 Are bundtinis stores popping up in your neighborhood as quickly as they are in my neck of the woods? I'm starting to think that bundtinis are taking over the food world as the new cupcake. Bundtinis have their own speciality shops, a huge cult-like following and a frosting to cake ratio that appeals to cake lovers everywhere. Our local bundt cake and bundtini store has a big variety of flavors. Everything from raspberry lemon and pecan praline to chocolate, chocolate chip and red velvet. As a true critic of all things cake - I have to say - they're pretty amazing. I'm kind of obsessed with the confetti buntini personally.  When I set out to create my own bundtini, I wanted to make something a little different from the miniature cakes that I can pick up at my local bundt cake store. I wanted to distinguish my bundtinis from those that are mass produced. I chose to use less icing than the signature snowy, white, thick glaze that dances down the sides of a bakery bought bundtini. I wanted a delicate, airy cake that felt light and tender as you ate it. Introducing the Strawberry Lemonade Bundtini. The (not so) secret ingredient that makes these cake absolutely burst with flavor in your mouth ............... JELLO!!! Genius, I know. What could be more refreshing than a strawberry lemonade bundtini on a hot summer day?  Strawberry Lemonade Bundtinis Strawberry Batter 2 c. cake flour 2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. kosher salt 4 T. unsalted butter softened 1 1/2 c. sugar 3 oz. package Strawberry Jello 1/4 c. canola oil 3 eggs room temperature 1 tsp. vanilla extract 16 oz. frozen strawberries well drained and blended Lemonade Batter 2 c. cake flour 2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt 6 T. unsalted butter softened 11/2 c. sugar 3 oz. package Lemon Jello 6 T. canola oil 4 eggs room temperature 1 1/2 tsp. lemon extract Glaze 2 c. powdered sugar 4 T. fresh lemon juice 1 T. butter melted 1 tsp. lemon extract 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
 Drizzle over cooled cake.
One of my blog followers asked me for a strawberry lemonade bundt cake recipe. (Ask and you shall receive.) 😂 Just in case bundtinis aren't your cup of tea, you can pour this batter into a regular sized bundt pan and bake this cake for 40-50 minutes. You might even have a little extra batter leftover for some bundtinis too.
Ciao!
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 If being able to correctly pronounce the names of the recipes that I cook was a requirement, I'd be reduced to making only things like chicken, turkey and chocolate chip cookies. I also would never have been introduced to the world of acia, haricots verts, quinoa, gyros, pho or gnocchi. I can butcher the ordering of a great charcuterie board with the best of them. 🤣 Pronunciation of these amazing foods is my weakness but incorporating them into recipes is my kryptonite. Cooking with Worcestershire, espresso, jalapeno and prosciutto makes my job - way more interesting. This world would be a boring place without things like bouillabaisse. Hard to pronounce but oh so scrumptious.  Admitting that I have absolutely no idea how to pronounce the name of todays recipe seems almost redundant now. I am so glad that I didn't let that stop me from trying this recipe though. It is an amazingly simple dish with incredible flavor and texture. Don't let the simplicity fool you though - you will have to plan ahead in order to make this delicious recipe. Slow roasting the tomatoes in the oven for 5 hours may seem a bit excessive but the chewy, sweet, dehydrated fruit that results really takes this dish to the next level.  Aglio e Olio with Roasted Tomatoes 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved 5 Tablespoons olive oil 8 ounces kale 8 ounces linguini pasta 2 cloves garlic, sliced 1 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1/2 cup whole milk ricotta
Cook pasta 4 minutes. Add kale and cook another 5 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta water then drain.
Cook 3-4 minutes until sauce thickens.
 Divide pasta among bowls. Top with a scoop of ricotta. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil.  Roasted vegetables are the bomb diggity. Why am I not roasting vegetables every single night? Oh yeah, because I’m usually throwing dinner together with one hand while trying to decorate a batch of sugar cookies with the other. Seriously though - I should be roasting vegetables way more often than I am. I just love them.
Ciao!  I don't consider myself to be a very prolific writer. Heck, I don't even think of myself as an average writer which makes it even more surprising that I continue to journal my thoughts on this blog. I've been blogging for 9 years now and I still have a hard time getting my thoughts on the computer in any sort of logical and sensible way. And when I do get inspired to write, (which isn't very often) I feel like I need to sit down and start blogging immediately before the mood fades. Fortunately, I've picked up a few writers tricks over the last few years to make blogging a little less painful. I've learned that I'm better at writing blog posts in an environment devoid of distractions. (ie - not my home) I seem to be more productive when I'm waiting on new tires at the auto shop or waiting for an appointment in the dentist office. My laptop and a space where I can't see piles of laundry or ceiling fans that need to be dusted is key to successful blog writing apparently.
After some strategic military style planning and organization my family actually managed to escape to the beach this week. My family and I are having a blast exploring the fun little beach town of St. Augustine. We've kayaked, swam, biked on the beach and toured wineries. A true Amy style vacation where we go to bed exhausted every night. 🤣 Vacation is my time to catch up on my reading and my writing too. I dove into a new Joanne Fluke culinary mystery and I've capitalized on the fact that I'm not at home and caught up on some blog writing this week too. I hope that you enjoy this little frittata recipe. I made mine with turkey bacon and gruyere cheese but you can customize yours however you like.  Sweet Potato Frittata 2 cups sweet potatoes, diced 5 turkey bacon slices, chopped 2 Tablespoons canola oil 1 cup chopped onion 6 eggs 1/4 gruyere cheese, shredded 1 Tablespoon fresh sage, chopped 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/4 teaspoon salt
Remove from oven and cut into slices.  
 I am such fan of the frittata. I don't know why I don't make them more often. They're delicious and they reheat way better than most eggs. This tasty frittata was a perfect breakfast for 3 days.
Ciao!  I have a lot of respect for French Toast. Sure it's crazy good but it's also a really ingenious (and efficient) use of ingredients. What else am I going to do with my leftover bread? Make croutons? Make bread crumbs? I do both of those things but I don't feel like either of those is the best use of my stale bread. I prefer to dip my stale bread in an eggy custard, brown it in butter and drench it with sweet maple syrup. The only thing better than having stale bread is having an overripe banana that I can turn into banana bread to go with it.  My only issue that I have when I make french toast is that I can't seem to make enough of it at one time. My largest skillet only holds 2 pieces of bread at a time so when I'm make french toast for any more than two people, we have to eat in shifts. That was until I ran across this recipe for Sheet Pan French Toast. This is genius. 8 slices of hearty, delicious, eggy french toast baked at the same time to perfection in the oven.  Sheet Pan French Toast 3 eggs 1 Tablespoon vanilla 2 teaspoons brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 Tablespoons butter, melted 1 cup milk 8 slices hearty sandwich bread
 Breakfast is served.
Ciao! Does anyone else feel like they're eating healthy when they add vegetables to a dessert? Somehow I've managed to convince myself that when I add carrots, sweet potatoes or zucchini to a recipe, they counteract the negative effects of the fats and sugars and therefore - the dessert becomes healthy. All you carrot cake lovers know what I'm talking about. How can any food loaded with vegetables, possibly be unhealthy? 🤣  Now that my garden is in full swing, it's officially healthy eating season. Bring on the zucchini bread, the carrot cake and the sweet potato brownies. (hehehe) I actually loving the bounty of produce from my garden this month but I can only eat so many salads. The excess vegetables are being turned into scrumptious delectables like cakes, cookies and muffins. After all, I don't want good vegetables to go to waste. 😉 If you find yourself with an overabundance of vegetables too - you might want to consider making my Zucchini Walnut Cake. It's quick and easy to put together. It's super yummy AND your family will never know that they're eating vegetables. After all, the nutrients in the zucchini trump all of the sugar, oil and butter. (Okay so that's not completely true, but it IS delicious. )  Zucchini Walnut Cake 2 medium zucchini 2 cups flour 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon cinnamon 3 eggs 1 1/4 cups sugar 2/3 cup canola oil 1/4 cup butter, melted 2 teaspoons vanilla 1 teaspoon lemon zest 1 teaspoon orange zest 3/4 cup buttermilk Lemon Syrup 3 strips lemon zest 1/2 cup lemon juice 1/2 cup sugar
 Brush top of cake with lemon syrup. Cool in pan.  Cut into squares.
This is the time of year that kids are getting restless and starting to get on the nerves of mothers everywhere. 💁🏻♀️ We're closing in on the start of school but which means increased anxiety and stress levels for the whole family. Family baking days are a great way to keep those kiddos busy and out of trouble. (Not that my kids were ever in trouble. 😂😂😂) This zucchini walnut cake is a perfect recipe for kids to help with. It's very forgiving. Have fun with it and hang in there moms. You'll be putting those kids on the bus before you know it.
Ciao! |
