Cupcakes. Just say the word and you almost have to smile. I love cupcakes and have been getting better about the icing, so I seem to be making them with a little more regularity these days. It also helps that I’m not swamped with school and work and whatever else always seems to come up.

With summer here, I wanted something fresh and refreshing. I thought about strawberry or peach (one of those may be next) but I went with lemon. I love lemon flavor and since I had a number of lemons in the fridge that needed to be used quickly, why not go for lemon cupcakes. Perfect portions, convenient icing delivery system and easy to make.

Recipe:

• 1 stick butter (1/2 cup), softened
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 1/2 cup self rising flour
• 3 eggs
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Icing:

• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Heat over to 350. Using a mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light yellow in color and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and continue beating. Add lemon zest and juice and just combine. Add half the four and mix well, then add half the milk. Repeat. Add vanilla extract if using and mix all ingredients so they are combined but do not over-mix.

Use an ice-cream scoop (if available) and divide batter among a 12 cupcake pan, lined. Bake for about 18 minutes. Let cook completely before icing.

For the icing, combine lemon juice and butter in mixing bowl and beat on high until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, about a 1/3 cup at a time, scraping the side of the bowl about every 2-3 additions. Add the zest and combine well.

I just used a regular knife to ice the cupcakes, but you could pipe it on for a prettier effect. Candied lemon slices would also look fantastic on these, but I was going for simple and flavorful instead of really pretty. Maybe next time.

I was looking through my fridge and wasn’t sure exactly what to make. I tend to shop based on what I am going to cook, so there are few days with “extra” food in the fridge but I did manage to make a quiche.

Simple was the objective. I had a Pillsbury pie crust so I used that. For the filling I used onion, garlic, tomato and spinach.  I pulled out some cheese we had from the cheese chop and I went with one I can’t remember the name of, but it had a taste similar to cheddar but with a slight parmesan note. The egg was just egg, yogurt, salt and pepper. Again – simple.

Recipe:

• 1 pie crust
• 1/4 onion, sliced thin
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 tomato, chopped
• ~2 cups baby spinach
• cheese to taste
• 4 eggs
• 1 container plain Greek yogurt
• salt and pepper

Par bake the pie crust in a 400 degree oven for about 8 minutes. While this is baking, prepare the filling. Once out of the oven, reduce heat the 350.

In a pan over medium heat, cook onions, stirring frequently until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for one minute more. Season with salt and pepper. Add tomatoes and cook 2 minutes then add spinach and toss until wilted. Remove from heat.

In a bowl, mix eggs and yogurt. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.

Crumble cheese (cheddar would work really well here, but use what is on hand) over the bottom of the pie crust. Add vegetable mixture, then another layer of cheese. (This sounds really cheesy, but I think I used about 2 ounces of cheese total – I could have used more, maybe a quarter cup) Pour egg mixture over and shake pie plate to set.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 35-40 minute, just until set. Cover part way through if crust browns to prevent burning. Remove from oven and let rest 5-7 minutes. Slice and serve.

Every now and then I come up with a flavor combination that just works. This pizza is one of those. We have a spot in the cafeteria at work that will do to order personal pizzas and on one of those days when I forgot lunch, I grabbed a pizza and came up with this combination. I then recreated it at home and its just as good.

Usually I make my own crust using a Rick Bayless recipe for the dough. But I was going for simple here, so Pillsbury to the rescue – instant pizza dough. The Rick Bales recipe is better, but it’s been a hectic month (yes, I know it’s still early).

Sauce is pesto. I went with a classic basil pesto with almonds, garlic, cheese and lemon for the sauce. I like the really garlic-y nature of the pesto and made it a little thinner than I usually do so it would spread easily.

Toppings are simple – spinach and sun-dried tomatoes. That’s it, nothing else. Handful of spinach leaves and some chopped sun-dried tomatoes gives you a bright, yet earthy flavor. I thought about kale for the homemade version since I have so much in the garden, but really, the spinach is best.

Cheese should always be classic – mozzarella and a little Parmesan. I did try with gruyere once, but the classic pizza cheese works best.

The best compliment I got on this pizza came from a student and a coworker who each asked for a piece and then exclaimed how good it was despite having no meat on it. For die-hard meat eaters, that was high praise indeed.