The weather here lately has been unusually warm for February. A month ago we had the biggest snow storm in years, and this month we are having temperatures in the high 70′s with sunshine! I’m not sure how long it will stick around, but in the meantime I’m taking advantage of this early spring by enjoying daily walks and open windows. Oh, and this cake.

The citrus selection is slimming down a little since the season is wrapping up, but before it was gone completely I knew I wanted to try out a recipe using kumquats. They really are so cute and tasty, but I haven’t found many ways to use them in recipes. Yesterday the idea came to me that maybe I could make a cake reminiscent of a lemon pound cake, but using kumquats. Since you can’t exactly get much juice from these little guys and zesting would be a pain, why not use the whole thing? So that’s what we’ve done here. I used Ina Garten’s Lemon Yogurt Cake recipe as a platform, and went from there. This citrusy dessert is super moist and delicious, and really is fitting for this lovely weather.:)

Has anyone else had many experiences baking/cooking with kumquats? I’d love to hear!

» Read the rest of this entry «

As promised, here is the recipe for the scones I made a few days ago to go along with the lemon curd I brought to my sister. These turned out fabulously and the dough freezes great for an easy pop-in-the-oven breakfast. The dough is simply sweetened with maple syrup, so the course sugar topping gives it an extra sweet crunch. Hope you enjoy these as much as we did.:)

» Read the rest of this entry «

One result of my recent obsession with citrus has been my discovery of Meyer Lemons. How have I missed them for this long? Sure, I’d seen them in the grocery store and on labels on fancy lemon pastries but it wasn’t til last week that I finally realized what they actually were. You probably know this by now, but they are a lovely cross between a lemon and a tangerine. This means they are amazingly fragrant and have a sweeter, less tart flavor than your average lemon. In addition to baking with them, I am looooving squeezing the juice into my sparkling water.

My sister Lauren is a big lover of lemon curd and I remember hearing her mention lately how much she’s been craving it, so I decided to make some for her today along with some yummy scones (recipe to come!). She has recently given birth to the cutest baby on earth, so I am finding every excuse to go visit and get some quality cuddle time.:) I’ve adapted this recipe from marthastewart.com, tweaking the sugar content slightly so that it wasn’t quite so sweet. I think the result is a nice balance of sweet/tang. If you were to use regular lemons instead of Meyer, you may need to add more sugar as regular lemons aren’t as sweet naturally. Little jars of these make for lovely gifts (I just used some of my little old grey poupon mustard jars), and the curd goes great with pancakes, scones, crepes, or as a filling when baking muffins and cakes. The curd will keep in the fridge for up to two weeks.

» Read the rest of this entry «

A few days ago I shared with you something to do with leftover orange peels. I thought it would be good time to show you what I actually did with all of the oranges (besides eating them). Hopefully it’s not too late! The original recipe comes from Food & Wine, and calls for blood oranges. Though I searched, I failed to actually find any blood oranges, so I settled for regular ol’ oranges and threw in some pomegranate arils for good measure and some color. This tart has a lovely citrusy flavor, a flaky crust and a beautiful presentation. I found that waiting to sprinkle on the pomegranate till the end makes for a much nicer presentation. I also skipped the caramel sauce, simply because I didn’t feel it really needed it, I just served it with some freshly whipped cream and it was good to go. But you can really go either way. Keep in mind that this is a make-in-advance dish, so it will need to be frozen 4 hours or better yet overnight. It’s perfect to make a day ahead (or up to two weeks ahead!) as an easy dessert for company later.

Hope you are all doing wonderfully. I’m still in Maryland with Clif’s fam, we’ll be headed back in the next couple of days. Hopefully then I will get a little better about posting more often!

» Read the rest of this entry «

I’m back again and finally have something new for you. My holidays went wonderfully and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed spending time with family and visiting with friends I don’t often see. I am also so very happy to announce that I have a brand-spankin’ new nephew! His name is Iker and he is just adorable. The stinker decided to come three weeks early while I am away in Maryland, so unfortunately I haven’t been able to cuddle and see him in real life yet, but my sweet sister has been texting me a new photo of him every day. Isn’t he just the cutest thing you ever did see? (you can expect a few more pics of this little guy as soon as I get to squeeze him!)

» Read the rest of this entry «