Olive Oil Cake with Lemon Glaze

Inspired by my friend, I recently purchased a mini bundt cake pan and was looking for a healthier cake recipe.  Since our lemon tree is still producing like crazy, I was immediately drawn to this recipe...


Olive Oil Cake with Lemon Glaze
(adapted from foodnetwork.com)


ingredients
For the Cakes:

• 1 tbs unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 2 tbs grated lemon zest
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup evoo
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp finely minced fresh thyme, plus sprigs for garnish

For the Glaze:

• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 tbs lemon juice
• 2 tbs melted butter

directions

1. Preheat to 350 degrees. Brush a 12-cup mini Bundt pan with the melted butter and lightly dust with flour and shake out the excess.

2. Pulse the granulated sugar and lemon zest in a food processor until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, then gradually pour in the olive oil and milk, pulsing until emulsified into a thin batter, about 30 seconds.
3. Whisk 1 cup flour, the baking powder, salt and 1 teaspoon thyme in a small bowl. Add to the blender in 2 batches, pulsing lightly until just combined. 
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the cakes just begin to pull away from the sides of the pan and spring back when lightly touched, about 22 to 25 minutes.
5. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then loosen the sides with a small knife and invert the cakes onto a rack.

6. Prepare the glaze: Whisk the confectioners' sugar, lemon juice and butter until smooth, adding more lemon juice if the mixture is too thick. Drizzle over the warm cakes and garnish with thyme sprigs.

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Turkey Meatloaf - v1

Occasionally I get hit with this crazy craving for meatloaf and mashed potatoes. I've attempted numerous variation of meatloaf before, but for some reason they always ended up dry, salty or just mediocre. The other night I was craving meatloaf again, but my favorite place was far and my taste buds needed satisfaction NOW! With limited pantry content and strong determination I started to research meatloaf recipes.  After reading through 20 different variations, I was ready to test out my short-short version. The result, tender, flavorful meatloaf in under an hour. It's a good base recipe, definitely something I can build on.  Watch out Joan's, I'm gonna steal your turkey meatloaf recipe soon!

Your Basic Cheesy Turkey Meatloaf
(makes enough for 2, plus a small lunch for the next day)

ingredients

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 4 slices america cheese, folded so it looks like cubes
• ketchup for brushing  
• Worcester sauce, a few dash

directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. In a bowl, mix the turkey, milk, bread crumbs, and eggs by hand. Season with salt, pepper and worcester sauce. Fold the cheese cubes into the mixture. Transfer to a loaf pan, and brush the top with ketchup.
3. Bake 40-45 minutes in the preheated oven, to an internal temperature of about 180 F 

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