I’m thinking the next new-to-me vegetable I’m going to try is kohlrabi. Any recipe suggestions?

I have really mixed emotions about summer (which for me is actually about 6 months long because aside from a few days of meeting with my sub and getting my room ready, I’m not working again until December; maternity leave, you are a beautiful thing!). I never realized how much I would come to love these kids, and I can’t believe they are going to HIGH SCHOOL in just a few months! Most of them, I’ll miss like crazy. Some of them… well I wish them the best!

Now that I’m about to wrap up my first year teaching, I’m even more in love with my job than I have been all year. I always felt like I was in the right place and doing the right thing, but seeing how far my students have come and how well I’ve gotten to know them has given me this crazy proud, emotional mix of feelings that I’m sure is affecting me much more because of these stupid pregnancy hormones than it otherwise would be. Still, I can’t say that I’m not pretty excited to have a few months (pre-baby) to sleep a lot, knit a lot, hopefully work out a lot, and enjoy the end of child-free life!

I’ve been trying to bake more for the staff because they’ve made my first year of teaching absolutely incredible, and also because I really feel like baking but definitely do not need to be eating everything I make. For some reason, I’ve been craving lemony things lately, and these cookies jumped out at me from the pages of my Gourmet cookbook. I normally cringe at the idea of shortening, but it does give cookies an amazing chewiness that butter alone simply doesn’t. These are crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside, and have just the right amount of lemon flavor. Like pretty much all cookies, they’re highly addictive!

Recipe:
(Gourmet Cookbook)

Makes about 30 cookies

1/2 cup shortening
2 Tbsp butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp lemon extract
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350.

Cream the butter and shortening until smooth. Beat in the sugar and mix on medium-high until light and fluffy.

Scrape down the bowl and mix in the extracts, lemon juice, and lemon zest and mix until smooth.

Stir the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together, then add to the rest of the dough. Mix on low until combined and all traces of flour disappear.

Roll a scant tablespoon of dough at a time into a ball then flatten slightly and place 2″ apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for about 8-10 minutes, or until edges are golden.

Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool, then sift powdered sugar over the top.

These muffins completely put me in the mood for summer. I just finished the class I was taking at San Francisco State, and I have 19 more days of work until my 2-month break. I’m already dreaming about all the baking I’m going to be doing in the next couple months. Oh, and I bought a baby knitting book.

Mike sarcastically told me after I bought it “yeah Cate, you definitely need more hobbies,” so I had to remind him that I’ll be running FAR less than usual this summer. I’m not sure how much I’ll actually accomplish considering that the last time I successfully used double pointed needles was when I made a hat 10 years ago, and I currently am working on a scarf that I started before we left for Asia (almost 3 years ago). I just could not resist the cute little booties and hats!

Recipe:
zest and juice of 1 lemon (about 1 Tbsp zest and 2 Tbsp juice)
1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup milk (I used almond milk)
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup evaporated cane juice (or granulated sugar)
1 egg white
pinch cream of tartar
1 cup blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350 and grease or line a 12-cup muffin pan.

Stir together the lemon juice, yogurt, oil, applesauce, vanilla, and milk.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.

Gently stir the wet ingredients into the dry.

In yet another bowl, whisk the egg white with a pinch of cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Fold into the batter, then fold in the blueberries and lemon zest.

Divide evenly into the muffin pan and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan 5 minutes then remove muffins from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

26 was an AWESOME year. I know I overuse that word, and my mother the editor will probably send me a list of more interesting adjectives as soon as she reads this. Anyway… the highlights:

- I ran a huge PR and qualified for Boston at the San Francisco marathon

– I applied for a million and a half teaching jobs and got one in Daly City. I didn’t even know where Daly City was until I looked up the HR page for the district, but I LOVE where I work and am thrilled to be there!

- I visited my 30th country (New Zealand)

- We moved to the Bay Area

- I found out I was pregnant!

- I ran the Boston marathon with my dad (and have managed to work that info into pretty much every post since then)

I think 27 will top 26 though. From what I hear, having a kid is life changing in a way nothing else can really match. Less than 4 months to go, and I can’t wait!

Anyway, there’s no real way to tie this pasta into all this nonsense, so I’m just going to tell you that both Mike and I adored it, it took maybe 20 minutes start to finish (including boiling the pasta!), and it’s incredibly delicious. I only had dried basil and I’m sure fresh would be better, but it’s like the creamiest, smoothest pesto imaginable.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a celebratory run to do and a cake to frost!

Recipe:
(adapted from Oh She Glows)

6-8 ounces brown rice or whole wheat spaghetti (or pasta of your choice)
1 large ripe avocado
juice of one lemon
salt and pepper to taste
1-2 tbsp dried basil
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp olive oil

Put a large pot of salted water over high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions.

While pasta is cooking, pulse the garlic, half the lemon juice and olive oil until smooth. Add the avocado, basil, and salt to taste, and continue to pulse until you have a creamy sauce. Add more salt, lemon juice, or basil as needed.

Drain the pasta and toss with the avocado sauce. Serve immediately with a sprinkling of black pepper.

It’s a good thing this was a simple dinner because I had a really busy afternoon. I had a bunch of kids stay in my classroom working on a lab…then I had to go buy Halloween candy at Target…then I came come home and instead of going on a run like I planned, I ate a big bowl of cereal and felt sorry for myself for pretty much no reason in particular. (And I know, the run would have boosted my mood a LOT more than slumping on the couch did…) So lame, but sometimes there are days that just kind of deteriorate like that. When that happens, I’m really glad I have an aresnal of quick dinners that don’t require much effort.

This only takes slightly longer than it takes pasta to boil. I love fusili in particular because it has all those little spots to absorb sauce. And the sauce is awesome because it just takes a few pulses in a mini food processor and has the perfect combination of nutty and bright flavors. It’s a nice change from a typical cream sauce (and it’s vegan!)

Recipe:

8 ounces dried fusili pasta
4 tbsp tahini
4 tbsp lemon juice
4 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
a few pinches salt and pepper
one large bunch spinach, stems removed and roughly chopped

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions.

While the pasta is boiling, pulse the tahini, lemon juice, and garlic in a mini food processor until smooth.

After the pasta has cooked, turn the heat to low and put the drained pasta back into the pan. Stir in the spinach, mixing until it wilts. Stir in the tahini sauce and a few pinches of salt and pepper and mix well.

The guys who put together the awesome dessert book Baked are completely right when they say “curd is an ugly word for a delicious dessert.” Why is this magical, velvety, citrusy better-than-pudding substance called something that sounds so gross?

The guys who put together Baked are also not afraid of EXTREMELY rich desserts, and while I admire that, I also get a tiny bit panicked when I see that a recipe calls for eleven egg yolks. ELEVEN! I am not afraid of butter or sugar, and I will happily use cream, but for some reason eleven egg yolks seemed excessive, so I scaled it down a bit and I don’t think anyone missed those 5 extra yolks.

After last week’s gingerbread cupcakes with lemon cream cheese frosting I decided the lemon-ginger combination doesn’t occur enough in my life, so instead of the graham crackers called for in the crust, I used gingersnaps and I definitely think that was the right decision! These are incredibly rich, but sometimes life just calls for incredibly rich dessert.

Recipe:
(adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking)

crust
1 cup unsweetened dried coconut
2 cups gingersnap crumbs (pulse about 20 gingersnaps in the food processor)
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted

lemon-lime curd
6 egg yolks
5 large eggs
1 3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup lemon juice
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp grated lemon zest
2 tbsp grated lime zest
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened and sliced 1″ thick
1/3 cup heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 300 F. Spread the coconut on a baking sheet and toast for about 8 minutes or until golden.

Stir together the gingersnap crumbs, coconut, sugar, and butter, and pat evenly into the bottom of a greased 13 x 9″ baking dish. Bake for about 12 minutes, then remove and let cool completely before adding filling.

To make the filling, turn the oven up to 325 F. Combine the egg yolks, eggs, sugar, lemon juice, lime juice, lemon zest, and lime zest in a large, clean saucepan. Whisk to combine, then set over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is 180 F on a candy thermometer. Remove from the heat and whisk in the softened butter and cream until smooth. Pour through a mesh sieve into the cooled crust, then gently tilt the pan so the curd covers the crust evenly. Bake for about 8 minutes, or until the filling is set.

Put the pan on a wire rack to cool to room temperature, then cover the pan with plastic wrap and chill for at least 3 hours before cutting into squares to serve.

You know those articles about people who find their dream job and get to spend every day doing what they love? I thought it was all just a bunch of crap, until I got this job. Yes, teaching middle school definitely has its moments, but I honestly feel like there is nothing in the world I would rather do. Even as much as I love baking, (and considered trying to make it a career at one point), I think being in the classroom is the perfect place for me.

But obviously I’m still going to bake (for fun), and I’m going to take a lot of what I bake to school, because my co-workers are truly amazing people who are making my first year as a teacher so much less stressful than it could be. Okay, I think that’s about enough sappiness for one blog post. Onto the cupcakes.

Gingerbread, cream cheese frosting and lemon are almost magical when combined into one cupcake. As someone who loves anything and everything ginger (and believes most things are better with cream cheese frosting), these were an ideal treat. And I know my co-workers agreed because they vanished pretty quickly!

Recipe
(adapted from Epicurious)

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) softened butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
1 large egg, beaten lightly
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup boiling water

frosting
6 ounce cream cheese, at room temperature
1 tbsp butter, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350 F and line 12 cupcake tins with paper liners.
Sift the flour, salt, ginger, and cinnamon together into a medium bowl. Beat the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until light and fluffy, then add the egg and molasses and beat on medium until smooth.
Combine the boiling water and baking soda in a small bowl, mixing so the baking soda dissolves. Add to the molasses mixture, and stir well. Then add the flour, and mix on low until all traces of flour disappear.

Pour into the prepared pans and bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pans for about 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely (the tops may sink slightly).

To make the frosting, mix the butter and cream cheese until smooth, then beat in the lemon juice, zest, and powdered sugar. Add additional powdered sugar if it seems too runny, then spread onto cooled cupcakes.

“This is the best pizza I’ve ever had. Literally. The lemon makes it.”

Those were Mike’s exact words on Friday night, which is almost always pizza night at our house. I can’t say for sure whether or not it was the best pizza I’ve ever tasted, but it is definitely high on the list. I’m not sure if it’s the unexpected brightness of the lemon or the texture of roasted potato in contrast with the thin, crisp crust, but this pizza is definitely something special.

I started with my favorite pizza dough of all time (the one from the Big Sur Bakery Cookbook). Only this time, because I forgot to make it the night before, I doubled the yeast (1 tsp instead of 1/2 tsp) and let it sit in the fridge all day. It was pretty much perfect, which is good to know because far too often, I forget to start the dough the night before.

Anyway, I found the recip for this beautiful pizza on In Praise of Leftovers but it was Mike’s idea to crack the egg on top, which was a brilliant addition. He also commented that for the carnivorous among us, prosciutto would be another nice touch.

Recipe:
(adapted from In Praise of Leftovers)

makes 2 10-inch thin crust pizzas

enough pizza dough for two 10″ pizzas
cornmeal
3 medium red potatoes, scrubbed and thinly sliced
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 lemon, thinly sliced
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
2 eggs

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Toss the potato, garlic, onion, and olive oil with a few pinches of salt and pepper and spread on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

Turn the oven up to 500 F (use a pizza stone if you have one). Sprinkle a few tablespoons of cornmeal on a pizza peel or cookie sheet, and stretch your dough out to about a 10″ circle. Set on the cornmeal, then evenly spread some potato mixture and half the lemon slices on the dough. Sprinkle half the thyme over the top. Slide gently onto the pizza stone and bake for about 5 minutes, then quickly crack an egg in the center and sprinkle with 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Continue baking for 5-7 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the egg is cooked. Repeat with remaining dough and ingredients.

So, I made it back from New Zealand…finally. The plane got struck by lightning and the customs line at LAX was ENDLESS, but I’m happy to be back to summer! (That’s not to say I didn’t love New Zealand…I did, and I highly recommend you go there). After so many fabulous (but rich) meals and desserts I decided it’s time to clean up my diet a LOT, and wanted to make the most of the zucchini surplus that seems to be happening everywhere right now.

I used one of my all time favorite kitchen gadgets to make thin strips of zucchini, but if you want to work on your knife skills, you could just cut them. Then I tossed the zucchini with salt, lemon juice, fresh mint, and chopped walnuts. Fresh, simple, and perfect as a side-dish with just about anything! I’m listing proportions for one zucchini, so you can easily multiply it based on how many you have or how many people you’re serving. This is one of those dishes that is best after sitting at room temperature for about 20 minutes, and of course I recommend tasting and adjusting the amount of salt, lemon, and mint to suit your preferences.

Recipe:

2 servings

1 medium zucchini, cut into long, thin ribbons
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
2 tbsp chopped walnuts

Toss the zucchini with salt and let stand 5 minutes. Drain off any liquid that accumulates in the bowl. Add the lemon juice and mint, and let stand for about 20 minutes. Taste and adjust lemon, mint, and salt, then top with walnuts to serve.

My mom included quinoa in my last care package, and I was pretty stoked to see it.  Brown rice is fine, but I’m definitely starting to get a little tired of it, and I want to play around a little more with different whole grains.

I found some fresh edamame at the store the other day, and since then I’ve never seen it there again, so I guess I just got really lucky!  As usual when I need inspiration, I turned to my google reader. I found a great recipe for edamame salad with shiso and lemon, two things that are easy for me to find. To make a more filling and balanced meal, I added some quinoa (and cucumber for crunch) and the result was this surprisingly filling (and really healthy!) salad.

The lemon was strong but not overpowering, and the shiso added a complementary depth to the citrus flavor. Shiso (or perilla) is common in Korean and Japanese cooking, and you should be able to find it at an Asian grocery store, or possibly the farmers market. If you can’t find it, a little bit of mint might work (since they’re in the same family), but I haven’t tried it out myself.

Recipe:
(adapted from The Breakaway Japanese Kitchen via 101 Cookbooks)

1 1/2 cups quinoa
3 cups water
1 cup cooked, shelled edamame
1 cucumber, seeded and diced
1/2 cup chopped shiso, loosely packed
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp (loosely packed) lemon zest
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp maple syrup
pinch salt
1-2 tbsp olive oil

Put the water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the quinoa, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork, then transfer to a bowl.
Add cucumber, shiso leaf, and edamame, and toss to combine.
Whisk together the lemon juice, lemon zest, rice vinegar, maple syrup, and salt.
Drizzle the dressing over the salad and stir.
Add 1-2 tbsp olive oil and mix well to serve.  Garnish with some thinly sliced shiso.