Rosemary and Olive Oil Cake

(w/meyer lemon jus)

It's tough not to love rosemary. We have three big rosemary bushes on our side yard that we are trying to turn into a hedge. The kids love being sent out with a pair of scissors to go cut off 3-4 tender rosemary sprigs for dinner. We love rosemary with pork, chicken, fish.... just about anything. I saw a picture of a rosemary and olive oil cake and had to try it. Chessa thought that a lemon sauce would go well with it and she was dead on. We had a couple of meyer lemons laying around and she whipped up this great little sugary jus. The sour/sweet was perfect with the cake. The kids actually thought that this was a tasty little dessert. Who would have known?

Ingredients
4 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Spray a 10-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

Using the whip attachment, beat the eggs in a mixer for 30 seconds. Add the sugar and continue to beat until the mixture is very foamy and pale in color. With the mixer running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Using a spatula, gently fold the rosemary into the batter.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes.

The cake is done when it is golden brown, springs back when touched, and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool briefly in the pan, then tip out onto a cake rack to continue cooling.

Smoked Salmon with Shallots, Capers and Fresh Chives

One of the FEW good things about having church at 12:30 pm on Sundays (I would prefer a 6:30 am start on Sunday to be done by 9:30.... but I can't get anyone else to agree with me on that) is that we have time in the morning to make a good breakfast. The kids were up way too early and ended up making their own breakfast. Chessa doesn't like smoked salmon or capers so I had to eat this one by myself.

A couple ounces of smoked salmon, a tablespoon of capers, one hard boiled egg (white and yolks finely chopped separately), a couple of tablespoons of shallots, some chopped fresh chives and a little freshly ground black pepper and you're done. Went nicely with a toasted bagel. My boys were wishing they had not eaten breakfast so early.... (they all got a couple of bites, so I think that I need to make more of this next time.

Heirloom Tomatoes with Baby Field Greens, Shaved Parmesan and Balsamic Glaze

The Temecula Farmers Market always has great produce. The boys and I went last Saturday after a morning swim workout to get flowers for Chessa. I couldn't resist getting these two huge heirloom tomatoes. One was a rainbow heirloom and the other was a persimmon heirloom. Nothing beats a really fresh ripe tomato right off the vine.

We had the missionaries and Chessa's parents over for dinner last Sunday and started with this simple salad. Just slice the tomatoes into 1/3" slices, drizzle with a little good olive oil, a sprinkling of sea salt, top with a slice of mozzarella and a small handful of field greens. Shave some parmesan, drizzle with a little more olive oil and sea salt and you're done... We added a few dots of balsamic glaze that added a little more sweetness to the salad.

It's all about the fresh tomatoes.