August 2016

August 2016

It's hard to believe August is over.  I don't know where the summer went.  I had so many plans after my 4th of July birthday weekend and now looking back it just flew by so quickly I just didn't have the time.

Saturday mornings I do my errands. In the summer and fall I love to go to Hindinger Farm.  Besides the fresh produce their flowers are beautiful.  They last about two weeks and these gorgeous bouquets are only $8.  Sometimes I'll buy the vase they are in because I love mason jars.

Mid-summer I found the perfect refreshing cocktail.  Everything seems to be "ginger" this summer so here's my take on the "Dark and Stormy"

tall glass

ice

1 shot of Captain Morgan Spiced Rum

1 bottle Crabbie's Ginger Beer

lots of lime

I also loved going to #1 Fish Market this summer.  This is halibut spread.  It doesn't sound that great but it's delicious!  It's light and fresh tasting on a wafer cracker.

Their soft shell crabs are huge and very reasonably priced.  This was one of the best summer meals I've had.  My cocktail, appetizer and beautiful dinner.  The super sweet corn is from Hindinger's.  I'll think of this dinner in the dead of winter!

My soft shell crab recipe:

Heat a non-stick pan with Pam.  Saute garlic, minced onion, shallot in olive oil.  Add chopped fresh parsley, oregano, lemon verbena (from my garden).  Stir in lemon juice, white wine and season with salt and pepper.  Cook until browned on both sides.  Delish!!

I hate to waste food so whenever I have a lot of anything left over I go on Google.  And I always find the perfect recipe to finish everything up.  I had a good amount of OJ left over from my birthday brunch so my search started with a dessert using OJ.  This delicious pound cake popped up on the Food Network.  It was such a hit.  It's refreshing and had just the right amount of citrus.  I served it with vanilla ice cream because I wasn't sure if it needed some tart taming but I was wrong.  It was perfect on it's own and even better the next day.

 From the Food Network:

Orange Pound Cake

Recipe courtesy of Ina Garten

1 video | Orange-Glazed Pound Cake (03:22)
Total Time:
2 hr 20 min
Prep:
20 min
Inactive:
1 hr
Cook:
1 hr
Yield:2 cakes
Level:Easy



Orange-Glazed Pound Cake (03:22)
Orange glaze makes Ina's pound cake a special birthday dessert for Jeffrey.
Ingredients
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup grated orange zest (6 oranges)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice, divided
3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
To glaze one loaf (optional):
1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

Directions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2-inch loaf pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper.
Cream the butter and 2 cups of the granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. With the mixer on medium speed, beat in the eggs, one at a time, and the orange zest.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, combine 1/4 cup of the orange juice, the buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour. Divide the batter evenly between the pans, smooth the tops, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean.
While the cakes bake, cook the remaining 1/2 cup of granulated sugar with the remaining 1/2 cup orange juice in a small saucepan over low heat until the sugar dissolves. When the cakes are done, let them cool for 10 minutes. Take them out of the pans and place them on a baking rack set over a tray. Spoon the orange syrup over the cakes and allow the cakes to cool completely.
To glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and orange juice in a bowl, mixing with a wire whisk until smooth. Add a few more drops of juice, if necessary, to make it pour easily. Pour over the top of one cake and allow the glaze to dry. Wrap well, and store in the refrigerator.

Note:  You can substitute large for extra-large eggs
           2 1/2 tsp. orange extract equals 1/3 cup grated orange zest
           3/4 buttermilk = 3/4 cup milk, 2 1/4 tsp. white vineager - let stand 5 minutes

I've been wanting to share my favorite shows with you for a while now.  I plan to do that with my favorite books but that's going to take some doing.  I give these shows a double and triple thumbs up.  Promise-they're entertaining!

Showtime - The Affair – Ruth Wilson, Dominic West – won Golden Globe award for Best TV Series Drama and Ruth Wilson won Best Actress, TV Series Drama  - This is amazing!!!!!!!!!

Showtime – Nurse Jackie – Edie Falco

PBS – Downton Abbey

PBS - Doc Martin – Martin Clunes

PBS - Last Tango in Halifax – Anne Reid, Derek Jacobi

PBS - Call the Midwife – Jessica Raine

PBS – Mr. Selfridge – Jeremy Previn

PBS – Paradise

Netflix – Madmen – Jon Hamm

Netflix - Grace and Frankie – Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin

Netflix – Flaked – Will Arnett – Venice Beach

Netflix – Cuckoo – Taylor Lautner

Netflix – Master of None – Aziz Ansari

Netflix – Revenge – Life in the Hamptons

Netflix- Orange is the New Black – 4^th season less about main character Piper Chapman

Netflix – Bloodline – Florida Keys area

 A few weeks ago I met my first grand baby.  His name is Atlas and he's about 6 months old.  He's the most adorable little guy.  He doesn't like to be alone so he follows everyone wherever they go.  He has a ton of toys but as with babies he loves the simple things like hiding in a shopping bag.  We're going to have a lot of fun with him!

Thanks for visiting and I happy Labor Day!  See you next month!!