Lemon Loaf

I love lemon in an oddly intense sort of way.  I love lemon candy, lemon cake, lemon pie, and lemon pudding.  I love it in my water.  I love it squeezed on fish or chicken.  I love how it makes a disposal smell all fresh.  Told you.  Odd.
The point of this whole story, is I made blueberry butter.  This, of course, needed something to be spread on.  What better than a bright, little bit tart, loaf of lemon bread?  In my humble opinion, nothing.  The tang and freshness of lemon topped with smooth, sweet blueberry goodness.  A perfect pair.

Lemon Loaf

 

Ingredients:

6 Tbsp. butter, softened

1 c. sugar

2 eggs

1-1/2 c. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 c. buttermilk

zest of 1 lemon

 

Directions:

Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl.

Add eggs and continue to mix until light and fluffy.

Combine flour, salt and baking powder in a small bowl.

Add flour mixture, half at a time, alternating with the buttermilk also half at a time.

Blend in zest.

Pour into a well greased loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Cool in pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.

Squeeze the juice of a lemon half over the top of the bread while it is still hot.

 

 

***Want to make some blueberry butter for your lemon bread?  Check out how here!***



Emma's Origami-The Piano

I have been trying to keep my little people VERY busy this summer.  Idle hands, right?  So far, my 10 year old daughter's favorite activity is origami.  It is a nice project because it is pretty instant gratification.  Since she is having so much fun with it, I decided to share some of her favorites with you!  Happy folding! 

The Piano

You will need:
origami paper
pen or marker to draw on keys

What you do:

 

Fold paper in half.  The color inside will be the color of the keys.

 

 

Fold the paper in half again,

 

then open the last fold, revealing a line down the center of the rectangle.  Fold each side into this center line.

 

Open the sides back up.  Your rectangle should have three crease lines.

 

Gently separate the layers of the side flaps

 

and make triangle folds at the top.

 

Fold the center flap up, to meet the base of the triangles,

 

then fold up again, making a crease along the base of the triangles.  This is the keyboard.

 

 

Fold the sides back in

 

then gently open them back up and allow the keyboard to fall into place.  Draw the keys on the keyboard and you are finished!

 





Simple Suppers-Pasta with Tomatoes and Chickpeas

I came home from vacation on a Sunday night to an empty fridge.  I was so tired of eating fast food that the thought of another French fry made me want to chuck.  Luckily, while we were making family feasts on our trip, my sister whipped up a yummy dish.  It was a sauté that included chickpeas, and a can of diced tomatoes along with some other veggies and my all time favorite spice...cumin.  It inspired this simple and speedy pantry dinner.  So, if you are too tired after a long day to make a labor intensive meal(or you have NOTHING in your fridge), try this. 

Pasta with Tomatoes and Chickpeas

 

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp. cumin (or more to taste)

1 tsp. coriander (or more to taste)

1 can (15-ish oz.) chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 can (15-ish oz.) diced tomatoes

about 1/2 box pasta

salt and pepper

feta cheese, crumbled for topping (or parmesan or none if you have NOTHING)

 

Directions:

Heat a large pot of water to boiling and add pasta and salt and cook according to box directions.

While pot heats and pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat.

Add garlic and cook, slowly being careful not to burn it, until straw colored and sticky.

Add cumin and coriander and cook 30 seconds, until fragrant.

Add chickpeas and crank heat up to medium.  Cook any residual moisture off beans.

Add tomatoes and raise heat to medium-high, allowing sauce to thicken slightly.

When pasta is almost done, scoop out of water with tongs or pasta scoop and toss directly into sauce.

Toss pasta and sauce together.  If it seems dry, add some pasta cooking liquid.

I grow parsley, so I minced some up and tossed it in to add a little color.

Serve topped with cheese.