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Lemon Buttermilk Cake

January 31, 2013 ·
easy lemon buttermilk breakfast pound cake


We had a special surprise arrive last Friday ~ our baby decided to arrive a little early!  Naturally, when there is a birthday, there must be a birthday cake.  This Lemon Buttermilk Cake is quick and easy enough for a sleepy mama to whip together in minutes.  It’s not only simple to make, but the lemon cake is perfectly lemon-y, refreshing and delicious.  To dress it up, I added a simple lemon buttermilk glaze to drizzle over the loaf, with some extra to drizzle on the slices.  This cake is so good as-is, but the glaze adds a little something that makes it feel extra special.  Adam could not get enough of the baby’s birthday cake, and I discovered that despite not being a frosting person, he loves glaze.  Who can blame him!

Now to the baby details!  We had a baby girl named Greta Rose.  She is an easy baby so far and super sweet.  Seems fitting I guess, because the same could be said about Lemon Buttermilk Cake! 🙂

easy lemon buttermilk breakfast pound cake with lemon glaze




Lemon Buttermilk Cake
 
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Yields: 8 to 10 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1½ cups granulated sugar
  • ½ cup canola oil
  • ¾ cup buttermilk, well-shaken
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest (finely grated, approx 2 lemons)
  • ¼ cup lemon juice (approx 1½ lemons)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Cooking spray
  • GLAZE:
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 to 2 tablespoon(s) buttermilk, well-shaken
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8"x4" loaf pan with baking spray and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
  3. In a medium bowl, add the sugar, oil, buttermilk, eggs, zest, juice and vanilla and whisk to combine.
  4. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture and whisk to combine. Pour into prepared loaf pan.
  5. Bake for 65 to 75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 15 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  6. To prepare glaze, in a small bowl, whisk the powdered sugar, lemon juice and buttermilk until well-blended. Drizzle over cooled cake, as desired.

Sources: Real Simple for the cake, Cooking Light for the glaze
Filed Under: breakfast, dessert, kid-friendly, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , ,

Chipotle-Glazed Roast Chicken with Sweet Potatoes

January 25, 2013 ·
baked chipotle chicken with roasted sweet potatoes


I found this recipe for Chipotle-Glazed Roast Chicken with Sweet Potatoes during a sleepless night over the summer.  While it sounded absolutely delicious, it didn’t quite scream “summer” to me…so I saved it for a more seasonably appropriate time.  After many months of anticipation, I am happy to report this recipe was definitely worth the wait!

First you give the potatoes a head start by cooking them until they start to get tender.  The timing on this may vary based on the size you cut your potatoes or your oven, but unless you like crunchy potatoes, this step is key to the success of the recipe.  Meanwhile, you can whip up the sauce/rub and prepare the chicken.  Then you just put the chicken on top of the potatoes and pop it in the oven to bake until the chicken is done.  This recipe really could not be any simpler.  The result is a light and healthy dish that is sweet, spicy and delicious!

Chipotle-Glazed Roast Chicken with Sweet Potatoes
 
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Yields: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 sweet potatoes (10 ounces each) cut into ½-inch cubes
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, minced
  • 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon salt, plus additional to taste
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 4 4-ounce portions
  • 2-3 green onions, chopped (optional, for garnish)
  • Cooking spray
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a roasting or baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, toss sweet potatoes with olive oil and pour in the bottom of roasting/baking pan. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes (tossing after 10 minutes), until potatoes being to get tender.
  3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine chiles, garlic, honey, vinegar, salt, cumin, and cinnamon. Rub mixture over chicken breasts.
  4. Place chicken breasts on top of sweet potatoes and roast until chicken is cooked thoroughly, about 25 to 30 minutes. Serve garnished with green onions.

Adapted from Fitness Magazine

Filed Under: gluten free, healthy, main dishes, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , ,

And the winner is…!

January 24, 2013 ·

Using random.org, I have selected the winner of the Williams-Sonoma $50 Gift Card Giveaway! 

Out of 101 entrants, lucky number 11 is the winner!  Congratulations to Holly Marie who said “I’d use the card towards a Le Creuset crepe pan I’ve been wanting.”   Check your email and congrats again Holly!!

There will be a new recipe tomorrow, and it’s a good one.  A sweet and spicy roasted chicken dish that is healthy and easy!

Filed Under: giveaway Tagged With: ,
healthy oatmeal raisin buttermilk pancakes

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Pancakes

January 17, 2013 ·
healthy oatmeal raisin buttermilk pancakes

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Pancakes are an easy, healthy, delicious breakfast treat that taste like oatmeal raisin cookies.  Yum!  They are made with the hearty goodness of oatmeal and whole wheat flour, sweetness from brown sugar and raisins and buttermilk, which of course makes everything good.

The first morning after I made these, Adam polished off six pancakes.  In fact, he ate that first batch so quickly, I wasn’t able to get any pictures.  Because he loved them so,  I made another batch a couple days later.  Fortunately, one afternoon I found myself with three pancakes and a good napper, so I was able to quickly snap some pics to share this wonderful recipe with you!

healthy oatmeal raisin buttermilk pancakes

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Pancakes
 
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Yields: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 cups quick oats
  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • ½ cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ½ cup raisins
Instructions
  1. In a medium bowl, combine oats and buttermilk and let sit for 5 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon.
  3. After 5 minutes, add eggs, oil and vanilla to buttermilk mixture, whisking until combined.
  4. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, stirring until just moistened (Note: batter may be lumpy). Add raisins, folding until combined. Let sit for 10 minutes.
  5. Preheat nonstick skillet to medium heat and spray with cooking spray.
  6. Spoon batter onto skillet by the ¼ cupful (adjust to desired size) (Note: If batter is a little thick, use the back of your spoon to spread/shape the pancakes). Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until bubbles form and the edges look set. Flip pancakes and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden.

Slightly adapted from Taste of Home

Filed Under: breakfast, healthy, kid-friendly, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , ,

{Closed} Giveaway: $50 Williams-Sonoma Gift Card

January 10, 2013 ·

As a token of my appreciation to you all, whether you’re a longtime reader or a first-time visitor, it’s giveaway time!  It’s a good one too ~  a $50 gift card to Williams-Sonoma.  This is the least I can do to say thank you for making Alida’s Kitchen, and hopefully some tasty recipes, a part of your day.

On a non-food related note, I have some news.  In the next few weeks, our little family of three will become four!  Adam is very excited to become a big brother and is a great little helper with getting the final details ready for the baby.  I will give an update once our little bundle has arrived.

In the meantime, back to the giveaway!

Giveaway Details:

One winner will win a $50 giftcard to Williams-Sonoma

How to Enter:

To enter to win, simply leave a comment on this post.  Share how you would plan to use the gift card, give me your best baby advice, or simply say “hi.”  Whatever you want to say qualifies as an entry (no spam please), a simple comment will due.

Deadline: Thursday, January 17, 2013 at 11:59pm Central Time.

Limit:  One entry per person.  Open to US residents only.

Winner: The winner will be chosen at random using Random.org and on this post. If the winner does not respond within 24 hours, another winner will be selected.

Disclaimer: This giveaway is sponsored by Alida’s Kitchen.

Filed Under: giveaway Tagged With:

Apricot White Chocolate Scones

January 3, 2013 ·
lighter dried apricot white chocolate chip scones


Happy New Year!  For a special New Year’s Day breakfast, I made these Apriot White Chocolate Scones.  I always forget how quick and easy scones are to make, plus they are much more economical to make at home than to buy them from a local coffee shop.  Tastier too!  The slight tartness of the dried apricots and the sweetness of the white chocolate chips are such a wonderful complement.  I made several changes to the original recipes to lighten it up a bit:  used fat free evaporated milk instead of half and half, used light butter and also replaced some flour with whole wheat pastry flour.  The result was a delicious scone with a nice, moist texture (no dry scones here!).

Apricot White Chocolate Scones
 
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Yields: 8 scones
Ingredients
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • ¼ cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ⅓ cup cold butter, cut in pieces (I used light butter)
  • ⅓ cup chopped dried apricots
  • ⅓ cup white chocolate baking chips
  • 1 egg
  • ⅓ cup fat free evaporated milk
  • melted white chocolate and additional chopped apricots, for topping (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside
  2. In a food processor, pulse flours, sugar and baking powder until combined.
  3. Add butter to food processor and pulse until fine crumbs form. Pour mixture into a medium bowl.
  4. Stir apricots and white chocolate chips into flour mixture. Stir in egg and gradually add evaporated milk until dough forms a ball (Note: You may need slightly less than ⅓ cup). Knead dough a few times while in bowl.
  5. Pat or roll dough into 8-inch round on prepared cookie sheet. Cut into 8 wedges (a pizza cutter works well) but DO NOT separate.
  6. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let sit on pan for 5 minutes and then separate wedges (Note: I used a serated knife to ensure clean cuts). Let cool completely.
  7. Optional set: Drizzle melted white chocolate and sprinkle with chopped dried apricots, if desired.

 

Slightly adapted from Betty Crocker

Filed Under: bread, breakfast, kid-friendly, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , ,