Key Lime Whoopie Pie

Experimenting with desert recipes for July 4th week when we have 16 people up for the week.  These were great!

KEY LIME WHOOPIE PIES

1 &1/3 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

1 cup whole-wheat flour (spooned and leveled).

1 cup packed dark-brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon divided

1/2 teaspoon fine salt

1/2 cup full - fat plain yogurt

1/3 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanillla extract

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup confectioner's sugar

1 tablespoon grated lime zest plus 3 tablespoons juice ( from 6 key limes or 2 limes)

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees with racks in middle and bottom thirds.  Whisk together flours, brown sugar, baking soda, 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon , and salt. In a large bowl , with a mixer, beat yogurt, oil , and eggs on medium, 3 minutes.  With mixer on low, add flour mixture in 3 parts, beat in vanilla until combined.  Refrigerate batter 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, using clean mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth.  Beat in confectioner's sugar and lime zest and juice until smooth.  Refrigerate filling, covered, until ready to use ( or up to 3 days).

2. Combine remaining 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and granulated sugar.  Drop dough in 40 rounded tablespoons, 1 1/2 inches apart, on parchment-lined baking sheets.  Bake until puffed and set, about 10 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through.  Remove cakes from oven and immediately sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar.  Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks.  Peel cakes from parchment.  Spread 1 tablespoon filling on flat sides of half the cakes and sandwich with remaining cakes. Serve immediately (or refrigerate in a single layer in an airtight container, up to 2 days.)

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Spice Rubbed Pork Chops with Grilled Zucchini

Great easy recipe from Everyday Foods this weekend.  We had so much to do so it needed to be simple and flavorful.

SPICE RUBBED PORK CHOPS WITH GRILLED ZUCCHINI

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 tablespoon light-brown sugar

1&1/2  teaspoons ground cumin

Coarse salt and pepper

4 bone-in pork loin chops (3 pounds total)

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more for grilling

6 medium zucchini thinly sliced lengthwise

2 limes

1/2 cup crumbled feta ( 2 ounces)

1. In a large zip-top bag, combine coriander, brown sugar, cumin, and 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper.  Add pork and 1 tablespoon oil and toss to coat.  Refrigerate at least 8 hours (or up to 1 day)

2. Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high; clean and lightly oil hot grill.  Grill pork, covered, about 5 minutes per side for medium.  Let rest, covered, 10 minutes.  

3.  Clean and lightly oil hot grill.  Toss zucchini with 2 tablespoons oil; season with salt and pepper.   Grill until tender, 2 to 3 minutes per side.  Grate 1 tablespoon lime zest, then cut limes into wedges.  Transfer half the zucchini to a serving plate and sprinkle with zest and feta.  Serve zucchini and pork with lime wedges.

Cocktails - Hairy Fairies

It's time to start talking Summer Cocktails.  One of our all-time favorites is the Hairy Fairy.  Once you get past the name  and no it's not a hirsute gay man - but a smooth, knock you on your butt. great cocktail.  This has been a summer favorite for quite some time and Tim and I are big drinkers.  Be careful, because it is so smooth you won't fill it,

HAIRY FAIRY

1 shot Absolute Peach Vodka
1 shot Cointreau
and add Lemonaid

Add ice to cocktail shaker and shake well.

It is delicious and a perfect blend of sweet and tart.

Fern Frenzy Weekend

It's that time of year.  Tim's parents are retired botanists that worked for the New York Botanical Gardens.  They are very active in The American Fern Society and the Garden Conservancy.  They participate in the Garden tour every year and sell ferns to benefit the Fern Society.  We volunteered to help this year along with Tim's brother, Paul, and his sister-in-law, Cathy.  It was a beautiful day and I took a bunch of photos and some video clips of their gardens which are gorgeous.

Lego Piano

Tim's oldest nephew's Senior Piano Recital was on Saturday and the entire family went to hear him play.  He did an incredible job.  He is so talented.  Not only is he going to go to MIT on scholarships and major in engineering and physics, but he is also going to continue to play piano which I am really happy about.  He is also a very talented painter - this kid can do anything.  He and his brother are also big Lego freaks.  For his gift to his recital teacher, he made her a mini Lego  grand piano that plays.  Incredible!

Full Moon in June

Last night, there was a beautiful full moon that rose over the mountain in front of our home.  It was such a nice evening.  There had been a light rain in the late afternoon and so the evening was both warm and cool.  With the full moon, the lightning bugs hovering everywhere, the frogs croaking peacefully in the pond...it was such a nice night out.  Our home is situated so that I could watch the moon rise and shine in our living room windows most of the evening.  I stepped out onto the front porch right before bed to listen to the frogs and watch the lightning bugs.  Lovely.

Irises

Tim's Grandmother's Irises look so beautiful this year.  I love old fashioned colors like these.