Picnic in the Park

Y A STROKE OF LUCK, the picnic in the park that we threw for my mom's (censored per her request)th birthday took place on the last weekend of clear skies and warm weather. With everything going on in our lives, it's becoming increasingly rare that our whole family can come together and enjoy an afternoon together, so every opportunity is a special one.

This salad was a perfect way to open the meal. I'm sure I'll be making it again soon:

PEACH SALAD INGREDIENTS

• 1 head butter lettuce
• 2 yellow peaches, thinly sliced
• 1 medium-sized red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 a head of raddichio
• pine nuts or coarsely chopped walnuts, whatever you have on hand.
• crumbled goat cheese
• balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste
• garlic powder (optional)

And here's an action shot of some cubed butternut squash. Incredibly simple but amazingly hearty.

WARM BUTTERNUT SQUASH INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 butternut squash, cut into 1" cubes
• 2 sprigs of rosemary
• 1 cup vegetable broth

Chocolate cake is my mom's absolute lust-have. My sister and I adapted a recipe from Ina Garten. We omitted the buttermilk her original recipe calls for and changed out some ingredients so that it  was less rich for the sake of our health-conscious parents. That may sound blasphemous but really, it was still delicious.

CHOCOLATE CAKE INGREDIENTS

• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee 

DIRECTIONS

1. Sift the dry ingredients into the bowl of an electric mixer on low speed until combined. In a separate bowl, combine the oil, eggs and vanilla.
2. Using a low speed on the mixer, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. Then add the coffee and stir just to combine. Pour the batter into 2 buttered and floured 9" cake pans and bake at 350° for 45-40 minutes. Let cake cool in pans for 30 minutes before removing.

Cheers to my mum!

Margaret

Let Him Eat Strawberry Cake

ESSERTS DON'T go well with New Year's resolutions, unless you resolve to eat them. For 2011, I've resolved to bake a birthday cake a month, starting with my dad's 60th birthday this weekend. My dad is a devout Dr. Oz worshiper but also has a hard time resisting dessert, so I knew he would have no qualms digging into a healthier strawberry cake covered in (not so healthy) vanilla glaze.

Yes, I'm aware the cake looks like it was designed for a 12-year-old girl, but he still loved it. I am going to tweak this recipe a little more because it's not quite as light as I would like. Please let me know if you have any changes to suggest! :-) Also, from this point on I'll be formatting my recipes on download-able cards. Just right click, select "Save Image as..." and enjoy!

DIRECTIONS

1. Beat softened margarine, sugar, and strawberry gelatin together. Then, separating yolks and whites, mix eggs in little by little. Mix remaining dry ingredients flour and baking powder. Alternate flour mixture with milk into the batter, then blend in vanilla and strawberry purée (make sure to add a little bit of water/milk to your strawberries before puréeing).
2. Grease and flour your cake pans. I used the recipe with two round 8" cake pans (to create a 2 layer cake), but I think 9" would work easily too. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

xoxo, margaret