strawberry & nectarine crostata

Tell me there’s a dinner party with friends and I am there! That’s what inspired this strawberry and nectarine crostata. My friends were prepping the dinner, so count me in for a homemade baked dessert and vanilla frozen yogurt for topping. Are you drooling? I am.

Even though this is called a dessert, it’s actually very light and not very sinful. The strawberries protect your heart and are considered an anti-inflammatory. And did you know that one cup of fresh nectarines contains 214 mcg of beta-carotene? Nectarines also contain Vitamin C. Are you sold yet?

This dessert is literally just fresh fruit, some sugar and organic pie crust from Trader Joes. Done and done. You can whip one of these up for any occasion. It’s so easy. I’ll definitely be making more of these, with different fresh fruits, during the Spring and Summer.

Strawberry and Nectarine Crostata
Inspired by this recipe

Print Recipe

– 1 cup fresh strawberries, halved or quartered
– 1 cup fresh nectarines, peeled and sliced
– 1/4 cup evaporated cane juice sugar
– 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
– 1 organic pie crust round, thawed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place the thawed pie crust on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Set aside.

To make the fruity inside of the crostata:
Place the strawberries, nectarines, sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 15 to 20 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Do not let it burn. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a bit.

Once the fruit filling is cooled, gently pour into the middle of the pie crust. Make sure to leave a 2-inch border at the perimeter. Gently fold the edges of the pastry up and over the filling, pleating as necessary, to form a round. Make sure to seal any cracks in the pastry.

Bake for 30 minutes to until pie crust is golden brown. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Enjoy warmed. I prefer my slice with a dallop of vanilla frozen yogurt on top!

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buttery lemony lace cookies

Friends. It has been quite a month. I often find myself crashing on the couch at the end of the day and dreading hopping back on the computer. As a Social Media Manager, I spend most of my waking hours tuned-in…hardcore. In the evening, sometimes, I just want to unplug. Ya feel me?

This post will be brief and to the point. The take away? An easy-peasy recipe for buttery lemony lace cookies. These lace cookies contain ground almonds by the way. I love almonds, they’re good and good for you! They’re good for your heart and packed with antioxidants and nutrients.

I found a great recipe for classic lace cookies, but decided to take a fresh and uplifting spin on it by adding freshly grated lemon zest to the batter. Also, my friend Roger put in a special request for something lemony. Roger…enjoy!

Buttery Lemony Lace Cookies
Inspired from a recipe from this book

Print Recipe

– 1/2 cup raw ground almonds
– 5 Tbls unsalted butter
– 1/3 cup organic unrefined sugar
– 2 Tbls light corn syrup
– 1/3 cup all-purpose wheat flour
– pinch of sea salt
– zest from one lemon
– 1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine the butter, sugar and corn syrup. Stir often until the butter is melted and the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to medium-high, stir constantly and bring to a boil. Once the contents begin to boil, remove from the heat. Stir in the flour and salt until well incorporated. Finally, stir in the ground almonds, lemon zest and vanilla extract.

Using a teaspoon, drop the batter onto the baking sheet. Bake the cookies until evenly light brown, about 10 minutes. At the 5-minute mark, turn the baking sheet around in the oven to ensure even baking. The cookies won’t begin to spread till about 6 minutes into baking.

Cover a cooling rack with paper towels. When the cookies are done baking, place them on the paper-toweled covered wire rack and let cool.

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meyer lemon lemonade

meyer lemons…la di dah! fancy schmancy!

meyer lemon lemonade…yup, you read right. La di dah, indeed!

So why would meyer lemons be fancy schmancy? Meyer lemons are not a typical lemon, like the ones we often see in super markets. If you notice, the meyer lemon has a warm orange hue. It’s believed meyer lemons are the love-child of a mandarin orange and a lemon. Scandalous!

Lemonade is best when it’s fresh squeezed! Don’t you agree? I love fresh squeezed anything. In fact, I even love to say “fresh squeezed.” What a great adjective, right?! What if we started applying it to other aspects of daily life?…

Hi, Joe. Here are the fresh squeezed copies you asked for.

I can’t believe I got this fresh squeezed ticket!

How does this fresh squeezed sweater look on me?

Ok, I am getting carried away. I digress.

With a pile of meyer lemons on-hand, I needed to enjoy their sweet/tart nectar! A holiday weekend definitely warranted lemonade…with agave (a natural and low glycemic index sweetener)!

Nutritional perks –

Citrus – aids in weight management and promotes heart health. Contains numerous antioxidants and nutrients, as well as potassium and Vitamin C.
Agave – a natural sweetener. Contains a low glycemic index, which provides sweetness without the unpleasant “sugar rush.”

Meyor Lemon Lemonade
[Individual servings]

Print Recipe

For 4 servings

– 2 meyer lemons, halved and seeded
– 4 cups cold water
– 4 tsp agave. 1 tsp per serving, but if you want the lemonade to be sweeter increase the amount of agave.
– ice

Place one half of the meyer lemon at the bottom of your drinking glass. Using a mortar or other solid kitchen instrument, pound on the lemon and macerate it. Leave the macerated lemon in the glass. Add the 1 teaspoon agave and 1 cup of cold water. Stir well. Top with ice.

Enjoy. Have seconds too!

more please!

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operation lemon cookie

I firmly believe a majority of people are on a mission to satisfy a food craving. We’re trying to find that perfect something and it’s this ongoing cycle of smell, see, taste, reflect, taste again, then verdict. Is the mission complete? Yes? No? Mission still “active”…bummer.

This is the case for my colleague, whom I’ll call Ms. LC (“LC” for lemon cookie. ha! get it??). I became enlightened a couple of weeks ago when Ms. LC disclosed her mission is to find the perfect lemon cookie; the perfect sweet and tart morsel of lemony sunshine. A cookie that’s good on it’s own, or with a spot of tea, or cold milk.

Knowing she was on the mission to find the perfect lemon cookie quickly became a mission of mine, so read on and I hope you enjoy this recipe and cookie!

A surprising fact about this cookie is that I added rose flower water into the recipe! I love the flavor of rose flower water in baked goods; it adds such majestic depth. Most often one cannot pinpoint what the “special something” is, but it leaves one intrigued and going back for seconds…still pondering and enjoying.

a hint of rose flower water

Rather than adding shortening or butter to the cookie batter, I used coconut oil. You may be thinking, “The cookies taste like coconut and lemon?” or “Ugh, I don’t like the taste of coconut!” No worries friends, the coconut oil fortunately does not add a coconut flavor to the end product, BUT it is considered the “healthiest oil on earth.” Woo hoo!

More on nutritional perks –

Coconut oil – comprised of medium chain fatty acids (MCFA), which do not have a negative effect on cholesterol. coconut oil also protects against heart disease. FYI, 98% of all fatty acids consumed are long chain fatty acids (LCFA), which are harmful to heart health.
Lemon – good source of folate and potassium. A very good source of Vitamin C.
Nutmeg – good source of dietary fiber and a very good source of manganese.

lemons are ready!

Lemon Cookies with Nutmeg and Rose Flower Water
Adapted from shecancook on Tasty Kitchen

– 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted. original recipe used shortening
– 2 eggs
– 2 ^1/2 tsp grated lemon rind
– 2 cups all purpose wheat flour
– 1 cup pure cane sugar
– 1 tsp baking powder
– 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
– 1/4 tsp rose flower water
– 1/2 tsp baking soda
– 1/2 tsp sea salt
– 1 Tbls fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Beat the eggs and melted coconut oil in a medium to large bowl.

Combine grated lemon rind, flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl and mix well.

grated lemon rind

Add flour mixture to the egg and coconut oil mixture. Add the lemon juice and rose water. Mix well.

lemony dough!

Drop by the tablespoonful onto a baking sheet and bake 10-12 minutes. Cool baked cookies on a cooling rack.

Operation lemon cookie officially closed!

mission accomplished!

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