one of our favorites

I've made this Salt-Kissed Buttermilk Cake from Heidi Swanson at 101cookbooks.com a couple of times now with different fruits. The other morning I made it with some of the blackberries we picked. It's become one of our favorite breakfasts.It's not so much like a cake as it is a soft, sweet biscuit or shortcake. You can literally mix it up in 5 minutes flat, bake it for about 30 minutes, and then have it fresh out of the oven for a yummy breakfast...just like we did. You'll be glad you did!

Below is the recipe changed to what I actually do--the link above will take you to the original recipe. I must add one note--the large crystal sea salt and sugar that you sprinkle on top are what really make the cake. Don't skip that! And it's best served with a little dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream on top and a mug of strong coffee.

2 1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour (or white whole wheat)
1 T baking powder
1/2 c. sucanat (unrefined sugar)
1/2 t. salt
2 eggs
1 c. buttermilk
1/4 c. coconut oil (or melted butter)
zest of 2 lemons (I skip this if short on time)
about 1 cup of fruit (blackberries, blueberries, peach slices...)
1 T large grain raw sugar
1 t. coarse sea salt

Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Grease a pie dish.

Combine the flour, baking powder, sucanat and salt in a large bowl. In a separate smaller bowl whisk together the eggs and the buttermilk. Add to the flour mixture along with coconut oil and zest. Stir together until just combined--do not over mix.

Spoon the batter into the prepared dish. Place the berries in a circular pattern across the top of the batter, pushing them down into the batter. Sprinkle with the large grain sugar and then the salt. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until golden on top. Like I said before, serve it with some whipped cream and coffee!

blackberry picking

The kids and I braved the hot sun and picked 12 lbs of blackberries! Maddie, who I can normally count on to help me pick, did not add even one berry to my boxes. She ate every single blackberry she picked! And later on she asked, "Daddy, are blackberries made up of lots of little blueberries all squished together?"

what we did on Daddy's birthday

We bought him a new desk, lamp and such for his study. He loves his new set-up!

our favorite summer salad

Butter lettuce, fresh figs and gorganzola tossed in a light lemon vinaigrette of simply fresh lemon juice, olive oil, honey and salt.

We wait all summer for fresh fig season, and every year this salad never disappoints. (My photo might be lacking, but NOT this salad!)

bobe the musician

Caleb has taken to watching youtube videos.....of the symphony.

Yes, the symphony! He sat there the other day and watched the symphony playing Tchaikovsky again and again and again. Each time it ended, he replayed it. And among all of the instruments, what does he look for? You guessed it, the drums.

peppers

THIS beauty...

is our first of many peppers from our one pepper plant. I had a feeling when I bought just one pepper plant I might regret not buying 2 or 3. I do. But the good news is that our plant is covered with about 20 peppers, all at different stages of ripening. I love summer!

Caleb drew his first person.

I'm not sure which is my favorite part--the wild man hair or the big belly. When I pointed to the belly and asked Caleb what it was, he lifted up his shirt, pointed to his big belly and said, 'Dat' and then pointed to his belly button, 'and dat.' Little kid drawings are the best!