eat well & be creative
In grade school, my mother used to bake for all my class parties, birthdays, and bake sales. There were cookies and cupcakes and occasionally jello. A popular favorite was her mini cheesecake cupcakes: bite-size creamy deliciousness, always with a slice of kiwi and mandarin on top.
Well, this isn’t exactly my mother’s recipe but pretty darn close. With an extra zest of lemon and replacing the kiwi and mandarin with a dollop of lemon curd, we’ve stepped up the mini cheesecake game!
Summertime for me is all about fruit – fresh, or frozen, or baked, or in cocktails 😉 One of my favorite fruit is lemon. I love the tart when mixed with a little sweetness. My dream is to one day have lemon trees in my backyard. Just the sight of bright lemons make me happy!
So, when I was craving for something summery and sweet last week, I thought about lemon curd! I know the name isn’t the most appealing but lemon curd is awesome. You can use it in so many ways though I dare you to try and not eat it by the spoonful (you can’t do it). I’ve had store brought lemon curd but like in most cases, I prefer the homemade stuff. I’ve tried a few different recipes and I want to share with you my favorite so far!
In 2015, I made a New Year’s resolution that I would go paleo for at least three months. It was a little rough, but I’m happy to say I succeeded with only a few minor slip ups! But boy, did that fried chicken on April 1st taste oh so good 😉
During those three months, I cooked and baked a lot. Paleo recipes are pretty easy to find nowadays but I especially enjoyed seeking out the desserts. Yes, technically most desserts are not paleo because of refined sugar and butter and those who are strict argue that certain replacement ingredients don’t really count. But, asking me to completely cut out dessert was just too much to handle! With all that said, I would call this brownie recipe paleo-friendly . It probably fits more in the gluten-free category but, it’s delicious and you should indulge a little!