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Sorry, I posted the wrong recipe in the last post. Here is the right one http://www.joyofbaking.com/LemonMeringueTart.html
The other one is a whipped cream topping and looks very good.

Lemon Meringue Tart

When My sister-in-law came to visit over the holidays from Tucson, I was telling her how much I love having lemons around in my kitchen for baking and cooking. A couple of months later, I opened up my door on my birthday and found a big unexpected box on my front porch. I opened the box and found a dozen or more lovely large lemons. They were so fragrant and beautiful. Apparently, her neighbor has a big lemon tree in her yard and she went over and picked a bunch just for me. I put a few in a pretty glass bowl on my table and then went to work finding lemon recipes so they wouldn't go to waste. I found a recipe for a lemon meringue tart and made it last Sunday. It was so refreshing and fun to have in the winter time. It kept well too and last night Rob polished off the last four pieces (I think he liked it!). Here is the link for the recipe: http://www.joyofbaking.com/LemonTart.html.

p.s. to avoid lemon waste, juice the lemon and then freeze. Just thaw the juice for use in later recipes!

Orange-Buttermilk Pancakes

In honor of National Pancake Day, we had pancakes for dinner. My mother in law made these pancakes for us over the holidays and my baby loved them. We loved them, too. Here are some facts I gathered about National Pancake Day:

Known also as Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras, National Pancake Day dates back several centuries to when the English prepped for fasting during Lent. Strict rules prohibited the eating of all dairy products during Lent, so pancakes were made to use up the supply of eggs, milk, butter and other dairy products…hence the name Pancake Tuesday, or Shrove Tuesday.

Orange Buttermilk Pancakes

Combine Dry Ingredients:
2 1/4 cup flour
3 Tb sugar
1 Tb baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Combine wet ingredients:
2 tsp. orange zest
1 cup orange juice
1 Cup buttermilk
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 Tb. oil

Combine wet and dry ingredients together. Cook on a griddle.

Star French Toast

This french toast is delicious. It tastes similar to some mascarpone stuffed french toast that I had at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas last year.

Star French Toast

8 slices french bread cut into 1 inch slices

4 eggs

1 cup heavy cream (I used 1/2 cream and 1/2 milk so I could feel a little better about it)

¼ cup honey (heated in the microwave until runny)

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 Tablespoons grated orange zest

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ cup butter

Directions:
Cut bread into one inch slices. In a medium bowl, beat together, eggs, cream, honey, salt, cinnamon, orange zest and vanilla extract.

On a griddle melt butter over medium high heat. Dip both sides of bread in the mixture, transfer to the hot griddle. Brown on both sides and transfer to a warm plate. Serve with whipping cream, fresh raspberries, and chopped pecans.

P.S. These taste great with the buttermilk syrup that Heidi has posted on this site.

Beef Pot Roast in Red Wine

This gravy sauce is so savory and yummy. I think we all just wanted to drink it. It was so great over mashed potatoes and roast. Seriously, you're going to love this...
1 3 1/2 to 4 pound boneless beef chuck pot roast
3 Tlbs olive oil
2 ounces pancetta, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup hearty red wine
2 cups beef broth
28 ounce can Italian peeled tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 cup sliced carrot
1/2 cup sliced celery
2 Tlbs snipped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley
1. Trim excess fat from meat. In a 4-6 quart Dutch oven,brown roast on all sides in hot oil. Remove meat from pan; season with salt and pepper.
2. Pour off most of fat, reserving 2 Tlbs of drippings. Add pancetta, onion and garlic to drippings. Cook and stir about five minutes or until onion is tender. Remove from heat; let stand for about 1 min. Carefully add the wine. Return to heat; bring to boiling. Boil gently, uncovered, about 10 min or until most of liquid evaporates.
3. Return meat to dutch oven. Add beef broth, tomoato, carrot, celery, and parsley. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until meat is tender. Uncover and simmer until sauce is desired consistency. (I added some corn starch here). Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with a parsley sprig, and serve over mashed potatoes or polenta. YUM!