Summer Garden Greens:

Among all our roses, evergreens and hydrangeas, or Linden tree blossoms...yes there was some devine "kale" to be found and our dinner was revolving around it tonight!

P.S. I will be making a Linden flower tea from our own Linden tree: (yes picking up blossoms and killing ants at the same time...)

Truth be told, kale is amazing in a smoothie but it did cause me stomach acids (can be hard to digest) when raw as I found out the hard way, also, some claim that lightly steamed kale is healthier, more nutritious etc.

So here is my lightly cooked kale salad, about 10 minutes of prep work:

1. In olive oil and a little butter, fry onions on low heat, but very golden;

2. Add 1/4 cup rasins, 1 minced garlic and 1 tbsp capers;

3. Almost immediately add washed and cut up kale and on medium heat fry very lightly so it is still very raw tasting with a superb crunch to it!

4. You may add few pine nuts and sprinkle some grated cheese (I use german eidam).

Enjoy the summer greens!

XO, Z

eating cherries:

We can probably all agree that cherries are the best when eaten fresh & in season with nothing else and us Canadians we agree that BC Bing cherries are the one and only we want!

If you feel like enjoying a light European style cheese cake with this amazing fruit, do what i did today and bake one!

Really easy and light (also fast), but I have to warn you, not very sweet as I use minimal sugar in the batter! What makes up for it is the delicious flavour of ricotta and butter!

1. 4 eggs in a bowl;

2. add 1/2 cup sugar (some brown & some white mix) and some vanilla extract;

3. beat it well with an electric mixer and stop when light in colour & fluffed up;

4. add  and blend in well with the mixer: 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder and melted 1/2 cup unsalted butter and 1 cup luke warm milk;

5. add gently and with a spatula 500g of ricotta cheese;

6. pour batter into a baking dish (9 x 12 inch, sprayed with a non-stick greese) and add pitted cherries (about 5 cups);

7. sprinkle with a crumb topping;

The Topping:

- melt 8 tbsp of butter in a sauce pan;

- add even amounts of flour and confectioner sugar (3/4 cup each);

- blend well.

DONE! (after about 40 min in the oven, do a tooth pick test)

SERVE AS IS!