Lemon Bars with Ginger Shortbread

Last night was my roommate and her pianist friend's recital, and it was wonderful!  I'm so proud of her!  The music was beautiful and perfectly intense, and it was quite a treat to actually hear the pieces in their entirety since I usually hear them coming at me through the shared wall of our rooms.

For the reception, I wanted to pay homage to Maria's favorite flavor combination--lemon and ginger.  After living with her for two plus years or so, she's definitely instilled in me an appreciation of ginger that I didn't quite have before.  Our house is always stocked with ginger beer or ginger candies or crystallized ginger, and oftentimes, the kitchen smells of these gorgeous lemon-ginger scones that Maria likes to make.  So, I decided to make lemon bars with ginger shortbread, bursting with fresh lemon flavor, and held together with a crystallized ginger-encrusted, fresh ginger-packed shortbread crust.  --Double the ginger, and the perfect surprise compliment to the sweet, lemony custard.  I sort of didn't want to take it to the reception so that we could eat it all by ourselves at home!  (Sadly, it got devoured at the reception, so no leftovers either!)

Anyways, here's wishing you all a wonderful end to the week and a raucous Cinco de Mayo and a Happy Mother's Day, preferably with ginger-lemon bars that you don't have to share with anyone else!  :-)

[Don't forget to go and vote for desserts for breakfast for Best Baking/Desserts Blog in Saveur's Best Food Blog Awards!]

Read on for recipe....

Celebration Hummingbird Cake, and Saveur!

The simple act of Cake means celebration to me.  And indeed, there's a lot to celebrate right now: May Day, the full-blown coming of spring and the imminent arrival of summer, my friend Kashy's birthday (happy birthday, Kashy!), the OBL news-- the list goes on.  So much happiness to celebrate at the beginning of May!

Here's my celebratory cake: a celebration hummingbird cake, with sweet, incredibly moist layers packed full of banana, pineapple, and coconut, with the nutty crunch of pecans and the slightly sour and salty finish of cream cheese frosting.  Usually, I'm not a big fan of a million and one healthy ingredients invading my cake space, but for some reason, a hummingbird cake, dressed up with the addition of coconut, just seemed perfect for the season.  There's something about the changing weather, the noticeably longer days, and the softer light in the evenings that just makes me really want to eat fruit and nuts and vegetables more than I did during the winter.  And berry and stone fruit seasons are right around the corner!

Okay, now, before you get your slice of cake, there's one last BIG piece of news to share--one last HUGE point of celebration.  desserts for breakfast has been chosen as a finalist in Saveur magazine's 2011 Best Food Blog Awards for Best Baking and Desserts Blog.

You guys, words cannot express how hugely flattered and honored I am to be nominated by you all and to be chosen as a finalist by the editors at Saveur.  I'm in such incredible company that I just can't really believe it.  Thank you thank you thank you.  Now, I have one more request, if I may: please, head on over to Saveur and VOTE for desserts for breakfast for Best Baking and Desserts Blog!  The ultimate decision is up to popular vote, so go vote and tell all of your friends and family and family friends and postmen and barbers and everyone to go and vote, too!  (You have to register, which is a wee bit annoying, but ye shall be rewarded with celebration cake and much gratitude from me. ;-))

So here's wishing everyone a happy upcoming May packed full of celebration and cake!  If you have something to celebrate, share it with me below!


Read on for recipe....