Lemon Pound Cake with a Lemon Glaze and a Lemon Rum Zabaione

I�m baking for Share Our Strength�s �Virtual Great American Bake Sale� (GABS) hosted by Kate of the beautiful blog, �Cooking During Stolen Moments�.

It floors me when I really stop to think about the millions of children who become ill and sometimes die due to starvation and malnutrition in our own Nation. I shouldn�t be surprised though, within the past two years in my own small community in California, I have seen homelessness grow, unemployment skyrocket and grocery prices soar. With staggering numbers like 12.4 million children in our own Nation going without food I am more than thrilled to do a small part to support this community. Share Our Strengths goal is to lead the fight to end hunger and with events like the Great American Bake Sale we have an opportunity also to do a small part, even �virtually�

To find out more how you also can get involved with Share Our Strengths efforts to let no child go unfed, visit their web site here. To get immediately involved �Virtually� go to Kate�s web site link and bake for the children!

Here is my contribution to the Virtual Great American Bake Sale!

A Lemon Pound Cake
with a Lemon Glaze
& Lemon Rum Zabaione

LEMON POUND CAKE
recipe adapted from Land O�Lakes

Cake Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1 cup Butter, softened
4 Eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
� teaspoon baking soda
� teaspoon salt
� cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice


Heat oven to 325�F. Grease and flour 12-cup bundt pan or 10-inch tube pan; set aside.

Combine sugar and butter in large bowl at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Continue beating, adding 1 egg at a time, until well mixed.

Reduce speed to low. Beat, gradually adding flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt alternately with buttermilk and scraping bowl often, until well mixed. Add lemon zest and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Continue beating until well mixed.

Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan. Cool completely.


LEMON RUM SUGAR GLAZE

Ingredients
1 cup sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
3 Tbs. Butter
1 Tbs. Rum

Directions
In a small saucepan, add granulated sugar, butter, fresh lemon juice and rum, stirring to dissolve the sugar. When it liquefies and starts to thicken reduce the heat to low and simmer until it comes to a syrupy consistency - about 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Pour over pound cake immediately. The glaze will continue to thicken and harden on the cake. It makes such a beautiful crust like glaze.


LEMON RUM ZABAIONE

Ingredients
4 egg yolks
5 Tbs. granulated sugar
4 tablespoons Lemon juice blended with
4 tablespoons rum ready to go
1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream whipped to soft peaks (Do not add sugar)
1 teaspoon lemon zest

Directions
1. Boil some water in a saucepan.
2. Separate the yolks from the whites and place the yolks in a heatproof bowl. Discard the whites.
3. Add the sugar and whisk (or mix with an electric mixer) until the mixture turns light yellow.
Place the bowl with the egg mixture on top of the pan with
boiling water. Continue whisking. Do not allow the bowl to touch the water, it will cause your zabaione to get lumpy.
4. In a thin stream, SLOWLY add the lemon rum liquid to the egg mixture as you keep whisking.
5. Keep beating the egg mixture until it has doubled in volume and is fluffy and light...about 10-15 minutes.
6. Take off heat. Stir in the lemon zest. Place a piece of plastic over it and keep in the refrigerator.
7. When zabaione is cool blend with unsweetened whipped cream a little at a time. Because you didn�t add sugar to the whipped cream you can add the whipped cream to your desired sweetness taste.
8.Use for a topping or filling for the Lemon Pound Cake.

* Special Note; This glaze is SO good!
I have used powdered sugar glazes often but this takes your cake one step up. It firms up on the cake after and has a chewy texture similar to a candied apple.
"But Not As Hard." I would challenge you.. not that this is a challenging recipe at all.. but it really ups the wow level in my opinion!
Let me know if you try it!! :)

Ciao and Buon Appetitio!
Laurie

Grilled Mediterranean Shark

Shark is probably one of the less seen seafood dishes on the menu. Although I prefer swordfish over shark, it still has a wonderful meaty texture. A sharks structure is supported only by cartilage, they have no bones which is a distinct advantage when it comes to cooking and preparing for a family with small children. They grill wonderfully and I have never had them fall apart on me while grilling or frying. Shark can be a bit dry if you over cook so I like to marinate my fish before grilling and then toss a beautiful saute of onions or vegetables over them when they are done. In this recipe I used a mixture of Mediterranean ingredients such as tomatoes, olives and capers, sauteing them along with a beautiful bouquet of garlic, parsley and basil. As you grill or fry them, watch the flesh of their meat, as they begin to get opaque that is an indicator that they are near turning time. Usaually
6 to 8 minutes depending on their thickness.

If you want specific ingredients for this dish I would be happy to send them to you via email.
My address can be found at the top of my blog page.

Ciao and Buon Appetitio!
Laurie

Egg Burrito's & Coffee with Celine

It was around a year ago during a Daring Baker challenge that I met this darling gal Celine from Celine's Cuisine. We found out that we both lived in the Temecula Valley around 15 minutes away, shopped at the same stores, Trader Joes.. and the Temecula Valley Farmers Market, and have a common bond of a European heritage in cuisine, she being French and I Italian. She and her husband grew up in the French Basque country, I am married to a Basque man. Our love of fine food and culture and our commitment to our family, she has known her husband for over twenty years as well as I, and our babies.. she has twins the same age as my little Bella.

So why has it taken so long for us to finally meet? Probably me.. I am so bad at scheduling. I am always rushed and a little over my head when it comes to time management. But we finally did have our first meeting last week for coffee.

We met at wonderful little French cafe bakery, Vallee d'Brume in the Temecula Bellagio Village. We had a wonderful time talking and getting to know one another and have already made plans to cook together and get our families together. It is so wonderful meeting foodie friends.. Celine, I look forward to a long friendship!

I posted Egg Burritos today, better a little late than never, because Celine is hosting the Egg Game over at her blog. I am late on this as usual, but I think she is extending the event. Here is a link to the game.. please join in and get to know Celine! She is a wonderful baker as well as cook and has a love of all things natural and healthy!


Egg Burrito's are so easy and delicious! They are a crowd (family of six) pleaser and get gobbled up quickly! You can fill them with any kind of cheese, sauce or creams. This has been a favorite of mine since I was a little girl and I am submitting them to the Egg Game hosted by Celine.

Ciao and Buon Appetito!
Laurie

Weekend Morning Cinnamon Rolls

You know, there's something about weekend mornings and pastry that just go together. This morning I had to be out of the house at 6:45, and then it was rush, rush, rush until I dropped the last child off at school at around 9:00. I was so ready to have a cup of coffee. After I dropped my school kids off, Bella and I decided we wanted pastry with our coffee. Yes, Bella gets coffee too! Don't your kids drink coffee? :) We stopped into the Doody's Bakery, grabbed a few danishes and went home. I don't know about you, but the fresh smell of coffee that met me when I opened the door just scintillated my senses. Kinda like the first time I had a sip of Monster.. my kids got a kick out of my response, it actually made me giggle. Although I love the tantalizing fruity effervescence of a Monster, I don't drink them! Fresh brewed coffee gives me the same reaction, I feel giddy and happy all over!

So getting to the point of this post, weekends are so relaxing for me, the luxury of time, the deliciousness of a hot cup of coffee and a freshly made pastry make weekend mornings a time to be savored.

So with luxury on my mind, and wanting to share, I made you all some fresh cinnamon rolls. Meant to be eaten while there still warm and gooey, and definitely with your favorite hot beverage. Preferably coffee!

To see more of this post with the recipe click on the link here.
Have a WONDERFUL weekend.. I'll be thinking of you! :)

Ciao and Buon Appetito!
Laurie

Country Irish Shepherds Pie

We considered a lovely dinner at Temecula's only Irish dining establishment "Killarney's Irish Pub & Grill", but when I drove to the grocery store at 4:oo pm and noticed parked cars lined up for literally miles away and the sounds of Irish folk music and loud cheers from happy consumers, I knew dinner would be served at home this evening. But that was o.k., for all my
shopping needs would be taken care of at Henry's, where there was also a celebration with music, clogging and fresh cheeses and popular Irish drinks and foods. The store decorated with heather and green clover, and management with their plaited kilts was just the right place for me to go to get into an Irish cooking mood. And that's hard to do for a full blooded Italian gal! But rummaging through the deli cases I found cheeses with Irish labels, and the store attendant practically placing in my hand the Kellygold brand of Dubliner cheese that I ended up taking home with me. It was wonderful!

I made a simple Shepherds Pie with a few alterations. One, I didn't have time to make a pie crust so I purchased shepherds bread and used that as a base. The second, I layered the Dubliner cheese between the meat, vegies and mashed potatoes.
I made a beef stock gravy with thyme as the herb ingredient and mixed that with the ground beef and also drizzled it between the layers. The cheese made all the difference in the world! Also, to prevent the bread from burning and drying out I wrapped it in foil as I baked it through.

This was a fun and delicious meal!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Laurie


COUNTRY IRISH SHEPHERDS PIE

Ingredients
2 medium sized Shepherd Bread loaves
6 cups Mashed Potatoes (recipe follows)
2 cups Brown Sauce (recipe follows)
1-� lbs. Ground Lamb or beef
� Onion
Salt and pepper
Butter
3 cups Dubliner cheese grated (I use Kerrygold)
3 Carrots cleaned and cut into small squares and cooked till tender.
1 cup Peas (frozen not canned) cooked

Mashed Potatoes
2-3 pounds russet (baking)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 to 1 cup milk
Salt and white pepper to taste

Peel potatoes and cut into 2-inch pieces. In a large heavy saucepan simmer potatoes in salted water to cover by 1 inch 10 minutes, or until tender, and drain in a colander. In pan or bowl combine potatoes, butter, and 3/4-cup milk. With a potato masher or blender mash potatoes until just smooth, adding more milk and butter if necessary to make a
creamy but not pasty potato. *Over cooking and blending your potatoes will make them too starchy. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Brown Sauce
3 shallots or scallions, finely chopped
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup red wine
10-� -ounce can beef bouillon (not consomm�)

1 Tb. Wortsheshire sauce
1 Tsp. Fresh Tarragon leaves finely chopped
� Tsp. thyme
Salt, pepper
Beurre Mani�

Saut� chopped shallots or scallions in butter. Gradually add the wine, wortsheshire and bouillon. Let it come to a boil and add the seasonings. Cook down for a few minutes. Add Beurre mani� to thicken to taste. Let simmer for a few minutes and strain. Set aside.

Ground Lamb or Beef
Finely chop � an onion. Saut� in 2 Tbsp. butter. Add ground meat and cook. Drain liquids. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Vegetables
Mix prepared vegetables together.

Preparations
Divide all ingredients for two shepherd pies.
Cut top of Shepherds Bread and scoop out insides.
Starting with mashed potatoes layer your ingredients, always adding cheese and sauce after each layer. Repeat process until you end with mashed potatoes on top. Potatoes can be piped on for a decorative finish but it is not necessary. Bake Shepherds Pie in a pre-heated 375� oven for
20 minutes. If potatoes start to brown too quickly loosely cover with foil.

Tomatoes Stuffed with Rosemary Quinoa, Chicken & Pesto & Where I Have Been Lately!

I have had interesting days within the past few weeks!
I am so sorry for my absence and lack of posts and blog visits lately, again I was having some computer issues and was traveling back and forth to the library trying to keep up with my articles for my Examiner page.

This past weekend my DH surprised me with a new computer. For the past five months I have been using my daughters laptop.. mouse pads and I don't get along very well, but I did make it work and we were able to hook up her computer to my monitor so that I could see it! :) But then her computer seemed to be going a little wacko and needed to go into the shop. We are so glad it was still under warranty.. the logic board went out and they had to replace the whole computer. But while it was in the shop and before we actually found out what the problem was, DH came home with a much needed computer for moi.

In the mean time, I tried using an old computer that I had in storage. When I say old.. I mean ancient! I was able to hook up the internet to it but it needed a newer version of mac software to run the internet. I erased os9 and uploaded osX.. but then I couldn't get any browsers to work with the old version of OsX. I usually use Firefox or Safari but even the oldest versions of them wouldn't work. I couldn't even get on Yahoo Mail to check my messages. I had tried last week to upload a post using the old version of Internet Explorer and when I hit the publish button everything erased.

So here I am today sharing all the sordid details of my computer woes when all I really wanted to do was to share a recipe from my sister Faith. Over at the Examiner I have been posting a recipe each week for Lent season. I really am not known for my healthy or alternative recipes :), but I was thrilled when my sister shared one of her favorites with me to share with my readers. She didn't have a picture for me but I pieced together the ingredients from my pictures on file. :) When I make it I'll definitely take photo's because I know with the ingredient list the final outcome must look stunning!

Hope you're all doing well.. Hugs and kisses to you and I'll stop by soon!
Buon Appetito!
Laurie














To read the article click on the recipe title.. it will take you to the original!
Tomatoes Stuffed with Rosemary Quinoa, Chicken, and Pesto
By Faith @ Faith Skincare

15-20 Roma Tomatoes cut in half and seeded
1 c Seasoned Roasted chicken breast, chopped
1/2 c Rosemary Quinoa (see recipe below)
1/4 c Pesto (see recipe below)
Parmesan Flavored Veggie Cheese (Optional)

Mix together chicken, quinoa, and pesto. Stuff tomatoes with mixture and stand on baking sheet. (you may need to cut a bit off the end of the tomatoes to get them to stand up). Sprinkle Parmesan Veggie cheese on top. Bake in oven at 350 for 30 minutes.

Rosemary Quinoa
1 c Organic Quinoa
2 c Organic Chicken Broth
1tsp Fresh organic Rosemary, finely chopped
1 tb Olive Oil
1/2tsp Salt
2 cloves Garlic
1/4 c Red onion, chopped
Rind from half of a lemon

Place Quinoa, garlic, and red onion in saucepan and sautee with 1 tb Olive Oil until onions are softened. Add chicken broth, rosemary, salt, and lemon rind and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer, cover, and cook until all liquid is absorbed. (About 10-15 minutes)

Dairy Free Pesto
2 c Fresh Basil leaves
4 cloves Fresh Garlic
1/4 Pine Nuts
1/4 c Olive Oil
1 C. Parmesan Flavored Veggie Cheese (optional. Can be found at your local health food store)
salt and pepper to taste

Process in food processor until all ingredients are incorporated.