as many of you already know, i am most definitely NOT a baker. but every now and then, i get an idea or an urge to bake up something very specific. and last friday, i couldn’t get the idea of a strawberry lemon cake with sweet almond crumble off my mind. so i winged it! it turned out AMAZING and i hope you all make it. OH - the base is a box mix. so it really couldn’t be easier.
when is the last time you had egg salad? just wondering cause wil and i had egg salad sandwiches for dinner thursday night and i think it is a severely underrated food. easy to make, full of protein, and great on a sandwich or just with crackers! (i know some people are all “EWWW” about egg salad, but let me ask you something: do you like deviled eggs? basically everyone i know likes deviled eggs. well egg salad is THE SAME THING, basically.) just give it a try.
strawberry-lemon cake
this would be the perfect thing to make for Easter. it’s so yummy, sweet but not too sweet, and has a good balance of vanilla and lemony-ness.
i used a bag of partake baking mix (got it from misfits market!), but you could use any plain cake mix. my mix did not have sugar in it, so i added sugar based on the box suggestions. if your mix already has sugar, don’t add any!
cake ingredients:
2.5 cups yellow cake mix or baking mix + sugar if called for on box
5 oz (1 container) berry yogurt (i use siggi’s plant based)
1/2 cup milk (i used oat milk)
1 tbsp vanilla
1 egg
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
2 cups of strawberries, chopped
zest of 1 lemon
topping:
1/2 cup plain slivered almonds
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of fine salt
1 tbsp lemon zest
glaze:
juice of 1/2 a lemon
4 tbsp powdered sugar
how to make it:
set oven to 350 (or go by your box directions)
melt coconut oil.
whisk together egg, yogurt, vanilla and milk.
add that to your dry mix and combine.
add the coconut oil.
chop the strawberries and add those in, then add the zest of your lemon.
pour the mixture into a cake pan lined with parchment paper.
combine all topping ingredients and sprinkle evenly on top.
put your cake in the oven for 25 minutes.
make your glaze — combine lemon juice and powdered sugar.
take the cake out, and poke holes in it with a chopstick or knife.
drizzle the glaze on top.
let cool for a few minutes, then eat and enjoy!
salad dressings
we tend to make our salad dressings rather than buy them — we do buy ranch and caesar sometimes… though i do have an epic recipe for caesar dressing that i came up with last year… need to share that soon! and i do love making a variation on the couple cooks green goddess dressing as well! (it’s so good on EVERYTHING). so i wanted to share our easy dressings that we whip up! also, my cousin chelsea made an amazing salad last weekend so i asked her to share hers as well!
wil’s lemony dressing:
juice of 1 lemon (1 part)
2 parts good olive oil
a couple grinds of black pepper
a generous amount of special salt
** this dressing is amazing on a simple salad with crisp butter lettuce or romaine, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, and feta**
chelsea’s balsamic dressing:
“my basic foundation is:
flavored balsamic vinegar or balsamic vinegar and some fruit juice
olive oil
minced garlic
pinch of sugar
salt
pepper
red onion chopped and put into the dressing to calm the bite”
lauren’s dijon shallot dressing (so good on kale)
2 tbsp. dijon mustard
1 lemon, juiced (1 part)
1/2 shallot, minced
good olive oil (2 parts)
coarse salt and cracked black pepper
egg salad is so good!
and it’s so easy! boil some eggs, let them cool, then take the shell off and cut them in half. separate the yolks from the whites, and put the yolks in a bowl. chop up the whites, then add them to a separate bowl. finely dice a few dill pickles, add them to the egg whites. to the yolks, add some mayo and dijon and mash with a fork. add that mixture to the whites and pickles. add some more mayo if needed, then add salt and pepper. yum!! (you could also add some chives, green onions, dill, or parsley!)
so good on toast, as a sandwich, or with crackers.