Think celestial rays of sunshine coursing through the vibrant cover of blue sky. The pure taste of summer. The stringent scent of lemon pops with tart clean refreshment. But, in cake form. I had a blast making this cake. I loved the velvety smooth texture of the batter. The fragrant aroma of the lemons reminiscent of lemon ice. And the silky buttery lemon flavor that makes it irresistible not to cut another sliver.

Source: Cook’s Country August/September 2008
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup buttermilk, room temperature
3 tbsp grated lemon zest (about 3 lemons)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
12 tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, room temperature

3 cups confectioners’ sugar
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp buttermilk

Adjust oven rack to middle position. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a glass 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

Combine flour, powder, soda and salt in a medium bowl. Combine buttermilk, lemon juice and vanilla.

Beat granulated sugar and lemon zest until moist and fragrant, about 1 minute. Reserve 1/4 cup of sugar mixture; cover and set aside. Add butter to remaining sugar mixture and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs and yolk, one at a time, until incorporated. Reduce speed to low. Add dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with buttermilk mixture in 2 additions. Mix until smooth about 30 seconds.

Scrape batter into prepared pan an smooth top. Bake until cake is golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes. Transfer cake to wire rack and let cool 10 minutes.

For the glaze:
While cake cools, whisk confectioner’s sugar, lemon juice and buttermilk until smooth. Gently spread over warm cake. Sprinkle evenly with reserved sugar. Cool completely, at least 2 hours.

Variations:
Substitute for cake flour- 2 cups plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour and 5 tablespoons corn starch.

I was suckered into joining the Children’s Book of the Month Club last year. What can I say, we love books around here. If there is a major holiday that warrants gifts you can bet the kids are getting a book from us. Doesn’t sound very fun; but, books are one of the few things the kids never loose interest in.

So far I have been responsible enough to decline all the monthly selections before they ended up at my house. This month I got a little busy and forgot. I was just about to send the package ‘return to sender’ when curiosity got the better of me. Usually I can go online and see what books are the featured selection of the month past and present, but surprisingly CBOM.com revamped their site. In the end I tore into the package.

We love Elephant and Piggy. It is the tale of two best friends who love to have fun; one a little more reserved than the other. The way they interact reminds me so much of Adelin and Mason. Mo Willems, the author and creator of Pigeon, packs a whole lot of humor and fun into the award winning tales in the Elephant and Piggy series.

When it is 109 degrees outside the last thing I want to do is stand in the hot kitchen cooking. This week our meals have mostly consisted of dinner salads. They are fast, easy and there is not a lot of clean up.

In this recipe the chicken and potatoes are simmered in a brine giving them flavor without all the extra fat. The dressing may be a little powerful for some tastes. If that is the case your favorite salad dressing could make an excellent substitution.

Source: Adapted from Health
1 pound new potatoes
2 tbsp salt, divided
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp white Dijon mustard
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1/4 tsp pepper
4-6 cups spinach, stems removed
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shaved

Bring potatoes to a boil in a large pot. Add 1 tablespoon salt, reduce heat and simmer 15-18 minutes or until tender. Drain and run under cool water to cool.

Fill a saucepan halfway with water. Bring to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt. Add chicken, reduce heat to medium; gently simmer 12-14 minutes or until cooked through. Let rest 15 minutes before shredding.

To make the dressing, whisk together the oil, mustard, vinegar and pepper; set aside.

After they are bored of washing the cars, the atmosphere turns bubble hysteria. I have to patrol the dish soap or else they will use the whole bottle. Practically anything with a hole can be used to blow bubbles with. Drinking straws, string, slotted spoons, even strawberry baskets. See what will make a bubble and what does not. Will a square hole make a square bubble? Bubbles Anyone?

Homemade Touchable Bubble Solution: 2 cups bubble solution, 1 1/2 cups of water, 4 tablespoons dish washing liquid, 4 tablespoons light corn syrup.

There are so many recipes for banana bread and zucchini bread it is enough to make the head spin trying to decided which one is going to turn out right. So I have a couple of recipes for you to try. One is a traditional zucchini bread with a hint of cinnamon. The other combines sweet potatoes with an assortment of spices.

Zucchini Sweet Potato Bread
Source: Bon Appetit Magazine, November 1992
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup grated zucchini
1 1/2 cup peeled and grated sweet potato
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dried cranberries (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter and flour a 9×5x3-inch loaf pan and set aside.

Sift the first 7 ingredients into a medium sized bowl. In a separate, large bowl, beat the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla extract. Mix in the zucchini and sweet potato. Add the dry ingredients and stir just to combine. Fold in the nuts and cranberries and stir well.

Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Cool bread in pan on a rack for 15 minutes. Loosen the edges of the bread with a butter knife and turn out on a rack to cool completely. Can be prepared 1 day in advance. Wrap in foil and keep at room temperature.

Variations: By Joy the Baker
-The nutmeg and the cloves are optional.
-For less fat use 1/2 cup oil and 1/4 cup apple sauce in place of the 3/4 cup oil.
-Use 1 cup granulated sugar and 1 cup brown sugar.
-Replace the 2 cups flour with 1 cup all-purpose and 1 cup whole wheat flour.

Classic Zucchini Bread
Source: Coconut & Lime
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking powder
3 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 cups shredded zucchini (about 2 and 1/2 medium sized)
2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Stir flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon in a large bowl.

Beat eggs separately and add sugar until fluffy. Fold egg mixture into dry ingredients. Add oil, shredded zucchini and vanilla. Mix thoroughly.
Divide batter into two greased loaf pans. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool on rack, then remove from pan and continue cooling on rack.

For muffins, bake for about 15-20 minutes.

Years ago while I lived in South Florida I was unofficially adopted by my two most favorite people in the world Ty and Sheri Houck. Mind you I was 20 years old at the time when Ty referred to me as his orphan. I did not mind because I loved them dearly. The extended family that consisted of Ty’s mom, dad, sister and her husband were just as delightful. I looked forward to their visits. One morning Ty’s brother-n-law surprised us with his specialty,bagels with cream cheese topped with sliced green olives. That with a glass of oj by the pool over-looking the ocean was perfection.

I happened to have a bag of mini whole wheat bagels, whipped cream cheese and a jar of jalapenos. The only thing missing was my beloved family of friends.

This idea came from a friend of mine Patty. Every time she had a birthday party the kids were kept busy for a short time decorating a bucket or paper table cloth. Since holiday’s tend to be a bit more hectic it is nice to have a craft to preoccupy them until dinner is ready.

Here we are making flag place settings and wild hats to celebrate with.

Supplies:
Large roll of paper
Scissors
Glue
Craft paper, various colors
Crayons
Markers

Pop Rocks take me back to the days of Piggly Wiggly. I often followed my brothers there to buy candy to sell at school. Some days while at dance class, a few of us girls would run down to the corner store during break to buy Pop Rocks and Now-and-Laters. Not the best of snacks, but it was more about the experience of little blasts inside our mouths that made us giggle.

Source: Adapted from Patrick Decker by Cathy at Noble Pig
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2-1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
12 tbsp (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1-1/4 cups sugar
8 egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla, divided
1 cup milk
1/2 cup rainbow candy sprinkles
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
About 3/4 cup blueberries, to garnish
About 3/4 cup raspberries, to garnish
Lots of Pop Rocks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 muffins tins with paper baking cups.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt, then set aside.

In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together the butter and sugar until the mixture is fluffy, substantially increased in volume and lightened in color, about 3 minutes.

In another large bowl, use an electric mixer with clean beaters to beat the egg yolks and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla until thickened and pale in color, about four minutes. Add the beaten egg yolks to the butter-sugar mixture and mix to combine.

With the mixer on low, add a third of the sifted dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Once mixed, add half of the milk, followed by another third of the flour. When well mixed, add the remaining milk, mix, then add the remaining flour. Use a silicon spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure all ingredients are mixed in.

Gently fold in the sprinkles. Fill the prepared muffin tins with batter. Cook until a skewer inserted at the center comes out clean, about 22-25 minutes. Do not over bake. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

Just before serving, in a large bowl combine the heavy cream, powdered sugar and remaining vanilla. Use an electric mixer to beat until thick. Dollop or pipe whipped cream over each cupcake, then garnish with blueberries and raspberries. Sprinkle each cupcake GENEROUSLY with POP ROCKS.

Variations:
-Use store bought cupcakes or boxed mix.
-Use any canned frosting.

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Casa De Fruta has become our halfway from the coast of California. I think we look forward to the fresh strawberries and cherries more than anything else. It is a nice little tradition to carry over from childhood. I made sure to buy an extra flat of strawberries to make strawberry jam with. This recipe uses tart sweet apples and lemon juice in the place of pectin.

Source: Ball, Complete Book of Home Preserving (c. 2006)
5 tart apples, such as Granny Smith, stem and blossom ends removed, cores intact, chopped coarsely
1 lemon or lime, unpeeled, finely chopped
Water
8 cups halved hulled strawberries
5 1/2 cups granulated sugar

In a large deep sauce pan, combine apples, lemon and enough water to prevent sticking. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat, partially cover and boil gently, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes, until mixture is very soft.

Working in batches, transfer mixture to a fine sieve. With the back of a spoon, press the mixture through the sieve to yield 2 cups applesauce. Discard skins and cores.

Prepare canner jars and lids by cleaning jars, rings and lids in hot soapy water. Line a large pot with a rack to ensure the jars do not touch the bottom of the pot. Simmer the jars and lids (it is necessary to heat the rings) until ready to use. Do not boil.

In a clean large sauce pan, combine applesauce, strawberries and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly to dissolve sugar. Boil stirring frequently, until mixture thickens and mounds on a spoon, about 20 minutes. (Test the jam by pressing the back of a spoon into the mixture. Cool slightly. When you pull a finger through the jam the area should remain clear.) Remove from heat and skim off foam.

Remove jars and lids from the water bath. Place on a clean towel. Ladle hot jam into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace by adding more jam. Wipe rims clean. Center lid on jars. Screw on lids.

Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Cover. Bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes. Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool. Make sure the lids are sealed by pressing in the center. If they click they are not sealed. Press the lid down and wait another 10 minutes. If a lid does not seal store in the refrigerator to use right away.

Notes:
-This type of jam is meant to be soft and loose.
-Stephen does not like whole clumps of strawberries in his jam so I mashed them a little while cooking to make them a bit smaller.