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Lemon is one of my favorite flavors and these tarts are super simple if you use pre-made tart shells that you can find in the freezer section of the grocery store. The tart shells are super versatile and can be filled with just about anything sweet or savory. I filled this bunch of shells with lemon curd and topped them off with some frozen berries before popping them into the oven.  Lemon Berry Tartlets Ingredients:
12 frozen tart shells 1/2 cup of lemon curd (store bought or use the recipe here) 1 cup of frozen berries Method:
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This is a classic recipe that comes from a really old recipe book that my aunt gave my mom way back when she first got married. When I first started baking, around the age of 11 or 12 this book was my only resource. I love all the recipes in this book because they use simple ingredients and create the most delicious results. You can frost this cake however you like, this was my first time trying out these little rosettes. I'm not sure if you can see it clearly in the photograph but I tried to get an ombre effect.  When the cakes cook they pouf up forming domes which need to be sliced off.  Level the cakes before adding the frosting.  The first layer of frosting is the crumb coat. This keeps all the crumbs intact so that they don't show through the decorative layer.  Next I added the little rosettes working from the bottom of the cake upwards.  Carrot CakeIngredients:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour 2 tsp baking soda 2 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp salt 1 cup vegetable oil 2 cups sugar 4 eggs 1 tsp vanilla 3 cups finely grated carrots 1 cup chopped nuts (optional) 1 Cream cheese frosting Recipe Method:
 Cream Cheese FrostingIngredients:
1 package cream cheese (8 oz), at room temperature 1 stick butter (8 tbsp), at room temperature 4 cups confectioners sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract Method:
I've been baking for a long time but I still have a lot to learn when it comes to the subtleties of baking. One major thing I struggle with is adapting recipes to suit the altitude we live at here in Calgary. A recipe that works at sea level makes for a rich hard dense cake up here at over 1000m above sea level. This recipe was really unique in the order that it combined the ingredients. I added a little more milk than the recipe called for to compensate for the altitude here and the cake turned out quite well.  I baked the cake in two layers and used cream cheese frosting, you can use any type of frosting that you like. I colored it in three stages to give it an ombré effect and added edible pearls to the centre of each flower.  White CakeIngredients: 2 1/4 cups cake flour 1 cup milk *at room temperature* 6 large egg whites *at room temperature* 2 tsp almond extract 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar 4 tsp baking powder 1 tsp table salt 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened but still cool Method:
Recipe from I am Baker
This recipe is from the book "Gorgeous Cakes- for the ultimate sweet sensation". I love lemons- I'm sure that I've mentioned that multiple times before but I really can't stress it enough. The simple smell of a fresh lemon instantly takes me back to childhood summers full of lemonade, sun, sprinklers, and water fights. This recipe requires the use of lemon curd. If you like, you can simplify the process by using pre-made lemon curd if you like.  Lemon Sponge Cake Lemon Sponge CakeIngredients:
For the Cake: oil or melted butter for greasing 1 cup unsalted butter 1 1/4 cups fine sugar 4 eggs, beaten 2 1/4 cups self- rising flour 3 tbsp milk For the Filling and Frosting: 10 tbsp unsalted butter 1 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar 2 tbsp lemon juice or lemon liqueur (Limoncello) 3 tbsp lemon curd Sprinkles (optional) Method: For the Cake:
For the Frosting:
   Asparagus & Egg PastriesIngredients:
I sheet pre-made puff pastry dough flour, for dusting milk, for brushing slim asparagus spears, woodey ends removed 3/4 cup tomato sauce 1 tsp hot smoked paprika 4 eggs salt and pepper to taste Method:
This is a simple side dish, which can be prepared even more quickly if you use a mandolin to slice the potatoes. I added some chili flakes to each layer to give the potatoes a little kick. The chili is completely optional. The potatoes taste great served with sour cream or any other sauce/condiment of choice.  Slice the potatoes and the sweet potatoes.  Add a layer of the sweet potatoes topped with salt, pepper, butter, parmesan and a pinch of chili flakes.  Repeat the layers until you've used up all the potatoes. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.  Sweet Potato-Potato BakeIngredients:
1 large sweet potato, thinly sliced 2 red potatoes, thinly sliced 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper 1/4 tsp chili flakes 1/2 cup grated Parmesan 2-3 tbsp butter Method:
This layered soft sponge cake presented beautifully. This cake was on the super sweet side though and I definitely needed milk to wash it down. Be extra careful not to over-bake the sponge though otherwise it will turn quite tough and chewy.  Bake the cake, I did mine in two separate pans and adjusted the cooking time accordingly.  Once cool, slice the cakes in half, try to get them as even as possible.  Add an even layer of frosting between each level of cake.  Frost the outside and add sprinkles  Sponge Cake with Chocolate FrostingIngredients:
1 and 3/4 cup cake flour 2 tsp baking powder 1¼ cup milk 1 cup unsalted butter 4 large eggs 2 cups granulated sugar ½ tsp salt 5 tsp vanilla extract 6 oz unsweetened chocolate 6¾ cup confectioners' sugar 1 tbsp. decorative sprinkles Method: For the Cake:
    Cheese and Mustard SconesIngredients:
4 tbsp cold butter, cut into small pieces (plus extra for greasing) 1 1/2 cups self rising flour, plus extra for dusting 1 tsp baking powder pinch of salt 1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese 1 tsp mustard powder 2/3 cup milk, plus extra for brushing black pepper Method:
Makes 8     Gingerbread MenIngredients: 10 tbsps (145g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature 3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar 2/3 cup (160ml) unsulphured molasses 1 large egg, at room temperature 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 3 and 1/2 cups (437g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled) 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1 tbsp ground ginger 1 tbsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp allspice 1/2 tspground cloves Easy royal icing or your favorite icing recipe Method:
Recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction
This is a very desi version of a pizza. The dressings that I've put on top (after removing the pizza from the oven) are completely optional. I drizzled over some chipotle mayo (chutney would be an option as well) and then garnished it with some fresh cilantro. I always use home made pizza dough and a good recipe for that can be found here.  Load up the thin crust pizza with the cooked chicken, red or green bell peppers, fresh mozzarella and sliced red onions.  I like my pizza cooked with the cheese slightly browned on top. This is good as is or if you wish you can garnish it further with some sauce/dressing/chutney and cilantro.  Tandoori Chicken PizzaFor the Chicken: Ingredients: 2 Chicken Breast halves cut into bite sized pieces 1 tbsp oil tandoori chicken paste OR 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 tsp tandoori masala/spice powder juice from 1/2 lemon 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp red chili powder Method:
Note: if you have tandoori masala paste you can use that and you do not need to add all of the other ingredients. If you're using tandoori spice powder then you need to add the other ingredients For the Pizza: 1 pizza dough recipe split into 2 halves 1/2 red onion thinly sliced 1 bell pepper, thinly sliced cooked tandoori chicken 1 can of tomato sauce fresh mozzarella cheese, torn into pieces chipotle mayo or chutney for garnish handful of chopped cilantro, for garnish Method:
This sauce is packed full of flavor from thanks to the fresh herbs. Optionally, you can add some veggies into this simple sauce if you like. I ended up adding a bit of zucchini because that's my favorite veggie with pasta. You can use store bought or home made gnocchi for this dish but I highly recommend using fresh herbs over the dried ones.   Bring out the flavors from the herbs in some oil.  Mix in the sauce and cheese.  Gnocchi in Pomodoro SauceIngredients:
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil 4 stems fresh Italian flat leaf parsley 4 stems fresh oregano 2 stems fresh rosemary 2 stems fresh basil, plus 2 more stems for garnish ½ yellow onion, diced 3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced 1 28 ounce can tomatoes Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper Pinch of red pepper flakes ¼ cup heavy cream (optional) 1 16-ounce package potato gnocchi 8 ounces cherry size mozzarella balls, cut in half ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese Method:
Garnish with additional basil leaves and serve immediately. Recipe from Foodie Crush I know it feels a lot like winter but it's still officially fall and these wonderful spices and pumpkin flavors will help remind you of that.  Pumpkin Spiced Bundt CakeIngredients: 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed 2 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves 1 teaspoon ground allspice 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon fine salt 2 3/4 cups granulated sugar 1 cup vegetable oil, plus more as needed 4 large eggs 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin purée (not pie filling; about 1 3/4 cups) Method:
This recipe is from chowhound
This is a simple, classic recipe with only 3 toppings which give it a delicate but rich taste. It's a good idea to use a fine quality sauce (preferably home made) and real Parmesan, as well as buffalo milk mozzarella cheese on this because it makes all the difference when it comes to flavor.  I don't have a pizza peel so I use this wooden board instead, slightly dusted with semolina. I topped the pizza with sauce, freshly grated Parmesan and torn bits of buffalo milk mozzarella.  Margarita PizzaIngredients:
Pizza dough (recipe can be found here and it makes 4 small thin crust individual pizzas)) Good quality pizza sauce (1 cup) Dried Oregano (1 tsp) Parmesan Cheese freshly grated/shaved Buffalo milk Mozzarella Fresh Basil Leaves Olive oil (as garnish) semolina or cornmeal for the stone Method:
This is a delicious sponge cake has a hint of cardamom which gives it a unique flavor and fragrance.  
Chocolate, Almond, and Cardamom CakeIngredients:
7 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped 4 large eggs, separated 1 cup sugar 7 tbsp unsalted butter, very soft 1 cup firmly packed ground almonds (or 1 1/4 cup slivered almonds finely ground in a blender) ground black seeds of 4 cardamom pods 2/3 cup all purpose flour 3/4 tsp baking powder Method: Preheat oven to 350°C
Dust with icing sugar and serve with whipped cream or ice cream. Throwback Thursday to this super old photo (please excuse the quality). I made this dish again recently but completely forgot to photograph it. This dish is basically a casserole made with zucchinis and eggplants. The mixture of flavors, especially with the feta cheese and basil, gives the dish a really Italian-like feel. Be sure to keep an eye on your oven when you first bake the veggies (especially if you haven’t cut them to the correct width) because you might end up burning them like I did in the first batch that I tried! The ingredients are really plain and simple- but trust me try this out- the combination is beautiful!  Layered Zucchini Eggplant BakeIngredients:
2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for greasing/brushing 2 medium- sized zucchinis, sliced 1/4 inch thick 2 long, narrow eggplants, sliced 1/3 inch thick Salt and freshly ground pepper 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 small red onion, minced 2 large plum tomatoes, diced into ½ inch cubes ½ tsp dried chili flakes ½ tsp oregano ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled ¼ cup chopped basil (or 2 tsp dried basil) ½ cup panko bread crumbs, with some dried basil and oregano mixed into it (½ tsp each) Method:
This rustic looking home made apple pie turned out delicious and it really wasn't much work because I used a mandolin to slice all the apples into perfectly even thickness. The trick is to keep the butter cold when mixing it in to the flour, I used a pastry blender but a fork works just as well. You don't want to overwork the dough or allow the butter to melt too much because then the crust will not be light and flaky.     Apple PieIngredients:
Double Crust Pie Dough 2 ½ cup all-purpose flour 1 Tbsp sugar 1 tsp salt 3 Tbsp vegetable oil 1 cup cool unsalted butter, cut into pieces (does not have to be ice cold) ¼ cup cool water 2 tsp white vinegar or lemon juice Filling 6 cups peeled and sliced mixed apples (such as Mutsu, Granny Smith, Royal Gala, Honey Crisp, Cortland or others) - about 5 medium apples 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice ½ cup granulated sugar ⅓ cup packed light brown sugar 1 tsp ground cinnamon ¼ tsp ground allspice ¼ tsp ground nutmeg 1 recipe Double Crust Fruit Pie Dough 2 Tbsp rolled oats 2 Tbsp unsalted butter 1 egg mixed with 2 Tbsp water, for brushing sugar and cinnamon, for sprinkling Method: Double Crust Fruit Pie Dough
Filling
Recipe from the Food Network These savory sweet potato muffins are healthy and protein filled to keep your hunger at bay all morning. The red chili gives them a nice little kick and the pumpkin seeds add a bit of crunch as well as magnesium.  I scooped the mixture out into muffin tins, however I suggest using no paper liners and just greasing the tin and adding the batter directly instead because the mixture contains a lot of moisture and the paper liner ended up sticking to the muffin pretty badly.   Sweet Potato MuffinsIngredients: olive oil 600 g sweet potatoes or ½ a butternut squash 4 spring onions 1-2 fresh red chillies 6 large free-range eggs 3 tablespoons cottage cheese 250 g wholemeal self-raising flour 50 g Parmesan cheese 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds 1 tablespoon poppy seeds Method:
This recipe was taken from Jamie Oliver
This recipe turned out delicious, the glaze adds a really yummy flavor punch to the biscuits. I may be a bit biased though because I love lemon flavored things. Needless to say, these cookies didn't last too long... I pretty much inhaled them. Gather the ingredients.   Combine all the ingredients with an electric mixer.  I used an ice-cream scoop to scoop out the batter into equal sized portions.  Bake until they're lightly golden brown on the bottom.  Lemon Ricotta CookiesIngredients 2 cups granulated sugar 2 lemons, zested 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 stick unsalted butter, softened 2 large eggs 15 ounces ricotta cheese, whole milk (1 container) 3 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh For the Glaze: 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted 3 tablespoons lemon juice 1 lemon, zested Method: For the Cookies
For the Glaze
This recipe was taken from My Baking Addiction
The biscuits are so crumbly and fluffy at the same time, the addition of the sour cream and buttermilk, as well as not stirring the batter too much, gives the biscuits an amazing texture. the original recipe didn't call for cheese on top of each biscuit, but since I'm such a huge fan of cheese I decided to sprinkle a little bit over the tops.  There're a few basic ingredients to start off with.  The wet ingredients are combined together in one bowl, and the dry in another, before combining the two. This really helps the ingredients marry one another so that you don't have clumps of baking powder, or tarragon in one bite for instance.  Mix together the wet and dry ingredients only until the dry ingredients are just moistened, do not over mix at this point. It is ok to have small clumps of dry ingredients in the batter as this will help give the finished biscuits a good texture.  Scoop out the batter into greased muffin tin and top with Parmesan cheese and bake  Bake until they're cooked through and the biscuits are lightly golden on top.  Buttermilk Tarragon BiscuitsIngredients:
1 large clove of garlic 4 tbsp unsalted butter 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1 tbsp granulated sugar 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh tarragon 1 egg ¼ cup sour cream 1 cup buttermilk shredded Parmesan cheese Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Can be keep for up to a week if wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. Serve as a side to soup or cut a thick slice and toast. Top with butter, a warm slice of roasted chicken breast meat, arugula, a thin slice of apple and a slice of brie. Drizzle with a bit of lemon olive oil and enjoy a tasty lunch! This delicious version of a Shepard's pie was given to me by an old friend. The recipe is packed full of really amazing flavors and, tastes really good served with gravy. If you don't want to serve this pie with gravy though be sure to make the chicken a little less dry than I did here by adding a bit of water to it whilst cooking.  The first step is to prepare the marinated chicken chicken, as well as the mashed potatoes.  I then cooked down the veggies a little bit until they softened slightly.  Then it's time to layer up, starting with a thin layer of the mashed potatoes on the bottom followed by a mixture of the chicken and veggies. This can all be topped off with the remainder of the mashed potatoes and a layer of mozzarella, or your favorite cheese mixture before baking in an oven until the cheese turns a beautiful golden color on top.
Chicken Shepard's PieIngredients:
oil, for cooking the chicken and veggies in 1/2 cup of shredded cheese (mozzarella, cheddar, or any other cheese that you prefer) Chicken: 2 whole chicken breasts, 1 inch cubed 1 tsp salt, or to taste 1/2 tsp black pepper 1/2 tsp chili powder juice from half a lemon 2 tbsp soy sauce 1/2 tsp vinegar 2 tbsp Nando's hot chili sauce 1 tbsp tandoori masala Veggies: 1 small can of sweet corn 2 red onions 1 red bell pepper Potatoes: approx 11/2 cups of prepared mashed potato mix, prepared according to package directions 1 tbsp butter 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper Method:
I took a simple oatmeal muffin recipe and added some white chocolate, almonds, and cranberries to it. These are quite healthy as far as muffins go because there's some fruit, whole wheat flour, oats, and not too much fat.  Please excuse the picture quality because I ended up having to use my cellphone camera to take these photos.  I mixed all the ingredients together with a wooden spoon, there was no need for an electric mixer. One great way to get equally sized muffins is to use an ice-cream scoop to scoop the batter out into the greased muffin tins.   White Chocolate Cranberry Whole Wheat MuffinsIngredients:
2 eggs 1 C cup 2% milk 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 1/4 cup old-fashioned oats 1 cup whole wheat flour 3/4 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup dried cranberries 3/4 cup white chocolate chunks or chips 1/4 cup slivered almonds Method:
This is a bit of a twist on banana bread with the addition of chocolate chips.   Mix everything by hand so as to not overwork the batter.  Then put the batter in a greased and floured loaf pan  And, as you can probably tell from the photograph I added a bit of extra chocolate to the recipe.  Chocolate Chip Banana BreadIngredients: 2 cups all purpose flour 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 1 cup sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla 1/2 cup milk 1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 large bananas) 1 1/2 cups chocolate chunks or chips Method:
note: If you find the batter a bit dry, depending on how large your bananas are, you can add a little bit of extra milk to the recipe.
I got this recipe from the Bakerella blog. Caution! This is probably extremely unhealthy but it's also delicious so I had to share. A little bit of anything is ok to have in moderation though...right? At least that's what I'm going to keep telling myself. This baked mac and cheese is full of chicken, white sauce, and plenty of ooey gooey cheese. There are a couple of veggies in here as well like spinach, bell peppers, and tomatoes which hopefully help balance the unhealthy factor out ever so slightly.  Chicken & White Sauce Baked Mac n' CheeseIngredients:
White Sauce: 1 tbsp butter 1 tbsp white flour 1 cup milk pinch of salt Chicken/Pasta: 1-2 tbsp oil 2 cloves garlic. crushed 2 chicken breast halves, 1 inch cubed 1/2 bunch spinach, chopped 1/2 bell pepper, diced 1 tomato, diced 1/2 onion, chopped 1 tsp chili flakes 1/2 tsp white pepper powder 1/2 tsp black pepper powder 2 cups macaroni, boiled al dente and drained 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese sprinkle of Parmesan cheese 1 tsp dried oregano Method: For the sauce:
Chicken/Pasta:
 This flatbread with minced meat is known as lamachun or Turkish Pizza. You can fill these with some fresh lettuce, onions, lemon juice and sriracha and wrap it up into a roll to serve. This recipe is from xawaash and there's a great video you can watch that shows the instructions step by step here. Lamachun (Turkish Pizza)Ingredients:
The Dough: 2 cups (280 g) All-purpose (plain) flour 1 tsp (5 mL) Instant yeast 1 Tbsp (15 mL) Sugar – Or to taste ¼ tsp (1.25 mL) Salt ½ cup (118 mL) Water (lukewarm) 3 Tbsp (45 mL) Olive oil Toppings: ¼ Yellow bell pepper 1 Medium Tomato 1 Small Onion 1 Green onion 3 Garlic cloves ½ bunch Fresh parsley ¼ Red bell pepper ¼ Green bell pepper ½ lb (225 g) Ground beef – Or lamb or both 1 tsp (5 mL) Salt ½ tsp (2.5 mL) Ground black pepper 1 tsp (5 mL) Paprika 3 Tbsp (45 mL) Olive oil 1 Tbsp (15 mL) Tomato paste 1 tsp (5 mL) Sumac (optional) 1 Tbsp (15 mL) pomegranate syrup (optional) Method:
Serve with a salad of your choice and roll the lahmcun. Enjoy! |
FoodI love to eat! I've been baking since before I was a teenager and exploring more with cooking for the past decade. This section of the site is dedicated to my experiments in the kitchen. Search this site:
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