lemon bundt cake*

Well, the other day I had to part with my beautiful HTC Evo. You see, since we moved to our new house my phone seldomly worked from my place of residence, and it's never worked from the house we stay in St.George or the in-laws cabin. So today I got the iPhone 4s from Verizon, which is where I am blogging from currently! At the house in St. George! Score! I still love my Evo and it will be greatly missed, but I must say that it is nice to receive phone calls on the couch. I am much too lazy to go outside in the corner of the lot in order to conversate (yes, spell checker is telling me this isn't a word - but it is now. Take that spell checker!) with people.

So on Sunday I turned 25. Scary huh. This was the first year where I didn't get the least bit excited that it was my birthday. I wasn't depressed about it, but it truly felt like just another day. The first sign that I am getting old. Now that is depressing.

For my big quarter-of-a-century day, the hubs gave me a gift certificate to Williams Sonoma (he is so good to me!), and one of the treasures I purchased was a bundt pan. I love it, LOVE it! So I made my own birthday cake! I decided on a lemon bundt cake, and I am telling you right now that it was simply AMAZING! We served it with some french vanilla ice cream, and I ate two enormous pieces. And secretly could have eaten more! I am currently planning the next time I can make this beauty again. Maybe tomorrow... :) So here she is!

Lemon Bundt Cake
from allrecipes.com

creamy crepes w/ lemon strawberries*

I am definitely a crepe lover. However, I have never ventured off to "savory" crepes. I am sure that they would be equally delicious, but right now I am hooked on the sweet crepe variety. Once in awhile the husband and I have to go to Village Inn so that I can have an order of their yummy strawberry crepes with hashbrowns and some crispy bacon. Mmmmmm....

You know what I just discovered? You know how it is a BAD idea to go shopping when you are hungry because you could possibly end up buying out the entire store? I think it's the same thing about blogging. It is not a good idea to food blog when you are hungry. Right now I am mentally going through each cupboard in my kitchen trying to decide if there is anything I want to eat. Rather, if there is any one specific thing I want eat so I don't end up snacking on a little bit of everything.

Sorry, I have a problem getting off track (man I wish I had some strawberries on hand so I can make these crepes RIGHT NOW!!). This past weekend I made these for breakfast when we were at the cabin with my sister-in-law and her husband. I really liked how everything turned out. I think I added a tad more sugar to my strawberries (and still could have gotten away with adding even a little more), but other than that I followed it to a T. I really liked the filling. It is definitely not too sweet, and the strawberry topping balances it out. I also really like the crepe recipe. The first couple of crepes I made weren't keepers, but once you get a couple of ugly ones the rest turn out beautifully!!

Creamy Crepes w/ Lemon Strawberries
from Heritage Kitchen

simple crepes

makes 4 servings, 2 crepes each

1 c. all purpose flour

1/4 tsp. salt, a generous pinch

1 tsp. white sugar

2 eggs

1/2 c. cold water

1/2 c. milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tbsp. + 1 tsp. butter

powdered sugar, for garnish

1. Sift together the flour, salt and sugar in a small bowl. Beat eggs lightly in a large bowl with the milk, water, vanilla and 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Refrigerate while preparing any fillings or toppings.

2. Spread 1 teaspoon of butter on the bottom of a small cast iron or non-stick skillet (or a crepe pan) and heat over medium low heat. Once the pan is hot, reduce heat slightly to just above low. 

3. Using a 1/4 c. scoop, pour the crepe mixture into the pan using a circular motion. Spread it into a circular shape using the bottom of the scoop. Flip when the edges begin to look dry and the pancake slides easily in the bottom of the skillet. Place a small piece of wax paper between each crepe until they're all ready to be filled.

Strawberries & Cream

1 pint fresh strawberries, stemmed, hulled and chopped

1 lemon, zested, and the juice of half

2 tsp. white sugar

1 tbsp. brown sugar

1/2 c. sour cream

1/2 c. cream cheese, softened

1. Combine chopped berries, white sugar, and lemon juice and zest. Let sit for at least 3-5 minutes before use.

2. Combine brown sugar, cream cheese and sour cream and roll in warm crepes. 

Top crepes with strawberries and serve.

 

-alyssa* 

raspberry lemon bars*

If there is one thing I love, it is lemon desserts! I would rather have lemon over chocolate! CRAZY I know. People are shocked every time I tell them this. This dessert is TO DIE for if you love lemon and raspberries (which is actually my very favorite fruit!). It is kind of sour and makes you pucker up just a little, but it is the perfect amount of sour-ness. Don't let this scare you, because it is good!!!

Raspberry Lemon Bars
from Two Peas and Their Pod

For the crust:
1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
6 tablespoons salted butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
Zest of one lemon
For the filling:
2 large egg yolks
1-14 oz. can fat free sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
6 ounces fresh raspberries

Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray a 8 by 8 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar, and lemon zest. Stir until graham cracker crumbs are moist. Press crumbs into the prepared pan, pressing the crust mixture one inch up the side of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature.

Once the crust is cool, combine the egg yolks and condensed milk until well mixed. Stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest. Stir until mixture begins to slightly thicken.  Gently fold in the raspberries. Fold carefully so you don’t break the raspberries.

Pour the lemon raspberry filling evenly over the graham cracker crust.  Bake for 15 minutes, or until just set.
Cool to room temperature, then chill for at least one hour before serving. Cut into bars and serve. Keep bars in the refrigerator-up to five days.

*Note-use fresh raspberries and make sure you gently fold the berries into the lemon filling or you will have pink bars.

Serves 16

Pure amazingness! I am going to repeat something that Sarah (my best assistant) said to me today. "Have you ever been so excited for something you feel like you are going to explode?" Well - this is how she felt about trying these lemon bars and let me tell ya, neither she nor I was disappointed!

-alyssa*