Gena Roma Photography

Gena Roma Photography

Not sure what these are but my niece was collecting them in piles and they're kinda pretty. Dontcha think?

I have lots of favorite shoots because they’re all so fun and I love what I do.  But nothing tops photographs I take of my family. Particularly, those for my Sister and Brother-In-Law’s wine, NoveRoma. You must visit their website/blog to see how these two former city dwellers from San Francisco and their growing family are going to fare on a farm, produce their delicious wine and live mostly off their land. They’ve over hauled their lifestyle all in the name of living well.  They just bought chicks! I can’t wait to taste fresh eggs next time I visit. I’m trying to get them to purchase miniature ponies because they’re so dang cute and 2-because they’re so dang cute!  Now back to the wine. NoveRoma will be sponsoring the Page Turner Third Annual Asian American Literary Festival Kick Off Gala Dinner  honoring Jessica Hagedorn at the Maharlika Filipino Moderno restaurant in NYC later this month.

Anyhoo-check them out and give them a big blog welcome!

New German Chocolate

Raspberry Buttercream

What’s better than cupcakes to top off a nice spring stroll?  Cupcakes from Cake Love, of course. The cake has just the right amount of sweetness, not overpowering that decadent buttercream frosting goodness. Let me tell ya- it just melts in your mouth. Pair with a nice cold glass of milk for a blissful combination.

I have to be honest. I got this recipe from Allrecipes.com.  It has received 1891 reviews with an average of 4.5 out of 5 stars.   I tried to make changes to it by adding a little more sugar or some cinnamon and vanilla in the past.  Today I did the recipe as is and it was the fluffiest pancakes I have ever made! The best pancake recipe thus far.  So, you really can’t change an already perfect recipe.  Trust me, just try it the way it is and you’ll be pleased.

Good Old Fashioned Pancakes

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Easy cake mix ice cream sandwiches

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package chocolate cake mix
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• Your favorite ice cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease baking sheets.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix, butter, vanilla extract, eggs.  Use a cookie dough scoop or roll dough into 2-inch balls and place them onto the prepared baking sheets.  If you don’t have a cookie dough scooper, get one! I can’t live without mine.  Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Do not over bake. The cookies should be set, but still soft.  Let cool in on the baking sheet then transfer to freezer for at least 1 hour before filling.
   
3. Scoop ice cream and place between two cookies and gently press together.  Fill all of the cookies, lay out on a baking sheet, and place in the freezer to harden.  If you’re having a party, you can make this a day in advance.  They can also be stored in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.

Enjoy!

The general rule of thumb is to use 1 lemon and 1/2 cup sugar for each quart of water. There is no exact recipe because 1. lemons come in different sizes and 2. lemons, just like our palates are different. So, here’s the deal, you don’t get to taste until after the steeping process so if you like more of a lemony taste, squeeze in more lemons. I know, squeezing involved but this is optional and it’s very minimal.  Play around with the recipe.  The key here is the method. Follow it and you’ll acquire the perfect balance every time.

1. Roll lemons until soft
2. Slice them thinly then place in a pitcher.

3.  Add sugar to lemons and mix a little. Place mixture in the fridge and let steep for one hour. Never heard of steeping? Steeping just means to soak something in a liquid to extract flavor.  What steeping does in this case is extract flavor from the rinds.

4.  After an hour or so, add water. Mix and enjoy!

Have a great weekend and I hope you do include this favorite summer treat to your plans.

1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 cloves garlic minced (use more if you love garlic like I do)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 lbs. beef short ribs (luckily the grocery store I frequent always has this cut available. If you don’t see this cut at your store, ask the butcher)

Combine soy sauce, lemon juice, garlic, sugar and salt. Add the short ribs and let it marinade overnight.

For barbecue: cook for 10-15 minutes turning frequently.

You can also cook this in the oven.  If you chose to do it this way, cook at 350 degrees. Pour approx 1 inch of hot water into a roaster pan. Place ribs on a roasting rack over the water and bake for 1 hour turning the ribs after 30 minutes.

Hope you enjoyed the weekend. Did you fire up the grill? We sure did. We tend to barbecue alot. My neighbors probably think we’ve done lost my minds when they see DH grillin’ in some really cold temperatures. We’re Californians at heart so we grill whenever the urge strikes which is almost year round.

My favorite BBQ chicken recipe by far is this one.   So easy, and oh so very yummy.

Cilantro and Lemon Chicken

• 4- halved chicken breasts (bone in, skin on)
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1- 1/5 tablespoons salt (This may seem like a lot. It is, but someone once said the secret to barbeque chicken is lots of salt.  This always stuck with me but I don’t recall who said it)
• 1 cup of chopped cilantro
• 2 lemons (one sliced one squeezed)
• 1 teaspoon pepper

1. Place chicken breasts in a large pan.  pour olive oil over chicken, add salt, pepper, cilantro, and lemon juice.  Using your hands, work the ingredients into the chicken and between skin.  Place some of the chopped cilantro and 1 or 2 slices of lemon between the skin. Let marinade over night.
2. When grilling, don’t rush the chicken.  Allow to cook on low to medium heat until golden. Just remember when grilling, cook LOW and SLOW- a quote from grill master, Bobby Flay. Cooking time will depend on your grill.  This could take anywhere from 45 minutes to 1 hour.
3. The meal isn’t complete unless you have corn on the cob or grilled veggies. I like asparagus and bell peppers. You know what else is yummy grilled? Eggplant!  Instead of placing the the corn directly on the grill,  wrap the corn individually in foil-add salt and a pat of butter then wrap.
4. For the grilled veggies, sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper and you’re good to grill.