Dutch Apple Pancake, truly a show stopper!

The other day I made brunch for some friends. I wanted to WOW them, and I wanted to try something new. I had stumbled upon this Martha Stewart recipe a few months back, but hadn't had time to try the recipe. This was the perfect opportunity and it was worth the wait! Gooey, sweet, and filling, this eggy pancake made the brunch special and intimate. If you want to really make your guests feel special and serve them something that they truly would never find anywhere else, this is the dish to make!

Dutch Apple Pancake- from Martha Stewart

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Heat a well-seasoned 10-inch cast-iron skillet over high heat. Add butter. When melted, add apple wedges. Cook until softened and lightly golden, about 2 minutes. Stir in honey and cardamom, and remove skillet from heat.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients, except confectioners’ sugar, until smooth. Pour over apple mixture. Bake until puffed and brown, about 20 minutes. Slide pancake onto a serving platter. Serve immediately, cut into wedges, with confectioners’ sugar sifted over the top.

Suggestion: I didn't have cardamom, so I substituted cinnamon instead. It was delicious and paired with the apples perfectly!

Fresh and Fabulous- pasta pasta!

I love fresh food. I'm not a fan of many jarred foods, tomato sauce being one of them. My favorite way to eat pasta is to keep it light and fresh, adding delicious and juicy in season ingredients. For summer, my favorite go to pasta dish, and one that takes literally minutes to prepare is filled with lemony fresh basil, juicy tomatoes, rich and creamy mozzarella, flavorful garlic, and one of my favorite ingredients, heart healthy olive oil. These simple ingredients mixed with the goodness of whole grain pasta, leave me feeling satisfied knowing that I ate something fresh, healthy, and in season!

Simple Summer Pasta

1 box of pasta

3 tomatoes, chopped

A handful of basil, chopped

Fresh mozzarella, chopped

Two cloves of garlic, minced

A few tablespoons of olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Pick your favorite pasta and cook to the package ingredients. Make sure not to overcook, al dente is best for this dish! When the pasta is still hot, combine with chopped basil, tomato, mozzarella, olive oil, salt, and pepper. The pasta will cook all of the ingredients and the flavors will come together in a really nice way. Dig in while still warm and enjoy the simplicity!

Suggestion: Not interested in tomatoes, or other ingredients in this dish? Substitute them for your favorites. Use your imagination and then eat up!

Doughnut Plant- Moving in ASAP

I have always loved donuts. Soft, sticky, flavorful, and comforting, they are always delicious. So of course when I found out that I was going to be in New York City this summer, I knew that I had to go to the famous Doughnut Plant (Lower East Side).

Almost unexplainable, these donuts tasted nothing like the round pastries I have eaten my entire life. Many of the donuts were square and all were the freshest of fresh. I tried 4 donuts: Peanut Butter and Blackberry Jam, Creme Brulee, Chocolate Chaos, and Blueberry. Hands down, the peanut butter and blackberry jam donut was the best. Creator of the Doughnut Plant, Mark Isreal, designed a unique way of making square jelly donuts so that each bite has the taste of his freshly made jams.

This is the best donut of your life. It will leave you speechless, and chances are, you'll never look at a donut the same way again. Not only was it the best donut I have ever had, but I would go so far as to say it was the best peanut butter and jelly "sandwich" I've ever had too. Totally fresh tasting and full of interesting flavors, this is a donut worth the trek to NYC!

Suggestion: Even if you don't like jelly donuts/peanut butter, give this donut a try. It just might change your life.

Doughnut Plant

http://www.doughnutplant.com/