Summer Recipe's

With summer in full swing my mind is racing with all the fun things

I want to cross off my list. Lazy days at the pool, outdoor movies, 

tennis, and of course food plays a crucial role in the summer months.

I've rounded up some recipes I've tried and loved and seem to make every summer.

Teriyaki Chicken:  This recipe is so easy and you can throw it all in a ziploc bag and marinade

it overnight and have it ready to grill on the BBQ. It's easy, delicious and you 

can make a big batch!

Fresh Broccoli Salad: I first tried this recipe at a cousin's BBQ and I was sold.
Crunchy, flavorful and I'm getting my healthy greens in for the day.  
This recipe calls for raisins and sliced almonds
but I like to switch it up with dried cranberries and chopped cashews.
You can get creative with your ingredients
and add sunflower seeds or any other nut or just omit the nuts altogether. 

 Fresh Pasta Salad: A cold pasta salad is always a hit at any BBQ. I love this recipe

and I will usually add some chopped up pepperoni because I like the spicy flavor

it adds. Either way thought it's a good pasta salad.

Fruit Tart: I love to bake with fruit that is in season. Fresh berries are always 

in abundance this time of year so it's nice to have some go-to recipes that

incorporate them. This recipe is delicious and not rocket science.

Fresh Strawberry Limeade: When the temperature's rise, my desire to have

a cool and refreshing drink also rise. Sometimes it's as simple as some mint leaves and squeezed

lemons or lime and some sugar and ice and other times on special occassions I get real

crazy and make this yummy limeade recipe.

Sweet & Salty

Sweet and salty are my thing, 

good thing is that it seems to be the latest trend in baking as well

so I'm in luck when it comes to trying out new recipes.

I found this salted caramel vanilla bean cake on The Baker Chick's blog 

and had to make it.  The cake is dense, the combo of the salty caramel and sweet buttercream 

frosting balance everything out.  It felt perfect to make for the first day of autumn.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup white sugar
• 12 tablespoons butter, softened
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract (or a combo of extract, vanilla bean paste or vanilla bean)
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1 cup salted caramel sauce*, cooled.
• 2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons cream or milk

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter, flour and line with parchment 2 8x8 round baking pans. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and beat on high speed for about 3 minutes, until fluffy and pale. Stir in the vanilla.
3. Combine flour, baking powder and salt, and add to the butter mixture in three batches, alternating with the milk, starting and ended with the flour mixture. Don't over-beat the batter.
4. Pour batter into the prepared pans evenly, smoothing tops with the back of a spoon.
5. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let cool in the pans for 5-10 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.
For frosting:
6. Cream butter until smooth and fluffy. Add powdered sugar a cup at a time and beat until well combined. Add 1/3 cup of the caramel sauce and beat until smooth and fluffy. Add 1-2 tablespoons of cream or milk if desired if your frosting seems a little dry.
To assemble.
7. Place the bottom layer of cake on a cake stand. Use a fork to poke some holes along the surface of the cake. Carefully spread 1/3 cup of the caramel sauce over the cake layer, letting it soak into the cake. Top with a thick layer of frosting.
8. Add the second cake layer with the flattest side facing up. Repeat the process of poking the cake with a fork, adding the remaining caramel sauce, and topping with frosting. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt if desired.

Notes

*If you don't want to make homemade caramel, store bought is fine- just add a teaspoon of sea salt.

Vanilla cake recipe loosely adapted from: All Recipes

Autumn Baking

It happens every year without fail,

I get so so excited for this time of year

and start baking on my time off.

Great for the tastebuds...

perhaps not so much on the waistline.

You can't win them all right?

While perusing the blog world

I've come upon some recipes that

look so good and aren't

rocket science with a million instructions.

I will definately be making these

during the next few months.

Pumpkin Spice Cookie recipe found here.

Pumpkin Caramel Layer Cake recipe found here.

Pumpkin Sponge Roulade Cake {gluten free} recipe found here.

Delicousness

Some friends made the most amazing pie last week...

Nutella no bake pie.

I knew it was really good, 

because I was mmmmm'ing a lot.

I had to tell myself to stop making obscene noises.

I asked for the recipe and they were kind enough to oblige.

So I'm making it this weekend

because who doesn't want a little 

bit of chocolate/hazelnut heaven in their day?

Here's the recipe:

1 cup nutella

1, 8 oz. cream cheese

1 small tub of cool whip{or you can make your own cream}

1 package oreo cookies 

{I might try nutter butters and have a chocolate/hazlenut/peanut butter combo...boom!}

5 Tbsp butter, melted

Hershey's chocolate to shave for the top

With your hand mixer combine nutella and cream cheese till creamy, 

then add the cool whip.

Crush your oreos, melt the better and press into 9" pie pan.

Spoon up the creamy goodness into your pan, 

top off with more cool whip and chocolate shaving and refrigerate 

for 1-2 hours.

Voila and you're welcome!

A tasty tart.

I've been in the baking mood, all I want to do is stay home from work and make all sorts of sugary sweets. The likelihood of me baking all day is slim to none, so I'll take my weekends to bake away.

Over the weekend I made the most delicious tart...seriously it was to-die-for! I found the recipe here and am thinking that this coming weekend I'll be making homemade samoa bars.

The baking madness just can't be stopped!

{ps. I looked high and low for any type of red berries, but everywhere was out, next time though.}

Apple Pie

Can you believe I made my very first pie from scratch a couple weeks ago?

It was such a monumental occasion that I have a picture of me with the pie, as seen above.

Don't get me wrong, I've assembled pies before, you know buy the crust pre-made, dump the pie filling from the can in the pre-made crust and then put it in the oven.

It's shameful I know, but I was always intimidated about making pies, because it seemed to be something that mother's and grandmother's did and had a whole science and theory behind the recipe.

Those days are from the past now.

I was watching my amazing friend and roomie Brett whip up these pies from scratch and I thought it was high time I gave it a try.

So with some direction and a recipe from Brett I made the most scrumptious apple pie.

Goodbye days of the cans and pre-made crusts and hello to all the pies I plan on making.

I have a hunch we are going to have a wonderful relationship!