Panko Crusted Salmon

My husband came home from work the other night with wild caught salmon from Alaska. He explained that one of his patients had gone on a fishing trip and decided to share the catch. He handed me a bag that contained vacuum packed servings of the beautiful salmon and I tried to keep from jumping up and down with excitement.
Salmon can get a little bit pricey sometimes, so I was more than grateful for this lovely gift.

I have been wanting to try this particular recipe for quite a while, but salmon has been too expensive. This recipe is so easy, but so delicious. A few ingredients really gave this salmon great flavor. You mix panko crumbs, lemon zest, fresh parsley, and a little salt and pepper and then brush the salmon with dijon mustard. The panko mixture is pressed onto the salmon and it is cooked for a few minutes in a little bit of hot oil. The salmon is than transferred to the oven where finishes cooking to perfection. My entire family loved this dish. It was soo good.

Panko Crusted Salmon from The Barefoot Contessa's How East Is That?
2/3 cup panko
2 tbsp. finely minced fresh parsley
1 tsp. lemon zest
½ tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper
3-4 tbsp. olive oil, divided
4 (6-8 oz.) salmon fillets, skin on
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
Lemon wedges, for serving

Preheat the oven to 425˚ F. In a small bowl, combine the panko, parsley, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and toss with a fork until the crumbs are evenly coated; set aside.

Place the salmon fillets skin side down on a work surface. Generously brush the top of each fillet with the mustard and then season with salt and pepper. Press the panko mixture thickly on top of the mustard on each fillet to help the panko adhere.

Heat the remaining olive oil over medium-high heat in a 12-inch oven-safe skillet. When the oil is hot, add the salmon fillets, skin side down, and sear for 3-4 minutes without turning to brown the skin.

Transfer the pan to the preheated oven for 5-7 minutes, until the salmon is almost cooked through and the panko is browned. Remove from the oven, cover with foil and let rest 5-10 minutes. Serve warm with fresh lemon wedges.

Light and Creamy Asparagus Soup

Asparagus is a family favorite around here. We love it roasted, blanched, steamed, stir-fried- really, we love it anyway it is prepared.
I saw this soup and thought it would be an interesting way to find out if we like asparagus pureed.

The verdict- we do!

This soup is quick and easy to make and it is very filling. Cannellini beans and a little bit of plain greek yogurt are the secrets to getting that thick and creamy texture without the added fat.

I don't particularly like bacon or cooking it, but I have come to appreciate the crispness and flavor it can add to a dish in small amounts. As the garnish here with the asparagus tips, it is wonderful.

This soup just screams Spring to me. It's beautiful color and light flavor really hit the spot.

Here is the recipe for Light and Creamy Asparagus Soup
* I added the juice of 1 lemon to the soup, since I added some lemon zest
* I didn't add the cayenne to the soup, I sprinkled it on top of the adult portions
* I added a garnish of lemon zest on top

Asparagus Salad

Happy St. Patrick's Day!
We always celebrate this day with as many green foods as possible. Last year we made the best Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream ever, these Mint Chocolate Cupcakes are always popular, and every year that I can remember we have had some form of green eggs and ham (last year it was a biscuit sandwich).

This year I am trying to stay away from the green food coloring as much as I can, (although I will use it to make our eggs green this morning), and we are going to enjoy green foods that are really green because they grow that way.

This is the perfect one to start off the green food celebration. This is a simple way to serve asparagus. It is briefly cooked, along with broccolini, for about 2-3 minutes, so it is crisp tender.
Then it is tossed with a lemon juice-olive oil-shallot dressing, and topped with pepitas, thinly sliced radishes and lemon zest. If you can think of anything more delicious or perfect, please feel free to suggest it, because this was pretty amazing. It's interesting how something so quick and easy can truly be so flavorful and delightful to eat.

Here is the recipe for Asparagus Salad from 101 Cookbooks
* I omitted the parmesan cheese
* I used pepitas instead of pine nuts
* I went ahead and cooked the broccolini stems

Lemon-Cranberry Muffins

Who out there still has bags of frozen cranberries in their freezer? Anybody?
I am pretty sure there are a few of you who stocked up on fresh cranberries when they were at a great price and stuck them in the freezer, just like I did. Cranberries stay good in the freezer for quite awhile and they are easy to use frozen, plus they thaw quickly. They are really quite perfect for these reasons.

I saw these muffins in Eating Well magazine and wanted to try them. I liked that the recipe called for a combination of white wheat flour and cornmeal. The cornmeal gave these muffins a nice texture and it went really well with the cranberries.

I love using cranberries in muffins and other baked goods, because the tartness evens out the sweetness that you might have. These muffins were perfectly delicious. Nice and tart, lemon-y and with bursts of cranberries all throughout them. I decided to use pink sanding sugar on top.
My kids really liked these too.

I wanted to freeze a couple and see how they did, warmed from the freezer, but they didn't last long enough for that to happen.

Recipe for Lemon-Cranberry Muffins
*I used low-fat buttermilk instead of plain yogurt

TWD-Lemon Poppyseed Mini Muffins

I'm halfway through my month without butter and we are doing great. I haven't used it yet, although there have been a few times that I really wanted to!
I knew these Lemon Poppyseed Muffins Betsy picked for Tuesday's with Dorie today would be an easy recipe to modify and they turned out really yummy. You can go get the original recipe at A Cup of Sweetness where Betsy has it posted.

I used white wheat flour, nonfat Greek yogurt, low-fat buttermilk, and a little canola oil to keep these muffins nice and moist. I only made 1/2 of the recipe since I was making mini muffins and I got 24 of them.

These muffins were really good. Nice and lemon-y. Definitely a success. I love mini muffins because they are just the right size for a 2-bite snack.

Go see the other muffins and variations at TWD!

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan
makes 24 mini muffins

1/3 cup sugar
grated zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
1 cup white wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup +1 Tablespoon nonfat greek yogurt
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 1/2 Tablespoons canola oil
1 Tablespoon poppy seeds

Icing
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1-2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preheat to 400 F. Spray your muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray or line the cups with paper liners.

In a large bowl, rub the sugar and lemon zest together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and the fragrance of lemon strong. Whisk in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk the nonfat greek yogurt, buttermilk, canola oil, lemon juice and vanilla extract together until well blended. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and, with the whisk or a rubber spatula, gently but quickly stir to combine. Do not overmix the batter - a few lumps are ok. Stir in the poppy seeds. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.

Bake for 9 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack to cool for 5 minutes before removing the muffins and let them cool completely on the rack before icing.

To Make the Icing: Put the confectioners' sugar in a small bowl and add about 1 Tablespoon of the lemon juice. Stir with a spoon to moisten the sugar, then add enough additional lemon juice, a dribble at a time, to get an icing that is thin enough to drizzle from the tip of the spoon. Drizzle lines of icing over the tops of the muffins.

Fig, Ginger, and Pear Quick Bread

Let the festive baking and giving of baked goods begin- or continue, if you have already begun doing so.
I made a bunch of cookies and this quick bread and sent it off in the mail to some family and friends. I chose this bread because it specifically stated that it should be baked, wrapped in plastic and saved for the next day. So, I figured that if I shipped it quickly to someone in another state, an extra day would make it that much better.

This bread contains shredded fresh pears, which I have never used in a baked good before. The keeps the batter nice and moist and I'm sure adds great flavor.

This bread is topped with dried figs and crystallized ginger. It smelled so good. I really wanted to cut a slice and give it a taste, but who wants to receive a half-eaten goodie in the mail?

I will just have to make another batch into mini-loaves, so I can try it for myself.
Happy Baking!


Recipe for Fig, Ginger, and Pear Quick Bread
* these particular version of the quick bread is one of the options below the original recipe

Lemon Ice Cream with Lemon Curd Swirl and Chewy Lemon Sugar Cookies

It seems like I always have either leftover egg whites or egg yolks that I need to do something with. The whites usually go in the freezer until I accumulate lots of them because then I can make angel food cake.
I use the yolks within a few days and ice cream or pastry cream seem to be the easiest way to use them up.
I had some leftover lemon curd that I had made for some mini cupcakes and since I really don't like to waste things like that, I was hoping I could incorporate it into whatever ice cream I decided to make. I also had tons of lemons, so lemon ice cream won out.
This recipe makes a deliciously tart and bright lemon ice cream. The lemon juice, zest and sugar are combined first and chilled. Then the egg yolks are tempered with the hot milk. After both of those components are thoroughly chilled, they are combined with the cream. The technique makes for a very smooth finished product. I swirled my leftover lemon curd into the ice cream base, after it was done churning.
I thought this ice cream would be great for an ice cream sandwich so I searched until I found a chewy cookie that I thought would make a good base. I found this recipe on My Baking Addiction and Jamie said herself that she liked the lime version of this cookie better than the lemon, but I was willing to take my chances.
These cookies were perfect for the ice cream.

My son could hardly wait for the pictures to be taken because he really wanted to eat this ice cream sandwich.
He begged me to take some photos of him "posing" with the dessert, so I did.

He was not disappointed by this dessert in the least!

Ultimate Lemon Ice Cream from Tartlette
Finely grated zest of 3 lemons
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup sugar or 2/3 cup agave nectar
4 egg yolks
pinch of salt
1 cup milk
2 cups heavy cream

In a non-reactive bowl, mix the lemon zest, juice and sugar (or agave nectar). Refrigerate one to two hours to blend flavors.

In a large bowl, slightly beat the egg yolks to break them up. Heat milk to barely boiling in a large heavy saucepan.
Whisk 1/4 of the milk into the egg yolks to temper them and then whisk in the rest of the milk. Return the combined mixture to the saucepan and gently heat (do not boil) until the mixture coats the back of a spoon.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Combine milk mixture with heavy cream and lemon mixture. Churn in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions.

Chewy Lemon Sugar Cookies as seen on My Baking Addiction

adapted from Rock Recipes

Ingredients
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest of one large lemon, finely minced
4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar for rolling cookies

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. Using a mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until smooth and very fluffy.
4. Beat in egg, vanilla extract, lemon juice and lemon zest.
5. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients.
6. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and roll in sugar. Place on lined cookie sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart.
7. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned.
8. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

Makes approximately 24-30 cookies depending on size

Blueberry-Lemon Bundt Cake

This is a horrible picture of a wonderfully delicious cake that got rave reviews.
My mother-in-law asked me to make a couple of treats for her work party that could be made ahead of time. I was thinking summer flavors and this blueberry lemon combination won over all the other ideas.
I made it the night before, glazed it, and then she kept it covered until the next night.
Bundt cakes usually do well when they sit overnight, so I took my chances and it worked with this cake.

I only had 1/2 cup of sour cream in my fridge, so I used 1/2 cup of low-fat buttermilk to make the full cup of dairy for this cake.
I also used a glaze of fresh lemon juice and powdered sugar that was shown when this cake was made in the video included with the recipe.
I also used more lemon zest than it called for because sometimes I get carried away with my zesting.

I wish I would have gotten a better picture of this cake since it was such a hit.
Everyone requested the recipe- I wish I could have tried a slice!


Recipe for Blueberry-Lemon Bundt Cake
* I used 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk for 1/2 cup of the sour cream



Don't forget to enter the giveaway I posted yesterday!

Almond Butter Snickerdoodles

Have you tried freshly ground almond butter? It is soooo good.
A couple of months ago a friend asked me what kind of peanut butter I used. She told me she got her's from Earthfare, where it is freshly ground from peanuts. Just plain peanuts. No added oil, sugar, salt, etc. like you find in all the jars that are commercially packaged.

I went to check it out and was surprised by the price, which was so much lower than all the packaged peanut butters. Plus, the taste was unbelievable. Probably because it was really just peanuts. Funny how that works. You can even grind your own into a little plastic tub and watch the peanuts being turned into peanut butter.
Point of story- It is the only peanut butter I use. I eat a little bit of it daily. It is so good.
So, they also have freshly ground almond butter, which is a little bit more expensive, but oh so divine.
I saw this recipe in Cooking Light for Almond Butter Snickerdoodles and decided it was a great way to use a little of the almond butter.

These cookies are superb. Not the traditional flavor of a snickerdoodle, but so much more complex and I think, so much better. There is lemon zest, whole wheat flour, and cinnamon- which all combine for a perfectly chewy cookie. The almond butter adds a delicious layer of flavor.

My entire family loved these cookies. Even my husband- He couldn't tell they were "healthier".
Can't wait to make them again.


Recipe for Almond Butter Snickerdoodles
* the recipe said to use "smooth" almond butter, but I used the freshly ground kind which has a slightly chunky texture and they turned out great

Lemony Lentil Soup with Greens

When my parents and siblings were here visiting from Utah, we all went to the Georgia Aquarium one day. My sister and her family were also down here, visiting from Washington, D.C., so it was quite a bunch of us checking out all the aquatic life.
It was really fun, but after a long day in Atlanta, we came home and were all a little tired.
I had planned on making this soup when my family was visiting anyway, so this night seemed like the perfect night to make a easy soup that would be ready fairly quickly.

I found green lentils at Earthfare,
(which is where I get all my bulk items like quinoa, lentils, steel-cut oats, bulgur, millet, couscous, specialty flours, dried fruits, nuts, nut butters and also some of my dairy and produce) so, I decided to use them in this soup since that is what Ellie calls for.

We all thought that green lentils tasted about the same as brown lentils, but they held their shape better, which gave them a little bit better texture.
I didn't have enough chicken broth in my pantry, so we also used about 6 cups of water, but it worked out fine. I also added the zest of an entire lemon since I believe that more zest is always a good thing. We probably used more kale than called for too. We just kept on tearing it up and dumping it in the pot without measuring it.

The fresh lemon juice and lemon zest really brightened up this soup and added a little extra something to it.

This soup was the perfect way to finish a long day. We had Kale Chips and Cheese Toast on the side.

Lemony Lentil Soup with Greens from So Easy by Ellie Krieger
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
12 cups low-sodium chicken broth, plus more as needed
16 ounces green lentils
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
6 cups kale leaves, chopped
3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest, finely grated

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened and translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the carrot, celery and garlic and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are softened, about 5 minutes. Add 12 cups of broth, lentils, basil, thyme and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, add the kale (spinach) and cook until lentils are tender, 30 to 35 minutes, adding more broth if necessary. Stir in the lemon juice and zest, and serve.

TWD-Swedish Visiting Cake

This weeks TWD recipe, Swedish Visiting Cake, was chosen by Nancy who blogs over at The Dogs Eat the Crumbs. I love Nancy's blog. She always gives such great descriptions of the dishes she makes and I have used countless recipes and pieces of advice from her.
You can find the recipe on Nancy's blog and I think you will want to find it because this is as simple and delicious as cakes can get.

I made this for our Easter dinner. It was so easy. Everything just mixed quickly in a bowl and then was ready to be baked in a cast iron skillet. I don't have a cast iron skillet, so I used my pyrex pie pan, which was one of the alternate baking pans that Dorie suggested using. The only problem I had was that the cake didn't get very brown on the top or the bottom.

I wanted the top to be nice and brown, so I put it under the broiler for a few minutes. I should'ved watched it closer because it got a little too brown, but at least it didn't burn.

Everyone loved this cake. It had great almond flavor and the lemon zest added a little extra zing which was really nice too.
I will definitely be making this again because it is simple, quick and so yummy!

Go check out the TWD Blogroll and see what everyone else thought about this cake!

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

Happy Easter!

I made these cupcakes recently because strawberries are in season and strawberry shortcake is such a fun way to enjoy strawberries for dessert.
My husband loves it and this just upped the fun factor by making it a cute cupcake.

My kids helped me mix the cupcakes up and stir together the strawberries.
I added some lemon zest to the strawberry mixture and it really just added a nice, extra zesty layer of flavor.

I think the cupcakes would have been a little dry on their own, but they were absolutely perfect for soaking up the strawberry juice.

Hubs and kids loved this dessert, which made it a winner for me too.
Plus, with such delicious strawberries right now, it makes this a quick and easy treat.

Recipe for Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

Tropical Fruit Salad with Mint and Spices

Who is excited for Spring? Raise your hand and shout!
I can't wait for spring to officially be here. If you know me at all, you know that I am not a fan of cold weather or snow. I love sunshine. I would rather be hot than cold. Sweat doesn't bother me at all. Chills and brrrrr- I am not a fan.
This recipe made me feel tropical. And since spring is soo close (2 days away), I decided it wouldn't be too horrible if I posted this recipe with all these delicious fruits.

The picture for this recipe in the New Mayo Clinic Cookbook just really made me want to make this fruit salad immediately. The little flecks of vanilla bean and all the bright colors of the fruits- It looked absolutely heavenly.
I noticed mangoes, papaya, raspberries, and kiwis at the grocery store and they were not too expensive, so I bought them. Throw in some canteloupe and banana and you are good to go.

My girls helped me cut up the fruit, make the divine syrup, and stir everything together. They are such good helpers.

The syrup that goes over the fruit calls for honey, lemon juice, orange juice, cinnamon, ginger, a vanilla bean and coriander. What? coriander? That was my original thought when I saw coriander on the ingredient list, but I was brave and I added it and it really added a little extra something to the syrup. The syrup reminded me of mulling cider when it was bubbling away on the stove. I loved that it wasn't overly sweet, but very full of flavor. It was warm(not temperature, but ya know?) and soothing, yet cool and refreshing all at once.

It was unbelievable with the fruit and mint. I never would have thought to combine all these fruits, flavors and spices. It was amazing.

The recipe said that the syrup was really great over pancakes. I was really hoping we could try it that way. But it just disappeared too fast.

Recipe for Tropical Fruit Salad with Mint and Spices

MSC-Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

This month's MSC Cupcake- Lemon Meringue Cupcakes, was chosen by Megan over at My Baking Adventures.
I wanted to point out that the cupcake above is NOT Martha's recipe, but a recipe that I found in Everyday with Rachael Ray Magazine a couple of years ago, for Lemon Meringue Cupcakes.
I posted about these twice before- you can read more about them HERE.

I debated trying Martha's recipe too, since the RR one's were a complete hit- but I didn't have anywhere to take them or anyone to share them with and when I compared the recipes side by side- they were almost identical.
So, I guess in a way I am cheating, because I didn't really make this month's cupcake, but I thought these were close enough that they could count.

The version I did make were so delicious and quite a hit with all those who tasted them. I don't often repeat dessert recipes, but these were so good that I have made them more than once.

Check out the MSC Blogroll to see everyone else's results!

Recipe for Lemon Meringue Cupcakes in Everyday with Rachael Ray Magazine

Martha's Recipe for Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

Tuna Salad Wraps

Tuna is one of those foods that kinda gets a bad wrap for some reason. Tuna salad too.
I understand it, because some people's only memory of tuna is something that is smothered in that horrible white stuff (mayo), which I find absolutely disgusting.

I think tuna has lots of possibilities and we eat it often at our house.
If we are having plain old tuna sandwiches, I always mix it with a minimal amount of plain yogurt (don't like it sopping wet), add lots of chopped celery, dill pickles, to add some crunch and make sure there is lettuce and toasted bread involved.

Canned tuna can be so delicious is other ways too. It can be wonderful in pasta dishes and you can never go wrong with a vinegar/olive oil dressing to perk up your tuna salad.

This was inspired by something I saw in a magazine briefly, but I didn't have the magazine with me when I was mixing this up, so I guess I was just inspired by it.
The radishes and lemon zest give a nice boost of flavor, and garbanzo beans round out the whole thing.
My girls helped me mix it up and they ate the other half of the garbanzo beans while we were fixing this.
I didn't measure out the vinegar and olive oil with measuring spoons, I just drizzled some into the salad, and then we tasted it to see if it needed more. We used more vinegar than oil for sure.

My kids really liked this, as did my husband. This was a no utensil night, since we ate these with our fingers.


Tuna Salad Wraps
6 stalks celery, chopped
5 radishes, thinly sliced and quartered
2 cans tuna, drained
1/2 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
Juice of 1 lemon
zest of 1/2 lemon
red wine vinegar
olive oil
salt
pepper
green leaf lettuce

Combine celery, radishes, tuna and garbanzo beans in a large bowl and mix together.
Add lemon juice and zest, a few dashes of vinegar and oil, and season with salt and pepper.
Stir together and add more vinegar, oil, or salt/pepper- to taste.

Serve on large lettuce leaves and wrap to eat.

Tabbouleh

Tabbouleh.
I don't remember the first time I tried it, but it was love at first bite.
It combines some of my favorite things- tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, and lemon juice- to make a very light and refreshing salad.

I found this particular recipe in a cookbook I have on my shelf, The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook: Eating Well for Better Health.
This cookbook is full of beautiful pictures and healthy dishes.
Some of the recipes can also be found online at MayoClinic.com

This particular recipe has more "vegetables than grain" and it is suggested you serve it on lettuce leaves or in a pita.
I think it is great on its own.
I made this as a side dish to take to a family dinner and lots of people tried it for the first time and loved it.

This can be made ahead and it really didn't take me very much time to throw it together.
The bulgur has to soak for about 15 minutes, but during that time you can chop the herbs, vegetables and get everything else together.
I was secretly hoping that there would be lots of leftovers, but everyone enjoyed it so much, that I only had a little bit left to have for lunch later that week.

I will definitely be making this version of Tabbouleh again. It was perfect.

* you can find bulgur at health food stores in the bulk section, or you can buy a box of Tabbouleh and save the seasoning pack for something else, just using the bulgur.

Recipe for Tabbouleh from the Mayo Clinic

Whole Wheat Linguine with Tuna, Spinach, Lemon, and Breadcrumbs

Here is a quick pasta dinner that we enjoyed a few weeks ago.
I saw it in an issue of Everyday Food Magazine and knew it would be quick and easy, which makes getting dinner on the table a little bit easier.

I changed a couple of things in this recipe. I used whole wheat linguine instead of normal spaghetti. I usually try to use whole wheat pasta whenever we have pasta dishes just to get some extra nutrition and whole grains into our meals. No one in my family can tell the difference between whole wheat and "normal" pasta. This isn't a picky food for us.
I used black olives instead of kalamata olives simply because I already had them in my pantry and my family likes the taste of black olives better than any other olive.
I also used albacore tuna.
I decided to wilt some spinach and add it to this dish because I wanted it to have some vegetables.

The fresh breadcrumbs and lemon flavor in this pasta really make it a winner. Everyone here really enjoyed it.
I saved the leftover breadcrumbs in a little baggie and then re-used them when I reheated the pasta that was leftover.

I also included the link to the recipe in its original form, in case making it that way sounds more appealing to you.

Whole Wheat Linguine with Tuna, Spinach, Lemon, and Breadcrumbs adapted from Everyday Food Magazine

• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 slices whole-wheat sandwich bread
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 3/4 pound whole wheat linguine
  
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest, plus 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 3 tablespoons sliced black olives
• 2 cans (6 ounces each) albacore tuna in water, drained
• 5 or 6 oz bag spinach
  

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, in a food processor, pulse bread and 1 teaspoon oil until coarse crumbs form. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Bake until golden, tossing occasionally, 6 to 8 minutes.
2. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente. Steam spinach in microwave or on stovetop. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; drain pasta, and return to pot. Add lemon zest and juice, parsley, olives, and 1 tablespoon oil; toss, adding enough pasta water to coat. Add tuna; toss gently. Stir in wilted spinach. Serve sprinkled with breadcrumbs.

Recipe for Spaghetti with Tuna, Lemon, and Breadcrumbs

TWD- Lemon Ginger Sables

This week's TWD recipe, Sables, was chosen by Barbara, who blogs over at Bungalow Barbara. You can find the recipe by going to this post on Barbara's blog or by turning to page 131 of Baking: from my home to yours, which I am sure you have a copy of by now.

This is a basic butter cookie that can be made with many variations. I decided to make a lemon-ginger version. I added the zest of 2 lemons to the sugar and also added 1 1/2 tsps of ground ginger to the cookie dough. These tasted really great.
You can make them any way you want, with any spice, any zest, any nut and also savory, if you desire.
This is the perfect cookie for this time of year. You can share and send these and the people who are so lucky to receive them will be very grateful.

Go check out the Tuesday's with Dorie Blogroll to see what other variations people came up with this week!
I also just wanted to share some pictures of a cake I created for my friends daughter's 8th birthday party.
This cake was supposed to be decorated with candy, but when I was out shopping, I saw these little Christmas ornaments and the idea popped into my head to try decorating the cake with them.
It worked.
The cake looked so cute.
The birthday girl was happy with her cake and so was I. I have made the cake before, about a year and a half ago, so I knew it was a good cake, with great flavor. Orange cake, raspberry jam between the layers and then a Swiss Meringue Buttercream to finish the whole thing off. Delicious.

Recipe for Orange Butter Cake