Lemon Yogurt Cake

I had some yogurt that needed to be used and I'm so happy it was used to make this yummy lemon cake.  My house smelled delicious while it was baking and I could hardly wait for it to cool before slicing into it right before dinner (I told myself it was a light appetizer).  It was perfectly lemony and light.  Instead of baking the cake in one loaf pan, I used ramekins to make mini cakes and then the rest of the batter I baked in a smaller loaf pan.  I watched as the cake sat on my kitchen counter tempting my little family to slice a piece each time one of us would walk through the kitchen.  It's lemony goodness was too hard to resist and so we sliced (sometimes only a half a piece only to return soon after for the other half) until nothing remained but crumbs.

Lemon Yogurt Cake

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 1/3 cup sugar, divided
3 extra-large eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Glaze:

1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan.  Line the bottom with parchment paper.  Grease and flour the pan.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium sized bowl.  In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla.  Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.  With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it's all incorporated.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

While the cake is baking, combine 1/3 cup lemon juice and 1/3 cup sugar in a small saucepan and cook over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves and mixture is clear.  Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for ten minutes.  Carefully remove cake from pan and place on a cooling rack.  While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in.  Cool.

For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl and stir to combine.  Pour glaze over cake once the cake has cooled.

*Instead of making the cake in the size of loaf pan used in the recipe, I used a smaller loaf pan and then used a few ramekins to make little mini cakes that turned out super cute and fun.

Recipe from Ina Garten

Corn Potato and Jalapeno Soup

This corn soup is delicious and light (just what was needed to start the week after a weekend filled with really great food).  The flavors reminded me of a lighter, but equally delicious version of corn chowder.

Corn Potato and Jalapeno Soup

2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, diced
1 jalapeno, minced (I removed the seeds for less heat)
5-6 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into a large dice
2 cups corn kernels
5 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne
Cilantro and jalapeno slices for garnish

In a large soup pot, melt butter over medium heat.  Add onion and jalapeno to the pot and cook until tender, stirring occasionally.  Add potatoes, corn, chicken broth, salt, and cayenne to the pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.  Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with cilantro and jalapeno slices.

Recipe from Go Bold with Butter

Buttermilk Biscuits

These buttermilk biscuits are perfectly delicious served warm and smothered with butter and homemade strawberry jam.  They are equally delicious used to sandwich an over easy egg, piece of ham and cheese that's melted to ooey, gooey perfection.  Either way, you really can't go wrong!

Buttermilk Biscuits

4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup butter, cold and cut into cubes
2 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl.  Cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs using a pastry blender or two knives (I used a food processor).  Add the buttermilk and stir with a wooden spoon until the dough just comes together. Turn out onto a floured surface and pat into a rectangle about 1 inch thick.  Cut dough into 12 squares (I like this shape because it eliminates all scraps).  Place on baking sheets and bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.  Eat warm with butter and jam or let cool slightly and make breakfast sandwiches (or do both like I did).

Recipe from Martha Stewart

Double Chocolate Coconut Almond Granola

Do you have a sugary sweet cereal that you really like?  Todd and Noah's favorite is Cinnamon Toast Crunch.  Preston and Stella would pick Lucky Charms (truthfully, Preston would pick to have a bowl of Wheat Chex over sweet cereal most of the time and Stella just picks out all the marshmallow pieces).  For me, I go through phases.  Growing up, I remember going to Bear Lake in the summer with my family and eating bowls of Fruit Loops or Cap'n Crunch while the morning sun streamed in through the windows.  I remember being in High School and coming home after cheer practice and eating lots of small bowls of Cocoa Pebbles (you had to pour a small amount because they would get soggy too fast) with really cold milk.  In college I loved Golden Grahams.  I remember sitting in my apartment on the kitchen counter with one of my best friends eating an entire box (that just so happened to belong to another friend, sorry Mandy).  When I made this double chocolate granola the other day, I wasn't trying to replicate or make a slightly healthier version of a sweet cereal from my past, but it kind of worked out that way.  This double chocolate granola totally reminds me of a grown up version (a better version) of Cocoa Pebbles.  

 

Double Chocolate Coconut Almond Granola

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup flaked unsweetened coconut

1 cup chopped coarsely chopped almonds

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons butter

1/3 cup honey

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup (heaping) mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a large bowl stir together oats, coconut, almonds, cinnamon, and salt.  In a small saucepan melt butter with honey over low heat, stirring.  Add cocoa powder to butter/honey and stir until smooth.  Remove from heat and add vanilla.  Pour butter mixture over oat mixture and stir until combined and everything is moistened.

On a large baking sheet, spread the granola evenly in a thin layer.  Bake, stirring every 5 minutes to keep from sticking or burning, until golden brown and crisp, about 20-25 minutes.  Once granola has finished cooking, remove from oven and while it's still hot, pour granola into a large bowl.  Add chocolate chips to the granola and stir to combine (the chocolate chips should be completely melted all over the granola).  Once the chocolate chips are melted, pour granola back onto the pan and let cool completely.  Granola may be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week (I keep mine in a Ziploc in the freezer).

*I'm sure using regular sized chips would work just fine.