Happy Easter!

In my book, it's impossible to go wrong with Meyer lemon and raspberries. A friend of mine sent me this recipe from Kitchen Trial and Error and I knew it would work perfectly for our family's Easter dinner dessert (plus Monday morning breakfast, yes!).

I baked mine with a gluten-free baking mix and the consistency of the cake was spot on. I also cut some of the the sugar in the frosting and doubled the cream cheese. 

 

 

Cake Ingredients:

9 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, separated
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup plain greek yogurt
1 cup raspberries, fresh or frozen

Buttercream Ingredients:

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
zest & juice of 1 Meyer lemon 
Pinch of salt
2 cups powdered sugar

1. For the cake, preheat your oven to 320F. Grease and line two 6" cake pans with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks one at a time, mixing after each addition. 
3. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda and mix until mostly combined. Add the yogurt and mix until combined. 
4. Beat the egg whites to medium peaks and fold into the cake batter. Fold in the raspberries.
5. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and bake 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. 
6. Let the cakes cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before turning them out onto a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
7. To make the buttercream, cream the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add the lemon zest and juice and salt and mix until combined. Slowly add the powdered sugar and mix until combined. Mix on medium speed for a couple minutes until light and fluffy. If your buttercream is softer than you'd like, you can either add more sugar or chill it for 30 minutes.
8. To make a four layer cake, slice each cake layer in half. Spread with buttercream and top with another cake layer. Continue until all layers are used. Spread the cake with remaining buttercream. Store finished cake in the refrigerator.

It's been a joy to ship out Easter basket surprises. We hope your little bunnies enjoy the festivities of the weekend!

xoxo,
Kari

 

 

It's not every day that you show up for a casual playdate and get fed an award-winning salad that blows your mind. But that's what exactly what happened to me about a year ago! I was at my friend Bridget's house and as we are both lovers of kale, she was excited to share her sister's* salad recipe with me. One bite later and I was practically in the car on the way to the grocery store to make another batch for that night's dinner!

Since this recipe won a culinary contest and involved an award, it wasn't previously available to share online. But, I have been given the official permission to now share it...something I've been anticipating for awhile! Now, all of you can bless your tastebuds with this salad and be the talk of any dinner party/social gathering you might attend! It's a salad that packs a lot of flavor, so if you serve this with a meat dish or soup, I recommend keeping them on the milder side. Enjoy.

Tuscan Kale Salad with Lemon-Srirachi Greek Yogurt Dressing
 
1-2 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp srirachi sauce
1 tbsp sugar 
1/4 cup olive oil
5 oz. Greek yogurt
1/2 bunch of Tuscan kale, stems removed and torn into small pieces
1/8 cup toasted pine nuts 
1/4 cup grated Pecorino cheese

Mix together garlic, salt, lemon juice, srirachi sauce, sugar, and yogurt in a medium sized mixing bowl. Whisk in olive oil. Toss in kale, pine nuts, and grated cheese. For best flavor, let the salad marinate for 1-2 hours before serving. 
 
Variations:
Kari and I have made many variations of this salad, here are a few of our tips and tricks:

1) Curly kale seems to be a little more kid-friendly than Tuscan kale.
2) Sub in red pepper flakes for srirachi sauce if you don't regularly keep the hot sauce stocked in your pantry.
Cut this ingredient completely for those who don't like spicy food.  
3) Sugar can be subbed with either honey or maple syrup.
4) For a slightly runnier dressing, add more lemon juice.
5) Walnuts can be subbed for pine nuts.
6) Add in grape tomatoes and/or thinly sliced radishes for a nice pop of color!

 

*This award-winning salad was created by Molly Buckie-Pinder, Director of Catering at Restaurant Associates at HBO in NYC. 

 

 

 

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I really did not think a new recipe for "lemon + chicken" could surprise my tastebuds.

But apparently I hadn't tasted Jamie Oliver's version! His herb marinated chicken (with lemon) recipe is quite possibly THE BEST CHICKEN DISH I've ever had. It's quick, incredibly flavorful, and totally perfect for a fresh, fast weeknight meal. 

The recipe calls for a spatchcocked chicken (what we call "butterflied" here in the US), which a butcher can easily do for you if you don't wish to do it at home. An even easier way to make the dish is with boneless skinless chicken breasts. 

Pair chicken with a salad and rice/potatoes/rolls and dinner is served! Go here for the printable version of the recipe. 

I'm a busy mama, just like you. So when I find an easy, healthy meal that my whole family enjoys, I just can't wait to share it! Hope you try it out and love it. 

xoxo, 

Annie