Olive Oil Blueberry Deliciousness

Olive Oil Blueberry cake! 

I've got a sweet tooth but funny enough, I really don't like things that are too sweet. I'm all about the hint of sweet. So when I came across this recipe from Saveur for Olive Oil Quatre Quarts with Chopped Fruit, it looked right up my alley. 

First of all, it has no dairy, which is a huge bonus for a dairy free gal like me. Second of all, I just love the flavor of olive oil desserts. I had everything on hand for this recipe and it was easy enough to whip up while my kiddos were nodding off to sleep last night. I made two changes to the original recipe – I used blueberries instead of peaches or plums, and I used a very fragrant olive oil instead of a bland and sweet variety, as the recipe called for. Yum-oh. 

I initially cut this into squares because it's such a dense, rich cake and I thought it would be best in small portions. But alas... the squares were bite sized and perfect and I just kept popping them into my mouth! So I cut larger slices to stop myself from eating the entire cake!

I had a slice for breakfast this morning, truth be told! We all need departures from the healthy norm, eh? Scroll down for the recipe as I've slightly modified it (and special thanks to Saveur for the original recipe!). 

I began with olive oil from Frankies 457 - my favorite!

The batter came together quickly

Fold in the egg whites

Chock full of juicy blueberries! And cooked in parchment paper to reduce cleanup time.

More batter and more blueberries.  

Oh, sweet (not too sweet!) deliciousness. 

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup of sugar
3/4 cup of fruity extra-virgin olive oil
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
1 pint blueberries

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line an 8x8 dish with parchment paper. 

2. Measure the sugar and place in a mixing bowl. Remove a two tablespoons of the sugar and set aside. Add the olive oil and beat with a hand mixer until combined.

3. Separate the eggs. Add the yolks to the olive oil mixture and put the whites aside. Mix in the yolks. Slowly add the flour to the olive oil mixture, making sure to mix thoroughly before adding more. Add the salt and vanilla extract. Set the batter aside. 

4. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Add the two tablespoons of sugar that had been set aside and continue to beat. Slowly fold into the batter using a spatula.

5. Pour half the batter into the 8x8 dish. Rinse the blueberries and pat them dry. Add about 3/4 of the pint on top of the batter and pour the remainder of the batter over them. Place the remaining 1/4 pint of blueberries on top. Bake for approximately 45 minutes. 

Enjoy! 

Easiest. Lemon. Chicken. Recipe. Ever.

What do you do when your husband is traveling on business and you're solo with three kids? You make life as uncomplicated as possible, that's what. So tonight for dinner, my kids and I are having Chicken with Meyer Lemons, sliced avocado and some sliced mango. Here's the great news: this chicken dish is the easiest thing ever and my kids are crazy about it.
We went grocery shopping this weekend as a family before my husband departed. The kids were intrigued by the Meyer lemons so we bought several. Meyer lemons are a delightful combo of sweet and tangy and they are incredibly juicy. They were recently the subject of a New York Times article and featured in this sea scallop recipe. They have a thinner peel than a regular lemon and when cooked, it is edible and delicious.

I came across a chicken recipe recently that called for (regular) lemons and shallots that was both easy to prepare and tasty. My kids enjoyed it but they both picked off the shallots (more for me!). Today I've made it even easier and made this dish with just the Meyer lemons (no shallots). My kids are going to love it. 

Here's how: 
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
Place chicken drumsticks on parchment paper in a baking dish. 
Slice a Meyer lemon. Place one slice underneath the skin of each drumstick.
Sprinkle with salt, black pepper and garlic powder. 
Add one slice of Meyer lemon to the top of each drumstick. 
Bake in the oven for approximately 40 minutes or until juices run clear when cut. 

Enjoy!

Easy Black Beans for a Rainy Hectic Day

I am having one of those days. I had a million things that needed to get done today and my babysitter called in sick. Ugh. And it's raining. After the work that I was supposed to get done today, I really wanted to spend some one on one time with my 6 year old daughter. Looks like I'lll be with all three kids today and with all the shuffling and whatnot that three kids demands, there's barely a moment to think about dinner. Must make something in advance that takes no time at all to serve later on.

Easy black beans

Looks like we're having beans and rice for dinner. Yipee! I love beans and rice and I always forget how very easy it is to prepare. Plus on a crappy day, this can be just as comforting as soup but more manageable to eat for the little ones (I dont know about you, but my 2 year old is awful with soup and a spoon). As soon as I got the babysitter call this morning, I prepared these. My kids will be excited and I'm happy that despite the utter chaos of the day and total lack of time, they still get a healthful dinner that's loaded with colorful vegetables, protein and fiber. 

In addition to the rice that I made and set aside, here's how I prepared the beans:

• 2 cans of black beans
• 3 chopped carrots
• 2 chopped stalks of celery
• 1 chopped onion
• 2 chopped poblano peppers (bell peppers work fine too)
• 2 chopped cloves of garlic
• 1 T  chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 T white vinegar
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro 
• 1 T olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• Cayenne to taste

In a large pot, saute the onions and garlic in olive oil on medium heat until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the peppers, carrots, celery, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper and continue to saute for another 3-5 minutes. Make sure vegetables are evenly coated with spices. Add the beans and simmer for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the white vinegar and taste for salt/pepper/cayenne preferences.  Add cilantro and stir to combine well. 

Serve plain or with rice. This recipe makes enough for my whole family plus leftovers for lunch tomorrow.