After almost 9h spent working out last week, and 2h of weight lifting and 9220kg lifted yesterday, I took today off!  I spent the day fixing stuff around the house, cleaning, doing laundry, going shopping etc. Nice day Now we’re watching How I met your mother, with soo bad cravings for candy! I ended up on making this instead:

Rasberries, apples and strawberries with cinnamon and a little “kesam”.

Put it in the oven for a few minutes, aaand;

OM NOM NOM

*Kat

My motto, as many around me know, is “be lazy.” Few days have epitomized such a saying as today. I trained twice yesterday, worked and trained through the weekend, and was taken by sleep around 11:45 pm last night. However my brain was clearly not as tired as my body and I woke promptly at 5:15. Not to be dissuaded in my quest to annihilate my daylight hours, I got up, ate an ensure and box of raspberries, created this little bloggie thing, and passed back out for what must have been another 8 hours. Now I’m hungry and still sore, and I can hear Melons (the best snack/smoothie shop in Vegas) calling my name:)

tested out flo’s red velvet roll cake recipe over the weekend.  i’ve never seen a red velvet cake made into a roll before.  am rather curious why roll cakes haven’t caught on in all those homey NYC bakeries.  they seem to be easier to make, slice and store than layer cakes. i guess roll cakes just haven’t hit the americana big leagues yet?

the cake turned out to be smooth and tender.  i tweaked the filling a bit, swapping out the white chocolate for a bit extra cream cheese.  the raspberries are a must; they are surprising and add a pleasant fruity note to the cake.

some baking notes for next time…would definitely recommend:

(1) letting the cream cheese come to room temperature before spreading it onto the cake, if you’re making the filling in advance.  if the cream cheese filling is too hard, it doesn’t spread easily and will tear into the surface layer of the cake and get mixed up with the white cream filling.

(2) using fresh raspberries rather than frozen.

Edit: [note] I blogged about Tennyson’s 7 month birthday a month ago, but obviously, forgot to post it.  I must have saved it in the draft folder only. So, here is her 7-month update followed shortly by her 8-month update.

Time is going by so fast, and Tennyson is getting so big.  She is getting to be so much fun.  She loves stuffed animals  especially her mommy and baby owls.

The line-up.

I think she likes their big eyes. She also has a bear family who adopted a cute little pig.  Actually, today, she was introduced to Maggie, a totally hip sock monkey. I’m not sure who she belongs to yet. Maybe the owl family will adopt her.

Those eyes and nose are just too irresistable.

There are so many eyes.

Tennyson seems to be taking in everything.  I see now why it is so important to talk about every little thing you do because they become so attentive.  Tennyson now looks at everything I name.  Before now, you would talk, but she would usually be in her own tiny world.  Every morning we make coffee together. I talk through each step and she just adamantly listens and looks at each step completed.  I really feel like she is beginning to understand basic common phrases or commands. For example, in the past few days, every time a say give me a kiss, she turns and lays a slobbery one on me.  She is reaching up to be picked up.  I feel like she is beginning to understand “Lets eat” or “Lets get up”.    She is also learning basic routines such as meal time. She knows when a bib is put on her and she is in her highchair, it is time to eat. She starts squirming and fussing.  I am not 100% positive on her receptive skills, but I do know it is starting to flourish d/t her increased awareness and attention to every little object/action.

Expressively, she just babbles a whole lot. Her repertoire of babbles include /ra-ra-ra/, /ya-ya-ya/, /da-da-da/, /mamamama/ and some other vowel-consanant combinations that occur so rapidly that it is hard to decipher what she just said. She mixes it up quite a bit.  Oh yeah, she looooooooooves blowing raspberries.  While driving, I hear her blowing bubbles to entertain herself. Grant it, she soaks herself when engaged in this activity.

So, now you have her official speech and language evaluation report at 7 months.  Sorry ,but as a speech pathologist, the development of speech and language is just so fascinating. I would go into cognition such as problem solving but we will just leave that be.

Since she is sitting up so well, she has graduated to sitting in her highchair at home and at restaurants.  She rolls very well now. She is beginning to occasionally get up on all fours.  The other day she pulled up onto her knees.  When she see something interesting, she lunges for it.  She really wants to go places but is still pretty stationary.  That’s about it in the gross motor dept.

She is beginning to stay awake for longer periods. She takes either 2 or 3 naps. We haven’t completely dropped that 3rd nap.  Our routine is similar to that of last month. She is waking up earlier. She wakes up usually at 6:30 now rather than 7:30.  But, she is now in bed by 7 if not a little earlier depending on quality of naps.  Usually, the days that I work is when she decides to sleep  until 7 or after.

For Kris and I, our renter is moving out. Yeah for more square footage, but we’ll be loosing a nice check every month. I think Kris and I will be moving upstairs along with a craft/office/play room. It is carpeted so it will be a nice room for Tennyson to practice rolling and crawling around.

Here are some pictures from this month.

Tennyson has enjoyed staying with Mrs. Erin and Elizabeth on Thursdays and Fridays.  I think she is learning a lot from Elizabeth who is 2 months older.  They are just so cute together. I love it.

Tennyson and Elizabeth at Bicentinnial Park.

Tennyson and Elizabeth swinging.

Tennyson, Kris, and I at Night-Out-Against Crime.

Zuccotto is light as a feather yet full of fruit and soaked with rum. Fill it with fresh fruit such as, strawberries, raspberries or peaches. You can prepare it as shown here in this recipe or serve it in a pretty bowl, maybe one with a pedestal, top it off with the whipped cream and scoop it out.

Pane di Spagna is a light sponge cake found in most markets in Italy. It is often layered with mascarpone, pastry cream, fruit etc. Biscotti are also often layered in the same manner. These are common everyday desserts in Italy and are very easy to prepare. There are no rules, just use what is in season and mix in nuts, cocoa, complementing liquor and you have yourself a dessert.

Zuccotto

Recipe Summary
Preparation Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: Follow the recipe for pastry cream
Yield: 1-10”x5” Cake, 12 servings

Ingredients
3- 9” x 2” plain sponge cakes or cut in half or 2 Pane di Spagna

FILLING
6 large, fresh peaches or 1 large container fresh strawberries
2 pastry cream recipes found in the Other Sweet Things Section

DRIZZLE LIQUID
1/2 cup dark Rum

TOPPING
1 16 oz. container whipping cream
2 tablespoons confectionary sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 pound almond slices, toasted

OTHER THINGS NEEDED
Bowl 10” x 5”

PREPERATION

FILLING
If you are using fresh peaches, peel them and cut them into slices. Put 2 cups of granulated sugar and 1 cup of water in a pan and dissolve the sugar until you have syrup. Place the peaches in the syrup and cook them until they are soft, but still have a slight stiffness. Remove them and allow them to cool, and reduce the syrup to about 1 cup. You can add a little peach brandy or rum to the syrup. Sprinkle the syrup over the cake instead of the rum as you would if you were using fresh strawberries. If using strawberries they should be washed, shucked and sliced.
Make the pastry cream according to the recipe directions and let it cool.

ASSEMBLY
Cover a 10” x 5” bowl or form with plastic wrap so that it completely covers the bowl. It should come down the outside of the bowl enough to fold over the cake at the end.

Cut the cakes in half and cover the bottom and sides of the bowl with the cake. Sprinkle a little rum over the entire cake. Spread a layer of pastry cream over bottom of the cake. Place another layer of cake over the cream and sprinkle it with a little rum. Slice the strawberries or peaches and place them over the rum soaked cake. Cover the fruit with another layer of cake again sprinkling the syrup or rum over the cake. Put another layer of fruit over the cake and another layer of pastry cream and cover the cream with the last layer of cake. This should take you to the top of your bowl. Bring the plastic wrap over the top of the bowl covering the entire top of the cake. Place a plate on the top with a weight, such as a can of tomatoes and put it in the refrigerator overnight.

TOPPING
Place almonds on a cookie sheet and toast in the oven until golden brown. Watch them carefully as they will brown quickly.

In a cold bowl pour the cream and whip until the cream starts to stiffen. Put the vanilla and confectionary sugar in and beat until the cream forms stiff peaks.

Cover the entire cake with the whipped cream and pat the toasted almonds over the cake. Return it to the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.

What you are looking at is a slice of the most moist and delicious cake I have ever made.  I had an old recipe for a buttermilk cake that I thought would be stellar with the addition of the raspberries I had gotten in today’s CSA box from HighCross Farm.

Seriously, Best….cake…ever!

This is such a simple recipe. It took me 10 mins to prepare and 30 mins in the oven.  It doesn’t make a big cake (you will need only one round cake pan or small bundt pan).

This cake is beyond moist, and when you get a bite with the raspberries… the tart meets sweet will (not to sound corny) make your taste buds sing. 

I am going to have to bring this to work in fear of eating it all by myself.

Raspberry Buttermilk Cake

• 1 c all purpose flour
• 2/3 c sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 pint raspberries
• 1 stick of butter, softened
• 1/2 c buttermilk, shaken well
• Powdered sugar for garnish

Preheat oven to 375

Grease a 9 inch cake pan and line with parchment. I used a smallish bundt pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and baking salt.  Set aside

In a kitchen aid mixer or with a hand blender, cream butter and flour until light and fluffy (about 2 mins). 

Add the vanilla and egg  making sure it is mixed together well.

Turn your speed down a bit and alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk.

Spread the batter into the span smoothing out the top.  Scatter raspberries on top.  Since I used a bundt pan, I took a knife and marbled the raspberries throughout the batter.

Bake for 30-40 mins or until golden brown and a toothpick in the center comes out clean.

Let cool and dust with powdered sugar.  Try not to eat it all yourself. 

Another close up.

This rough digital painting was done from an image from the movie “Amelie”, an independent and quirky French film. This is my first digital painting.

I wanted to post some pictures and mention a few things about the weekend, but I’m a bit rushed for time at the moment, so I’m borrowing something from another blog that popped up in the ol RSS feed yesterday that I thought would be of interest…

This picture is from a website called Tartlette and is, as the title indicates, dedicated to all things petit and tart-like in the dessert world.  This is just one of the random things that the World Wide Web has ushered into my life, and now I’m dreaming about rasberries coming into season so that I can make these…

Pumpkin Seed Mascarpone Mousse and Raspberry Tartelettes:

For the tart shells:
1 stick (115 gr) butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup (93 gr) powdered sugar, unsifted
1 large egg
1 1 /2 cups (190gr) flour
2 tablespoons (20 gr) cornstarch (makes for a lighter crumb)
pinch of salt

For the almond cream:
1 stick (115 gr) butter, softened
1/2 cup (100 gr) granulated sugar
1 cup (100 gr) ground almonds
2 eggs
1/4 cup (60gr) heavy cream

Pumpkin Seed Mascarpone Mousse:
200 ml heavy cream
4 oz (120gr) mascarpone, at room temperature
2 tablespoons (25gr) sugar
1/3 cup (80gr) raw pumpkin seeds, ground

2 cups fresh raspberries

Prepare the tart shells:
In a mixer, whip together the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix until incorporated. Add the flour, cornstarch and salt and mix briefly. Dump the whole mixture onto a lightly floured board and gather the dough into a smooth ball. Do not work the dough while in the mixer or it will toughen it up. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
When the dough is nice and cold, roll it out on a lightly floured board or in between the sheets of plastic. You will need half the amount of dough to make the tartelettes. The other half can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days or frozen, well wrapped for up to 3 months. Cut out eight rounds with a 3-inch pastry ring. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 350F for 8-10 minutes. Let cool.

Prepare the almond cream:
Place the butter, sugar, almond powder, and the eggs in a large bowl and whisk until smooth (can also be done in a food processor). Add the cream but stir it in carefully instead of whisking it (you do not want to emulsify it or it will rise while baking). Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Place the 8 baked rounds of dough in eight 3-inch pastry rings, divide the cream evenly among the rings and bake 20 minutes at 350F. Let cool.

Prepare the mousse:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream to medium stiff peaks and reserve it in the refrigerator while you prepare the mousse.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the mascarpone and sugar with a spatula (really no need to put your mixer to use on that one). Add the ground pumpkin seeds and mix thoroughly until incorporated.
Carefully fold the reserved whipped cream into the mascarpone base by placing your spatula in the center of the bowl, scooping the bottom over the top. Give your bowl a 45 degree turn and repeat until the batter is smooth.

Assemble the tarts:
Place the mousse in a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and pipe a large dollop of mousse right in the center of the tartelettes, leaving a small border all around. Place raspberries all around the mousse. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Pol flaked out in the sun and so hot to touch you could boil a pot on her!

I’m not a big fan of hot weather myself and in hot spells like this I am especially grateful to live on the coast where it is nearly always a bit cooler than inland. Thankfully we have no hose-pipe ban this year, so I’ve been able to give the raised beds a good soaking. It’s incredibly hard work handwatering them.

Raspberries are doing really well, runner beans are a bit behind, but I should have my first courgette in a day or two. The shallots look pretty fat and the leaves are dying down, so I expect they’ll be ready to harvest soon. The sunny weather will be good for drying them off and I hope I’ll be able to store them for a few months.

I pulled up a pathetic crop of beetroot yesterday which serves me right for letting them get overrun with chickweed. Still they are quite tasty and it’s not too late to sow some more. I shall put some more carrots in too. It’s probably too hot and dry for them to germinate well, but the variety (Berlicum) is delicious and I’d love some more.

Last of the berries.

Actually that’s hardly true, but since this batch is getting a little soft they’re perfect to smoosh up into a dairy base with a little honey — I have 1% milkfat cottage cheese, but I’m sort of pretending it’s Red Mango frozen yogurt. Hot damn, that would be a good breakfast!

Blurry berries still taste delicious (blaming it on the iPhone camera).

Berries were on ridiculous sale at my local street-fruit vendor last night — 2 for $4! — so I picked up a container of blueberries and one of raspberries. They are perfectly ripe, with bruising nearly nonexistent. Berries don’t get much better than this.

Should I stock up and throw a bunch in the freezer for later? For cereal toppings, for smoothies, for fancy margaritas? Maybe I should make a pie?

Well hello, my faithful little reindeers!

It is a busy week to be a squirrel! Finally I have a little hour to sit down and write you while I eat my breakfast (Ok, yes I know it’s lunchtime, but I am not a morning squirrel today– so sue me!).   Stewy came over yesterday morning and fixed my dripping tap for me (so I can sleep at night, finally….), bought me lunch, and left a small box of rasberries here.  Oh, and he got me a wrench and a magic screwdriver with ever kind of head, and taught me how to fix the tap in case it starts leaking again.  What a guy!  These berries are… mmmmm…. amazing!  (To have these, in this climate, this time of year, is a rare and selfish privilege, a delicious abuse of fossil fuel that probably won’t last… I will look back on this memory so fondly in the future, when the grocery industry stops doing things that are just, well, wrong…) When I can get my limbs to work again, I will venture out in search of something more sustainable.

I found a worm in one of the berries.  A little green wormy!  So cute!  He was hanging out in one of them— right inside!  He had a little rasberry house!  Can you imagine?  Amazing.  I just put him (and his berry house) aside so he can keep doing his worm thing for a while.  Oh, I saw that mouse again.  He lives in the kitchen, behind the cupboards and the oven, but he runs out every now and again to collect nuts and crumbs that fall on my floor.  So far he hasn’t poo’d on anything (as far as I can tell), so I don’t mind having him here.  It’s not like there’s anything edible in the cupboard for him to rip open and get into anyway… (when he learns how to open the fridge and help himself to my soy milk and little bags of trail mix, well then I’ll be concerned… on a number of levels, actually…)

I have plenty of good news, but of course, I don’t want to gloat. Well here we go anyway.  They’ve promoted me to head Holiday Sexy Model #1 over at Missbehavin’ (which is why I haven’t had any time to write you!), so me and PuppyDoo have been dancing up a storm down there on Queen Street. He’s been really good these last few days, so I didn’t have to put his paws in the cuffs again (unlike the first few times I tried bringing him along… What a bad boy! I think maybe he was just a little excited…)

PuppyDoo is becoming an excellent dancer, although he gets tired quickly and I have to just hold him on my hip while I do the dancing. In fact, I get tired too. I can barely move my sore little feeties right now, but you know, it’s for a good cause. When I see all those lonely people out there on the street– going home from work, doing their last-minute stressful Xmas shopping for people who’s love they’re not even sure they have– I feel like they work really hard, so I want to be the best window dancer I can be for them. I smile and waive and shake my tail extra hard for fire trucks, ambulances, snow plows, and police cars, ’cause those people are out there saving the city for us, keeping squirrels safe from fires and accidents and crazy people. Well, theoretically. They try. They do their best. Some have to try harder than others obviously. Stakes are higher. I love that I don’t have that kind of responsibility. Oh man. Where on Earth is this going…?

Whoops! Tigey just jumped on my lap. Oh, he’s being such a baby. I think he’s sad I’ve been ignoring him lately. (Look man– I’m not the one who went and had an affair with a lion!!). I guess I have been kind of ignoring him. Maybe I’ll bring him tonight instead of PuppyDoo. Pup’s on the bed– he’s still sleeping. He looks just exhausted from last night still. Yeah, maybe I could give him a little break just for tonight…

(I have other good news too, but let’s leave it for another day…)

Wonder what I’m going to wear today… Hmmm…. Yesterday I was a naught schoolgirl/elf type thing. Two nights ago I was some kind of festive candy cane. I love wearing all these slutty new outfits the managers picks out. Everyday it’s a new surprise for me!  I can’t wait.

I’d better go, pumpkins. I think I hear the faint cries of a hundred lonely firemen, calling my name… Time to get ready.

So much love,
Squirrel.

This was my first time making scones ever.  I don’t think they came out bad at all. A different way to use up the end of season berries.

I found the recipe at http://www.cdkitchen.com.  A very simple and easy to follow recipe.

Raspberry Scones

• 2 1/4 cups flour
  
• 1/2 C sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 C butter
• 1/2 teasp. salt
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 pint of raspberries

Preheat oven to 425F degrees.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Cut butter into mixture until it resembles a course meal.

Set aside 2 teaspoons of cream. Add remaining cream and raspberries to dry ingredients.

Mix lightly with fork until mixture forms a stiff dough.

Knead on floured board 5 to 6 times. Roll into 7-inch round and cut into wedges.

Place 1 inch apart on greased baking sheet; pierce top and brush with cream.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes.

Serve warm.

Note: When you mix the raspberries in the dough, they berries will break.  The juice from the berries is the liquid of this recipe with the cream.  I was put off at first because I wasn’t going to have whole berries peeking out of my scones, but understood as the dough was forming.

Also, flour your board well.  This is a very sticky dough and when you cut it into triangles, it tends to stick. Handle gently and feel free to add flour to the dough to make it less sticky.

One more…

Raspberries were in my CSA box this week.  I love the challenge of making something different each time I get some in my box.  I’ve conquered the sorbet, the gratin, a cake, a crumble and a cheesecake.  What else could I possibly do.

I could raid my freezer, fridge and pantry is what I could do.

I had some puff pastry in my freezer, some cream cheese, eggs and lemons in my fridge, and some vanilla and powdered sugar in my pantry.

This is what I wound up with in the end….

Mmmmmm…

Oh yeah…(don’t mind my messy plate..my fingers cannot help themselves)…

What you need:

• 4 oz cream cheese at room temp
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 C powdered sugar
• 1/2 pint fresh raspberries
• 1 sheet of puff pastry thawed out
• egg wash and granulated sugar

With a wisk beat together the cream cheese, vanilla, lemon zest, egg yolk and powdered sugar.  Mixture will be thick and yellowish in color. Please try and refrain from eating it all before you put it in the puff pastry.

Cut your puff pastry in half with a pizza cutter.  Place one half on a grease cookie sheet.  Top with cream cheese mix and raspberries.  Do not fill to the edges.  Paint egg wash around edge with a basting brush.  Carefully place other half of puff pastry on top.  Crimp edges and baste with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake at 375 for 25 mins or until puff pastry is deep golden brown.  Let cool! Don’t be a dummy like me and go at it right as it comes out of the oven.  Yeah, you will burn your mouth.  Ouch!

Enjoy!

I had gotten some beautiful raspberries in my CSA box this week.  I like to use them right away while they are at their freshest.  Tonight I made a white chocolate rapsberry cheesecake.

Note:  I didn’t make this until late, and I was anxious to try it before I went to bed.  Since I didn’t wait for it to cool over night the cut of the slice isn’t perfect, but it still looks good to me!

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

Crust
18 vanilla wafer cookies or  1 1/2 C graham cracker crumbs
1 cup almonds, toasted (optional)
4 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling
4 ounces white chocolate, chopped
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon grated lemon peel
2 large eggs

1/2 pint fresh raspberries

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 8 in. springform pan and wrap tinfoil around bottom and up the sides half-way.  In a bowl mix melted butter, almonds and crushed cookies or graham cracker crumbs with a fork.  Press crust mixture on bottom of pan and up the sides a little.  Bake for 10 mins. Set aside keeping the oven hot at 350.  Note: I put my cheesecake pan in a deep baking dish or deep broiling pan and filled it up with boiling water until its halfway up the side of the springform pan.  This will help prevent the cheesecake from cracking on top. Hence the tinfoil wrap around the pan.

Melt white chocolate in top of double boiler over simmering water until smooth, stirring often. Remove from over water. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and peel in large bowl until smooth. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating just until combined. Beat in white chocolate.

Place raspberries in a layer ontop of your crust.

Pour cheesecake batter over berries and smooth with spatula until even.

Bake until edges of cake are set but center 3 inches still moves when cake is shaken, about 45 minutes. Cool 20 minutes.  After 20 minutes, run a knife around the edge of the cheesecake and carefully unhinge the sides of your springform pan.

Let chill overnight (preferrably) so the cheesecake sets completely. Enjoy!

Rasberries, originally uploaded by liknes.

Bought some nice organic rasberries today. Thought they deserved to be in a picture before my wife and me made them into a delicious dessert.

I’m never one to toot my own horn, but tonight I am especially proud of myself.  When I get raspberries in my CSA box, I like to use them immediately while they are fresh.  I had made sorbet, a gratin and a crumble already and was in the mood for something a bit different.

I had searched the net for a recipe, but nothing was really popping out at me.  I have in my mind a basic cake recipe.  I thought for a while, looked at what I had in my pantry and fridge and came up with this. (Forgive the lighting in these pictures, I am by no means a professional).

Raspberry-Lime Buttermilk Cake with Lime Glaze

3 Cups flour

1 tablespoon Baking Powder

1 teaspoon Salt

1-2/3 Cup granulated sugar

1.5 sticks of butter at room temperature

3 large eggs

zest of two limes

2 teaspoons of vanilla

Juice of a lime and a half

3/4 Cups of Buttermilk

1/2 pint of fresh raspberries

Note: If you don’t have buttermilk, make your own.  1 Cup of milk with 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice.  Let stand for 5 mins and viola!

In one bowl sift flour, salt, baking powerder..set aside.  In a large mixing bowl:  Cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs one egg at a time.  Add lime zest, lime juice and vanilla and beat again.  Add dry ingredients alternating with buttermilk.  Gently fold in raspberries.  (Batter will be on the thick side).  Pour batter into a greased and floured bundt pan.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour.  Let cool for 20 mins and gently take out of pan.  When cake is completely cooled drizzle on glaze.

Lime Glaze

1 Cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons of lime juice (or however much gets you to the consistency you desire)

Wisk together.  Easy as that.

I couldn’t wait for my cake to cool completely, so my glazed melted literally into the cake…oooooh sooo good.

This cake is phenomenal!! The cake has just the right hint of lime and is pretty with he bright red raspberries and bright green lime zest.  The glaze is out of this world good.  Not too sweet, not too tart.  I beseech you to make this and let me know what you think.

Red and Black raspberries in the CSA box this week. Yay! I know, I just had some earlier this week. Well, I will never tire of berries.

Tonight I took both berries, spread them on the bottom of my small casserole dish…

Sprinkled a little sugar over the top…

Made a streusel topping… (1/2 C flour, 1/3 C oatmeal, 1/3 C brown sugar, 4 tbs of butter, 1 tsp cinnamon..mix until all crumbly) sprinkled it on top of the berries…

40 mins later in a 350 oven…

keep going…I love the deep red color…

On my plate..

Go..make…now!

This morning we had pancakes full of rasberries.  The bread of the pancakes probably only took up a third of the space.  The rest was rasberry gushyness!

Except I didn’t like them on their own.  They were much better dripping in syrup.

I’ve just joined the ‘Eat the Seasons’ newsletter and this week in seasons food are:

Rasberries, courgettes, cucumber, fennel, french beans, garlic, blueberries, cherries, gooseberries.

There are LOADS of wild rasberries in the woods near us but there still very green, but there is a lot of fruit there.