Corn On The Cob With A Smoky Spice Rub

Summertime. Long hot days, suntanned feet, and fresh vegetables to the local farmers market. Our summertime Saturday mornings get the added bonus of a morning walk down our street to see what goodies the local farmers have brought to sell. Last Saturday, Alaina and I headed down just the two of us. A mommy-daughter morning. We were having friends over for dinner that night and I was hoping to come across something that would inspire a side dish to accompany my meal plan. After a stop in to our coffee shop for a cup of coffee and a chocolate milk, we made our way and found just the inspiration I was looking for.  Along with some organic bing cherries, I found beautiful fresh corn on the cob. I quickly added it to my mental meal plan which included Fajita burritos with seasoned shredded chicken and chips with salsa. Pleasantly inspired, the tex-mex theme took my thoughts towards some sort of spice rub for the corn. It would be an experiment but sometimes some of the greatest meals turn up that way. Well it worked! It made this fresh summertime side dish into the star of the meal!

Ingredients:

2-3 tsp of Cumin

1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Alaina approved!!!!

 

 

Angel Food Cake with a Lemon Glaze

My mom, or Nana as we all call her, had her birthday today! About a year ago, she began some amazingly healthy eating habits, seriously the woman is a robot, and so I wanted to choose something that not only all of us would enjoy but also something she could feel less reluctant and more pleased with the thought of eating. I also knew that she adores angel food cake. Since never making one, I set out to look around at how the process went. I familiarized myself, came up with a plan and then tried out my own version which now may be the ONLY cake I may ever make again! With the availability of delicious fresh summertime fruit this is an all-around perfect "Nana approved" dessert!

Ingredients for the cake:

1 dozen egg whites~ at room temperature. Seperate into mixing bowl and let sit for 30 min.

1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup sugar

1 cup unbleached flour

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla

Ingredients for the glaze:

2 cups of powdered sugar

1/3 cup of lemon juice

In a sifter or mesh strainer, sift the flour and powdered sugar into a mixing bowl. Whisk the sifted dry mixture for a bit to sift it even further.

Once you have seperated the egg whites and allowed them to sit, sift into them the cream of tartar and salt.

 

Turn the mixer gradually up to high speed and whip. Gradually add the 1 cup of sugar to the mixture until stiff peaks form.

 

Remove from mixer stand and fold 1/3 of the dry ingredients at a time and the vanilla.

*To fold, you scoop under the whites and lift up until all the dry ingredients are incorporated. Do not stir. Folding and stirring are two different methods. Stirring will deflate the air out of the whipped whites*

Add 1/4 cup to cupcake pans. This will be about 3/4 of the way up the side of the pan.

 

Bake at 345 degrees for 12 minutes and check with your finger. Continue baking another 3-5 minutes until cakes are just firm to the touch. They will not be very brown on top. Rest the pans for a minute and then remove the cupcakes onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

 

This made two dozen "cupcakes" and with the rest, I made a small loaf pan cake.

Now they should be completely cooled.

Stir the powdered sugar and the lemon juice together to make a thick glaze. If it's too thin simply add a bit more powdered sugar. If it's too thick just add a few more drops of lemon juice. Spread onto the cupcakes and loaf cake with a spoon. Top with berries and drizzle them with more glaze... and savor every last bite!

One last picture because it was just so so pretty! My sister, Marcy, helped me with the final touches and my brother, Evan, took this picture. It was a family affair! And we may or may not have topped this with freshed whipped cream....