Lemon Blueberry Bread

I don't bake much.  I like to eat baked-goods, don't get me wrong.  In my experience, baking is an exact science and when you start talking about baking powder and sifting ingredients together I start to get nervous.  So when I tell you that this is an easy bread recipe, believe me, it is.

In a mixing bowl, beat together butter, sugar, lemon juice, and eggs (with a mixer).  In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.  Stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture, alternating it with the milk, and stir as you go.  Fold in the blueberries, lemon zest, and nuts.  

Pour the mixture into a greased 8x4 inch loaf pan and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 60-70 minutes.  

While the bread is baking, you'll want to make the glaze, which is so easy.  Just combine lemon juice and sugar!  See, I told you it was easy.

You'll know your bread is done when you can insert a toothpick into the center of the loaf and it comes out clean.  Remove the bread from the pan and drizzle it with the glaze.  

Lemon Blueberry Bread

(adapted slightly from Allrecipies.com)

1/3 cup Butter, melted

1 cup White Sugar

3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

2 Eggs

1 1/2 cups All-purpose Flour

1 teaspoon Baking Powder

1 teaspoon Salt

1/2 cup Milk

2 Tablespoons grated Lemon Zest

1/2 cup chopped Pecans

1 cup Fresh Blueberries

2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

1/4 cup White Sugar

Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease an 8x4 inch loaf pan.  

In a mixing bowl, beat together butter, sugar, lemon juice, and eggs (with a mixer).  In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.  Stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture, alternating it with the milk, and stir as you go.  Fold in the blueberries, lemon zest, and nuts.

Pour the mixture into a greased 8x4 inch loaf pan and bake in a preheated oven for 60-70 minutes.  Remove from pan.   

To make the glaze, combine the lemon juice and sugar.   Pour the glaze over the warm bread and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.  

Jalapeno Cilantro Spread

There's nothing extra special about this burger, per se, it's the topping ON the burger that's so special.  If you are fan of All-Things-Spicy, like me, then you'll love this.    It's the perfect condiment for a well-grilled, juicy burger with bacon.  It's a quick and easy recipe that can be made in advance and kept in the refrigerator until you're ready to use it.  It's also great on turkey sandwiches, as my hubby will attest to!  

On a side note, I bought the world's biggest hamburger buns this week.  My burger patties were a good 1/3 lb each if that gives you an idea of just how big these buns were.  I got so tired of eating my yummy burgers with the standard, tiny buns that I went a little overboard in the bread aisle.  

Jalapeno Cilantro Spread

(recipe by Mary, Quite Culinary)

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup finely chopped pickled jalapenos

1 Tablespoons pickled jalapeno juice

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 cup sour cream

1/2 of a lemon, juiced

In a blender or food processor blend all ingredients until smooth.  Store in the refrigerator.  

Mojito Monday

Once again, the herbs on my deck are dictating my meals (and in this case, my beverages).   The Rosemary is quickly getting taken over by its aggressive neighbor, Mint.  It's out of control.  So what to do with all of it?  Mojito's, of course!  

But not just ordinary Mojito's... Watermelon Mojito's!  

Watermelons are plentiful right now, so RUN to the grocery store and grab one, along with some limes, club soda, light rum, and (if you don't have an herb garden with mint) some fresh mint.  

I saw this recipe by Cookin' Canuck by way of Aggie's Kitchen, a cooking blog I regularly follow.  I followed the recipe exactly, except I like a little fizz in my Mojito's so I topped mine off with some club soda.  

This recipe makes enough for 2 large drinks, so if you're planning to drink a lot of these (which you will after you taste them) you'll want to double or triple this recipe.  I made the drink base and put it in one of my grandmother's vintage ball pitchers (isn't it pretty?) and kept it in the fridge until we were ready to combine it with the club soda.  

I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

Watermelon Mojito's

(adapted slightly from Cookin' Canuck)

3 cups 1/2 inch cubes Watermelon

12 medium to large fresh Mint Leaves

6 Tablespoons Fresh Lime Juice

2 Tablespoons Sugar

6 oz. Light Rum

Club Soda

Place watermelon cubes in a blender.  Blend until smooth

In a small pitcher, combine fresh mint leaves, sugar, and lime juice.  Using the handle of a wooden spoon, muddle the ingredients to release the oils from the mint.  Take care not to muddle to the point where the leaves fall apart. Pour rum and watermelon puree into the pitcher and stir gently.

Fill a tall glass filled with ice about 2/3 full of the drink base and top with club soda.  Stir and enjoy!

Pecan Pesto

Last summer there was a shortage of pine nuts at my local grocery store.  The store manager told me there had been a recall (something about Salmonella) and they wouldn't have any in stock for a while.


Ugh!  I had no idea what I going to do with ALL the basil I had grown!  My plan was to make and freeze a ton of it.  


I racked my brain about what I could substitute for the pine nuts.  


Pecans?  I certainly had a lot of them in my pantry.   


It turned out to be fabulous!  This has turned into my go-to pesto recipe.  As an added bonus, pecans are more budget-friendly than pine nuts.


And since I am a Southern girl, I feel the need to give everyone out there a lesson in the proper way to pronounce the word 'Pecan.'  Because you know, there is only one proper way to say it!  


It's 'Pee-can', not 'Puh-kahn'. 


Ok, I'm glad I got that out.  I feel better now.  Let's get on with the recipe...

Last weekend I noticed that my basil plants were starting to flower.  It was time to make pesto again!  I like to make a lot at once and freeze it.  


There are many, many different ideas about the best way to freeze pesto, but using ice cube trays is my favorite.  Just fill up the trays, cover with plastic wrap and freeze.  Once frozen, pop out the cubes of pesto and store in freezer bags until you're ready to use them.  They defrost very quickly and you can take out just as many as you need!

Pecan Pesto

3 cups Fresh Basil Leaves

1 1/2 cups Pecans

4 cloves garlic, peeled

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated

3/4 cup Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

In a food processor or blender, blend together basil leaves, garlic, pecans, parmesan cheese.  Slowly pour in the olive oil while still mixing.  Add salt and pepper to taste and mix again.