Strawberry Corn Cakes with Brown Sugar Whipped Cream - Guest Post featuring Bellabits!

Spring is most definitely spreading her wings and bringing gorgeous, sunny skies to Southern California.  With spring, comes two of my favorite things... strawberries and spring break.

As we eased back into real life today, the kids reflected on our fairly inactive and much needed restful break, wishing themselves back into dreamland with no schedule.  Alas... the break is over and it's back to school and the regularly scheduled schedule.

Not everyone was spending their break kicking back and relaxing though.  I'd like to introduce you to my favorite almost-teen blogger, Bella, of Bellabits, who spent her spring break in the kitchen and at the computer writing a Guest Post for us.  A 2011 Young Writer's Program winner, Bella brings a fresh voice to her blog and shows off her talent in the kitchen.

Who can resist a girl who in 2010 wrote about a Christmas shopping spree proclaiming her favorite stop William's Sonoma?  Coming home with a Vanilla Bean Paste she was eager to get back into the kitchen, just like she did on Spring Break 2012.

I can't thank Bella enough for sharing her sweet Strawberry Corn Cakes with Brown Sugar Whipped Cream with all of us.  You can find her on Bellabits and the Bellabits Facebook page.  She's also on twitter at @IamBellabits.

While I've never actually met Bella in person, I've enjoyed watching her blog grow over the last few years and I'm eager to see where she takes us next.  But for now I give you Bella and her sweet Strawberry Cakes...

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Oh my goodneshhh!!  Hello everyone, its Bella!!!

OK so I was doodling what might become Bellabits' new logo, and looking for blogging inspiration, flipping through some of my favorite Food Network Magazines.  These are always packed with SCRUMDIDDLYUMPTIOUS recipes, and I happened to stumble upon a delicious looking one of them: Strawberry Corn Cakes! Yummy right?

I've got to tell you that I have been on a cornbread kick lately.  My Mom never made cornbread much, but this last winter, we started making it instead of rolls with dinner, as breakfast (cornbread pancakes) and dessert (buttered brown sugar cornbread).  So, right then and there, I decided that we absolutely needed to make them.

We followed the oh-so-easy recipe making a few tweaks here and there.  Instead of lemon zest, we added orange zest, instead of vanilla extract, we used (my favorite) vanilla bean paste, and for an extra special topper, we made a fresh brown sugar whipped cream instead of the plain whipped cream in the original recipe. Using a cornbread mix really made this quick and easy too.

  

Here I am spooning the corn cake mix into the muffin pan after preparing it using the directions.  I pop them into the oven and make my strawberry filling/topping.

With about 5 min left to bake, take out the corn cakes, make an indention in them with the back of a spoon, and put some of the strawberry filling into each one.  Stick the cakes back into the oven for the remaining time. They will be golden.

Once cool, add the remaining berry mixture and a giant dollop of the brown sugar whipped cream on the side. The end result: A delectable, fruity dessert!!!

When I first bit into one of the cakes, a sensational sweet-tart, warmness put a smile on my face. The cornbread muffin is substantial and quite filling. Make sure to add some of the whipped cream to your spoonful, to make it cool and sweet and moist. My mouth is watering just writing about it!!! This is a recipe that all of you guys NEED to try!!!

Nutella Biscotti

Every once in a while one runs into a recipe that stays with you.  A recipe that can't be forgotten, a recipe that is returned to over and over, and then over again.

Two months ago when faced with the task of providing dessert for nearly 125 people, I put out a plea for help on our Liv Life Facebook Page.  What to make?  It had to be good, it had to be fairly easy, it had to be portable, and it had to make big batches so as to feed a lot of people and prepared in my limited time schedule.

My friend Laurie suggested biscotti, but I didn't have a recipe handy.  Kim, from Arizona, suggested cupcakes and even left a quick recipe to prepare.  Hester suggested a trifle, but as good as it sounded, I knew I couldn't make that work for this event (transport issues).  And lastly Becky suggested her Fight Back Brownies, which had Liv's vote, but time issues led me back to biscotti.  Shortly thereafter, Susi, of Susi's Kochen Und Backen Adventures, posted a link to her Nutella-Pistachio Biscotti and I knew this was IT.

Perfect for the large event in every way, I began making the biscotti days before they were needed.  Biscotti keeps wonderfully, and tasted even better a day or two after baking.  Portable?  Absolutely!  Simply placed into a zip top bag, these beauties moved beautifully from my house the the theater with very little to no damage and were easy to showcase in a pretty tissue lined basket.  Large Batches?  Again, absolutely.  With no less than 30 cookies (more if you cut them thinner) per batch, 5 batches did the trick for my 125 mark with extra to spare.

And last but not least, taste.  Were they good??  Good doesn't even begin to describe these irresistible treats.  Let me just say that people who don't eat carbs came back for 4ths and kids who don't eat biscotti have been asking me when I am going to make more.

Perfect for a bakesale, picnic, potluck or just plain breakfast, I've made these biscotti so many times since finding the recipe that I have the recipe memorized.  That's saying something.

Mango Cheesecake

Mango Cheesecake... light, silky, and utterly irresistible.  Hued with pale orange and combined with a delicate mango twist, our Easter 2012 dessert left hints of the tropics on our quickly emptied plates.  Not as dense or rich as many cheesecakes, even my "I can't eat cheesecake" husband cleaned his plate after telling me his piece was far too large.

Epicurious provided the base recipe for this luscious treat which I adapted to our tastes with a few changes.  Watching my waistline as we enter spring and feeding the diabetic grandparents, we reduced some of the fat as well as some of the sugars from the original version without sacrificing any of the taste or texture.

Trader Joe's provided an unexpectedly perfect crust with crushed "Cat Cookies" combined with butter and a touch of brown sugar.  A household favorite for years, I pulled our ever present container off the shelf when I realized I had forgotten to even think about a crust ingredient for our cake.  Low in fat themselves, they suited my "healthier" dessert path and produced a crust I will now be using regularly.

Reviews on the original recipe brought many comments of "not much mango flavor", and I have to agree, the mango flavor is light.  Reviewers commented that fresh mangoes actually brought the least amount of flavor, while frozen and canned mango chunks or pulp seemed to kick it up a notch.  And though I had 3 beautiful, fresh, champagne mangoes ripe on the counter, I turned once again to Trader Joe's with a bag of frozen mango chunks from my freezer.  Easily pureeing the chunks into that beautiful orange hued blend, a squeeze of fresh lime juice provided just the touch to intensify the flavors.

Producing a beautiful mango kissed cheesecake, the puree brought a delicate and not extremely pronounced mango flavor, but a light springy dessert that perfectly suited our Easter meal.  Served with fresh fruit, this dessert is one that has left us wanting more.

Strawberry Oatmeal Jam Bars and the Carlsbad Flower Fields

Ahhh, Spring.  Everything seems to wake up this time of year.  Butterflies flit about freshly planted gardens, early birds try to one up each other while catching that poor worm, and Mother Nature's bounty stretches its leaves skyward while bringing the brilliance of color back into our lives.

Carlsbad, California provides its own color show at the Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch.  Devoting 50 acres to the cultivation of the Tecolote^® Giant Ranunculus, springtime brings ribbons of spectacular colors stretching behind the Carlsbad Outlet Mall just off of I-5.

From mid-March through early May the beautiful Ranunculus transform the otherwise dry coastal hills into fields of coordinated color.  A working farm, the flowers themselves are harvested for market, while the plants work to produce additional bulbs which will also be harvested and some replanted.

Flowers of white, yellow, orange, red, pink and purple are grown in the rows providing the brilliant colors, and anyone can walk along the paths through the fields for a close up look.  A highly popular tourist attraction, many locals also make annual visits to the flower fields and have years of flower photographs documenting the growth of the kids (I'm one of those locals).

Rumor has it from some of my native Carlsbad friends, that the fields used to be just that, fields, not an attraction.  Many have fond memories of running through the brilliant colors while playing hide and seek amongst the flowers.  Today, however, one needs a ticket ($11 for adults - but check for deals or use your AAA card) to enter the event.  The property, though, includes so much more than flowers.

A must stop, is the Sweet Pea Maze lined with my beloved sweet pea blossoms.  Seemingly easy to navigate, even adults will make a wrong turn or two as they maneuver through the fragrant rows of flowers.  Taking my Girl Scout Troop to the fields a number of years ago, the girls spent over an hour running through the maze, re-entering after completion and then helping others who seemed to be lost.  Always a popular stop for kids and adults alike.

Another favorite stop has always been the "Carlsbad Mining Company" where kids of all ages can try their hand at sluicing for treasure just like the original California 49ers.  Liv still has a box filled with polished rocks from her years of mining adventures at the fields.  Put on by a local Gemological Society, the volunteers are always smiling and eager to help identify what rock or gem your particular treasure has born.

While walking through the fields is indeed a treat, little ones as well as elderly visitors may have difficulty navigating the dirt paths and hills.  Luckily, antique tractor wagon rides are available allowing everyone to get around the property.  Yes, the rides to come at a $5 fee, but the kids have always loved them and for those not desiring a walk the antique wagons are a fun option.

Entering the property, kids will be given a "passport", a little booklet directing them around the property.  To keep the little ones motivated and moving, stations have been set up throughout the event where you can stamp your passport.  Fill up your book with stamps and you get a discount at the Mining Company when you pan for your treasure.  Kids seem to run from station to station so excited to get the next stamp.

Exiting through the Armstrong Garden Center at the foot of the fields one has the opportunity to purchase their own bulbs or blooming plants in addition to buying a little taste of Carlsbad.  Jams, sauces, and honey from some of our favorite local restaurants are also available in the Garden Center.  Spice up your grilled chicken with Pizza Port's Carlsbad Chronic Bar-B-Que Sauce or perhaps you would prefer Stone Brewing Company's Levitation Ale version.  The Carlsbad Gourmet will heat up your eggs with a dash of Caliente Hot Sauce, or you may prefer to sweeten up your morning bagel with a dollop of Strawberry Lilikoi Spread.

Leaving the fields yesterday, I simply couldn't pass up that Strawberry Lilikoi Spread, and sweeten up our day it did.  A simple oatmeal bar spread with the jam and then baked with an additional crumble over the top brought spring right into our kitchen.