Wildflower - Queen Anne's Lace

Very pretty....

Yellow Finches at my birdbath....

After the rain......

Sunflowers

Took some pictures of  these beautiful giants that a neighbor has growing in their front yard... absolutely gorgeous! 

In the garden.....

Excitement in the garden; lots of tomatoes are ripening.  

Flowers here and there in the neighborhood....

Butterflies at my Butterfly Bush....

In the kitchen... Tomato Mozzarella Salad

Had enough cherry tomatoes in my garden today to make my favorite salad; Tomato Mozzarella.  The fresh basil really add lots of flavor to this salad.  

What's cooking in my kitchen....

Putting  together a Eggplant Parmesan this morning.  It can be a very time consuming dish, but you can make the sauce ahead of time and cut up your cheese.  I love that it calls for a whole cup of basil which get from my garden.  I've made this dish several times before and getting better at it.  Looking forward to eating this tomorrow. 

In the garden....

My only sunflower.  It looks like something ate all the rest of what I planted.  This happened last year as well.  I was glad to see that one made it so that I could enjoy its beauty.     

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Pound Cake w/peanut butter glaze

I have been wanting to try making this pound cake for quite some time.  I was disappointed with the results due to my oven that wasn't working well and obviously needs to be looked at.  It tasted great actually, but the bottom was a little over done since the oven couldn't keep the temperature at the proper setting.  I made this and some of my chocolate chip cookies for the neighborhood swim team concession this evening.       

chocolate chip peanut butter pound cake w/ peanut butter glaze

Yield: 12 to 14 servings

Prep Time: 25 min

Cook Time: 1 hr, 20 min

A dense and wonderful slice of cake to have with a cup of coffee.

Ingredients:

CAKE:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup creamy peanut butter (don't use natural)
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
3 cups granulated white sugar
6 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

GLAZE:
1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray 10-cup tube pan generously with nonstick spray (I like the Pam Baking Spray).

2. Prepare cake: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together peanut butter and butter. Add sugar and beat an additional 5 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until well combined. Add dry ingredients a little at a time, beating just until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips. Scrape batter into prepared tube pan. Tap it a couple of times on the counter to shake out any hidden air pockets.

2. Bake 1 hour and 20 minutes, checking on the cake at 1 hour to make sure it's not browning too quickly on top. If browning too quickly, just place a piece of foil loosely over the top of the pan. When a toothpick is inserted into the center of the cake and comes out clean, your cake is done. Let cool for 20 minutes, then flip it onto a rack or platter and let it cool completely.

3. Prepare glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, milk, peanut butter and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle glaze over the top of the cooled cake, letting it drizzle down the sides. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top. The glaze will set eventually- if you'd like to quicken the setting process, just place it into the refrigerator for a bit.

Tips:

*Might be nice to chop a bunch of Reeses Peanut Butter Cups and swirl those into the cake instead of the chocolate chips. Then you can add chunks on top as well!

Happenings in the garden.....

My cherry tomatoes are really coming in great.  They didn't do so well last year, so I'm very excited about this crop.