Back in the spring when I was at the nursery picking out some herbs to plant in my garden I had a list of must have herbs. I found everything I needed, but then went back when I noticed a larger pot of mint that I had grabbed. I use a lot of mint in the summer so I grabbed it and put the smaller one back. Yes, mint grows quickly, but bigger is always better, right? I got home and noticed much to my dismay that in my haste, I grabbed lemon balm, not mint! While I like lemon balm, it isn’t something I always use. So, I did what anyone would do. I took to the internet in search of recipes to use lemon balm with. I was going to need use up a lot since I had such a large plant and I can only drink so much infused water and tea!

We’ve been in high gear making jam this year, so much that we’ll probably skip next season! I had to add this one last jam because we didn’t have anything using raspberry and it’s one of our favorite berries. I loved the idea of infusing the sugar with the lemon balm and creating a natural, simple flavor. I first tried the recipe without using the additional lemon juice since the original author never advised when to use it, but the lemon flavor didn’t shine through. The sugar was heavily fragrant, but somewhat lost in the cooking process. Then, I thought I’d try just the lemon juice since the lemon balm had been lost originally, but that didn’t produce the results I wanted either. The final result is a lovely raspberry jam that has a hint of lemon that is perfect. It doesn’t overpower the raspberry, rather bring out the freshness of the summer’s bounty.

Raspberry Lemon Balm Jam

Ingredients

• 1 bunch (about 1 – 1 1/2 cups) lemon balm, flowers removed
• 4 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 lbs Red Raspberries
• 1 lemon, juiced

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Combine the lemon balm and sugar in a covered dish and leave overnight. The longer you allow it to sit, the more fragrant it will become.

When you are ready to prepare the jam, sterilize your jars, lids, and anything else you will be using.

Place the raspberries in a non-reactive pot and simmer gently on low heat for 10 minutes or until the fruit it tender and has released their juices. Using a spatula, press the raspberries against the bottom of the pan to help this process along.

Place a fine mesh sieve over a bowl and pour 1 cup of the cooked raspberries. Add the strained mixture back into the pot. *If you prefer a seedless jam, then strain all of the raspberry mixture through the sieve.

Remove the lemon balm from the sugar and add it to the pot with raspberries. Stir continuously over low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Once the sugar has dissolved, bring to a rapid boil for 10 to 15 minutes or until the mixture reaches 220 F on a candy thermometer.

Remove from heat and add the lemon juice. Allow the mixture to cool for a 2 to 3 minutes. Pour the jam into you jars and then wipe the surface of each jar clean and top with hot lid and band. Close snugly, but not too tightly. Process in a water bath for 10 minutes.

Remove jars and allow for them to cool in a spot where they will not be moved or bumped. As the lids seal, you will hear that lovely popping sound. Check all of the lids after 24 hours to ensure a good seal. The lids should not flex back and forth.

Yields 4 pint jars.

Adapted from Yummly, originally from Thistle Confections

This past weekend I celebrated my 35th birthday. Normally, I sit amongst a pile of recipes and decide which cake I want to tackle for my birthday. I try to choose something challenging or something that I prefer but the rest of my family may not. It’s my day, isn’t it? This year, I had a difficult time choosing. I’ve had a lot going on and I just didn’t feel up to it. I haven’t let the cat out of the bag on here yet, so I suppose it is time. I’m expecting my second child this November, a baby boy. (If you haven’t noticed the decrease in postings, it’s this guys fault for draining my energy and appetite!) While things have been going smoothly, I was just too tired this week to think about dessert. We’ve been trying to cram in every last bit of summer into our lives with my daughter, take care of a lot of things on our  “To-do” list, and I’ve had that Smart Balance contest looming over my head.

What I wanted was something easy, something simple, and something that would taste delicious. I went back to my childhood and chose what I think of as the classic combination, yellow cake with chocolate frosting. Whether you make a cake or choose to do cupcakes, this flavor combination is a classic for a reason. My go to yellow cake recipe, that I love and will one day post on here, is a bit involved. The texture and flavor are great, but I didn’t have the energy to to a lot of tedious steps. I wanted something I could make ahead of time, including frosting and stick in the refrigerator when we were ready to enjoy it. I wanted to spend more time with my family and less in the kitchen. Enter this recipe! I remember reading about it and I read through the instructions and was very happy with how easy it was. Dirty two bowls for the cake, and one for the frosting. Everything could be made ahead of time without losing flavor or texture. The cake was easy enough to make, I made it while my husband and daughter ran a couple of errands one evening and the frosting was easy as well. When my husband came in he commented on how good the frosting smelled. This was about as easy as you can get and you skip using that box recipe!

So, as I sit here contemplating my 34th year and what I hope for my 35th, while enjoying a big slice while my little one takes a nap, I am thankful. I am thankful for a wonderful husband and daughter, a healthy son on the way, a great family, and supportive friends and you readers who have really pushed me the past year to build this blog. Your support and my eventual win in the Smart Balance contest really humbled me, I am so grateful to all of you. I love cooking and baking, but I have found enjoyment in sharing these recipes and stories with you as well. I look forward to this next year, of building and growing, and probably a lot of chaos!

So, on to the recipe that you should add to your arsenal for a quick, no-fail yellow cake. No more excuses, skip that box and make this! Believe me when I tell you there was silence while my family devoured this cake! It’s moist, delicious, and you can’t go wrong.

Yellow Butter Cake with Chocolate Frosting

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing pans
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting pans
• 1 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups milk

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For the frosting:

• 1 lb. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 6 Tbsp boiling water
• 6 Tbsp Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• Pinch of salt

To make the cake:

Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Line the bottoms of two 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper. Butter and flour the edges of the pans, tapping out the excess. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, and salt with a whisk and set aside.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, add the butter and sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed. With the mixer still running, add an egg in one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla. Turn the mixer on low speed and add the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the milk. Bet each addition just until incorporated.

Divide the batter between the prepared baking pans. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through baking, until the cakes are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and allow to cool for 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pans to help remove the cakes. Invert the cakes onto the rack and peel off the parchment. Let the cakes cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting:

Place the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and heat at 30 second increments until melted, stirring between each cycle. Make sure not to cook the chocolate too much! Allow the chocolate to cool to room temperature, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the cocoa powder and boiling water in a small bowl and stir until the cocoa is dissolved.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat the butter, confectioners’ sugar, and salt on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the melted chocolate and beat on low speed until combined, 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in the cocoa mixture until well blended. If your frosting is a little too runny at this point to frost your cake, allow it to cool and firm up before applying it to your cake.

To assemble the cake:

Level the cake halves if necessary. Dab a small amount of frosting on your cake platter and to act as “glue” and place one of your cake layers on top. Top with 1 cup of the chocolate frosting and smooth over the top of the cake. I had leftover frosting so you can probably be more generous with your middle layer if you aren’t doing any piping work with the frosting. Top with the remaining cake layer. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting as desired. I say take it easy and just smooth it on top, leave the intricate frosting work for another cake! Refrigerate, covered, for up to 3 days. Let the cake come to room temperature at least 30 minutes before serving.
Source: Martha Steweat’s Baking Handbook, as seen on Annie’s Eats

I was having a bad day the other day and just couldn’t seem to fix it. No matter what I did, things just wouldn’t go right. Luckily, my daughter was being really good. So, since I couldn’t accomplish much else, I decided to whip these popsicles up. When life hands you lemons, you have another option now rather than just lemonade! Honestly, nothing cheers me up more than the smell of lemon and while I was calming down and zesting the lemons, I could feel myself relax. Aroma therapy at work!

Lemon Popsicles

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• zest from 2 lemons
• 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

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In a small pot, combine the sugar and water and heat until the sugar has dissolved, stirring frequently. Add the lemon zest and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Once cooled, pour the sugar mixture through a strainer over the bowl of lemon juice. Stir the strained sugar mixture and lemon juice and set aside.

Pour the lemon juice into each popsicle mold. Freeze for approximately 30 minutes and then remove the molds from the freezer and place a popsicle stick in each mold. Put the popsicles back into the freezer and freeze for 1 to 2 hours.

When you are ready to serve, let hot water run over the popsicle mold for 10 seconds. To store your popsicles, wrap in wax paper and store in a plastic container in the freezer.

Makes 10-12 popsicles

Adapted from The Way to His Heart & Two Fat Als

Voting for Smart Balance’s “Battle of the Bloggers” ends this Sunday, Aug 11th at midnight. While this is absolutely a last plea for votes, it’s my birthday tomorrow the 10th so it would be a lovely gift, this post is also a huge thanks for all that have voted. I just wanted you to all know just how much I appreciate each and every vote. You never know how you’ll do in these types of contests and to see that I have received over 4,000 votes is huge, regardless if it is first or second place. I owe it all to my readers, friends, and family, and no matter what happens. I appreciate it! It’s been a long contest and you’ve endured my many posts and tweets about it!

So, as of this post, you each have 3 more votes you can get in. I know the weekend is tough for everyone because everyone wants to enjoy their time off (or is stuck at work, boo!) but if you could all at least vote today, I’d be grateful! The details: You no longer have to “share” your post on Facebook. You also do not need to release your friend list or share your information. You will be entered to win some great prizes as well! With all of these votes, I’m truly hoping at least one of you guys is a winner!

Vote for my Lobster Roll Cups at Smart Balance on Facebook! #battleofthebloggers

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Have a wonderful weekend!

~Meg