Pepperoni Pan Pizza

Growing up, pizza was a weekly staple, so if I don't have pizza at least a couple of times a month I go into pizza withdrawals. Until recently, pizza night always involved take out pizza. However, in the last year or so I've been making my own pizzas from time to time. I try not to compare homemade pizza to takeout pizza because to me the two are completely different and so serve a completely different purpose.

When making pizza at home I usually make a thin crust and bake it on my beloved pizza stone with the oven cranked up as high as it will go. This almost always involves the smoke detector going off, but that's okay. These pizzas are delicious and one of my favorite dinners. However, I recently came across a recipe for a pan pizza. When I get takeout I almost always get pan pizza and I didn't think it was possible to mimic this type of crust at home, so when I saw the recipe I knew I had to give it a shot. Not only was it an extremely easy recipe, but it came together quite fast for homemade pizza.

What you do is fill a cake pan with an outrageous amount of oil and then place the dough right on top of it. As the pizza cooks, the oil causes the crust to get brown and deliciously crispy. The dough is extremely light and soft, it rises quite a bit during cooking, leaving you with a thick, pillowy soft layer of crust surrounded by the crisp outer layer. The combination is fabulous, and it's beautiful to look at too, but you won't be able to enjoy that for long, trust me, you'll scarf it down in seconds; enjoy!

It doesn't get much better than this!

Ready to make the dough

Dough made, ready to rise

Get the sauce going

I'm not scared of grease, but I tried this method

to get rid of some of it;

microwave your pepperoni for a minute or so

It let's off quite a bit!

Fill those pans with a healthy dose of 

some good olive oil

Divide the risen dough in half

Roll each half out

Shape it into a nice circle

And lay it on top of the oil 

Ready for topping

Start with the sauce

Then a good dose of cheese

Finish it off with the pepperoni

20 minutes later,

Baked!

Yum!

Look at that thick, crispy, golden brown crust

Let it cool for a minute, then dig in

Enjoy!

Pepperoni Pan Pizza
From America's Test Kitchen
Ingredients
Dough

• ½ cup olive oil 
• ¾ cup skim milk plus 2 additional tablespoons, warmed to 110 degrees 
• 2 tsp sugar 
• 2 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for counter 
• 1 package instant yeast 
• ½ tsp table salt 

Topping

• 1 (3.5-ounce) package sliced pepperoni 
• 1 ⅓ cups tomato sauce 
• 3 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese 

Directions
To make the dough: Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 200 degrees. When oven reaches 200 degrees, turn it off. Lightly grease large bowl with cooking spray. Coat each of two 9-inch cake pans with 3 TB of oil.

Mix milk, sugar and remaining 2 TB pf oil in measuring cup. Mix flour, yeast, and salt in standing mixer fitted with dough hook. Turn machine to low and slowly add milk mixture. After dough comes together*, increase speed to medium-low and mix until dough is shiny and smooth, about 5 minutes. Turn dough onto lightly floured counter, gently shape into ball, and place in greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in warm oven until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

To shape and top the dough: Transfer dough to lightly floured counter, divide in half, and lightly roll each half into ball. Working with 1 dough ball at a time, roll and shape dough into 9 ½ inch round and press into oiled pan. Cover with plastic wrap and set in warm spot (not in oven) until puffy and slightly risen, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oven to 400 degrees.

While dough rises, put half of pepperoni in single layer on microwave-safe plate lined with 2 paper towels. Cover with 2 more paper towels and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Discard towels and set pepperoni aside; repeat with new paper towels and remaining pepperoni.

Remove plastic wrap from dough. Ladle ⅔ cup sauce on each round, leaving ½ inch border around edges. Sprinkle each with 1 ½ cups cheese and top with pepperoni. Bake until cheese is melted and pepperoni is browning around edges, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven; let pizzas rest in pans for 1 minute. Using

spatula, transfer pizzas to cutting board and cut each into 8 wedges. Serve.

Basic Pizza Sauce
From: America's Test Kitchen
Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil 
• 2 cloves garlic, minced 
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes 

Directions
Cook oil and garlic in medium sauce pan over low heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, increase heat to medium, and cook until slightly thickened, about 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

(This isn't an amazing sauce, but it's good, easy and does the trick. You could try to doctor it up a little with additional spices/herbs, or just use your favorite pizza sauce.)

Coffee Break Muffins

Muffins are the perfect breakfast food in my opinion. I always have some type of muffin in the freezer, ready for me to pull out on a moments notice when I need a quick and delicious morning meal. There are so many options when it comes to muffins, anywhere from a sweet muffins, something that is basically a cupcake without frosting (my personal favorite) to a hearty savory muffins. You can't go wrong when you make muffins (except if you add fruit to it, I don't like fruit in my bread).

I've made these Coffee Break Muffins several times over the last year or so and they have become one of my favorites. Subtly sweet and full of coffee flavor, they are perfect for a quick bite to eat, or a lazy breakfast alongside a cup of coffee. I haven't tried it yet, but I know these would be fabulous with some chocolate chips thrown in; coffee and chocolate is one of my favorite combinations. Muffins are so easy to make, so head to the kitchen and whip up a batch of these for tomorrow's breakfast, you won't regret it!

Ready for breakfast

 Excited to bake!

Very fancy cookbook holder

 Brew up a cup of strong coffee

 Grab your muffin liners

Let's start: flour first

 Then the rest of the dry ingredients 

Add the vanilla to the rest of the wet ingredients

 All set

Everything's ready to combine

 Add the wet to the dry and mix 

Get that muffin pan ready to go

 Fill them up

 Bake and cool

Choose your favorite and breakfast is served

Coffee Break Muffins
From Baking: From My Home to Yours
by Dorie Greenspan
Ingredients

• 2 cups flour 
• 1/3 cup sugar 
• 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder 
• 1 tablespoon baking powder 
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon 
• 1/8 teaspoon salt 
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar 
• 1 cup strong coffee, cooled 
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, melted and cooled 
• 1 large egg 
• ½ teaspoon vanilla 

Directions
Preheat oven to 400° F. Lightly grease 12 muffin cups or line with muffin papers.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour sugar espresso powder, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Stir in the brown sugar, breaking up any lumps.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the coffee, melted butter, egg and vanilla extract until well combined.

Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and gently but quickly stir to blend until just combined.

Distribute the batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Bake 18- 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool in muffin pan on a wire rack for five minutes then transfer muffins to wire rack to cool.

Almond White Chocolate Biscotti

While I'm usually more of a soft and chewy cookie kind of girl, there are times when a crunchy and hard cookie is just what I need. This was the case not too long ago, and so I decided it was time to make some biscotti. Biscotti, that twice baked, crisp and crumbly cookie that is perfect for dipping in coffee, hot chocolate, or my personal favorite, milk. There are so many options when it comes to biscotti; they can be sweet or savory, filled with chocolate or nuts, dried fruit or cheese, really anything you can think of. I of course favor the sweet version, and this time I went with white chocolate and almonds, mostly because I had both of those things in the house. It was a delicious combination though, one I would make again. Because you bake biscotti twice, the whole process can take a while, but you are left with a lot of cookies in the end, and they last for a long time. If you don't think you like biscotti because you've only ever bought it pre-packaged at a coffee shop or at the store, try making it at home before you write it off completely; you might be surprised at how delicious it can be!

Cooled, drizzled and ready to eat

Slivered almonds, ready to go

White chocolate, chopped

Dry ingredients 

Add the beautiful eggs...

...and the butter, and start stirring

Once it starts to combine a little, use you hands to 

knead the dough until it all comes together

Done

Divide the dough in three balls

Shape them into 14 inch logs

Place the logs on a couple of cookie sheets

and flatten them slightly

First bake

Gotta let them cool for about 20 minutes

Then slice up into 1/2 inch cookies

Cutting on the diagonal 

Then place back on the cookie sheets to be baked again

Ready to go

Second bake

Beautiful golden brown

Drizzle with white chocolate and they're ready to eat

Almond White Chocolate Biscotti
From: Ultimate Italian, a Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publication
Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour 
• 1 1/2 cups sugar 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1/2 cup chopped almonds 
• 1/2 cup finely chopped white chocolate 
• 2 eggs 
• 2 egg yolks 
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted 

Directions
Preheat oven to 325. Lightly grease two cookie sheets; set aside. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder salt, almonds and chocolate. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Place eggs and egg yolks in the well and stir into the flour mixture. Add butter; stir until combined. (Dough will be crumbly.) Use your hands to knead dough until it comes together.

Divide dough into three equal portions. (If necessary, wrap dough in plastic wrap and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes or until evenly moistened.) On a lightly floured surface, shape each portion into a 14 inch long log, pinching dough as you roll, if necessary. Place logs about 3 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets; flatten logs slightly until about 1 1/2 inches wide. Bake about 25 minutes or until firm and light brown. Transfer cookie sheets to wire racks. Cool for 15 minutes.

Transfer logs to cutting board. Use a serrated knife to cut each log diagonally into 1/2 inch slices. Place slices, cut sides down, on cookie sheets. Bake for 10 minutes. Turn slices over Bake for 10 to 15 minutes more or until crisp, golden and dry. Cool.

Drizzle additional melted whit chocolate over cooled biscotti if desired.

Couscous Salad with Chicken, Feta and Tomatoes

It's the first day of fall, and I can definitely tell. It's rainy and cold, cozy inside but nasty outside. Watching summer slip away always makes me sad. Fall is beautiful, but it also means that summer is over, and a long, cold winter is coming soon. I'm not quite done with summer yet so last week I threw together a simple couscous salad with fresh vegetables and herbs, topped it with grilled chicken, delicious. The inspiration for this salad comes from my cousin Kelly, who made a similar salad for dinner one night out on Lake Michigan. I fell in love with this dish full of my favorite things.  A bowl of garlicky couscous is the perfect place to throw some pungent red onion, salty feta and sweet grape tomatoes. Top it with some slightly charred chicken breast and you have a meal. The flavors complement each other perfectly, and the colors and textures dance before your eyes. It was the perfect dish to make while trying to hold on to the last few days of summer.

Beautiful and delicious, the perfect combination

 Getting everything ready to go

 I marinated some chicken for a few hours to 

infuse it with flavor and juiciness

 Grab a bowl of beautiful grape tomatoes

 And don't skimp on the fresh basil 

 My favorite part!

 Gotta have some garlic

 The couscous, ready to go

 Perfectly grilled chicken

 Slice it up

 Combine everything in a big bowl

And serve topped with the chicken

Recipe

I didn't really follow a recipe for this meal. I just sautéed up some garlic and threw it in with the couscous  and water. When that was done I added tomatoes, basil, feta and onion to taste. Top it with chicken marinated  in some Greek marinade, sprinkle with a little lemon juice and you're set. If desired, you can add a nice, light vinaigrette on top. Then enjoy!

Birthday Cake

It was my birthday on Saturday, 24 years old. I'm officially in my mid 20s, not quite sure how I feel about that! One thing I do know how I feel about is cake. In case you didn't know, I absolutely love cake. It is probably my favorite dessert, especially a classic white cake. Birthdays are exciting because they give me a chance to make and eat cake. And although I love chocolate, when it comes to cake, white cake steals my heart.


I've made numerous recipes over the past several years, and they're all good, but I tried another new one this year. It was fabulous! Super moist and full of vanilla flavor, a classic white layer cake. I loved it. I made this cake to take along to my small group meeting where we had three birthdays to celebrate. It was a hit and I will be making it again soon.

Happy Birthday!!

Ready to mix it up

The butter is softened

Now we're ready to bake

Looks great, smelled even better!

Frosting!

Spread it on...

...and smooth it out

Done!

It was a great birthday!

Recipe

Adapted from Food.com, originally from Cook's Illustrated

Classic White Layer Cake

• 2 1/4 cups cake flour, plus more for dusting pans (9 ounces)
• 1 cup milk, at room temperature
• 6 large egg whites, at room temperature (3/4 cup)
• 2 teaspoons almond extract (I didn't have any, so I used 2 tsp of vanilla instead, it worked fine)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cup sugar (12 1/4 ounces)
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened but still cool (1 1/2 sticks)

Set oven rack in middle position. (If oven is too small to cook both layers on a single rack, set racks in upper-middle and lower-middle positions.) Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray; line the bottoms with parchment or waxed paper rounds. Spray the paper rounds, dust the pans with flour, and invert pans and rap sharply to remove excess flour.

Pour milk, egg whites, and extracts into 2-cup glass measure, and mix with fork until blended.


Mix cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of electric mixer at slow speed. Add butter; continue beating at slow speed until mixture resembles moist crumbs, with no powdery streaks remaining.


Add all but 1/2 cup of milk mixture to crumbs and beat at medium speed (or high speed if using handheld mixer) for 1 1/2 minutes. Add remaining 1/2 cup of milk mixture and beat 30 seconds more. Stop mixer and scrape sides of bowl. Return mixer to medium (or high) speed and beat 20 seconds longer.


Divide batter evenly between two prepared cake pans; using rubber spatula, spread batter to pan walls and smooth tops. Arrange pans at least 3 inches from the oven walls and 3 inches apart. (If oven is small, place pans on separate racks in staggered fashion to allow for air circulation.) Bake until thin skewer or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 23 to 25 minutes.


Let cakes rest in pans for 3 minutes. Loosen from sides of pans with a knife, if necessary, and invert onto wire racks. Reinvert onto additional wire racks. Let cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours.


Butter Frosting

• 16 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened but still cool (1 1/2 sticks)
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar (1 pound)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 pinch salt

For the Frosting: Beat butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, milk, and salt in bowl of electric mixer at slow speed until sugar is moistened. Increase speed to medium-high (high if using handheld mixer); beat, stopping twice to scrape down bowl, until creamy and fluffy, about 1 1/2 minutes. Avoid overbeating, or frosting will be too soft to pipe. (If you like a lot of frosting, or you want to do some decorating, I would make a recipe and a half for this cake. I personally don't like to skimp on frosting.)

An Italian Feast

Before I started school a few weeks ago, my grandma asked if my sister and I would like to come over and cook an Italian dinner. She had picked up a magazine from Costco called Ultimate Italian, a Better Homes and Garden magazine, and thought that we could have some fun with it; she was right! I had never had the chance to cook with my grandma before, but I know she is an excellent cook with tons of experience from her days of dinner parties and other gatherings, so I was really excited to have this chance.

After paging through the magazine (multiple times) we finally decided on a menu:

Polenta with Marinated Mozzarella Topping

Gnocchi with Mozzarella, Broccolini, and Warm Anchovy Sauce

Penne with Piedmont Sauce

Of course the day included a fun shopping trip where we went to Russo's, a fun international grocery store, to find most of the ingredients to make our meal a success. We bought cheese, salami, espresso, pasta, sausage, polenta (some day I'll make it myself, but not this day!), and of course the wine. We stopped at Meijer to pick up a few items of produce and then it was back home; let the fun begin! Check out the pictures below to see how the evening went. I recommend all three dishes. They were all so flavorful and complex in flavor. I don't think I could pick a favorite. Just make them all!

I just know that this is going to become one of my best kitchen memories. I had so much fun, the food was delicious, and everyone enjoyed the whole experience. It really doesn't get better that this. Food, family, and a ton of fun. I definitely hope we can do it again soon!

             

No one wanted to have a caffeine buzz all night, 

so we had espresso first, before the meal, not

traditional, but who cares. 

A toast to start off the evening right. 

Starting the sauce, 

browning the sausage

Chopping the onions, 

happens at almost every meal

Salami, so good!

 Me cooking = very happy

 Probably my favorite thing, the
antipasti platter
(just give me cheese and I'm happy)

 The whole appetizer
(really a meal in itself)

 Mmmm...so good

 Grandma checking out what is going on
(I think she approves)

Getting the gnocchi ready

The penne, ready to go

and the gnocchi

and of course, the polenta

We're ready to eat!

One more look

Ready to enjoy, we probably had enough food

 for 10 more people, but who cares

My delectable looking plate

Potato dumplings, swimming in flavorful sauce

Stuffed and happy.
We ended the evening with some gelato
and a couple episodes of MASH!

Polenta with Marinated Mozzarella Topping
From: Ultimate Italian, a Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publication
Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
• 6 ounces chopped fresh mozzarella cheese
• 1 ounce chopped prosciutto
• 1/3 cup coarsely chopped arugula
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil

In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, lemon peel, pepper and garlic. Stir in mozzarella and prosciutto. Cover and chill for up to 4 hours. Before serving, stir in arugula and basil. Spoon topping over polenta rounds.

Gnocchi with Mozzarella, Broccolini and Warm Anchovy Sauce
From: Ultimate Italian, a Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Pubication
Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots (2 small)
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 canned anchovy fillets, rinsed and patted dry, and finely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper 
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons snipped fresh thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1-pound package shelf-stable potato gnocchi 
• 8 ounces broccolini or broccoli, trimmed and chopped
• 1 pound perlini, perle, or other fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 1 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley

Directions
For anchovy sauce, in a small saucepan, heat oil, shallots and butter over medium-low heat until butter melts. Stir in anchovies and crushed red pepper. Cook and stir until heated through, using the spoon to mash anchovies as you stir. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice, garlic, thyme, and salt. Let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes. 

Meanwhile, cook gnocchi according to package directions, adding the broccolini to water during the last 3 minutes of cooking; drain. Return gnocchi mixture to hot pan; cover to keep warm. 

Warm the anchovy sauce over medium heat for 1 minute. Add anchovy sauce to gnocchi mixture along with mozzarella; toss to coat. 

To serve, transfer gnocchi mixture to a large serving dish. Top with pine nuts and parsley. Serve immediately. 

Penne with Piedmont Sauce
From: Ultimate Italian, a Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Pubication
Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 8 ounces Italian sausage links, casings removed
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 6 large cloves garlic, thickly sliced
• 4 ounces salami, chopped
• 2 ounces prosciutto, chopped
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 1/2 cups beef stock or broth
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 cups dried penne pasta

Directions
In a large skillet or saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add sausage; cook and stir for 5 to 6 minutes or until browned, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Drain fat from the sausage, reserving 2 to 3 tablespoons fat. Remove the sausage from the pan and set aside. Return fat to pan. 

In the same pan, cook the onion and garlic for 2 to 3 minutes or until the garlic starts to brown and the onion becomes translucent. Add the salami, prosciutto, and cooked sausage. Pour in the red wine, stirring to scrape up the flavorful browned bits that may stick to the bottom of the pan. Simmer about 2 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half. Add the stock, cream and pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes or until the mixture reaches sauce consistency. 

Meanwhile, in a large pot, cook pasta in lightly salted water accordion got package directions, except undercook by 1 to 2 minutes. Drain and return pasta to pot. Stir in simmered sauce mixture. Return to a simmer. Cook and stir for 3 to 5 minutes or until sauce is absorbed slightly and pasta is al dente. 

The Perfect Peach Cake

I know I haven't posted in a while, but that is not because I didn't want to! I have been itching to get up a new post for days and days. I'll explain...about a week ago I had to move back to school, which means moving car loads of stuff back across the state from Grand Rapids to Dearborn. Once in Dearborn I had to move from the house I've been renting into a new apartment. Once at my new place I had to get my internet working again. That was over a week ago, and I still don't have the internet! I've been calling AT&T just about everday for over a week but it's still not fixed. I'm hopeful that tomorrow may be the day, but who knows. So I'm writing this from school. It's not an ideal situation but it does work. Hopefully soon I'll get back to posting on a more regular basis.

Until then, I want to share with you a wonderful late summer dessert. In case you didn't realize it, it's peach season! One of my favorite times of year. It's hard to beat the perfectly ripe peach, dripping its juice down your arm as you bite into it. Every year I forget how delicious they are, but that means every year I'm blown away by the sweetness and the juiciness and the deliciousness that is a ripe peach. A peach at any other time of year is not even worth looking at.

Since it is peach season, I decided I had to take advantage of this yummy fruit. When I saw this recipe for peach cake, I knew I had to make it. Now, I have to admit that I really don't like fruit desserts very much. Pies, cobblers and tarts just don't get me all that excited. I'd much rather eat my fruit fresh and then have a slice of cake or a gooey brownie for dessert (with ice cream please!). So me getting excited about a peach cake is pretty amazing, but it just sounded too good to pass up. I was right; this cake is too good to pass up. It is stuffed full of peaches, I think there were more peaches than cake batter. The juicy fruit keeps it super moist, but roasting some of the peaches makes sure it's not soggy. The presentation is elegant and the smell is to die for. With a scoop of ice cream on top, this is the perfect late summer dessert, one I will definately be making again!

Beautiful

A bowl of gold!

Roasting some of the peache kept the cake from

 getting soggy due to all the juice

Mix together the liquid ingredients

Then the dry ingredients

Whisk them together

Add some panko bread crumbs to the roasted peaches

Assembly: A layer of batter, then the roasted peaches...

followed by the rest of the batter...

                                     and the rest of the peaches, top it off with some almond sugar

It's baked!

Cool on a wire rack

Slice it up and enjoy,

I know I did!

Recipe

from: Cook's Illustrated

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds peaches (I used Red Havens)
• 4 teaspoons lemon juice
• 6 tablespoons plus 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1/4 cup sour cream (I used homemade yogurt)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs, crushed fine

Preparing the peaches

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking pan with a baking mat or foil and spray with oil.

Slice all peaches into 1/2 inch wedges. Place 24 peach wedges in a bowl and toss with 2 teaspoons lemon juice and 1 tablespoon sugar. Set aside.

With the remaining peaches, cut crosswise into thirds, place in a bowl, and toss with 2 teaspoons lemon juice and 2 tablespoons sugar. Spread peach chunks on the prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes until peaches begin to caramelize and their juices thicken. Remove and cool to room temperature. Once cool, toss with the panko bread crumbs.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and grease a 9-inch springform pan.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; whisk. Whisk brown sugar, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, and eggs in another bowl until fully combined. Whisk in melted butter. Add sour cream, vanilla, and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract; whisk until combined. Add dry flour mixture to wet mixture and stir until just combined.

Spread half the batter over the bottom of the prepared springform pan. Spread the roasted peaches evenly over the batter. Spread the remaining batter over the top of the peaches. Smooth the top with a spatula.  Arrange peach slices on the batter. Gently press them down into the batter. Stir together remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar with 1/8 teaspoon almond extract. Sprinkle infused sugar over the top of the cake.

Bake cake for 50-60 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cake on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Loosen cake from sides of pan by sliding a knife around the edge of the cake. Remove pan sides and allow to cool completely.





Homemade Basil Pesto

Cooking with fresh herbs is one of my greatest joys. They add a punch of flavor to whatever is cooking. As I sit writing this, I can see the end of summer on the horizon, and this also means the end of my herb garden. For the last couple of weeks therefore, I have been trying to take advantage of my beautiful basil, rosemary, thyme, mint and parsley plants.


While I don't have a favorite herb, nothing says summer like fresh basil and fresh basil can only mean one thing . . . PESTO!


Pesto is absolutely delicious, and it can go in just about everything. Canned pesto in the winter is incomparable to this vivid, intensely flavored sauce, it really is the taste of summer. If you have never made pesto, do yourself a favor and give it a try. You won't know what you are missing until you do. It may just change your life.


The following photos are courtesy of my sister Lara who did a wonderful job putting together this yummy bowl of pesto!

A beautiful summer jewel

 Grab a bunch of basil

 Grate up some Parmesan cheese

 Don't forget the walnuts

 Then find the best bottle of olive oil you can find

 Get all of those ingredients together

 Put everything but the oil in the blender and 

give it a whirl

 It's ready to eat after you add the olive oil

 Ready for anything!

 Preserving some of summer in ice cube trays

Just freeze up and place in bags and you're ready to go

Note: It's easy to just eyeball it when making pesto, but if you want a good recipe, here you go.

Recipe
from: The Sauce Book, by Paul Gayler
Ingredients

• 2 1/2 ounces basil leaves (about 3 cups, lightly packed)
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon roughly chopped pine nuts or walnuts
• 2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (the best you can find)
• salt
• pepper

Put the basil, garlic, nuts and Parmesan in a blender. With motor running, slowly pour in the oil in a thin stream through the feeder tube, and blend until smooth. (You can also pound the ingredients in a mortar and pestle before adding the oil.)

Add salt and pepper to taste, transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate until needed. 
Tip: You can replace the basil with another favorite herb; parsley, cilantro, or mint for example.