Leona Lane

RECIPE | SPICED WINE

Saturday we had a pretty chill day at home, coffee and putting around in the morning, cleaning in the afternoon. We wanted to spice it up and get out in the evening. And since it wasn't raining!!... we decided to channel our Sylvia Beach Hotel experience. So I made up some spiced wine, grabbed some mugs and a blanket and headed down to the beach to watch the sunset. 

It's a super easy recipe!

INGREDIENTS

1 Bottle of Red Wine
1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Mulling Spices

DIRECTIONS

Pour wine into small pot. Turn heat onto low. Mix in brown sugar. Add mulling spices. Cover pot and let wine simmer for 20 minutes. Let cool slightly. Serve warm.

Hint : Tying it up in a small piece of cheesecloth or placing it in a tea infuser means you won't have to strain it when you're done.

BLACKBERRY CRUMBLE

Does anyone else have tons of blackberries growing everywhere around them? In Seattle, blackberry bushes are all around and this is the season to pick them! In early August they are ripe, juicy and plentiful. On any given evening we venture down the block with Lucy in the front pack and pick berries. She usually doesn't wait until we get home to start digging in, but instead reaches her chubby hands into the big bowl that we carry along.

So what to do with all the leftover berries, after Lucy gobbles them up? Make blackberry cobbler, that's what! Matt is on a mostly Paleo, gluten-free diet, so instead of making my usual cobbler, I opted for a healthier variety. This "made up" recipe actually turned out pretty good, so I thought I would share.

Ingredients:

  1.5 cups almond flour
  2 TBSP coconut oil or butter*
  1/2 cup gluten-free oats
  1 egg
  cinnamon
  2 pints of blackberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash berries well and place in a 9x9 pan. Mix together almond flour, egg, and coconut oil until the mixture is nice and crumbly. Add the oats to the mixture. Place the crumbly mixture on top of the blackberries and sprinkle generously with cinnamon. 

*My coconut oil was basically liquid because of the hot weather, so the mixture did not crumble very well. I think next time I will use butter. :)

This recipe is healthy and delicious. It is not super sweet because it does not have any added sugar. I think it would be excellent paired with vanilla ice cream! I hope you try a recipe like this if you have an abundance of blackberries in your kitchen. (We are out now...guess we need to go pick more!)

BLUEBERRY LEMON TART

Joe convinced me to make a blueberry tart over the weekend! I thought it would be extra perfect with a hint of lemon, so I came up with this concoction! It turned out awesome and is very easy to put together - even for you non-bakers out there! I hope you'll give it a try!! It's perfect for a summer get together!

Ingredients for Tart Shell
  2.5 cups of flour
  6 T sugar
  2 sticks of butter (16 T)
  1/4 tsp salt

Ingredients for Filling
  8oz softened cream cheese
  1/4 cup sour cream
  1/4 sugar
  1 tsp vanilla
  Zest of 1 lemon
  2 tsps lemon juice
  2 pints of Blueberries

Directions

Prep the tart shell first. This recipe makes enough for an 11 inch tart. Melt butter, let cool to room temperature. Place in a bowl, add the sugar and salt. Stir until combined. Slowly add in the flour, stir until well combined and no dry flour is left. Place in the bottom of the tart pan, press out with the palm of your hand or your fingers. Evenly cover the bottom of the pan and up the sides, making sure to press the dough into the indentations in the sides.

When the crust is even, cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer until cool to the touch (10-20 minutes). Preheat the oven while the shell is in the freezer to 350 degrees. Remove the plastic wrap, place the tart in the oven and let bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Then remove, and let crust cool. 

While the crust is cooling, mix up the filling. Place cream cheese in the bottom of a mixing bowl, beat on high until starts to become fluffy. Add in sour cream, sugar, vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice and mix until smooth. 

When the crust is cool, place the filling in the middle of the tart. Spread out to the edges with a spatula, until the bottom of the tart is evenly covered. 

Wash and dry blueberries. Arrange on top of the tart as desired! 

Printable version of Blueberry Lemon Tart Recipe.

FAVORITE SUMMER RECIPES

Well what do you know? Summer weather has finally made it to Seattle! It's supposed to be highs of 70-80s all week with no rain in the forecast! So exciting!! Nice summer days here make up for the other nine months of rain... so bring it on summer, we're ready for you! 

When summer rolls around, there are always a few tried and true recipes that I start craving. Yesterday, I whipped up a batch of couscous black bean salad for lunches this week. And next weekend, I'm hoping to have a get together with some friends and make a bunch of my other summer favorites! In honor of summer weather finally making its debut, I thought I'd round them all up and share them here (click on the picture to see the recipe). 

What are your favorite summer foods? I love anything and everything with berries or citrus. And anything Joe throws on the grill gets my vote too - hoping he makes a brisket next weekend ;)

Mason Jar Strawberry Shortcakes

I've been dying to whip up a seasonal dessert with strawberries! Yesterday, I came up with this little concoction in a pinch and thought I'd pass it along... In all seriousness, it took me less than 45 minutes to drive to the store, pick up the ingredients and throw it together. Easy peasy! ...and it's pretty, and delicious! 

INGREDIENTS

Angel Food Cake
Strawberries
Whipped Cream

DIRECTIONS

Get your mason jars ready, I used twelve 8 oz quilted mason jars.

Cut the angel food cake into bite size pieces. Wash and hull the strawberries, set aside six nice looking ones - cut the rest into bite size pieces. Cut the remaining six in half and set aside. 

Place a layer of cake pieces in the bottom of each jar. Gently press down to the bottom of the jar. Add a a layer of strawberries. Squirt some whipped cream on top of the strawberries. Repeat with another layer of cake pieces, strawberries and whipped cream. Then take half a strawberry and gently place on top. 

Keep in the fridge until ready to serve. I would recommend serving quickly after assembling since the whip cream will deflate. 

Easy right? Enjoy!