taste of Home Simple and Delicious.  I knew it would be delicious, so I just had to try it!

I used craisins because it's still a little early for fresh cranberries.  I didn't chop them or anything.  The smaller bag is about a cup, so I dumped the whole thing in.

The frosting is really easy and beats anything out of a can, hands down.

Oh, and they are serious about that parchment paper step.  Both layers of my cake stuck to the pan and broke in half.  I managed to put it back together, though!

Cranberry Layer Cake

1 pkg white cake mix
1 1/3 cups water
3 eggs
1/3 cup canola oil
1 Tbsp grated orange peel
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, thawed and coarsely chopped
1 cup finely chopped walnuts

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 tsp grated orange peel

1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts (for garnish)

Preheat oven to 350. Line bottoms of 2 greased 9-inch round baking pans with parchment paper; grease the paper.  In a large bowl, combine first five ingredients.  Beat on low for 30 seconds.  Beat on medium 2 minutes.  Stir in the cranberries and walnuts.  Transfer batter to prepared pans.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.  Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to wire racks.  Remove paper.  Cool completely.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until blended.  Gradually beat in the sugar and orange peel until smooth.  Spread frosting between layers and over top and sides of cake.  Sprinkle with walnuts.  Refrigerate leftovers.

Pasta Primavera

I have been making this delicious recipe for so many years, I can't remember where I first found it!  I might have seen Giada De Laurentiis make it on her show.  But then again, I might have found it in one of her cookbooks.

This is a very pretty dish, with all the colors of the vegetables, so it's perfect for a late summer or early fall dinner party.  It's perfect the way it is, but I do roast the veggies longer than it says to, so they caramelize a little bit more.  I still chop everything by hand, and it WILL take you longer than the 25 minute prep time she lists!

You can click here for the link to the recipe.

One tray of veggies before roasting

 Pasta Primavera

3 carrots, peeled and cut into thin strips
2 medium zucchini or 1 large zucchini, cut into thin strips
2 yellow squash, cut into thin strips
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1/4 cup olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs or herbes de Provence
1 pound farfalle (bowtie pasta)
15 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

On a large heavy baking sheet, toss all of the vegetables with the oil, salt, pepper, and dried herbs to coat. Transfer half of the vegetable mixture to another heavy large baking sheet and arrange evenly over the baking sheets. Bake until the carrots are tender and the vegetables begin to brown, stirring after the first 10 minutes, about 20 minutes total.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Toss the pasta with the vegetable mixtures in a large bowl to combine. Toss with the cherry tomatoes and enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season the pasta with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and serve immediately.

Kale Brussels Sprout Salad

Found this salad about a year ago and have made it probably 15 times since then!  Absolutely amazing!  Don't let the ingredient list fool you!

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Kale-Brussels-Sprout-Salad-368295

Spaghetti Squash Salad

Killer spaghetti squash salad!

http://m.skinnyms.com/spaghetti-squash-pasta-salad-recipe/

Pear and Ginger Crisp

This recipe dates back to December 1998 from WIXT (now WSYR), unfortunately with changes to their site, the old recipes seem to have been lost.  I've only made this a couple of times as there is soooo many desserts to try and to make.  The handy thing is this uses canned pears, so it's nice and easy to throw together quickly if you need a dessert on the spur of the moment.  The recipe calls for pear halves, which I'm pretty sure is what I used the first time I made it, but this most recent time, I used pear slices (and 15 oz cans), which I liked better (and is what was at the store).

2 cans (10 oz) pear halves in heavy syrup, drained
1 tablespoon minced crystallized ginger
Topping:
2/3 cup oats
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces

Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Arrange pears in shallow 1 1/2 quart baking dish, sprinkle with crystallized ginger.  Set aside.
Combine oats, brown sugar, flour, and ginger.  With fork (or pastry cutter), mix in butter and crumble.  Sprinkle topping mixture evenly over pears.  Bake in center of oven until topping is lightly browned and crisp, about 20-25 minutes.
Serve with whipped cream or yogurt.

Thymed Zucchini Saute

This simple side is fresh and yummy!  The recipe comes from the August/September 2014 issue of Simple & Delicious.

Thymed Zucchini Saute

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and halved (cut like you see above)
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 vegetable boullion cube, crushed (I didn't have this so I used salt instead)
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley (I used dried, about 3/4 tsp)
1 tsp minced fresh thyme (I used dried, about 1/3 tsp)

In large skillet heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add zucchini, onion and bouillon. (If you're using dried herbs, add them now so they can cook and soften.)  Cook and stir 5-6 minutes or until zucchini is crisp tender.  Sprinkle with herbs.

This recipe was perfect with Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken: