A cooking special

The only real new years resolutions I have pertain to this blog. I'll be making topic categories for everything I do as well as become a more faithful blogger. 
It's no secret that Northern Idaho is probably my most favorite place on Earth. Yes, it can be boring for a roamer such as myself, but at the end of the day, it's the perfect HQ. Today the family spent the late morning and early afternoon on separate culinary quests. Josh helped my dad brew some beer while I spent a good portion of the day pandering my lemon cakes and making cheese ball. 

Measuring the hops. They smell like skunk.

Wort.

One of the best memories made on this entire vacation was made with Miss Diane and her family. Josh and I stayed for a day and a half and it was there that I achieved optimal relaxation levels. I will admit now that as an arctic tundra native, I have never seen a citrus tree before. If  you haven't either, they look like this...

I took this picture outside of Lake Elsinore, CA
on Josh's old property. 

Pretty cool, no? Miss Diane had an orange and lemon tree in her backyard that I couldn't get enough of. As we were preparing to leave, she let me pick a whole sack full of the most beautiful, fragrant and intensely yellow lemons I had ever seen. I knew exactly what to do with them. Lemon cake, and art reference of course.

But first lemon cake because food can be immediately appreciated. I always use Ina Garten's recipe. It has never failed me and always receives fabulous reviews. 

Ina Garten's Lemon Loaf

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
• 4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup grated lemon zest (6 to 8 large lemons)
• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided
• 3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the glaze:

• 2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 3 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 (8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch) loaf pans. You may also line the bottom with parchment paper, if desired.

Cream the butter and 2 cups granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, and the lemon zest.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, combine 1/4 cup lemon juice, the buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour. Divide the batter evenly between the pans, smooth the tops, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar with 1/2 cup lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves. When the cakes are done, allow to cool for 10 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans and set them on a rack set over a tray or sheet pan; spoon the lemon syrup over them. Allow the cakes to cool completely.

For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and the lemon juice in a bowl, mixing with a wire whisk until smooth. Pour over the tops of the cakes and allow the glaze to drizzle down the sides.

It was a hit. Like my brother so wisely said, "When life gives you lemons, make cake."