In The Pink of Spring!

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It's time to begin taking a walk around the acreage!

As I mentioned in previous posts, the daffodils are happily in bloom, and now it's time for the cherry and pear trees.  There is no better way to welcome spring than with flowering cherry trees! Whether planted in rows to create never-ending clouds of gorgeous blossoms, or planted alone and solitary for a stunning showpiece, flowering cherries are beloved everywhere and a sure sign of the spring season. And among spring's earliest blooms is the delicate pink Japanese "Okame" cherry tree.  We planted this young tree last year and it's doing very well in it's new home.  We planted it in a spot where we can see it from the kitchen windows.  It adds such a delightful element to the acreage!  Cherry trees are fast-growers and the deer leave them alone fairly well (that's always a big plus).  The Kwanzan and Yoshino cherry trees are still in the budding stage.  

The photo below is so special because it invites us in to see nature busy at work right in front of our noses!  The bees are doing their bee-thing of pollinating our world to keep things growing wherever they land.  Cool stuff, huh?

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Below is a close-up of more delicate pink cherry blossoms.

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And below is a shot of this young cherry tree blooming quite a bit earlier than the bare hardwoods behind it.

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Another close-up, which you can tell that I can't seem to get enough of these sweet little blossoms.

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Seasonal Saturday with Featured Blogs from Last Week

It's March!  Only a few more weeks until Spring's official arrival!  I am so anxious for spring this year after the cold winter that we've all been through.  I'm already posting more fresh and light recipes as a result.

I'm also starting a new feature to this weekly blog get-together.  Beginning with this post, 5 blogs will be featured from the previous week that I considered to be inspirational for not only freshness, but also for those that may have reflected the season.  There will obviously be a featured foodie blog, a wonderful decor blog, and a nutrition/lifestyle change blog/post.  Another fourth category will feature the gardening and nature blog posts.  The fifth and final featured blog will focus on anything miscellaneous (quilts, hand-made items, thoughts, etc.) that matches the theme of this get-together.  I hope you visit some of these blogs for their great inspiration!

It was difficult to decide on the featured foodie blog post, but I felt that since next week is Mardi Gras in the United States, I'd feature the traditional beignets that are famous from New Orleans.  Stop on over to Patti's Comfy Cuisine to discover her down to earth and very delicious approach to good home cooking. 

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Melissa's Heart and Home is a tremendous blog that my dear friend, Melissa, inspires so many readers on the various different ways to freshen up our homes.  I always come away amazed at how she puts it all together so beautifully!  I think that you will too.  Plus, she writes with such grace that you just can't help but love Melissa!

I have been de-cluttering my house now since the new year and loving every minute of my new-found organization.  I love all of the valuable tips and advice that so many bloggers post in this get-together.  Anna, over on her blog Ask Anna, provides numerous helpful information on ways to simplify our lives so that we can live in ways that focus on what really matters to us.  Last week's post zeroed in how to plan meals better, which by the way, helps us with our efforts to eat more healthy!
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Now to go outside where I love and long to be these days!  The garden blog featured from last week is Pam's Sidewalk Shoes.  Pam blogs about many topics near and dear to my heart:  gardening, nature, cooking, reading, and sewing (not many of us left that sew and quilt!).  She also loves photography and her shots invite us into her  natural world. She inspired me to get outside and dig, to plant, and to soak in some sun whenever the weather allows me to.

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And last but not least is Elizabeth from Positive Kismet with absolutely profound words of wisdom in each and every post.  Last week she posted about ten lessons that inspire us.  This is the kind of human being that I love to have around me!  So positive and inspirational!  I hope you stop by her lovely blog.

So with that little review of 5 wonderful blogs, I hope you link up a post that you'd like to share with others.  Fresh, Clean, and Pure Friday extends into Seasonal Saturday in order to provide enough time to join in.  Remember, please do NOT post anything related to giveaways, trying to sell stuff, coupons, and any other post that is not related to the theme of fresh and seasonal.  I really appreciate keeping this get-together focused with a variety of ways to do so (cooking, gardening, decor, lifestyle, photography, thoughts, etc.)  All unrelated posts will be gently removed.,

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A Lemon Layer Cake, Daffodils, and Limoncello!

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There is just something so cheerful about the color yellow!  So many of us need this bright and sunny hue at this time of year when we are so winter-weary!  Those who live in the most northern regions of the Northern Hemisphere have had a most challenging winter season this year and I sympathize with them completely, having lived the majority of my life in Iowa where winters can be very severe!
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So please don't hate me as I sat on my deck in the soothing warm March sun in South Carolina while my lemon cake baked in the oven.  The daffodils and pansies were nodding their pretty little heads as the scent of of citrus perfumed my house.  It was truly a moment of spring-is-near bliss!

This month the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club's theme is appropriately, timely, and seasonally named "Notes of Citrus".  So very perfect for this time of year when citrus is at the peak of freshness!   Try to get on over to Val's blog (More Than Burnt Toast) for the Linky to share a post if you have one; click on this { link } to join in the foodie fun!  For my contribution to the get-together, I selected a dessert.  I could not resist this recipe that was named "Nathan's Lemon Cake" in the 2008 archives of Cooking Light magazine, that was originally prepared for a young man's birthday and which earned an 'outstanding' rating from the Cooking Light food journalists.  Well, they were right!  And it's just so pretty too!

The only changes that I made were for the purpose of increasing the level of moistness of the cake:  I reduced the baking time from 30 minutes to 20 minutes and it made all the difference!  Don't overcook this at all!  I also added 2 Tablespoons of Limoncello to the icing in order to make it less thick; it was quite thick without it.  Both of these changes made this cake simply incredible.  So much so, that my husband had two slices and my father who has a very small appetite also ate an entire slice!  Wonderful to enjoy another light recipe that is bursting with flavor!

Lemon Cake

Cooking spray
2  Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2  cups all-purpose flour
1  tsp. baking powder
1/2  tsp. baking soda
1/2  tsp. salt
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2  cup unsalted butter, softened
3  large eggs
1  cup non-fat buttermilk
2  Tbsp. grated lemon zest
2  Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Icing

3  cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 Tbsp. grated lemon zest
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 Tbsp. Limoncello (my only addition)
Lemon slices, cut in half, or strips of lemon rind for garnish.
Fresh sprig of mint for garnish.
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Preheat oven to 350°.
Coat 2 (8-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray; line bottoms of pans with wax paper.
Coat wax paper with cooking spray.
Dust pans with 2 tablespoons flour, and set aside.
Lightly spoon 2 cups flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife.
Combine 2 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.
Place sugar and 1/2 cup butter in a large bowl; beat with a hand-held blender/mixer at medium speed until well blended.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
Beat in 2 tablespoons lemon zest and 2 tablespoons lemon juice.
Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Do not overbake.
Cool in pans 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pans.
Cool completely on wire rack; remove wax paper from cake layers.

With a hand-held electric blender, combine powdered sugar and the remaining ingredients in a large bowl.
Place 1 cake layer on a plate; spread half of icing on top of cake.
Top with remaining cake layer.
Spread remaining half of icing over top of cake.
Garnish with lemon wedges or strips, if desired.
I also added a sprig of fresh mint from my garden.
Store cake loosely covered in the refrigerator.

Calories:  317 per slice (if cake is cut into 16 total slices).

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The daffodils have been opening up that were just breaking ground a few weeks ago!  

Such a welcome sight!

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I love this green cut-glass pedestal cake stand.  It's just perfect for spring and even summer!  The silver cake server adds a touch of shine and elegance too.

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Simply lusciously lemon!  

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Beauty in simplicity . . . my way of looking at the world around me that never fails.

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