Crazy Englishwoman Cooks!

I am not a huge strawberry fan. When I do eat them, I prefer the little ones to the giant, mass-produced monsters. And I like to eat them sprinkled with balsamic vinegar - it's a tip I saw mentioned somewhere several years ago, and one that I found to be worth following. So when I saw this recipe for Strawberry Jam with Balsamic Vinegar on Italian Food Forever, I knew I had to try it. Since you don't need to mess about with pectin, it's incredibly easy.

This is an excellent alternative to a lot of strawberry jam recipes if you typically find them too sweet.

Reminders to myself:

1. Must try coconut oil in my cooking.

2. Want to try zucchini blossoms. I have seen some fab recipes for them, but am guessing I need to start growing my own as i haven't seen them in any stores.

This is an adaptation of something I used to make for myself when I was an undergrad, only then I used smoked haddock instead of smoked salmon. The cream makes it look and feel quite decadent, and the zucchini ribbons are a wonderful alternative to pasta (or you can add pasta if you like).

Smoked Salmon with Zucchini Ribbons (serves 2)

Enough smoked salmon for 2 people (I used 3oz per person)
2-3 cloves garlic
cream
dill
zucchini, roughly one per person.

Cut the zucchini into thin ribbons. If you have a mandolin, that would do the trick, but I seem unable to use mine without slicing fingers, fingernails, and any other nearby appendages. I used a vegetable peeler to slice mine.

Saute the ribbons lightly in a skillet for about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in another pan, lightly saute the garlic. Add the salmon, cream and dill, and heat through.
Serve the salmon on top of the garlic ribbons, accompanied with pasta or roasted asparagus.

Yes, it's been a while but I am back, and somewhat lighter than last time I posted. Not to fear, though - just because I'm shedding pounds doesn't mean I've completely given up baking. It means that hubby's workmates get to enjoy the results!

I made today's Fresh Lime Pound Cake with key limes, which are adorably teeny. If you can't find key limes, you can use regular limes. The grated zest adds a fabulous tang to the cake.

Fresh Lime Pound Cake:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sour cream
2 eggs
6 key limes (or 2 (non-key?) limes)
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/3 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a loaf pan or spray it (Wilton makes a great baking spray with flour).
Beat together sugar and butter. Mix in sour cream and eggs, and beat until smooth.
Grate lime zest into the mix, then add flour, baking soda, and nutmeg. Mix well.



Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake for 1 hour.

Squeeze juice from the limes into a small bowl and whisk with the powdered sugar until you have a very light icing.

When cake is cooked, put it on a cooling rack. Poke some holes in the top of the loaf, and pour the sugared lime juice over it. It will make a wonderful glaze on the top, and will penetrate the sponge to keep it moist.


Incidentally, this freezes very well, if you want to make one and store it for later use.

The verdict from hubby's office? "Very, very delicious" and "Oh my, this is wonderful!"