Strawberry Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

It has been a while, hasn’t it? According to this blog, September never happened. But you know, and I certainly know, it came to pass. This past month was filled to the brim with happy celebrations, including two very special ladies’ birthdays. My mom and my little girl share the exact same birthday day. It’s a little hard finding a cake to be enjoyed equally by a toddler and a crowd with a bit more of a sophisticated palate, but I found exactly what I needed in this strawberry cake with cream cheese frosting.

I know, I know, Strawberries in September? What about apples or pumpkins? But I just couldn’t resist serving a pink birthday cake. And since I used frozen strawberries, the recipe works in any season and maybe especially in winter when you’ll need a flavorful pick me up to remind you of summer fruits. This cake had a lovely delicate strawberry taste that was distinctly present without being overpowering. The last thing I wanted was a cake that tasted like a ring pop. The texture was also moist without being too dense. All in all, a perfectly ladylike cake. 

Strawberry Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Makes 3 eight inch round cakes
adapted from smittenkitchen 

For the cake

4 ½ cups cake flour

3 cups sugar

5 ¼ teaspoons baking powder

¾ teaspoons slat

3 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 ½ cups pureed frozen strawberries, about ¾ of a pound bag

8 egg whites

2/3 cup milk

3 to 4 drops red food dye

For the frosting
3 eight ounce packages of cream cheese softened
1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, softened
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla

For the cake
1. Preheat oven to 350. Butter three eight inch round cake pans, line with parchment or wax paper, and butter the paper

2. Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixer bowl. Using an electric mixer on low speed, mix together for 30 seconds. Add the butter and strawberries. Increase to a medium speed and mix for 2 to 3 minutes until fluffy

3. In another large bowl, whisk together the egg white, milk, and red food dye. Add mixture to the batter in two or three additions, until completely incorporated. Dive batter equally into the three pans.

4. Bake the cakes for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center.

5. When done, allow cakes to cool in pans 10 to 15 minutes. Then at least a hour before frosting. (I wrapped the cakes in plastic wrap and placed in the fridge before icing. This makes the cakes much easier to handle).

For the cream cheese frosting.
1. Blend together the cream cheese with butter and vanilla until smooth. Gradually add in the confection sugar and blend again until smooth. 

BBQ Mesquite Chicken Wings (low carb)

Can it be? Just around the corner waits the end of summer. Though to be honest, the back-to-school sale signs, which have been up since July, make the whole summer feel like the end of summer. Still the number of outdoor barbeques available to us is dwindling. Usually my favorite kind of grilling is minimal grilling. Recipes which allow the meat taste to shine through whether it be a burger or a steak. My exception to this rule, however, is the below recipe for BBQ Mesquite Chicken Wings. I achieve my desire for minimalist cooking since there are only three easy steps to the process while also getting a punch of delicious barbeque flavor. Perfect as a side for a big Labor Day gathering or as a main dish for a smaller gathering of friends trying to revel in the last of those warm summer nights.

BBQ Mesquite Chicken Wings

4-6 servings

About 1 gram of carb per serving. Less than 1% of your daily carb intake!

1 ½ pounds chicken wings (6 grams of carbohydrates)

¼ cup Olive Oil (0 grams)

2 teaspoons BBQ seasoning (0 grams)

2 teaspoons Mesquite Seasoning (0 grams)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh garlic (0 grams)

1. Combine olive oil, BBQ seasoning, Mesquite seasoning, and chopped fresh garlic in a large bowl. Mix well.

2. Add chicken wings to bowl. And stir until the wings are well coated. Cover and place in fridge allowing the wings to marinate for an hour or two.

3. Preheat grill so temperature is even and medium heat, about 350 degrees on a gas grill or when the coals are starting to gray for a coal grill. When ready place chicken wings directly on grill and cook 5-7 minutes on each side or until the wings are golden brown and no pink shows when cut. Discard leftover marinade.

Enjoy!

Crunchy Green Bean Salad with Feta and Mint (low carb)

I love food with good texture. Especially a salad with a lot of crunch. Hmm, I feel like I was just in a Panera commercial or maybe a spokesperson for McDonalds café. I just love the way these guys advertise. Beautiful skinny women out on a sunny day, gabbing it up on their lunch break, while also probably eating about twice the calories that are in a hamburger. Anyways before I get into some sort of cyber trouble, let me tell you about this snazzy crunchy salad I’ve been eating this summer.

Green beans, radishes, green peppers and sunflower seeds with the salty deliciousness of feta cheese make this an amazing side that’s anything but an ordinary salad. It actually started out as a side for me but I kept refilling my plate so that by the time I remembered the main dish, I had accidently turned into an “only salad for me” kind of lady. I’m sure it won’t last long.

Crunchy Green Bean Salad with Feta and Mint

Adapted from smittenkitchen

Serves 4 - 6

About 56 grams of carbohydrates total, about 14 grams per serving. About 3% of your daily recommended carb intake!

2 ½ cups chopped green beans (20 grams of carbohydrates)

1 green pepper, chopped (8 grams)

half a red onion, thinly sliced (9 grams)

toasted sunflower seeds (12 grams)

½ cup feta, crumbled (1 gram)

2 tablespoons lime juice (4 grams)

2 tablespoons olive oil (0 grams)

½ teaspoon of salt, only if sunflower seeds unsalted. If salted, only add to taste. (0 grams)

¼ teaspoon chili powder (0 grams)

2 tablespoons chopped mint leaves (2 grams)

1. Mix together chopped green beans, green pepper, red onion, and sunflower seeds together in a large bowl. Add crumbled feta, mix until just combined.

2. Whisk together lime juice, olive oil, salt (optional), and chili pepper in a small bowl. Pour over salad. Top with mint and lightly toss.

Enjoy!

Watermelon Gin Fizz

I hope everyone had a happy fourth and an inappropriate amount of hamburgers, hot dogs, tofu burgers; whatever floats your boat on America’s Bday. I personally feel I did my country proud by eating way too much red meat. My second burger with bacon, swiss cheese, and caramelized onions really did me in. Luckily, I had the perfect drink to help bolster my appetite without weighing me down.

This watermelon gin fizz tasted delicious on such a hot, sticky, sweaty, muggy day. A sweet drink due to the watermelon that also tastes light thanks to the lime juice and ginger ale. It was so good, I feel like it could be my signature summer cocktail. 

Watermelon Gin Fizz

Serves 4 to 6

Adapted from food.com

4 cups diced watermelon

8 ounces gin

4 tablespoons lime juice

1 3/4 cups diet ginger ale (to decrease carbs I used diet and still loved the drink.)

lime wedges, for garnish

1. Puree the diced watermelon with a food processor or hand mixer until a liquid. There will be some pulp.  Pour into a large jar. Add gin, lime juice, and ginger ale. Stir well.

2. Pour into a glass over ice. Garnish with the lime wedges.

Enjoy!