Sliced Lemon Cake With Blueberry Sauce

This is one of the few instances where I am writing this post, while indeed stuffing my face with the Tasty Sunday recipe of the week. I just can't get enough of it!!!

Lemon makes such a great dessert and doesn't give off the heaviness that comes from a lot of chocolate creations. 

People love lemon so much, that my Mother's Day Lemon Cake is my most viewed post on Little Fish Livin'!!!!

Since it was such a hit, I decided to try my hand at another lemon cake recipe....this time, with blueberry sauce. 

It's ok, you can start drooling now.

The funniest thing about this combo, is that I can't even eat blueberries.

I've never even eaten one in my life!

When I was little, I had an allergic reaction after eating raspberries, and the doctor informed my mom that I was allergic to all berries. (They also tell me that I could have outgrown this allergy by now, but honestly who really wants to test that out???)

People have mentioned (just a few times throughout my life) that because of this sad edible circumstance, I have missed out on one of the great pleasures of food....well I guess I just don't know any better.

I don't know what it is, but this little brain of mine thought that lemon and blueberry would go pretty well together. Maybe it's just always seeing the two things associated with summer????

So while Kevin enjoys his lemon cake, a la blueberry, I'll be having mine plain thank you very much.

Which tastes pretty dang delicious to me, I might add.  

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1 cup of vanilla Greek yogurt

1 cup of sugar

1/4 cup of canola oil

zest of 1 lemon

3 Tbs. of lemon juice 

2 cups of flour

1 1/2 tsp. of baking powder

1/2 tsp. of baking soda

1/4 tsp. of salt

For The Glaze: 

1/2 cup of powdered sugar

2 Tbs. of lemon juice

1 tsp. of lemon zest 

For The Blueberry Sauce: 

1 1/2 cups of fresh blueberries 

3 Tbs. of sugar

1 1/8 tsp. of corn starch

1 Tbs. of water

1/2 Tbs. of lemon juice 

First, start off with the lemons. 

You could use store bought lemon juice, but let's be honest....fresh squeezed is always better.

I myself, can never remember to actually buy a lemon squeezer or a zester, so I have to rely on my hands and the super fine section of my cheese grater....we keep it really sophisticated in this kitchen, let me tell you. 

I bought 6 lemons for this recipe, because every element requires it in some way, and you just never know how much juice they are going to produce....I ended up using five and had some juice left over, but buy however many you feel comfortable with. (No one wants to make an emergency trip to the grocery store)

Once you have juiced and zested, your ready to begin on your cake.

To a large mixing bowl add the eggs, sugar, yogurt, oil, zest of one lemon, and 3 Tbs. of juice.

Whisk together until completely blended. 

 FYI this is my favorite brand of yogurt...I eat it almost every day for lunch with a little granola!!!

These individual cups are 1/2 cup each.

In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. 

Pour the flour mixture into the large mixing bowl containing your egg and lemon mixture.

Stir ingredients until they are all integrated. 

Do not over-stir!!!

Chefs Note: I contemplated using an electric mixer for this recipe, but because it's home made and is naturally a denser cake, I didn't want to risk it becoming tough. Over-mixing can make cakes tough as well as cause them not to rise as much while baking. I read that boxed mixes contain "extra ingredients" that make it impossible to be over-mixed....freaky. 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Prep your 9x5 loaf pan by spraying it with non-stick cooking spray and then sprinkling with flour.

Knock out any excess flour.

Pour batter into the pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. 

Allow the pan to cool for a few minutes, but then carefully remove cake and place on a wire cooling rack. You don't want your cake to keep cooking in the pan after you take it out of the oven. 

While the cake continues to cool, it's time to prep the glaze!

In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the powdered sugar, 2 Tbs. of lemon juice, and 1 tsp. of lemon zest. 

Once the cake is completely cooled, slowly pour the glaze over the cake, letting the excess drip down the sides. 

If you don't want blueberry sauce the good news is your done!!!

To make a truly fantastic dessert, lets get started on the sauce.

The best part of this sauce is that it takes all of about five minutes to make. 

Note that the amount of blueberry sauce was made with only Kevin eating it in mind. If your making it with the intent of putting it on every piece, or if you just want extra for later (blueberry pancakes anyone??) then you might want to double it. 

Turn your burner to medium-high heat, and add the blueberries and sugar to a saucepan. 

While the berries and sugar are heating, whisk together your cornstarch, water, and 1/2 Tbs. of lemon juice in a separate bowl. 

Stir the blueberries and sugar occasionally until they have produced that beautiful blue juice. 

Add the cornstarch mixture to the blueberries and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat, and simmer for one minute. 

Remove from the heat, and there you have it!!

Enjoy, your sauce while still hot, or allow to cool.

Slice yourself a piece of cake, and top with those blueberries!!

I hope your savoring those little bundles of juice enough for the both of us!!

Tasty Turkey Tacos For Two

Tacos have always been my go-to meal for a quick and easy dinner....plus it's always a cheap solution for filling our bellies!

Because we have them so often, I'm always trying to think of new ideas to change things up.

These tacos taste so fresh there is no need for the guilt afterwards that comes with a full stomach, plus every ingredient is packed with tons of flavor!!

Remember, this recipe is for two, but can easily be doubled to feed a family!

Ingredients

3/4 lb. of ground lean turkey 

1/2 of a 15.25 oz. can of corn, drained 

1/2 of a 15.25 oz. can of black beans, rinsed 

10 oz. can of diced tomatoes with green chilies, drained 

1 Tbs. of chili powder 

1/2 tsp. of cumin

1/2 tsp. of dried oregano 

1/4 tsp. of garlic powder

1/2 of a small onion, diced 

Fresh cilantro 

Lime juice 

Grated parmesan cheese  

Flour tortillas 

In a large skillet, cook the ground turkey over medium heat until browned.

Add the chili powder, cumin, oregano, and garlic powder to the browned turkey, and stir until all of the meat is equally coated. 

Stir in the corn, black beans, and diced tomatoes.

Bring the mixture to a simmer, and continue to cook for about 5-10 minutes over medium-low heat, or until completely heated through. 

Dice your onion, and lightly chop cilantro for the top of your tacos. 

To prepare tacos, spoon the turkey mixture onto the middle of the tortilla and top with onion, cilantro, cheese, and lime juice. 

For a lot of people raw onion might be too strong of a flavor. If this is you then add the onion to the ground turkey while cooking to still have the flavor without it being too strong.

I'm not sure why I chose parmesean cheese for this taco....but it tastes delicious, so I don't question it too much!!!

You probably could easily find smaller cans of both the corn and black beans instead of using half of the 15.25 oz. cans, but I always save the leftovers to use in other recipes later....they taste delicious with almost anything. 

Happy eating!!!

Hint Of Mint, Arnold Palmer

For summer parties, there is nothing better than a refreshing drink that is sure to be hit with everyone!!

An Arnold Palmer is a perfect blend of sweet iced tea and refreshing lemon. 

This recipe also has a unique flavor....mint!!

We recently made this drink for a 4th of July party, and everyone loved it.

If your making this drink for a large party, make sure you multiply the recipe to make enough for everyone.

For example- we quadrupled the recipe to make enough for 13 people, and it was just enough for everyone to enjoy, plus a little extra to enjoy the following day.

This recipe originated in Southern Living...one of my favorite places to get great recipes and ideas!

Ingredients:

3 cups of water

2 family sized tea bags 

1 (1oz) package of fresh mint leaves

1/2 cup of sugar

4 cups of cold water

1 (6oz) can of frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

Garnish with citrus slices

1. In a large pot bring 3 cups of water to a boil.

2. Remove from the heat, add the tea bags and fresh mint to the water, and cover.

3. Let steep for ten minutes. 

4. Remove and discard the tea bags and mint.

5. Stir in 1/2 cup of sugar to the hot tea until dissolved.

6. Let the tea cool until it's no longer hot and then pour into your serving container along with the lemonade concentrate and 4 cups of cold water. 

7. Put in the refrigerator for several hours, or if you have a drink dispenser with a ice core you can serve almost immediately!

8. Add some slices of lemon and lime to your serving container, as well as provide some on the side to allow people to add some to their own cup. 

If your making this drink for a group of adults only you can add either vodka or rum directly to the mix, but if it's for a mixed group of adults and children you can make it non-alcoholic like we did and provide the alcohol to be added to individual drinks by your guests!

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears?!?!

So the other day on my favorite radio station, the topic of the day was "pet peeves". So as I sat in traffic at a dead stop, it wasn't hard for me to think up a few things that really...grind my gears!

People Who Drive With Their Flashers On Because It's Raining

It's not an emergency people....it's rain! 

It happens every day in Florida at three o'clock between the months of May and September. If you are doing this you'll be sure to get a dirty look from me when I'm passing you by. Not that you'll notice because you'll also be white knuckling your steering wheel and starring straight ahead with deer in the headlights eyeballs.

When Taco Bell Leaves Something Out Of My Burrito!

There is nothing worse than having a newbie make your burrito at Taco Bell. They are sure to leave your favorite ingredient out...e.g. the avocado ranch sauce in my chicken burrito....no bueno. Nobody likes a dry burrito, just saying. 

When People Avoid Their Birthday

Why anybody would want to skip their birthday is beyond me. I'll agree that accepting the fact that another year has come and gone so quickly is a hard pill to swallow, but why would you want to skip out on a day completely dedicated to you!?! This is the only day of the year when people give you presents without requiring anything in return. Plus you can eat a box of donuts for breakfast, Chipotle for lunch, spaghetti for dinner, and ten funfetti cupcakes for dessert. 

F.Y.I. My birthday is coming up pretty soon, just in case anyone was wondering, and wants to send me something :) 

When I Get Skipped At A Four Way Stop

To leave my neighborhood I have no choice but to go through a four way stop, and let me tell you...people have zero stopping etiquette! Who are these people who know it's not their turn to go, yet go anyways and where did they learn to drive? The worst is when they know it's not their turn, make eye contact with you, and then go anyways...gah!!!

People Who Wear Shoes In The House

Maybe it's the Florida native in me speaking, but it drives me crazy when people wear shoes in the house...even if it's their own house! If I don't have to wear shoes, I'm not wearing them. My poor mother would cringe at the fact that I would never where shoes while playing outside as a child. Especially when in the house, it's time to take your shoes off and get comfortable....you weirdos!

Over Sanitizers

I never knew these people existed until recently, when I had to work with one. There are people out there that practically bath in hand sanitizer.....thats right....they put it places other than their hands. Rubbing that stuff on your arms, face, and even in your hair can't be healthy...plus, that just ain't right.

Electronic Devices At Dinner

I don't care if I will be considered a lame parent, but my children will never be using their cell phone, ipad, laptop, or whatever else comes into existence by that time, at the dinner table. I can't take anybody seriously that sits down at a restaurant and immediately whips out their ipad. Nothing can be that important that it gives you an excuse to be rude to the other people around you. Even if you say it's  for work...I have some news for you....people were successful at their jobs for a long time before ipads and cell phones existed. Don't even get me started at people who shove an electronic device in front of their child to keep them occupied...just no. 

There you have it. The pet peeves of Little Fish Livin'. 

If you have any ridiculous pet peeves...leave a comment! I'd love to hear them!