Veggie Garden and Farmers

Now that the warmer weather seems to be here,I have started a vegetable garden.My hubby ,along with two of my sons,built  a raised bed for me,and we planted a variety of lettuces,squash,carrots,broccoli,eggplant,sugar snap peas,cucumbers,spinach,as well as a variety of herbs.When planning the raised bed,I had something a little more ,let's say,decorative in mind.However,it was built with love,and so it is.I may have to paint it when noone is looking,but other than that,I have to commend my boys for their hard work!They also enclosed it with not so pretty chicken wire,but it is essential for keeping the critters away.

    We also have planted some red and white potatoes,as well as red & yellow peppers,and tomatoes of every variety.Here are a few pics from early on.I will continue to keep you posted on our progress,and hope to cook up some delicious dishes if we are lucky enough to have some success!!If you have any gardening tips,please feel free to send them to me!Thank you in advance!

    One of my favorite things about this time of year is the return of my beloved local farmer's market.We are very fortunate to have them in our area twice a week this year,and today was the first day!While the crops are still growing,there were a variety of goodies available today(see my purchases above).Lettuce,strawberries,turnips,asparagus,radish,assorted italian specialty breads,pound cake by http://www.polkadotpoundcake.com/ ,wines,oils,pickles,pies,apples,and our favorite apple cider donuts.For those of you living in the Lynbrook/Rockville Centre area,be sure to visit these markets throughout the summer up until Thanksgiving week....you'll taste the difference between fresh and grocery store produce.Visit Lynbrook on Thursdays 7am-1pm,and Rockville Centre on Sundays 7am-12pm.A big thank you to Terry's Farms http://www.ligrowersmarket.com/  from Orient Point for making my summer table a beautiful,healthy and delicious one!

Communion Weekend

  It's been very crazy here lately,as I am sure many of you can understand.We are now at the time of year filled with Communions,graduations,concerts,recitals,sporting events,etc. My family is no exception.This past Saturday,my youngest son Sean received his First Holy Communion.I cannot lie,I was nervous.He is cute as a button,but tough as nails,so when the day finally came and he did everything he was expected to do,we were so proud of him!!Of course ,in honor of his special day,I had to make cookies!Now,I have made many cookies,with many different icings,and many different decorating styles & techniques.I think I have finally found a method & frosting recipe that I love!I found it on a  blog that I have been following,and have to share with you!If you enjoy cookie decorating,throwing parties with fun themes,or are just looking for inspiration,look no further....visit  http://www.thepartiologist.blogspot.com/  !I have been so inspired by this site,and so intrigued by her decorating techniques.The site is filled with wonderful,creative ideas for almost any type of party imaginable,and I know you will love it as much as I do.Take a look,and enjoy all that the site has to offer.
   Here are a few pics of my "little angel" on his special day!I'll be back later in the week with some new ,delicious recipes for you!

   Enjoy all of your upcoming celebrations!

Special Deliveries

   I hope all of you enjoyed your Mother's Day.Mine was peaceful,and calm,which is very unusual for our house.We all relaxed most of the day,then we took the boys (3 out of 4 ) for haircuts,followed by a nice dinner down by the beach.One thing about the day truly stood out...that was my son Timmy delivering lemon cakes to all of our neighboring moms.This has become a bit of a tradition with him.On Mother's Day ,and Father's Day,he likes to pick out one of our favorite recipes,make it together,then he sets off on his mission.This year,he chose the Lemon Yogurt Cakes.He loves our neighbors,and takes great pride in offering them homemade sweets.We hope they all enjoyed eating them as much as we enjoyed making them!The adorable cake containers are from Shop Sweet Lulu http://www.shopsweetlulu.com/ ,and the printable lemon tags are from Cupcake Cuties Etsy shop http://www.cupcakecuties.blogspot.com/  ,and were the "icing on the cake" so to speak.Here are some pics...

   Now,we need to decide what to make for Father's day!

Lemon Yogurt Cake

This is one of my favorite recipes from the Barefoot Contessa.If you love lemon,then this is the dessert for you!This cake will make a wonderful addition to your Mother's Day brunch or luncheon.I guarantee it will become a favorite among all of you citrus lovers!FYI,it taste super delicious when it is warm!Prepare to pucker!

Ingredients:
1-1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. plain,whole milk yogurt(I use Stonyfield Farms)
1 c. sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp. lemon zest(2 lemons)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. vegetable oil

   In a large bowl,whisk together the yogurt,sugar,eggs,vanilla & lemon zest.Add the baking powder,salt & flour,mixing just until combined.Add the oil,and mix gently until all ingredients are incorporated.
    Grease and flour a loaf pan(8 1/2 x 4 1/4 x 2 1/2 inch).Pour the batter into the pan.Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes,or until a cake tester comes out clean.Let cool for 10 minutes.Carefully remove from the pan,and place on a cooling rack over a sheet pan.Drizzle ,turning the cake upside down,with the lemon syrup(recipe below).Let cool,then glaze (recipe below). Enjoy!!!

Lemon Syrup:
1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. fresh lemon juice

    This is basically a simple syrup.In a small saucepan,combine the lemon juice and sugar over medium heat just until the sugar dissolves.Set aside until ready to pour over the cake.

Lemon Glaze:
1 c. powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

    Mix the sugar and juice together in a small bowl.Pour the glaze over the lemon cake,then serve!

Butternut Squash Ravioli

Here is a quick weeknight dinner.Although it would make a great fall meal,I am a big fan of butternut squash,so I eat it all year long.The ravioli is store bought,and the sauce is made of three ingredients.Using the best quality ingredients is important here because it is a very simple recipe!When you taste the ravioli,crispy sage & nuts together,you will see why I like it so much!Sage is a great herb to grow either outside or indoors.I am lucky,as I planted mine last year,and it did very well over the mild winter.

Ingredients:
1 package of butternut squash ravioli
1 stick of butter
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
fresh sage leaves(about 10-15 leaves)
    Bring water to a boil in a large pot .Add the ravioli and cook for 5 minutes if fresh,or about 10 if frozen.Drain.

   In a saute pan,melt the butter.Add the nuts and the sage.Cook over medium heat until the butter turns brown,and the nuts are fragrant ,and the sage leaves crisp.Be careful,as the butter can go from browned to burned quickly.Place as many ravioli in each dish as desired.Lightly spoon some of the brown butter sauce over the ravioli,along with the nuts and sage.Top with grated parmesan if desired.

*** I use salted butter and parmesan,so I do not add additional salt to the dish.

NJ2LA

I love reading other people's blogs.Usually,I stick to food blogs,or scrapbooking blogs,but I have another that I love to follow.It is called NJ2LA,and it details the experience of a young(she'll love me for saying that),mother from NJ who has had to uproot her life and family to move to LA due to a move by her husband's company.I love reading this blog for a variety of reasons...first,Amie, is my cousin via marriage(our hubbies are 1st cousins).Secondly,I cannot even imagine how difficult it is to leave all that you are familiar with,all of your friends & family,and move clear across the country to start over.Lastly,Amie,like myself and many of you, is  a foodie.Her blog chronicles her weekly adjustments to west coast living,as well as her wonderful discoveries of the California farmer's markets,west coast ingredients,and some great recipes thrown in for good measure,all with humor and charming wit.Take a look...I think you'll enjoy! www.NJ2LA.blogspot.com/2012/03/farmers-market.html

Coconut Macaroons

Here is a recipe for macaroons from Ina Garten.Delicious,plain or dipped in chocolate,these will be a welcome addition to your spring table.

Ingredients:
1- 14oz. package of flaked coconut
14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. vanilla
pinch of salt
2 egg whites

   In a large bowl,mix together the coconut,condensed milk & vanilla.In the bowl of your mixer,whip the egg whites and salt with the whisk attachment until stiff peaks form when the whisk is lifted out of the batter.Fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture carefully.
  Drop the batter onto parchment-lined baking sheets(I used about 1 Tbsp. full),and bake at 325 degrees for about 25-30 minutes until golden.Enjoy!

***I dipped mine in melted chocolate.Wrapped well,these stay fresh for a few days.