Almond Cake

(Serves however many you are willing to share with.)

 This is one of those divinely inspired recipes that just worked out of the experimental gate. It all started with happy chickens in Spring. That means lots of eggs, which are notorious for not freezing well. But you know what does freeze well? Cake. I confess that more of this has gone in my mouth than the freezer but it’s so high protein I excuse myself 😊

You will need a stand mixer.

Preheat oven to 325 F.

• 6 large eggs

• ¾ c granulated sugar

• 1 ts almond flavoring

• ½ ts salt

• 2 c almond flour

Crack the eggs into the bowl of the mixer with the whisk attached. Gradually increase the speed until it is one or two notches below full speed. Leave it here for ten full minutes. The eggs should be frothy and about triple in bulk but go with the timer.

Reduce the speed to a low-medium and gradually sprinkle in the sugar. Once that’s incorporated add the almond flavoring and salt. Then sprinkle in the almond flour and mix until most of the lumps have gone but don’t over mix as this will make the batter deflate.

Pour the batter into an angel food cake pan (or a large spring-form pan) and bake for one hour. An inserted knife should come out clean. Invert the angel food pan to cool and then slide a knife around all edges until the bottom can be removed (with cake). Do the same here and transfer the cake to your favorite plate or stand. Frost as desired – my favorite being a simple almond flavored icing with unsweetened chocolate drizzled over.

Sun-dried tomato and olive pasta

(serves 2)

I make variations of this often – it’s a fast, easy pasta recipe that takes substitutions well.  Don’t have pine nuts? Try some crumbled bacon. Only have fresh tomatoes? Cut and saute for 30 seconds before proceeding…

•  4  to 6 oz of penne pasta

• Sun-dried tomatoes (about 4 full-size slices, ¼ c of canned, or a generous handful of home made)

• 12 Greek olives

• 2 oz Feta or goat cheese

• 1 c Bitter greens (arugula, radiccio, or similar)

• 2 tbls pine nuts

• 1 ts olive oil

1. Cook the pasta per package directions and while that’s going:

2. Soak the tomatoes in shallow boiling water, unless they’re in oil in which case skip this (you can use some of the pasta water if that’s handy.) Don’t drown them, just enough to rehydrate them a little.

3. In a small frying pan heat the olive oil and toast the pine nuts until golden. Remove from the heat.

4. In a small bowl, slice the olives, crumble the cheese, and add the greens (in bite size pieces) take the tomatoes out of the soaking water and cut into small strips, add to the olive and cheese bowl.

5. Strain the pasta and toss with the vegetables and cheese. Sprinkle the pine nuts over the top and serve.

(goes great with the Italian bread!)

Easy Italian Bread

(serves 8)

•  2 c hot water (tap hot, not boiling)

• 2 ts bread yeast

• 2 ts salt

• 4 cups flour

• 1 tbls olive oil

• French baguette pan

 This is the easiest, most delicious bread recipe I have ever made and I rarely make anything else – it’s just that good.

 Pour the hot water into a large mixing bowl and sprinkle the yeast over it. Stir in gently and then add the salt. Stir in 2 cups of the flour into well blended and then the final 2 cups. The mixture should be wet with no flour remaining and no dry patches. If you make bread often you won’t recognize this at all. You’re aiming for something about the consistency of guacamole.  Cover and let rise in a warm place for about an hour or until double in size (or more, it’s a very forgiving recipe!)

 Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F and have your pan handy.  Pour the olive oil over the dough (I never measure but it’s about a tablespoon)  dip your hands in it so that your fingers and palms are oily and then scoop your fingers down the side of the bowl, all around to separate it from the edge. Then scoop down and lift up with half of the dough. Gently pull it into a sausage about a foot long and place it in the pan (you don’t need to grease the pan). Repeat with the second half. The idea here is to handle the dough as little as possible so don’t worry about perfection.   Set aside until the oven is hot. When the oven hits 500 reduce it to 400 and put the bread pan in.   Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until the crust is crunchy brown. Leave in the pan until cool enough to handle and then rock it gently to one side until it comes out.  Slice or tear the bread, serve with oil and balsamic or goat cheese or however you like it. It’s an incredibly versatile bread that is a favorite for potlucks as well.

 A note on the baguette pan. It’s critical to success here – these are the pans that are W in profile and have hundreds of tiny holes everywhere. This is what gives the even, crunchy crust all around. The more you use it the easier the bread will come out so don’t give up too quickly.

Lavender Ice Cream

(makes about 1 quart)

•  4 large eggs, separated

• 2 cups heavy cream

• 1 cup milk (or almond milk)

• ¼ ts salt

• ¾ c sugar

• A small handful (about ¼ c) lavender leaves washed – you can leave them on the stalk if you’d like

 This is a no-holds barred version – you can find lower fat, more standard ice-cream recipes online and just substitute in the lavender steps if you’d like.

 Combine the milk, cream, and sugar in a large pan. Add the lavender leaves and heat gently over low heat. The idea here is not only to heat the milk but to give the lavender time to infuse flavor so keep it low enough to do some other tasks and not have to stir constantly – that part comes later.

 Separate the eggs and set the whites aside for something else.  Beat the salt into the egg yolks. When the milk mixture is hot – steaming but not simmering, temper the eggs (add some hot milk to the egg yolks stirring constantly and then stir the egg mixture into the milk pan also stirring constantly.)

 Stir everything over low heat until thickened with no taste of raw egg and the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and pour through a strainer into a large bowl. This removes the lavender and any accidental lumps. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Assemble your ice-cream maker and pour the mixture in as you would any other. Sample frequently and often 😊

Plum Coffee Cake

(generously serves 12)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

½ c butter

1 c sugar

2 large eggs

1 ts vanilla

½ c milk

2 c flour

3 ts baking powder

½ ts salt

12 – 24 Italian plums

Topping:

1/3 c flour

½ c sugar

½ ts cinnamon

¼ c butter

For the cake, blend the butter and sugar together until creamy in a mixer or by hand. Add the eggs and vanilla and incorporate. Stir in the milk and then add the dry ingredients; flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat until the batter is smooth.

This is a farm house version so I’m usually trying to use up plums and therefore go with a larger surface area (2 9 inch cake pans) but the original recipe called for a 8 x 12 baking pan.   Either way, pour the batter into a greased pan.  Halve the plums, removing the pit, and place skin side up in the batter. Since I’m trying to use up the fruit I put them as close together as possible but if you don’t have that luxury then try for two plum halves per serving arranged evenly.

For the topping: stir the dry ingredients together: flour, sugar, cinnamon. Gently mix in the butter with your fingers until just incorporated and the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over the batter. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes until a knife comes out clean from the middle.

A note on plums:  Italian plums work for this because they are meatier and don’t have as much liquid (they’re the long, purple ones).  Juicy plums probably won’t work very well.

French Breakfast Radish Toast

Radish Toast

This might not even count as a recipe but I get enough flack in my family for it that I decided it does – mostly so I can build my tribe of people who also love it!

Serves 2

• 2 slices of whole wheat bread – the grainier/nuttier the better

• Butter or olive oil

• Fresh French breakfast radishes

 Toast the bread – like you normally make toast and spread generously with butter or olive oil.  Slice the radishes about 1/8 inch thick lengthwise and arrange over the toast covering as completely as possible.  That’s it.  Radish toast makes a fabulous breakfast with cottage cheese and of course, dark coffee!

Let me know what you think in the comments (and don’t forget to tell your Mom you ate a vegetable for breakfast!)

Southern biscuit cinnamon rolls (for Christmas morning)

Biscuits can be a sensitive cultural topic. So I should probably qualify that this is a family recipe from Texas, it may or may not line up with your opinion of what a ‘proper’ biscuit should be! (But I promise they’re delicious 😍) This is a quick and easy recipe that’s perfect for a lazy Sunday with a book or Christmas morning when quick and festive keeps the celebrations on track.

Serves 4

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

•  2 c flour

• 3 ts baking powder

• ½ ts salt

• 1/3 c olive oil

• 2/3 c milk (or almond milk)

 Filling:

• ¼ c butter, melted or spreadably warm

• 1/3 c sugar

• 1 tbls cinnamon

 Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a small mixing bowl. Use a glass (or plastic) measuring cup of at least one cup size, measure the olive oil (you can use other vegetable oil here if you’d prefer)  then add the milk until the liquid measures 1 cup. Pour into the flour mixture and stir until combined.

Place the dough onto a floured surfaced and flatten into a rectangle about a quarter inch thick. You can use an rolling pin but I usually just push it down with my fingers.  Spread the butter over the surface and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Roll up and slice into 8 pieces. Place spiral side up on a greased baking sheet. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes until brown and the sugar is bubbly.

Great with either coffee or hot chocolate!

Cauliflower and couscous crockpot

(serves a crowd)

• 1 head of cauliflower separated into florets

• 2 15oz cans of chickpeas

• 1 jar of Greek olives

• 1 28oz can of tomatoes

• 1 tbls harissa (or 1 tbls tomato paste and 1 ts cayenne if you can’t find harissa)

• 2 tsp cumin

• 2 ts salt

• 2 leeks  chopped (or 1 large onion chopped)

Final steps:

• 1/3 c raw Israeli couscous per person

• Fresh cilantro for garnish

 Toss everything but the couscous and cilantro into a large crockpot and cook on slow for 10+ hours (overnight).  Adjust the spices to desired heat level – add additional cayenne if you like things really hot.

 About 10 minutes before serving put a ½ ts of olive oil (or more for a crowd) into a saucepan and heat over medium heat. Add the couscous and stir until toasted. Add the same amount of water as you did coucscous, cover and turn off the heat. So for 4 servings use 1 1/3 c couscous and add 1 1/3 c water.) Leave covered until all the water has been absorbed, about 5 minutes. Put the couscous in a shallow bowl and cover with hot cauliflower mixture. Garnish with fresh cilantro.