Pineapple and Raspberry Upside Down Cake

I love summer! Have I mentioned that before? I just can't get enough of all the delicious recipes that come with the summer time: piña coladas, juicy hamburgers, fruity popsicles, s'mores, strawberry cakes... 

Pineapple upside down cake has been one of my favorite cakes for quite sometime now. I just adore the sweet syrup and pineapple chunks together on top of a spongy vanilla cake! Whoever invented this was an absolute genius! Unfortunately, i wasn't able to find pineapple or maraschino cherries anywhere, so here is my slight spin off a classic pineapple upside down cake. I hope you enjoy :)

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Ingredients

3 tbsp unsalted butter

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 can of pineapple rings or chunks, drained of the juice (keep the juice)

2 medium handfuls of raspberries (optional)

6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp table salt 

1/2 cup pineapple juice (that was strained from the pineapple rings can)

Ready, set, BAKE!

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut the 3 tbsp of butter into small cubes (about 1-cm by 1-cm) and place them on the bottom of your 8 x 8-in  or 11 x 5-in mold. Place the mold in the preheated oven until the butter is completely melted, about 5 minutes. Once out of the oven, immediately pour the packed brown sugar evenly over the melted butter. Take your pineapple rings or chunks and raspberries and place them over the melted butter and brown sugar (in your mold), set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, beat the 6 tbsp softened butter with the granulated sugar until creamy. Mix in the egg and pure vanilla extract.
3. In a smaller bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and salt together into the bowl.
4. In the butter and sugar mixture, alternate pouring in the flour mixture and the pineapple juice; starting and ending with the flour mixture. Mix until the batter is completely combined, no more, no less. Gently pour in the cake batter over the pineapples in the mold. Take a rubber spatula and carefully evenly spread out the batter. Bake for about  30-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
5. Let the cake cool down in the mold for 10 minutes before inverting it onto a wire rack to cool completely. I personally like to put the cake in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes after it has completely chilled to get nice and cold before eating.
Slightly adapted from the 'Cocina Criolla' cookbook

Mushroom and Four Cheese Quiche

I love making quiches! They are really simple to make and you can put just about anything in them and they will come out great! 

So, there are exactly 14 days left until I travel back to the U.S and I am over the moon with joy! I absolutely adore traveling, especially by plane! I like the whole idea of having to pack suitcases, driving to the airport, waiting in line to check-in the luggage. My favorite part though is watching the airplanes outside the huge glass windows while awaiting for my flight to be called. I don't however enjoy the lift off just because I start thinking of all the things that could go wrong, but once I am in the air I'm fine; as long as I don't start thinking that I am miles up in the air and that we could plummet down into the ocean...enjoy the recipe :)

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Ingredients
2 small yellow potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
1/2 an onion, chopped
2 eggs
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 container of Tartare spread or 2/3 cup garlic and herbes spread
1 200-g tuna can
3 tsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup gruyere cheese, grated
1/4 cup mozzarella, grated
10 small mushrooms, sliced
salt and pepper to taste
1 store bought or homemade quiche crust

Ready, set, COOK!
Fill a small saucepan 2/3 of the way with water and bring to a boil. Once the water has boiled bring it to a low simmer and place the potatoes and onions in the water. Drain the onions and potatoes once the potatoes are a bit soft.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a quiche dish with parchment paper and place the crust inside. Pre-bake the crust until very lightly golden brown.

In a medium bowl beat eggs until yolks are completely broken. Add the rest of the ingredients including the onions and potatoes into the bowl until combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared crust and bake for 40-50 minutes or until the mixture is fully cooked.

Wooden Spoon Wonders original (please linkback to this recipe if used on another website)

Nectarine, Mascarpone and Speculoos Tart

(sorry about the really bad quality of the picture. I couldn't get my camera to zoom 

and as you can tell the lighting was horrible)

Hello to all you foodies out there! So, today is the 4th of July and as I may have mentioned earlier this is when of my favorite holidays because of all the barbecues, picnics, block parties and fried dough! Yes, I said it fried dough with powdered sugar on top mm good!! On a healthier note, this nectarine tart is great for dessert at any type of get together with friends or family and I guarantee it will even be a hit with those picky eaters. I do recommend though using strawberries, blueberries, raspberries or blackberries not only to make it patriotic but I feel like using berries will make the tart more refreshing and summery. I hope you all enjoy your 4th of July and of course this tart! 

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Ingredients

    crust

45 speculoos cookies

100g unsalted butter, melted

    filling

1 8-oz mascarpone cheese container 

6 oz cream cheese

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

    topping

4-5 small nectarines, halved, pitted and cut into thin slices

1/4 cup peach jam, warmed (optional step)

Ready, set, BAKE!

Preheat the oven to 350°F.In a food processor, finely grind the cookies. Add the melted butter and blend until crumbs are evenly moistened. Press the crumbs over the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch diameter tart pan. You can use a measuring cup to ensure that the crust is even. Bake the crust until the color darkens, about 8 minutes. Cool completely. (The crust seem undercooked but it will harden as it cools)

Combine all the filling ingredients into a medium bowl and beat until smooth and well combined. Spread the filling in the cooled tart crust. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours and up to 1 day. 

Overlap the nectarines on top of the chilled filling in concentric circle. Brush the warm jam over the nectarines for a sweet and natural gloss. 

adapted from Annie's Eats

Apple Cinnamon Crumble Bars

What's that I hear? Fireworks exploding in the starry night and a huge bonfire crackling in the distance. The smell of fried dough swirling its way through the crowds of people sitting on blankets. That's right people, the 4th of July is just around the corner!! Now, I'm not much of a patriotic kind of gal but I love the 4th of July!!! I love that friends and families come together on this one day to have barbecues and play touch football, that people stand in their kitchen the whole day baking and cooking marvelous things; it all just brings a huge smile to my face. Of course all the planning and grocery shopping and cooking can be very stressful, but no need to fear I am here to help you in anyway possible. Which is why I have decided to start a '4th of July recipe box', so to say. At the top of the page you will find a tab named '4th of July' where I will be posting recipes, tips and ideas on how to plan the perfect 4th of July block-party, bbq party or just a simple family meal out in the sun. I hope you guys will find it all helpful and if you have any ideas or tips of your own you would like to share feel free to leave it in the comments below.
One more thing, I recommend eating one of these apple bars while it is still warm with nice scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. Mmm, it's just like the good ol' American apple pie without the hassle of making a perfect pie crust. Enjoy :)

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Ingredients

    sweet pastry 
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
    apple filling
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp cinnamon
3 medium (about 4 cups) golden delicious apples, peeled and sliced into thin wedges

Ready, set, BAKE!
1. Preheat oven to 350°F and butter the sides of a 9x13in baking dish.
2. In a medium bowl mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or with your hands until you have pea-sized crumbles. Gently pat down 2/3 of the crumbles into the prepared dish to make the crust. Set aside.
3. In another medium bowl combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon. Toss the apples in the cinnamon mixture.
4. Arrange the apples evenly throughout the prepare prepared crust. Sprinkle the left over crumbles over the apples.
5. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the crust and crumbles are golden brown. Allow to cool slightly before taking the bars out of the pan. Set them on a wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Raspberry Oat Crumble Cake

I absolutely adore dark chocolate and raspberries! Which is why I chose to make this cake for a nice lunch dessert. I changed it a bit so it would be to my liking, I hope you guys enjoy it too!

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Ingredients

   crumble

3 tbsp unsalted butter, cold

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup rolled oats

   cake

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cups granulated sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temp.

1 cup milk (any type)

1 tsp vanilla extract 

1 large egg 

80g dark chocolate, chopped

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen (thawed) raspberries

Ready, set, BAKE!

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and butter a 8 or 9 inch baking pan.

2. To make the streusel, beat the cold butter. Add the flour and sugar and beat with a wooden spoon or fork, until combined. Add the rolled oats and beat until chunky.

3. In a medium bowl stir the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt. 

4. In a large bowl beat the butter. Then add the milk, vanilla extract and egg and beat until combined.

5. Stir the flour mixture into the large bowl until fully combined. Take care not to over-mix.

6. Add the raspberry and chocolate chunks just until combined.

7. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

8. Chill completely before serving. Enjoy!

Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice

Who doesn't love freshly squeezed orange juice with their breakfast? Personally, it is one of my favorite things to drink in the morning. So yesterday, I opened the fridge looking for orange juice and I noticed we were all out! I was so disappointed but then I saw that there were a bunch of oranges, so I took my juicer and got right to it. 

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Ingredients

10 oranges, halved

1 lemon, halved

Ready, set, bake!

Juice the oranges and lemon until there is no more juice. Take the skin of the oranges and gently carve out the pulp (white part), taking care not to puncture the orange part of the skin. Serve the orange juice in the carved out orange skin cups. Enjoy :)

Mother's Day

1. A cute little windmill at the park. It kept on spinning so rapidly I thought it would snap off!

2. There is nothing like a beautiful batch of strawberries on a warm Spring day. 

3. Egg salad and tuna pico de gallo mozzarella sandwhich, yummy!

4. The strawberry was so pretty I just had to photograph it. 

I hope all of you had a wonderful Mother's day! We spent ours at a very big park on the outskirts of Paris. We had a perfect little picnic and spent the time laughing, telling stories and of course soaking in the sun. 

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Mother's day is just around the corner, so to help all of you out there with making this day special I decided to post this bread which is great for a Mother's day breakfast and dessert recipe. 

If you are planning on making breakfast in bed I highly recommend making this bread. Yes, it does take some time so you will have to make it the day before but let me tell you, it is completely worth it! Now, I don't say that about any old bread recipe because I have had my share of bread fiascoes but this recipe is pure and utter genius!! 

I highly recommend making french toast with this bread. It absorbs the milk and eggs and when you slice into the french toast mmm... it tastes likes heaven! I guarantee your Mother will be over the moon with homemade bread and french toast for breakfast. I wish you all a happy Mother's day and enjoy the delicious cinnamon-y smell that will be wafting from your ovens :)

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adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

6 tbsp butter
2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast 
2 large eggs 
1/3 cup sugar
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter, melted
1/3 cups sugar
2 tbsp cinnamon
1/3 cups raisins (optional, but I highly recommend using them)
1 egg and a dash of milk mixed together, for brushing
Softened butter, for smearing and greasing

Ready, set, BAKE!
1. In a medium saucepan melt the butter and milk together just until very warm, do not boil. Allow for it to cool until it is warm to the touch. Once how sprinkle the yeast over the top, gently stir it together and allow to sit for 10 minutes.
2. In  a medium bowl combine the flour and salt; set aside.
3. In a large bowl mix the sugar and eggs until combined. Pour in the milk mixture until combined. Gently pour in half of the flour mixture and stir until completely blended in. Pour in the remaining flour mixture and mix until you know longer can with your wooden spoon.
4. On a very lightly floured work surface, turn your dough and knead until smooth and is not longer sticky, about 5-7 minutes. You may need to add 1 or 2 more tablespoons of flour to reach that smooth consistency.
5. Wash the bowl you previously used for the dough and later fill it up with boiling water, for about 5 minutes. This will heat up the bowl and will help to the dough to rise.
6. Once your bowl is warm drizzle it with canola oil, then toss the dough in the oil until it is fully coated. Cover your dough and allow it to rise in a warm place for 2 hours.
7. Once risen, turn the dough onto the work surface (I did not flour it but you may if you need to). Roll the dough into a neat rectangle no wider than your loaf pan. Take the 2 tablespoons of melted butter and gently brush it over the dough.
8. In a small bowl mix the sugar and cinnamon together, then sprinkle it evenly over the butter-smeared dough. Now take the raisins and very gently press them just a tiny bit into the dough.
9. Starting at the end closest to you, roll the dough away from you, keeping it tight. When you get to the end pinch the seam to seal the dough roll together.
10. Take your loaf pan and butter it generously with softened butter. Place the dough seam down into the pan. Cover it loosely with plastic wrap and allow it to rise for another 2 hours.
11. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
12. Mix the egg and dash of milk, gently brush it over the top of the loaf.*
13. Place the loaf in the  middle rack and bake it for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown on the top.

*Note: You can use the remaining egg and milk mixture later to make french toast with the cinnamon bread.

Apple Cinnamon Bread Pudding

A big part of the French diet is bread and after having lived in France for awhile I now have found myself eating at least twice the amount of bread that I ate back in the States. How could anyone resist the urge of buying so much bread when you have a bakery at every street corner, literally. Which is why I have found myself sometimes tossing out bread that has gotten way too hard to bite through. The other day though, I was looking through recipes and saw a recipe for bread pudding. Genius! Yes, I found the very simplistic recipe for bread pudding utter genius. After having looked at a few more recipes I decided to dive right in, blindly. So for all of you out there with stale bread crying out to you every time you look at it here is a recipe that will turn that frown upside down. Enjoy :) p.s the bread pudding is at its best a few days after being baked.

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Wooden Spoon original 

Ingredients

1 loaf of your favorite bread that is stale, I used whole wheat sesame bread

4 cups milk 

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp ginger 

1/2 tsp cinnamon 

1 tsp vanilla extract 

3 slices of toast, un-toasted, cubed

1/3 cup brown sugar 

3/4 tsp cinnamon

2 golden delicious apples, cubed the same size as the bread

Ready, set, BAKE!

1. With a serrated knife, cube the loaf bread into 1-inch cubes. 

2. In a large bowl mix the milk, sugar, ginger, cinnamon and vanilla extract until completely combined.

3. Place the cubes of bread into the milk mixture and let them soak up the milk for about 35 minutes or until they have absorbed the desired amount of milk.

4. In a medium bowl mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together. Gently toss the cubed apples until completely coated; set aside. 

5. Add the cubed slices of toast into the milk mixture 5 minutes before removing the loaf cubes out of the bowl. 

6. Pre-heat oven to 350*F and butter a 9x12in pan. 

7. Once the 5 minutes are up, drain about 1/4 to a 1/3 cup of the milk mixture and discard. 

8. Pour half of the soaked bread and the remaining milk mixture into the prepared pan, then pour in half of the apples, then the bread cubes and lastly the remaining apples on top as your last layer.

9. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and the apples have softened. 

April Likes

1. I absolutely love this book! It is the cutest thing ever and it has wonderful recipes at the end of each chapter!
2. Yes, I waited in line for 15 minutes outside of a Ben and Jerry's shop. In my defense their Peanut Butter Cup ice cream is amazing! I highly recommend it.
3. 'Cocina Criolla' is about the best Puerto Rican cookbook out there! I recently made a flan using a recipe from this book and it came out delicious!
4. I recently learned about this street in Agueda, Portugal where they created shade by hanging a line of multicolored umbrellas. I can't wait for the day I get to visit this street.
5. Yes, I am mentioning ice cream again or actually gelato and it is the best gelato I have ever had. Best thing is, you can pick as many flavors as you want and they make it into a rose shape.
6. Loving these collectible Marc Jacobs coke bottles. I have currently collected 1/3.
7. Running. I have started running 10km races and I finally understand why a lot of people enjoy it. It makes you fresh and fit!