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.

Banana Bread Muffins

Whew!!! I have been so busy lately, so busy indeed. I even forgot about these bananas.

Well, you now know what has to be done. 

A quick and easy one two punch of bananas, melted butter, sugar and...ahem... bourbon.   Yes, these banana muffins are just what a busy week calls for..... I hear them calling!

Spinach salad with garlic yogurt dressing... it is zesty

Lately the oven has been off... I have been cranky... and... the idea of turning on the oven and making the house hot as hell does not knock my socks off. However, this salad is something I made the other night for dinner and wow!!! It will not only knock your socks off it might just knock you right down to the  floor. Granted, my dressing had a powerful punch, but I think I added too much garlic. It is a good thing I am not single.

A while back I bought this cookbook after hearing the author in the radio. I know what you are thinking... yes... I listen to talk radio...

The salads and side dishes in the book are wonderful. Think mix and match dressings and one plate meals. The ideas are endless. Since I had an abundance of dill from last weekend I thought I would use some in this simple salad and in the (knock you on your ass) lemon garlic dressing. 

BBQ with family

No baking this weekend.  No flour or brown sugar. No mixers or butter. This weekend was more of a feast of fresh local ingredients that were screaming summer time. My sister and brother- in- law came to visit from out of town, and to celebrate and we were able to create some gosh darn good grub. A sunny peach bruschetta, BBQ Tri tip, grilled corn, and fresh bean and tomato salad.

Warm weather, wine and the ones you love. Who could ask for anything more.

Chocolate Almond Brownies

Baking, Blogging and Brownies. Exactly what I had planned on my day off. All while trying to keep a watchful eye on a giggly 7 month old. Easy right??? No wonder this recipe from David Lebovitz caught my eye. It calls for simple ingredients which I had on hand and it can be mixed in one medium sized sauce pan. Therefore the clean up is quick and easy, which is a plus in my kitchen.  The fudge brownie is very dense and the additions can be endless. I went for some chopped almonds as that is what I lying around. But you could add any kind of nut or even some coco nibs to make the chocolate factor go through the roof. 

I used Scharffen Berger Semisweet chocolate which melts easily and is simply wonderful.

Make sure you wait until these brownies are completely cool to remove from the pan. I am very impatient and could not resist taking them out early which made them much harder to cut. These brownies will keep for about 4 days and can be frozen for about a month. Perfect for an upcoming summer BBQ.

Rosemary Flatbread Crackers

One of the best things about the weather getting warmer (at least for me) is sitting outside glass of wine (or beverage of your choice) in hand and enjoying some great appetizers. Recently I went to Sonoma County for a  weekend full of great friends, fabulous wines and of course food.  I am a bit of a fan of smittenkitchen.com and all of Deb's wonderful photos and food. So of course I went to her blog for inspiration for some great ideas to bring to our potluck in wine country.  And of course she did not let me down... well she never does.

This Rosemary flatbread/cracker is so fresh and easy to make. Much better then those store bought dry water crackers that you think of at your Mom's last cocktail party. You know the ones that get stuck in your throat... cough!

They are also so easy to make and with ingredients that you already probably have on hand. I used some rosemary from my front yard. But you could also substitute any fresh or dried herb or just use simple sea salt and pepper.  I decided to doctor mine up with some black pepper and finely sliced green onions.

Your friends and family will be pleasantly surprised when you bring something other then store bought crackers and I promise they will never know how easy they are to create. The additions are endless. Try grating some cheese over them right out of the oven... sublime. This recipe is a great go-to for a  quick easy delicious appetizer to bring to your next summer BBQ, wine tasting soiree, or just to enjoy in sitting outside in the sun with a nice piece of cheese or your favorite dip. Enjoy!