Pecan Palines

Seriously sometimes you just gotta treat yo bad self.  You just gotta! You have to buy purple eye shadow, buy a new book, or you just gotta listen to Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch secretly in your car.  We are all pulled in so many directions; life, work, kids, traffic, even Facebook. It feels like you are drowing. So, sometimes I just need to stop and breathe. One afternoon during a big breath, I realized that making something rich, gooey and sweet was the treat I needed. These little mounds of sugar are simple, but are super indulgent.The recipe is very easy to follow. Just what you need when all you want to do is make something tastey and quick. So go out there in this busy world and do something for yourself, buy some new jeans, paint your nails green, listen to 90's rap, and eat as many of these that you can without hitting a total sugar high! 

Lets get this treat going! Sugar, butter, cream...need I say more. 

Pecans add a maple flavor and give a salty nutty texture. Yes, I was "snackin" while baking. Those are some greens and they are not as good as pralines. Give and take...lady...give and take!

Sugar heated on the stove top. Once it has simmered and is bubbly the butter and pecans are added. Cook. Remove from the heat and then once cool, spoon onto parchment into lovely pralines. Let them cool completely before you treat your bad ass self. 

Gluten Free Nectarine Almond Gallete

Summer desserts, summer fruits, "Summertime"...cue the Fresh Prince music.  I love summer and all its summer glory, the smell of sunscreen, BBQ and eatin' outside. I enjoy the fact that our little coastal town comes alive with vacationers riding beach cruisers through our neighborhood, having a cookout or listening to a band from a block party down the street. However, as much as I love this time of year I am actually excited for the fall. Something about the first chill in the air and the idea of wearing boots  and scarves makes me smile. Still, summer fruits are in abundance and what better way to celebrate the season with a dessert full of ripe nectarines paired with almonds with the added bonus of it being gluten free. Eat your heart out summer. This one is for you! 

Lets bust out a crust. I used Cup 4 Cup Flour. This is a wonderful product if you don't want to make your own gluten free flour. You can basically use this flour exactly how you would in any recipe that calls for all purpose flour. The flour is amazing to work with and make a very crisp light crust. I am totally sold!

Once the dough comes together it needs to be chilled for at least 30 minutes. This can be done ahead so that you can get out of your kitchen and get your nails done, sit by the pool and admire them. Just a thought.

Bright nectarines meet up with almond meal and sugar. There is something about pairing nectarines with almonds. It is a match.

Makes sure you have enough crust for the edges to fold over. I should have given myself a bit more room, but when folded over it still ended up just fine. The best part about a gallete is it's rustic forgiveness. 

Sliced almonds give texture and an extra toasty nutty flavor. Serve warm or room temp. You could also top with some vanilla ice cream or yogurt, but really a strong cup of coffee and a warm summer breeze is all you need. Enjoy, gluten free or not. 

Strawberry Lemon Muffins

Someone please tell me that when you see or think of strawberries you also think of Strawberry Shortcake. No, not the awesome dessert with a pile of whip cream on a spongy cake, but the toy. I am ashamed to admit it, but almost  EVERY  time have a big o'l strawberry up in my face I think of that red head little freckled face doll with the stinky strawberry hair, and that the Strawberry Shortcake "la la la" song starts spinning in my head. Mind you, I loved that toy. I wanted to dance and sing like "Ms. Straw-la la" and wear a big hat on my head with a berry on it. I also really wanted to eat all of these strawberry muffins...seriously sometimes things just don't go your way.

Let's get this party started. We had some extra berries and what better way to use them up than making muffins. Strawberries meets whole wheat flour, lemon zest and some buttermilk. Muffin town here we come!

Sugar and berries prior to mashing, added lemon zest and some lemon juice just to brighten things up.

I left some pretty large pieces of the berries to give the muffins some big, bold strawberry flavor.

Pink Grapefruit Yogurt Cake

Thank you for all the suggestions for my Mom's birthday dessert. Life as suddenly become one fun filled event after another! I can't complain.... no complaining here! 

This pink grapefruit cake is the perfect combo of tart and sweet. Muddling the sugar with the zest created an aroma of pure goodness.... pure pure goodness. 

The cake requires no mixer ( added plus in my book) and stayed moist and delicious two to three days after the celebration. The grapefruit glaze made sure of that! 

Blueberry Bars and Lemon Frozen Yogurt

I always forget how easy crumb bars are to make.  These bars are so simple when you are pressed for time or have a lot to do. For example, hosting a BBQ for family and good friends while taking care of a giggly baby, and most importantly, trying to watch as much World Cup Soccer as you possibly can. An easy dessert like a crumb bar can save the day. These bars require simple fresh ingredients and they go well with any type of frozen delight.

I made the frozen yogurt the night before using a Greek style yogurt, fresh lemon juice and agave syrup. Tart and tangy to go along with the sweet buttery bars.

I also got to use my handy dandy ice cream maker... (Dear ice cream maker, I am so sorry I always forget about you... thank you for doing such a good job!!!)

Chocolate Streusel Coffee Cake

Yes!!!!  High Five!!  A cake to go with one of my true loves... Coffee.
I remember as a little kid getting coffee at my Nana and Papa's house after Sunday dinner. Although my "coffee" was basically cream and sugar with a coffee splash. Sitting at the dining room table with my family and my coffee made me feel  very grown up and important. And this cake is  a very grown up and important version of coffee cake.

Not your usual cinnamon and butter crumble coffee cake. The crumb is very dense and the chocolate "streusel" filling gives you a burst of cocoa and spice that reminds me of  Mexican hot chocolate.

The cake is easy to assemble and even held up until the next morning where is was shared with co-workers. For the first time I used a scale to weigh all of my ingredients as Rose's Heavenly Cakes has her recipes with the ingredients broken down into measurements by volume or by weight. The process of weighing all of the ingredients took the guess work out of measuring. It was especially helpful when measuring the sour cream. I am going to have to take Rose's advice and use the scale more often.  (Thanks for the scale, Mom.)

So try this coffee cake for your next work meeting, morning pot luck or  simply with a good cup of Joe.....I am sure that my Grandparents would have!