sandbeachcastle

Happy New Year!  I looked back and realized I didn't post one recipe in December.  It's not that I didn't do a lot of cooking and baking, I did, but during the holidays I stick to my tried and true recipes.  One recipe that has made it into that category is this tiramisu recipe.  If I had to pick a favorite dessert, tiramisu would be it.  I thought I would have to try a few recipes before I found a keeper but after serving this to my daughter (and she likes tiramisu as much as I do), she agreed with me, this one is perfect. I've only made this twice and have looked forward to making it again soon.  Just so happened, I got a call yesterday about getting some friends together for dinner next weekend. There will be 5 couples and trying to get that many around a table at a restaurant and trying to visit with everyone, didn't sound like as much fun as it would be to just have them all over.  The funny thing was, as I was suggesting to ha...

It's no secret that I love all things lemon.  I made these cupcakes for a party I was having and they were the perfect treat! They were so light and had great but not overwhelming lemon flavor. Cupcakes 1 cup unsalted butter (room temperature) 2 1/2 cups sugar 5 eggs 3 tbsp lemon zest 3 cups flour 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 1/4 cup lemon juice 3/4 cup buttermilk 1 tsp vanilla extract Glaze: 2 cups powdered sugar 3-4 tbsp lemon juice Heat oven to 350.  Line 24 muffin wells with liners. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time then add the lemon zest. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl whisk together the lemon juice, buttermilk and vanilla extract. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture to the butter mixture making sure each is fully combined in between. Start and end with the flour mixture. Spoon the batter evenly into the liners....

How can you possibly resist these all-Christmassy  Vegan Santa Hat Cupcakes?   Christmas  is the perfect time of the year to showcase your creativity and put a smile on the face of your loved ones. These  Santa Hat Cupcakes  are way too easy to make and the result is a bundle of cuteness! Satisfying your sweet tooth it couldn’t be simpler and healthier. Indeed, these cupcakes are  100% vegan  (so  dairy free  too), and will help you  save extra calories  during the holidays without sacrificing yourself. Although there is this myth that vegan means tasteless, trust me, this is just a legend, these cupcakes couldn’t be more sweet and delicious.  The secret  for making mouth-watering Santa Hats is the cocoa. Investing in very good quality  Dutch cocoa powder  will give you amazing results. I also use  organic Muscovado sugar,  which gives extra sweetness that pairs well with the cocoa and fresh s...

Spiced Vegan Lentil Soup This soup recipe has been a long time coming! Over the years, I’ve made some lackluster lentil soups that never saw the light of day on this website. No vegetarian food blog would be complete without a proper lentil soup, though, so I’ve been perfecting one of my own lately. Here it is. My lentil soup is made with mostly pantry ingredients but includes hearty greens and a squeeze of lemon for bright, fresh flavor. It’s seasoned with a few of my favorite spices and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Honestly, it’s the best lentil soup I’ve ever had. I’ve seriously overindulged over the past couple of weeks here in Austin, Texas. This much-needed soup is helping me balance out all the tacos and tequila (or at least that’s what I’m telling myself). Whether you’re looking to lighten up or warm up, this healthy lentil soup is for you! How to Make the Best Lentil Soup Five reasons to love this recipe: The recipe calls for seasonal vegetables and affordable pantry...

Cookie Dough Cake Cookie dough cake for a special birthday week, and a list of things for which I am grateful. How to make cookie dough cake: I made this cookie dough cake because I wanted to bake something fun that is a little out of the ordinary for me. Elaborate, over-the-top desserts that are super sweet aren’t normally my thing. I would definitely never combine my cookie dough with cake and buttercream on a regular Tuesday. It’s mildly excessive, but it’s very birthday. I adore it. This cookie dough cake is actually a double batch of my mini vanilla cake with my cookie dough dip sandwiched between the layers. I tripled the recipe for the frosting from the vanilla cake but used vanilla bean paste instead of extract. This is a small layer cake made of two six-inch cake layers. I use a special 6″ cake pan for this. It’s the cake pan that I use for all of my small cake recipes here on this site. Here is the exact one I use. I love it because it has 2″ sides, not 3″ tall sides. Since I...

Sloppy Joe Grilled Cheese Sandwich Prepare time: 5 min Cook: 20 min Ready in: 30 min Want to make some unique stuff for your lunchtime? Try to make a sloppy grilled cheese sandwich. This one is filling, satisfying and you may share it with your friends or colleges. The recipe is effortless, and you just need some time to cook it. Making sloppy grilled cheese sandwich is as fun to taste it! Experience the cook with follows the instructions below. How to Make a Massy, Delectable Sloppy Grilled Cheese Sandwich Sloppy grilled cheese is a terrific meal that combining ground beef with bread and other flavorful ingredients. If you are starving and want to eat some messy stuff, you can choose this menu to se rve. The recipe is straightforward, and of course, you will do it successfully, without a doubt! Ingredients: Brown sugar in ¼ cup Ketchup in ½ cup Worcestershire sauce as much ½ tablespoon Yellow mustard as much 1 or 2 tablespoons Softened butter as much six tablespoons Chopped onion in ¼...

Caribbean Sea Bass  Yield: serves 2 Ingredients: scant 1 pound MSC Chilean Sea Bass (or another thick, flaky white fish like cod or halibut - MSC or Green rated preferably) 1 tablespoon honey olive oil, for the skillet ½ a habanero, seeded, diced 2 scallions, trimmed, cut into thin rings ten 1/4"-thick half-moon slices of pineapple 1 avocado, peeled and sliced into 10 wedges salt and pepper Instructions: Cut your fish into two equal portions and season very well with salt. Sprinkle with fresh pepper and drizzle the honey on top, splitting the tablespoon between the two filets. Slick the bottom of a 10" or 12" non-stick skillet with olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. When very hot, add the fish, skin-side down. Cook without moving for 3-5 minutes, depending on the thickness. You might want a splatter screen to help keep your stovetop clean. When the fish has started to firm up, flip carefully and let the honey caramelize into a nice "crust", another 3 or ...