Thyme Out

Last Memorial Day weekend, my sister-in-law, Mary Margaret, served a version of this cake, at the rehearsal dinner for my nephew and his bride to be.  It was fabulous … most people returned for seconds and thirds, even after a long night of eating and drinking. Whenever I eat this cake, I think of Mary Margaret’s mother , Josephine, a warm, charming matriarch of a large Italian family. When ever I came to visit, she opened her home and her heart. There was always room for one more at her large table, and she loved to gather with all her daughters (and their extended families) and celebrate life. She frequently made this cake for large family gatherings.

This is an adaptation of her recipe. When you eat it, pause for a moment and remember someone special.

Ingredients

• 2 sticks butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup sherry (the real stuff, not cooking sherry), add a little more if you are so inclined
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions

1. Grease and flour a bundt cake pan.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F.
3. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Add eggs one at a time, beating in between.
5. Add sour cream and sherry and mix till incorporated.
6. Blend together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt).
7. Add dry to wet and mix until just blended. (don’t over mix)
8. Mix in chocolate chips.
9. Scoop batter into bundt pan and bake for 40-45 minutes.

To be honest, the first few times I tried to make this recipe, I ate the roasted sweet potatoes before they made it into the soup. They are fantastic!  I especially like them as a left over for breakfast. I finally restrained myself enough to make the soup …. and am glad I persevered. Who said comfort food can’t be healthy?

Ingredients

• 3 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1 inch cubes
• 2 Tablespoons unrefined virgin coconut oil, melted, or olive oil (I just use olive oil)
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon organic freshly ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon organic freshly ground allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon organic freshly ground cardamom
• 1/8 teaspoon organic freshly ground nutmeg
• 6 to 8 cups magic mineral broth or vegetable broth

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Toss the sweet potatoes with coconut oil until they are evenly coated.
3. In a small bowl, combine the 1/4 teaspoon of the sea salt with the cinnamon, allspice, cardamom, and nutmeg and stir until well combined.
4. Sprinkle spice mixture over the potatoes and toss again until evenly coated.
5. Place the sweet potatoes in a single layer on the prepared pan and roast for 40 minutes until tender.
6. Pour 1/3 cup of the broth into a blender, add one third of the roasted potatoes, and blend until smooth, adding more liquid as needed. Transfer to a soup pot over low heat and repeat the process two more times. Stir in any remaining broth, along with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt, before serving.

This recipe is from Rebecca Katz’s cookbook, The Cancer Fighting Kitchen: Nourishing, Big-Flavor Recipes for Cancer Treatment and Recovery (reprinted with permission). To find out more about cancer-fighting ingredients, go to www.rebeccakatz.com.

Fuel Cafe is one of my favorite lunch spaces. They have a nice, quiet outdoor patio, and fabulous, fresh creative food, that is perfectly seasoned with unique sauces. It’s tucked away in the Taxi development in North Denver.  A little off the beaten path, but well worth the trip. Also, parking is much easier than downtown.

One time they ran out of cookies before I ordered dessert. I was so disappointed. Now, I always ask for a chocolate chip oatmeal cookie on the way to my table before my meal.

I guess I must talk about them (the cookies) a lot, as John called me at work when he saw the recipe for Fuel’s chocolate chip oatmeal cookies recipe published in 5280 Magazine. It made my day!

Ingredients:

yield – 36 cookies

• 1/2 pound softened butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups old fashioned oatmeal
• 2 cup mini chocolate chips
• 2 cups pecans, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven 375°F
2. Cream together butter and sugars for about 5 minutes
3. Add salt and baking soda.
4. On low speed, add eggs one at a time until incorporated.
5. And vanilla and mix lightly.
6. Stir in flour until just mixed. Add nuts, oats, chocolate chips, and pecans and mix only until combined.
7. Drop cookies by the heaping 2 tablespoons onto a baking sheet. (At the restaurant, they use 1/4 cup scoops, and the cookies are really big. I like to make them a little smaller… so I can have two.)
8. Bake for 11-12 minutes and cool on a wire rack.

Low in fat, but high on taste. The crust of sweet crunchy meringue is the perfect backdrop for tart strawberry yogurt. Make the crust the night before and let it cool in the oven.

Ingredients:

Meringue Crust

• 4 egg whites, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tarter
• 1 cup superfine sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling

• 2 pints plain lowfat yogurt
• 2 cups strawberries, sliced
• 1 Tablespoon sugar, to taste
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whipped Topping (optional)

• 1 cup very cold whiping cream
• 4 Tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

For Meringue Crust

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Beat eggwhites with cream of tarter and salt at medium speed until frothy. Continue at high speed until the whites form soft peaks.
3. Beat at high speed while slowly adding sugar. Continue to beat until stiff.
4. Spoon meringue onto parchment paper into a pie shape. Build up the edges of the “pie” so that you have a shallow bowl.
5. Reduce heat to 200° and bake the pie crust for 5 hours. DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR! After 5 hours, turn off the oven and leave meringue in the oven until cool.

For Filling

1. Meanwhile… Place 2 pints of yogurt in a sieve lined with cheesecloth. Set the sieve over a bowl and let strain in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.
2. Mix strawberries with 1 Tablespoon of sugar and let sit.
3. Combine the strawberries with the yogurt and vanilla extract.

For Whipped Cream

1. Whip cream with vanilla and sugar until soft peaks.

To Assemble

1. Pour the strawberry yogurt into the prepared meringue shell and freeze for 1 hour.
2. Remove filled crust from freezer and let stand 5 minutes before serving. Top with fresh whipped cream and fresh strawberries.  IF left in freezer for more than one hour, allow to thaw for 2 1/2 hours before serving.

A tasty springtime recipe that’s so easy to prepare, you can’t help but love it! (Most kindly provided by Lava Lake Lamb and the American Lamb Board.)

8 servings
Preparation time:  10 minutes
Cook time:  1 hour

Ingredients:

• 3 to 4 pounds boneless American lamb leg, butterflied
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon dried basil
• 1 Tablespoon oregano
• 1 Tablespoon minced fresh garlic
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

1. Blend oil with basil, oregano, garlic and pepper; pour half over meat and brush over both sides.
2. Grill lamb over medium coals in covered grill, about 6 inches from coals, for 20 to 25 minutes per side.
3. Baste occasionally with remaining herbed olive oil.
4. Rest lamb for about 10 minutes; slice lamb crosswise at a diagonal slant.