LEMONS!

It's that time again for making citrus desserts! Winter is a great time to buy citrus fruits, not only because they are in season and affordable, but also because they brighten up the dreary winter days. I just made some lovely lemon bars and their bright flavor made me happy (I need all the brightness I can get during these winter days)!
I found this recipe on joyofbaking.com. The bars are really simple to make and I was very pleased with the taste - not overly sweet or tart, but just right. I hope you enjoy!

Crust:
1/2 cup of unsalted butter
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
Filling:
1 cup granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about two large lemons)
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
Topping:
powdered sugar

For the crust: cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the flour and salt and beat until the dough just comes together. Press into the bottom of your greased pan and bake for about 20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool while you make the filling.

For the filling: beat the sugar and eggs until nice and smooth. Add the lemon juice and zest and stir to combine. Stir in the flour. Pour the filling over the shortbread crust and bake for about 20 minutes, or until filling is set. Place on wire rack to cool. Cut into squares and dust with powdered sugar. Makes about 16 small squares.

non-bakers bread

OK, so I am not a great baker. I love all the yummy confections bakers make but I have never had a mixer and I often skip dessert. I do love home made bread and as soon as my budget will afford I would love to have a great standing mixer on my counter. My friend Lili, who gives me a lot of great recipes, just passed on one of my new faves. This bread is so easy!!! Even my mixer less kitchen can do it. I love it too because it takes less time from start to finish than my staple, Sunday Rhodes rolls. It is also very delicious. It is so good I promise you will think it is straight from the Macaroni Grill.

Mix together with a spoon
2 Cups warm water
1 Tbs. yeast
1 Tbs sugar

add
4 cup flour
2 tsp salt

Let rise in bowl with a rag over it for 40 min. to 1 hour until doubles in size. Pinch dough in half roll into two little balls (about the size of a soft ball). Grease cookie sheet and spread corn meal over grease. Set your two dough balls on the cookie sheet. Let rise another 45 min. covered. Melt about 1 Tbs. of butter and brush on tops of dough.

bake at 425 degrees F. for 10 min. Reduce heat to 375 degrees F. Bake for another 15-20 minutes.

We like to slice it in wedges and eat it with salads or dinner. I think it would also be good with balsamic and EVOO for dipping.

Where's the Love?

...all those yummy recipes we used to post have become way too few and far between - what do you say we all make a goal to post at least one recipe per month?
Love, Cortney

Feels like Summer Chicken Pitas

I got this recipe from Graham's cousin Kelly. It is so yummy. I love the taste of the curry in this dish and it really does remind me of Summer! Enjoy!

Chicken Pitas
2 c. cooked chicken, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 c. white onion, finely chopped (I didn't use quite this much, more like 1/4 c.)
1/2 c. cashew halves
1/2 c. chopped apple (we used Gala)
1/2 c. chopped red pepper

Dressing
1/2 c. mayo
6 T. sour cream or plain yogurt
1 T. honey
2 tsp. curry
dash of salt

In a medium bowl, mix the first six ingredients and stir to combine. Mix the dressing ingredients in a smaller bowl and then gently stir over the chicken mixture. We served this in pitas with basil tucked inside. Don't forget the garden chair and a sky full of sunshine!

Baked Oatmeal

I keep meaning to post my baked oatmeal recipe because we love it around our house. I saw a baked oatmeal recipe on another blog today and it reminded me to post this.

2 cups old fashioned oats (I've heard quick-cooking work fine, too.)
1/2 cup brown sugar (I usually only use 2-3 TB. and it is plenty sweet!)
1 tsp baking powder
about 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1 1/2 cups milk
1 egg
1/2 cup applesauce (I use unsweetened)
2 Tbsp. butter

Combine the dry ingredients in an 8x8 baking dish. Then mix the wet ingredients together and add to the dry ingredients, mixing until combined. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. I've also had great success substituting the applesauce for the same amount of mashed banana. It just gives variety to the flavor. My 18 month son can eat more of this than I can! He loves it. Sometimes, if needed, we'll add a little milk over the top once it is baked and in our bowls. For a real treat, we add mixed berries.

Strawberry Shortcake

I really love traditional Strawberry Shortcake. I don't think I ever had it this way until Becca made it for dessert one night when we had dinner with her and Shane. Growing up, Strawberry Shortcake was always made with Angel Food Cake, which is also good. However, I really love this recipe that comes from the Joy of Cooking.

BISCUITS

Pre-heat the oven to 450.

Sift together in a large bowl:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar

Cut in, using a pastry blender or 2 knives, until the size of small peas:
4-6 Tbsp chilled butter
(it needs to be really cold butter, I take a cube of butter out of the freezer and only leave it out a few minutes before using it. I also do this part in my food processor to make it easier).

Make a well in the center. Add all at once:
3/4 cup milk (For added riches, use half-and-half instead of milk)

Stir just until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board. Knead gently and quickly, about 8 to 10 times, Roll out with a lightly floured rolling pin (or pat out with your hands) to 3/4" thickness. Cut into squares and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Brush the tops with a little milk and sprinkle sugar over the top. Bake until lightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes.

Strawberry Filling:
Wash, pat dry and hull strawberries. Crush one-quarter of the berries in a bowl with a potato masher or fork. Slice the remainder. Combine the sliced and crushed berries and add sugar to taste.

To assemble, cut each biscuit in half horizontally. Place one half on a plate, spoon the berry mixture over, and top with the other half of the biscuit. Spoon a generous dollop of whipped cream (it must be real whipped cream!) on top and serve.

Something about food...

Good, wholesome food makes me incredibly happy. When I cut into a juicy watermelon, I am immediately taken back to childhood summers. Last week, I cut up some basil from by garden and was overwhelmed with the beautiful smell and the memories of summers past. Food is a part of my good memories. Food brings us together and makes us happy. I am passionate about good food. Because of this passion, I have to adhere to a basic rule - you must always cook and bake with the foods of the season. I can't bear to make something in the winter that calls for fresh strawberries or tomatoes. Strawberries remind me of spring, and I can't be eating them in the dead of winter -that would be like playing Christmas music in July. Tomatoes belong to late summer and into the autumn. Chocolate, citrus fruits, and nuts get my mind twirling with ideas of winter desserts. Juicy peaches and crisp apples are the best in autumn desserts. A raspberry tart would be perfect for a late summer dinner party outdoors. Although I have only been to Nantucket once and have never picked any berries there, I imagine picking blueberries in the middle of the summer and taking them back in a basket to my summer cottage. I have found that Europeans respect the foods of the seasons more than we do. I'm not sure why. Why is it that Europeans always have to out-shine us in the food catergory? That's okay - it just makes me love the different countries of Europe that much more. Oh, I love their love for food. And I'm grateful for all those of you out there who inspire me with your love of food. So here's to summer and all the fresh foods we can eat this season!

Green Salad with Almond Orange Dressing

I kind of forgot about how much I love this salad until I made it over the weekend to take to a friends house. It is very refreshing and one of those salads you can't get enough of. I'm happy to say that I have some leftover ingredients in the fridge and will be making this again tonight.

Green Salad with Almond Orange Dressing

1 lg. head of red leaf lettuce
1 bermuda onion (I couldn't find one, so used about half a small red onion instead)
2 oranges, peeled and sliced or 1 can mandarin oranges- especially good with fresh oranges
1 small jicama, cut in strips
4 oz. sliced almonds
3 Tbsp. sugar - heat sugar and glaze almonds

Dressing:
1/2 tsp. grated orange peel
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. Good Seasons Dry Italian Dressing Mix

Combine the dressing ingredients and refrigerate several hours. Toss the salad with the dressing just before serving.

Pasta Primavera

This is one of our favorite pasta dishes. The recipe is very versatile and you can add any fresh vegetables you like. Serve with a green salad and some crusty garlic bread and you've got yourself a great, tasty, vegetarian meal.

Pasta Primavera
12 oz. Rotini Pasta (I really like the Barilla Plus Multigrain Pasta)
2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Garlic Cloves- crushed with press
2 Cups Broccoli Florets, Asparagus or fresh Green Beans (We used asparagus this time)
1 ½ Cups Shredded Carrots
½ - 1 Pint cherry or grape tomatoes cut in half
½ Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
½-1 Cup Heavy Cream
½ tsp Salt

Cook pasta. Meanwhile heat oil in 12" skillet or wok. Add garlic and broccoli and cook 2 minutes. Add carrots and cook 4 minutes or until veggies are tender crisp. Stir in tomatoes, cook 1 minute. Add parmesan, cream and salt. Heat to boiling. Remove from heat. Drain pasta (reserve ½ cup cooking water). Toss veggies with pasta and reserved water. Serve with Parmesan on top.

...

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!

Carmelized Panettone Bread Pudding

This is seriously good bread pudding. The original recipe comes from a book called Classic Home Desserts (my favorite). However, I have changed it a bit because the carmel part just wasn't working out for me. Panettone is a traditional Italian Christmas bread - it includes raisins and candied orange peel. I used challah (pronounced halla) bread because I don't like raisins in my dessert. I served this at a Christmas dinner and everyone loved it. I think it's going to be a new tradition for Christmas Eve dinnner.

3-4 cups cubed (1 inch), day old pannettone, challah, brioche or other egg bread, crusts left on.s
2 1/4 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, or 1 Tlbs pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks

for the caramel:
1 cup heavy cream, divided
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Butter six to eight ramekins, custard cups, or disposable foil baking cups. Place the ramekins in a large roasting pan.

Fit a heavy bottomed pan w/ a candy thermometer ( I don't have one, but you probably need one if you're not familiar with making candy, or you can just guess and hope it's right.) Over high heat cook 3/4 cup of the cream, corn syrup, butter, and sugar to 280 degrees (firm ball); at this point the syrup will be golden. Remove from the heat and carefully swirl in the remaining 1/4 cup cream and the vanilla.

Carefully pour about 1/4 inch hot caramel into each ramekin. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, combine the bread cubes with 1 cup of the milk. Set aside, stirring occasionally, until needed. Meanwhile, in a heavy saucepan, *scald the remaining 1 1/4 cups milk with the cream or milk and vanilla bean ( if using vanilla extract, do not add it now). Cover and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees, with a rack in the center. In a bowl, whisk the eggs, egg yolks, the remaining 3 Tlbs sugar and the scalded cream mixture until smooth. Scrape the vanilla seeds from the pod into the custard (or add the vanilla extract now). Strain this mixture ove the soaked bread mixture and stir gently to combine.

Ladle the pudding mixture into the ramekins, filling them nearly full. Place the roasting pan in the oven. Pour in enough hot tap water to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Lay a sheet of buttered foil, buttered side down, directly over the puddings.

The original recipe says to bake for 30 minutes, but mine took almost an hour to be done. The guy that wrote this recipe probably has a super efficient and super expensive oven. Anyway, when the custards are just set and a toothpick comes out clean, then they are done.

Carefully remove the ramekins from the water bath to a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes then transfer to the fridge and chill for at least two hours ( this is nice because you can bake them a day ahead).

Right before serving, place on a baking sheet in a 350 degree oven until the caramel bubbles around the edge (10-15 minutes).

* to scald means basically to burn the milk or bring it almost to a boil. They used to do this before milk was pasteurized,so we really don't do it anymore except when you are using it in bread pudding - something about the proteins binding to the bread and such.