Lemon-Almond Pound Cake... and 3 more yummies

My Mom made this Lemon-Almond Pound Cake for Easter, and while we weren't there for that dinner, she loved it so much she passed the recipe along. We made it for a dinner with some new friends, and it was amazing. (Sadly, this one time in years that I've made something with poppyseeds, one of our guests was allergic to poppyseeds...) Plus (as with another recipe in this post), I was just so proud of it because it turned out so pretty. Jeff can attest to my stopping in front of the cake several times a day before we ate it to croon to it, "You're so beautiful. I love you!"

Here's how to make it. Not too tricky, though it's hard to find the almond paste. You'll need to go to a big store like Safeway/Smith's--and it has to be a big one. Mom says to make sure to break the almond paste up really well when you blend it--break it in pieces with your hands as you put it in.


This also gave us a chance to test our food-reservation system. One time, Jeff and I were joking about how if there's something in the fridge I don't want him to eat, I should put a hat on it to mark it as saved. I thought he was joking, but when I said to save the leftover cake for dinner with the missionaries, here's what I found on the counter.



For a fast and easy treat, try Baked Bananas. Super simple. I heard about it from a preschool grandma, and found a recipe online here.

Here is how to make the dessert:
1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Put 2 unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes until the skins are dark.Take them out,let it cool.
2. Meanwhile, heat 1/4 cup light brown sugar in a pan with 3 tbsp of water, and boil until the sugar dissolves.
3. Turn down the heat and add 2-3 tbsp of heavy cream and cook until you get thick toffee colored sauce. Remove from the heat.
4. Transfer the baked bananas in their skin and split them lengthwise, each into two with a serrated knife.
5. place them on a plate, pour some of the toffee sauce over the bananas.
6. Serve with 3 scoops of vanilla ice cream. You can sprinkle some toasted walnuts on top as well. To eat, scoop the cooked Banana with a spoon along with some sauce and Ice cream and enjoy!:))

NY Times Best Chocolate Chip Cookies:

We made these for the Browns when they visited. Definitely a great way to impress. It's all about using fancy ingredients (so they're 'spensive cookies) plus the essential 24 + hours of "ripening" in the fridge.

Time: 45 minutes (for 1 6-cookie batch), plus at least 24 hours’ chilling

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons

(8 1/2 ounces) cake flour

1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt

2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract

1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao content (see note)

Sea salt.

1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

4. Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin.

Yield: 1 1/2 dozen 5-inch cookies.

Note: Disks are sold at Jacques Torres Chocolate; Valrhona fèves, oval-shaped chocolate pieces, are at Whole Foods.

This last one I'll just share the picture for because I'm proud of myself. It's a basic Carrot-Zucchini bar (with yummy citrus cream cheese frosting!) from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. But look how pretty! (despite the dark picture) The secret: I cut it all slanty-wise. This also made for delicious extra edges for me and Jeff to finish off (Me: "Jeff! Help!" Jeff: "What! How can I help?" Me: "Look at these ugly extra pieces! What will we do?" Jeff: "I will dispose of these.").