My husband and I have been doing the Whole30 eating plan (no sugar, bread, alcohol, dairy, beans, peanuts, soy for 30 days) since the end of February.  We both said, “how hard can it be?” Surprisingly, we felt great on the Whole30.  For a quick summary of this reset plan, click here. As a result, I am now trying new recipes that are gluten, dairy and grain-free.

As we slowly re-introduce food groups back into our routine, this is one of our favorite recipes.

I am a big fan of Monique from Ambitious Kitchen.  This is her recipe and it is gluten free, grain free, paleo, dairy free and it’s not too far off from the principals of the Whole30.  It takes only 15 minutes to prep and 45 minutes to bake and gives the kitchen that great “what-is-in-the-oven” smell.

It is the end of our citrus season so I am using the last of the lemons.  Who doesn’t like the pairing of lemons and blueberries?

Ingredients

Lately, I am using coconut and almond flour for many of my recipes.  Though these flours don’t allow your baked goods to rise like all-purpose flour, they are still tasty and do the trick. You can order these flours online or many stores have them in stock. For almond flour, click here; and coconut flour here.

Mixing it All Together

First step is to mix together all the dry ingredients.  In a separate large bowl,  you mix the wet ingredients, enjoying the fresh scents of lemon zest and juice. For the best zester ever, click here.

The only sweet ingredient in this recipe is maple syrup.  The first time I made this, I used a combination of maple syrup and raw coconut nectar and it worked equally as well.

Whisk the ingredients together.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients.  The consistency thickens quickly in reaction to the baking soda.

Fold in the fresh blueberries and put the batter into a parchment paper lined loaf pan.  I coated the parchment paper with an extra virgin olive oil non-stick cooking spray.

Now Baking

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes (however, I have a convection oven and mine was done at 35-36 minutes).

There is a glaze you can add.  On this loaf, I completely forgot and just served the bread as is.  The glaze is made with a berry jam (I used sour cherry jam), which adds a bit of pink.

The children love this loaf and have no idea it is a healthier version. For me, this bread provides just the right nibble with a cup of coffee or tea.  It also satisfies my need to bake occasionally!

Lemon Blueberry Bread from Ambitious Kitchen

While cleaning out the butler’s pantry, I am inspired to use one of the many sets of pots de creme from my collection. It is also the middle of citrus season here and lemons are abundant.

Pot de crème, plural pots de crème, (pronounced “poe da krem”) is a loose French dessert custard dating to the 17th century. The name means “pot of custard” or “pot of cream”,and refers to the porcelain cups in which the dessert is served. The place of origin is France and the main ingredients are eggs, cream, milk, vanilla, chocolate or other flavors.

I am hankering for something lemony so I pick fresh lemons from the orchard. After searching the internet and finding most recipes with heavy cream, I stumble upon one from Epicurious using 2% milk.  I love heavy cream, but my hips don’t.

This particular vintage set of pots de creme was made in Japan by JSC in the 1970s.  There are 6 white porcelain pots with gold trim and a tiny gold acorn on the lid. It also comes with it own tray. You can find different kinds of pots de creme on eBay at varying price points.

The custard is very easy to make.  Pour the hot custard into the pots and then refrigerate the set.  Even though the recipe makes 8, I am able to fully fill these 6 pots. 

Some recipes call for baking in a hot water bath in the oven, which was more labor intensive.  I want a quick, easy, light dessert and this one is the most simple.

After the custard cools down and is fully cold, I add a fresh blackberry, some lemon zest and a sprig of mint.  A dollop of whipped cream would be delicious too.

This light, refreshing lemon custard feels especially elegant in the pretty pots de creme.

It’s the perfect time of year to take advantage of fresh lemons. Now we wait for my friend, Sam to send me the calorie count! Enjoy!

Here is the Recipe for Lemon Pots De Creme from Epicurious.

A year ago today, I sent my first blog post of Life at Bella Terra.  It was an intimidating moment, because I thought “who would ever want to read this?”  I don’t consider myself a very good writer and I’m really trying to improve upon that.  But your words of encouragement have brought me back to the computer to post again and again.  If it wasn’t for your kindness and support, it would have been easy to just quit.  Thank you for your loyalty and feedback and comments. Truly. From the bottom of my heart.

Each time I send out an email letting you know I’ve created a new post, I am praying you find it interesting, enlightening or even motivating.  I try to share a small piece of loveliness in hopes that I can brighten your day. As I look out into the world, I believe we each need to find sources of joy and create our own beauty.  Whether it be feeling the warmth from a freshly picked tomato, or the scent of a homegrown flower, these moments of perfection can only help feed the soul.

Blogging for me, is a chance to stop and capture a sliver of time, an exquisite photo or a recipe that bursts with flavor. Plus it is forcing me to attack those cluttered corners of the house or undone projects while showing you my progress. But I can honestly say, I am still a long way from feeling confident about creatively illustrating that to you. But I will keep trying.

So here is a look back at the year and some of my favorite photos and posts.

My very first blog post was about the New York Times Bestselling author, Rhys Bowen and the fundraising English tea we had here at Bella Terra.

And other events we happily hosted here…..

Recipes shared…..

My Renovations and Restorations….

Travel and leisure…..

Decorating and Design…

The holidays….

Cleaning, Organizing, and Updating…

Sharing our home and yard….

My attempt at art….

Flower arranging..

Our pets…

And a few DIYs….

My online store….

There is still so much to learn, especially better photography, writing and getting my watermarks the same size on every photo.  So thank you again for following me and sharing my blog with others.

PLEASE send in your comments~~What area of interest would you like for me to expand? What are your favorite topics? How often should I post (trying to do a maximum of twice per week)? What can I do to be better for you?  My goals for the next year are to do a contest or giveaway and conduct a real survey into your likes and interests.

Here’s to one year and onto the next!! I couldn’t have done it without you.

 

 

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

With the coming of spring, I am calm again.  

Gustav Mahler

This weekend, I made a cup of my favorite coffee and enjoyed a stroll around the property.  You can definitely feel a difference in the air~~spring has sprung!

Our pool has become a love pond for a female and two male ducks.  Last week she had 3 suitors, but now the final two seem to be competing for her attention.  Lots of quacking and flapping of wings from the males as the female seems rather bored!

It’s also the time of year where the air is heady with the fragrance of orange blossoms (and grapefruit, lemon and all citrus) from our orchard.  What an intoxicating smell!

 

The Lady Banks roses which we planted years ago to hide an original chain link fence, has since turned into a thick, lush wall of green.  The pale yellow roses are just starting to bloom and soon will be a long blanket of yellow.

The scented geranium has lovely delicate purple flowers that stands out amid the fragrant leaves.

The grapevine is just beginning to show some foliage.  I will need to keep an eye out for those creepy bugs that destroyed all the leaves last year (see my post here about the Western Grape Skeletonizer).

Lavender does very well in our Phoenix climate.

We have a few succulents in our planting beds and the Cape Aloe, which is native to South Africa,  produces the most gorgeous orange-red spikes in the spring which attract hummingbirds.

The fruit trees are blooming-especially the apricots!

The peaches have already bloomed and are producing fruit!

We’ve had a strange hollyhock year.  Typically this is what you see growing in our yard in early spring, the seedlings sprouting from the earth.

But last year, my chiropractor, Dr. Diane, gave me some hollyhock seeds and I scattered them in various locations around the yard.  These plants have taken off and grown throughout the winter months.  They are huge and I feel a bit like Jack in the Beanstalk as these are over 8 feet tall.  Here is one plant that has taken over the well tower window.

They have such beautiful brilliant clusters of showy flowers.

The property is full of new spring colors.  The nasturtium adds a bit of bright yellow and various shades of green to the garden.

My father’s memorial garden (Pop Pop’s favorite spot) is showing fullness and growth with all the rain we received this winter.

And of course, here’s my trusty companion, Cooper, who follows me wherever I go!

For those of you who are hunkering down in the big snow storm, I hope you enjoyed a bit of spring at Bella Terra!

 

The orchard is full of fruit and flower buds are starting to appear!  We will need to glean the trees so the new buds have enough energy to produce a hearty crop next year. So the harvesting begins! So when life gives you lemons, bake!

The lemon tree, well, is not really a tree or a bush.  It is sort of a sprawling blob of green. I am sure it is decades old but it keeps producing wonderful fruit.  Not sure of its variety but year after year, this bush/tree gives up plenty of beautiful, fresh lemons.

Years ago, my friend, Joann Augur (who also now happens to be my art teacher), made a lemon cake for one of our Garden Hoes gatherings.  Yes, we were part of a group of gardeners called the Hoes and our husbands were the Hoses.   Garden humor.:)

Joann’s cake was so delicious I quickly asked for her recipe.  And even though it sat in my recipe book for years, I clearly remembered this incredibly tasty cake.   So in art class this week, I asked Joann’s permission to share her recipe.  After years of mentally tasting this cake, I finally made it with the abundance of lemons from our orchard.

First, cream the butter and sugar.  Add eggs, one at a time.

I LOVE my microplane/zester.  We received it as a gift and I can’t believe I’ve never had one before. Making lemon zest is so easy with this tool.

Add the zest to the sugar/butter/egg mixture.

Sift the dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl, combine lemon juice, buttermilk, and vanilla.  I didn’t have buttermilk and didn’t feel like making a special trip to the grocery store, so I made my own, using Emeril Laggasse’s homemade recipe.  You simply put vinegar or lemon juice (4 1/2 teaspoons) into one cup of milk and let it stand 15 minutes.  I decided to use lemon juice vs. vinegar since this is a lemon cake recipe.

Add the buttermilk combo and flour mixture alternatively to the sugar batter, beginning and ending with the flour.

Divide the batter into 2 loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to one hour (mine were done in 45 minutes in a convection oven).  While the cakes are baking, make the lemon syrup.

Cool the cakes for 10 minutes, remove from pans and place on a rack over a tray (cookie sheet).  Spoon the syrup over the cakes.  I also took a wooden skewer and added holes to the cake to help the syrup absorb even more.

Make the glaze and drizzle over the cakes.

This cake is SO yummy! According to Joann, this cake freezes well too.  Many thanks to Joann for allowing me to share this on my blog.

If you enjoy this post, please share on Pinterest.