Cake of the Week: Zucchini Apricot Olive Oil Cake with Lemon Glaze

I was raised to be a science nerd (ah even the best-laid plans don’t always pan out). My dad taught high school chemistry and physics, so my childhood toys included chemistry sets, K’NEX, crystal growing kits, and a real set of test tubes from his school lab. I liked “experimenting” – whether that be melting crayons in the microwave (not advisable) or feeding my little sister glue just to see what would happen (also not advisable – sorry Sister2!).

Anywho, I suppose you could say that my love of baking stems from that science background. Mix x,y, and z ingredients and you can pretty reliably expect a certain result. But what I love most about baking is the “experimenting” factor. I know that if I follow a recipe exactly it will probably turn out well, but I always can’t help but wonder – what if I switch out this for that? Or add this? Or maybe try this?

Some of these experiments turn out poorly, because if you deviate too far from the baking science things can go horribly wrong.  But sometimes kitchen magic happens and things turn out absolutely deliciously.

Case in point: this Zucchini Apricot Olive Oil Cake with Lemon Glaze. It sounds like a weird combination of potentially too many things, but trust me, it is absolutely perfect.

The cake is moist thanks to the zucchini (sidenote: there is no thesaurus alternative for “moist” when describing cake…at least none that I can find…so I’m sorry for that…please let me know if you can think of one!), the apricots add a nice sweet tang to contrast with the toasted walnuts, and the lemon glaze – oh the lemon glaze! Please just make this so you can eat it ASAP. It is by far the best think I've baked in quite a while.

Zucchini Apricot Olive Oil Cake with Lemon Glaze 

(Adapted from Sparrows and Spatulas)
Printable Recipe.
Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup walnut pieces
• 1 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (sounds like a lot, but you want it all)
• 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1 large egg
• 3 tablespoons water
• 3/4 cups + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups grated zucchini (about 2 small zucchini)
• 1 fresh apricot, diced
• 1/8 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease and flour one 9-inch round cake pan  (or a loaf pan). 
2. Place the walnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast them until they are golden brown and aromatic, 12-14 minutes. Cool completely and then finely chop them.
3. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices into a medium bowl and set aside. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl using a spoon!), beat the eggs, sugar and olive oil, and water together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, then beat in the vanilla extract. Beat in the dry ingredients all at once on low speed until they are thoroughly combined, then switch to medium speed and mix for 30 seconds. Mix in the zucchini, apricot, and walnuts on low speed until they are completely incorporated.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Bake the cake for 25 to 30 minutes (40-45 if you’re using a loaf pan) or until a tester inserted in the cakes comes out clean and the cakes have begun to pull away from the sides of the pans.
5. While the cake is baking, prepare the glaze. In a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and granulated sugar, then whisk in the confectioners’ sugar until the glaze is completely smooth.
6. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then carefully invert it onto a wire rack. Immediately spoon the glaze over the entire surface of the warm cake, using all of the glaze; it will adhere to the cake and set as the cake cools. Allow the cake to cool completely and the glaze to dry.

Printable Recipe.

Weekend Report: Happy Bastille Day, Climbing, and Biking

Well happy Monday to you!

I had a truly excellent weekend – the perfect balance of activity and lounging and exercise and sleeping. Friday night I introduced yet another co-worker to the wonders of Francis Pool. After a loooooong week there is nothing that generates relaxation as immediately as floating in water as the sun sets.

In all my excitement about running again, I kind of forgot that I’m supposed to be taking things slow avoid the dreaded too-much-too-soon injury phenomenon. Therefore, I did not run this weekend. Instead I climbed for an epic 3 hours (16 climbs – i.e. a lot) Saturday afternoon, and biked 48 miles on Sunday. Yes, yes, I know that doesn’t sound like “taking things slow” by any normal definition…but it’s not running, so work with me here.

Saturday’s climbing excursion was not to the outdoors (we decided it would be too hot). Instead, my little climbing club ventured all the way to Rockville to climb at Earthtreks, the largest rock gym in the country. After climbing we embraced the suburban-ness of the location and went to get absolutely amazing tacos at a hole-in-the-wall strip mall taco shop. It felt like California and made me excessively happy.

Saturday night I celebrated Bastille Day with my francophone friend LOTR-Emily and her boyfriend.

Nous nous sommes assis sur son toit tout en mangeant une tarte aux prunes. C'était fantastique. Bonne Fête Nationale! (We sat on her roof while eating a plum tart. It was fantastic. Happy Bastille Day!)

Sunday the aforementioned biking happened. Per DC usual, it was HOT, so I tried to be smart about the procedure and stopped at every water fountain along the 3 hour and 45 minute way. However, despite all precautions taken, when I got home I definitely had to guzzle almost a gallon of liquid and lay on my floor until I felt human again.

Once life returned to my limbs, LOTR-Emily and I tested a new fro-yo place on Barracks Row. 32 Below was surprisingly AMAZING. I had Irish Mint and Chocolate with brownie and nuts on top – ummm hello delicious!

Hope you had a wonderful weekend too!

Best of the Week #67

It’s finally Friday, and as the homeless man on my way to work said this morning, Smile! It’s just 8 more hours till the weekend! (I don’t love strangers telling me to smile, but he does have a point.) I can also smile because I’ve run 34 miles in the last 7 days, so who knows? Maybe EatRunRead will return to its running roots sometime soon....

Also, I went to see The Steel Wheels last night (I was introduced to them back in November), and they were yet again AMAZING. I love them. 

I really don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that this is the best cover ever. "Share it Maybe."




So guess what? My friend Jordan just WON THE NYC TRIATHALON. Yep, I'm pretty psyched for him! (This is Jordan of Amy and Jordan of the beautiful Colorado wedding.)

And his own race report:

• It felt a bit surreal to have such a strong lead on the race at the start of the run.  A major goal of mine has been to win a race with the prestige of the New York City Triathlon.  I figured that it would take a phenomenal run to do it but instead the race was mine to give up from the first step.  I held strong to the finish and  I’ve been told that I set a bike course record. 

"On African readerships, the “Reader’s Bill of Rights” and speed-reading:"

• As embarrassing as it is to admit, the simple fact is that whether or not the continent can produce millions of writers, it will not amount to anything until we actually have African Readers, African Readers who will ultimately determine the value of our continent’s literary output, if it is to continue as something beyond some exotic curiosity.

Well this is interesting: “Best Jobs in America.” Note that non-profit genocide prevention researcher is not in the running…shocking!

And this is horrifying. "In Focus: Child Marriage" series of infographics. I'm very sad to say that Niger is "winning"…i.e. losing. :(

"The words English owes to India."

• In 1872 two men began work on a lexicon of words of Asian origin used by the British in India. Since its publication the 1,000-page dictionary has never been out of print and a new edition is due out next year. What accounts for its enduring appeal?
• Flora: “While having tiffin on the veranda of my bungalow I spilled kedgeree on mydungarees and had to go to the gymkhana in my pyjamas looking like a coolie.”
• Nirad: “I was buying chutney in the bazaar when a thug who had escaped from the chokeyran amok and killed a box-wallah for his loot, creating a hullabaloo and landing himself in the mulligatawny.”

I feel like my teacher friends will particularly enjoy this: "More of the greatest inappropriate test answers from young children."

I identify strongly with this. “Foods I Can’t Believe People Don’t Like”

• Judging people is wrong, but when it comes to food choices it’s really easy to do. Mostly, this is an okay practice, as long as you don’t say anything out loud about it while they are eating…But! Sometimes it’s really hard not to question someone for failing to understand the glory of a certain food you love. Because I mean…right? It’s delicious and it’s the best and what is wrong with you?!

Thanks to my commute-time Express-reading, I got a HT on the Daily Typo:

From "Wronging Rights" in response to criticism of the International Criminal Court:

• Seriously, guys: this is how the rule of law works. We set up institutions, give them limited power and a set of rules by which to wield it, and we don’t let them do more than that. If they try to do more, we smack them with a rolled-up newspaper and say “NO! BAD INSTITUTION! GO BACK TO YOUR JURISDICTION” until they learn. The ICC isn’t Dirty Harry, or the Machine Gun Preacher, or that new Tom Cruise character who apparently “doesn’t care about the law,” and “only cares about what’s right.” The ICC cares about what’s right. But like all functional courts, when push comes to shove, it has to say that “the law” beats “what’s right.” The court can’t go about arresting and prosecuting people outside its jurisdiction, no matter how appealing that might sound, because that would be an activity more commonly known as “kidnapping.”
• We don’t call this a “disappointment,” we call it a “cornerstone of the rule of law.” People who want something else should hire Tom Cruise.

It's fun time with puns time! 

You will love this. "9 Songs that Redeem Boy Bands." (And yes,  I’m pretty sure that’s a universal “you.”)
I distinctly remember when I was in 5th grade my elementary school janitor and his wife did a dance to “I Want You” by Savage Garden in the school talent show (it was a small school). Also I feel like 9-year-old Mollie did not quite understand “I Just Wanna Be With You” by ‘N Sync…Oh and the best part is that I know that the next song on the 'N Sync tape is “Here We Go” because I can hear the sequence in my head…




I will leave you with that. Smile and have a great weekend!

Fennel, Cabbage, and Greek Yogurt Slaw

I’m pretty sure that “slaw” is my all-time least favorite food word. It sounds terrible! Like cafeteria food that is soggy and icky and no one wants to eat – basically the exact opposite of the fresh and healthy and delicious concoction I made over the weekend. BUT for clarity’s sake I’ll call this what it is – Fennel, Cabbage, and Greek Yogurt Slaw – with the caveat that any negative slaw connotations you may hold in your head should immediately be erased and replaced with a simple yummmmmmm. 

This is the latest Mollie’s-kitchen-veggie-explosion, brought to me (and you) by my CSA. I came up with this recipe as a way to use my cabbage and fennel, two vegetables I like but don’t always know how to use.

Fennel, for the uninitiated, is a bulb with a faint licorice flavor. It’s indigenous to the Mediterranean, and is actually really common in Northern California (where I grew up). I remember searching for the “licorice plant” in the many many many hours I spent fishing with my dad along the Marin Creek and the lakes at Mt. Tam, and then rubbing the feathery leaves between my hands and returning to proudly to show off my “perfume.” Because, you know, who doesn't want to smell like a vegetable?

The bulbs have a fainter flavor than the leaves, so if you’re not a huge licorice fan you will probably still enjoy this salad. I’ve been eating it (this is a great work lunch) mixed with pearled barley to make it more of a meal. As with any salad, veggies and quantities can be adjusted depending on what you have/like.

Fennel, Cabbage, and Greek Yogurt Slaw

Printable recipe.

• 1 medium-sized cabbage 
• 2 fist-sized fennel bulbs
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons white vinegar OR  apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
• ¼ teaspoon each: salt and pepper
• 1 ½ cups chick peas
• 2 medium-sized tomatoes
• 2 cup pearled barley
• 6 cups water OR vegetable broth 

For the slaw:

1. In a large bowl or tupperware, shred the cabbage and fennel (I used my mandolin, which I love!).
2. Mix in the green onions, vinegars, Greek yogurt, salt and pepper.
3. Cover and let sit in the fridge for at least 4 hours (the longer the better).
4. Toss in chick peas and tomatoes.

Cook the barley:

1. Use about 3 cups liquid to every 1 cup barley. 
2. Bring water or broth to a boil.
3. Add barley, cover the pot and turn down to a simmer. Cook for 34-40 minutes.  
4. Cool to room temperature (or colder if you want) before serving.

Serve slaw over the barley, or toss it all together. Enjoy!

Printable recipe.

Cake of the Week: Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream

When life gives you lemons, make Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream Frosting. 

I realize that’s not how the saying usually goes, but can you really disagree? I mean, lemonade is good, but can anything really compare with a rich and chocolatey cake covered in sweet creamy (and pink!) frosting? Nope. Nothing can.

A few weeks ago SpeedyKate and I had a chocolate cupcake-needing day, so I made a batch of these babies to cheer us up. I knew they would be good – but oh man this is almost like a flourless chocolate cake kind of good. I only wish I had some right now!

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream

Printable recipe.
(Recipe adapted from Une Gamine Dans La Cuisine.)
For the cake:

• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter cut into 4 pieces
• 2 ounces chopped bittersweet or unsweetened chocolate (I used unsweetened)
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ baking powder
• 2 eggs
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup sour cream OR Greek yogurt

For the frosting:

• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 ½ cup powdered sugar
• ½ cup pureed strawberries (or a large spoonful of strawberry jam)
• A splash of milk or cream if your frosting is too thick

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.
3. In a medium heat-proof bowl combine butter, chopped chocolate, and cocoa. Either set bowl over a saucepan of simmering water to melt the butter and chocolate while stirring until smooth OR microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring between. Set aside to cool.
4. In a separate bowl, wish flour, baking soda, and baking powder.
5. In another large bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Whisk the chocolate into to the egg mixture. 
6. Sift in about 1/3 of the flour mixture. Then add the sour cream or Greek yogurt. Stir in remaining dry ingredients. 
7. Divide evenly among the cupcake liners and bake for 18-20 minutes. (Warning: Do not over-bake! Err on the side of underdone for these. I baked for 20 minutes and it was a bit too much.) Let cool in the pan 5 minutes, then remove to finish cooling on a wire rack.

Frosting:

1. Beat all ingredients together. Add more sugar or some milk as needed to either thicken or loosen your frosting. 
2. When the cupcakes are completely cool, frost with a spatula or piping bag.

Printable recipe.

Happy Birthday South Sudan!

Happy July 9th!!! To most of you this seems like just another summer day, a Monday in July, no big deal. BUT please let me enlighten you: This July 9th marks the one-year anniversary of South Sudan’s independence. That’s right – today the youngest country in the world celebrates its first birthday!

At first we're happy - yay South Sudan!

But then we remember there are some problems...

If you’re thinking Hmmm I don’t know much about South Sudan? OR Why did South Sudan get its independence and from whom? OR Wtf is a Sudan? Is that even a thing?  I am happy to answer all your questions via my newest creation that I’m pretty darn pleased with – this section of the Enough Project website (that I’m going to go ahead and take most of the credit for writing and creating for you).

Here’s the BEFORE (note it's just text on one page):

And the AFTER (sections, sub-sections, jump-links, images, timelines!):

And that my friends is what I do when I’m not baking, running, reading, or perusing the interwebs.

As far as what I did this weekend – meh, it was pretty uneventful.

I spent a total of 5.5 hours literally in the pool: 3.5 Friday night just chatting and lounging in the water (Francis Pool in Foggy Bottom extended its hours! Open till 9pm on weeknights!), and then an almost-2-hour pool run Saturday afternoon.

Saturday night I had a delightful dinner at Zengo, one of the few small plate restaurants I deem fit to patronize. It's Latin/Asian fusion food, and four of us split:

(arepas)

• achiote-hoisin pork arepas (corn masa / avocado / crema fresca)
• peking duck tacos (curried apple / orange-coriander sauce)
• pork-mushroom gyoza (jalapeno / porcini / soy sauce)
• angry zengo roll (yellowfin tuna / wasabi tobiko /cucumber / avocado / chipotle rouille)
• edamame
• asparagus and daikon

The goyza (aka dumplings) were probably my favorite and they come in an order of 6. The duck tacos were also really good – the “taco shells” were actually rounds of thinly sliced dikon (I think) which was fresh and interesting.

(duck tacos)

Sunday I went for a run at 95-degrees-o’clock, and spent the rest of the day puttering inside because it was UNGODLY hot out. I really really really try to refrain from weather complaints, but jeeeezzzz DC you are killing me. It is cooler in South Sudan than it was here yesterday.

Best of the Week #66

Hope everyone had an excellent 4th of July week! Here’s how my 4th went down:

I made these Greek Yogurt Pancakes – one batch with blue cheese and swiss chard, and one batch with fresh peaches. Yummm. (Not pictured: the syrup I covered them in...both varieties go surprisingly well with maple!)

And LLC brought a brunchy wild rice salad with strawberries and feta. Again, yummmm.

As planned we watched the fireworks from the Mall between the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial -- there may have been sweat dripping down my back but the fact that I could feel the fireworks reverberating in my chest made it all worth it.

In the spirit of transparency, this is how we look when we're overheated. I will have none of your judgment – here in DC we’re facing the worst heat wave ever and coping accordingly. (The heat index for the day was well over 100 degrees.)

Ok moving on, 300 people googled “slutty brownies” to end up on my blog this week. I can just see the 4th of July barbeque sugar comas…

And now a few links to get you through your Friday.

I’ve been lunch break shopping quite a bit recently…bought this dress and this dress from Anthro, and these shorts in blue and orange and this swim suit from Forever 21. I am holding to a strict no-pants policy until September.

I like this post because a) stuffed squash blossoms sound delicious; b) I’ve never had squash blossoms; and c) the first instruction is to “Emasculate your squash blossoms” and like the 10-year-old I am that makes me giggle.

This is insanely cool. You have to go to the site to watch the video: “Vertical ship marks 50 years at sea”

• FLIP, or Floating Instrument Platform, is owned by the US Navy, and flips from horizontal to a vertical position by pumping 700 tonnes of seawater into the 'handle' end.
• Everything on board is designed to flip along with the ship, including beds, ketchup and other condiments, and even the bathroom sinks.

An excellent made up statistic:

What the what??? Roast garlic in the microwave. I want this now please.

I’m not sure where I fall in this debate, but an interesting point: “War is easier when it’s all dudes?”

• Is it weird to use rebel groups to inform thinking about US military policy? Maybe. But if ill-trained, resource-poor rebel groups can implement the training necessary to overcome any issues women’s inclusion in combat troops may create, presumably an organization as professionalized as the US military can do so as well.

Go Petaluma? (i.e. my hometown) "World's Ugliest Dog: The Evolution of Mugly's Frightful Features."

• Almost every year for the past decade, a Chinese crested has won the World's Ugliest Dog Contest in Petaluma, California. This year was no exception.

How the world looks for animals: “Animal colour through animal eyes.”

"Get to Know Your U.S. Gymnastics Team Through GIFs"

• Gymnastics is one of those Olympics sports that lots of people watch every four years, meaning whatever happens during the competition is exciting and surprising but also confusing. Who are these women? Which one is the underdog? The veteran? Who is good at what thing? How can I tell when a flippy thing was good? Relax. Let the expert fans at The Atlantic Wire explain. 

True love would be someone who makes me creative pancakes. Right???

Two excellent videos here. The first video -- "Speed Dating" -- might depress you. But then you can watch dogs performing Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" and that will cheer you up!

Dictionary.com Word of the Day - mumpsimus: using an erroneous use of language, out of habit or obstinacy.

I really like this song. "Walk the Moon." by Anna Sun.



"All The Presidents’ Menus." I was hoping to be able to say “If I were a president eating, I would be _____. But honestly, I don’t’ identify with ANY of their tastes. Wtf is chipped beef and why do so many people like it???

• Barack Obama: Nachos and guacamole, chili, burgers, Green Dragon and Black Forest Berry Honest Tea, Planter’s trail mix, pistachios, almonds, water, Dentyne Ice, Nicorette, MET-Rx protein bars, apples, broccoli, and spinach.
• James Garfield: Squirrel soup, fresh bread, milk, tea mashed potatoes, parsnips, and Garfield pie (made with apples, not the cat). He willingly ate all foods save for oatmeal: “Told that Indian leader Sitting Bull was starving himself to protest his imprisonment, Garfield said, ‘Let him starve.’ Then he thought for a moment and said, ‘Oh no, send him my oatmeal.’”

"A look at the two fishing cat kittens, the first to be successfully bred at the zoo." I think I’m overdue for a zoo trip – who’s with me???

Stay cool and have a great weekend!

Literary Bite: The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht

Last Thursday I sat down at my desk to write a Literary Bite and COULD NOT remember the book I’d just read. As in, my mind was totally completely and utterly blank (a rare occurrence for me) – I knew I’d read something, but could not remember what. This bothered me. Am I losing my mind? Am I getting dumber? I'd just spent 300+ pages reading about something and I could not remember what that something was…

Welp, when I got home I saw the book and it all came back to me: The Tiger’s Wife by Téa Obreht. You’ve probably seen it around, it was published in 2011, is a NYT Bestseller, won the Orange Prize, and is Obreht’s first novel.

Despite the fact that I couldn’t remember reading it, I did mostly like The Tiger’s Wife. It's is set in an unnamed country in the Balkans, with the main story taking place in the 1990s, and also parts going back to the 1940s (or around that time I think). Obreht summarized the novel as “a family saga that takes place in a fictionalized province of the Balkans. It’s about a female narrator and her relationship to her grandfather, who’s a doctor. It’s a saga about doctors and their relationships to death throughout all these wars in the Balkans."

The tiger’s wife part is almost a side story – just one of many folktales that Obreht weaves into her narrative – but I liked it the best. The narrator’s grandfather lived in a village in the mountains where an escaped zoo tiger kind of sort of befriends a deaf mute abused child-bride (are you confused yet?)…or I suppose it’s more the other way around…

Death and how people deal with it is a major theme through the book. This conversation between the narrator and her grandfather stuck with me:

• "When men die, they die in fear", he said. "They take everything they need from you, and as a doctor it is your job to give it, to comfort them, to hold their hand. But children die how they have been living - in hope. They don't know what's happening, so they expect nothing, they don't ask you to hold their hand - but you end up needing them to hold yours. With children, you're on your own. Do you understand?"

This book was a bit challenging to me because the wars in the Balkans are one thing I know close to nothing about. If I had more historical context in my mind, maybe I would have enjoyed it more? Though I suppose part of the charm of her writing is that you don’t really NEED historical context…Obreht actually goes out of her way to place the story outside history by omitting locations and dates.


This bothered me until I read the author’s interview at the back of the book, where she explained that she likes to read books where a lot is left to the reader’s imagination – as in she doesn’t believe in tying up all the loose ends. Also, she wanted the story to feel more universal, like it could be happening in any country anywhere, not JUST in the Balkans.

I prefer the ends to be tied up, but I can appreciate where she’s coming from! I recommend reading the interview in the back of the book, possibly before reading the book itself.

Read an excerpt here.
And the NYT review.

4th of July Recipe Brainstorming

The 4th of July is again upon us. As I’m sure you’re aware, things are a bit weird this year – we have a bizarrely bisected week with just one day off in the middle. Like the stay-cationer I am, I will be staying in DC, eating too much and spending too much time in the sun (per usual).

Last summer I satisfied my yearly yearning for pyrotechnics by watching the fireworks from Meridian Hill Park, but honestly, I’m really not interested in fireworks unless they are literally exploding above my head. Bonus points if I can smell the smoke. So tomorrow night I plan to be on the National Mall, directly under the explosives, and it will be excellent.

I’ve set my own 4th of July bar pretty high – two years ago I went kayaking and grilled and watched from the Mall, and last year in the span of three days I managed to attend two parties, two bar-b-q’s, and a picnic.

Tomorrow I am undecided on exactly what I want to do (besides the fireworks part – that is set in stone). My family traditionally starts 4th of July with a trail run and the Fireman’s Pancake Breakfast in Tahoe. Alas, there aren’t any easily-accessible trails from my house, and no firemen pancakes that I know of…but I’m thinking I will host the Mollie-DC version: I will go for a run, and then invite my friends over for a pancake extravaganza!

The menu

• Coffee (well duh)
• Spinach Feta Greek Yogurt Pancakes
• Peach or Nectarine Pancakes
• Frittata – possibly the sweet potato one? 

I might go to a bar-b-q in the afternoon, in which case I need to brainstorm something to bring. Here’s a list of some of my favorite potluck/picnic recipes, just in case you too need some last minute inspiration:

Real Foods:

Wheat Berry Cous Cous Salad

Chicken, Mein, and Vegetables in Creamy Szechuan Dressing

Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread

Jalapeño Hummus 

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Fried Plantains with Black Bean Dip and Guacamole

And desserts of course: 

Fresh Strawberry Tart

Key Lime Cake

Red Velvet Brownies

Dark Chocolate Ganache-Filled Red Velvet Cake

S'Mores Layer Cake

S'Mores Cookies

Summer Peach Chantilly Cake

Cherry Peach Honey Cake

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

Zucchini Cupcakes

Cherry Cupcakes with Cherry Frosting

Mocha Pillow Cookies

Choco-Coconut Peanut Butter Bars

Rustic Rhubarb Tarts

Happy 4th of July everyone! Any recipe recommendations for me?