Are you sensing the theme to my blog posts lately? Just in case you haven't figured it out yet - let me list my most recent recipes for you: lemon chicken romano, lemon scones, lemon shortbread, lemon marmalade. Inspired by my very productive lemon tree - I've got a lemon theme to my baking lately. I normally opt for deep, dark, rich, chocolaty desserts so it's nice to change it up with some simple, sweet, tart little treats for a while. These little lemon tarts may be tiny but they are BURSTING with delicious lemony flavor. They are REALLY yummy. Perfect for afternoon tea or as the finishing touch to your family dinner. Lemon Thins 1 1/2 cups flour 2 Tablespoons cornstarch 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/8 teaspoon baking soda 10 Tablespoons butter 1/2 cup sugar 2 Tablespoons lemon juice 1 egg yolk 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract
Divide dough in half, shape each half into a disk and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 1-24 hours. Bake cookies on silpat lined baking sheets for 12-14 minutes at 325. Cool on wire racks. These cookies are dangerous. They're just to thin and small that I couldn't stop eating them. I finally had to put them in my freezer just to stop myself from finishing off the entire batch. These cookies are so tender that they just melt in your mouth. You could drizzle them with a simple lemon syrup or lemon glaze if you wanted to dress them up a little. As for me, I like a plain and simple lemon thin. Hope you enjoy.
Ciao!
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This may look like the same breaded chicken that I've posted over and over again but I can assure you - this recipe is like no other. A double whammy of cheese and a bright burst of lemon sets this chicken apart from my other chicken recipes. I love this chicken. (Can you tell?) It's crazy delicious and it's super easy to prepare on a busy weeknight. Lemon Chicken Romano
Bake 15 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165. Serve with slices of fresh lemon and a fresh basil leaf. This recipe seems like it would be better suited for summer but is there ever really a bad time of year to enjoy lemon chicken? Be different - celebrate Fall with Lemon Chicken Romano. (After all - you've got plenty of days of turkey eating in the near future.)
Ciao! If loving lemons is wrong - then I don't want to be right. I've got a surplus of lemons from my tree this year and I've had the best time trying to decide which recipes will best highlight their delicious flavor. I've done some experimenting with new lemon recipes and also added them to some of my tried and true lemon classics. I also turned to Pinterest for some inspiring lemon recipes. There are a lot of recipes that CONTAIN lemon but I was looking for recipes that really FEATURED lemon as the star ingredient. I found this recipe for lemon scones on the Martha Stewart website and as much as I like the scone - I have to say that it missed the mark on the lemon flavor. I think the next time that I make it - I'll make some adjustments to really boost the lemon factor. Lemon Scones
Bake 40 minutes at 400. Cut into wedges. Combine powdered sugar and lemon juice. Add enough cream to make a drizzling consistency. Drizzle glaze over scones. This step was not in the original recipe but I thought it needed a little sweetness and a little more lemon flavor. (I also think they look prettier with the white drizzle.) As for my modifications, I would substitute lemon extract for the vanilla next time to try and give it a little more tart flavor. Forever loving lemon desserts. Hope you do to.
Ciao! Rainy days are the name of the game here lately. I think it's rained every single day for the last two weeks. My coping technique for rainy weather - afternoon tea. AND since it just wouldn't be proper to have afternoon tea without a little something sweet - I have a cookie too. A flaky and buttery shortbread cookie is the perfect compliment to a cup a of afternoon tea. (Now if I only took the time to sit down so I could enjoy my shortbread and tea.) Shortbread cookies are surprisingly easy to make and they are really yummy. I chose to make mini shortbread instead of one large --- mostly so that I wouldn't eat the entire thing in one sitting. Lemon Shortbread 1/2 cup old fashioned oats 1 1/2 cups flour 1/4 cup cornstarch 2/3 cup powdered sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 14 Tablespoons butter, cold, sliced into 1/8" thick slices 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
Add butter to mixer and mix on low until just combined and dough comes together. Place springform pan collars (groove side up) on a silpat lined baking sheet. Press dough into collars in even 1/2 inch thick layer.
Use a wooden skewer to poke 8-10 holes in each wedge. Return shortbread to oven and prop door open with handle of a wooden spoon. Allow shortbread to dry in turned off oven for an hour. Transfer to wire racks to cool at least 2 hours. Cut shortbread at scored marks to separate and serve. These mini shortbread freeze beautifully. Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and tuck them away in the freezer to save some for the next rainy day. If you decide that you're willing to share your lemon shortbread, you can pack them into cellophane bags and pass them out to friends too. As much as I'm loving my rainy day afternoon tea and shortbread - a little sunshine every now and then would be good too.
Ciao! I have had a lemon tree for about 8 years and up until this year, it's been less than productive - pathetic really. I call it my little Charlie Brown tree because I normally get 1 lemon a year from my sorry little lemon tree. Last spring I finally gave up on it and I pulled it out of it's pot and threw it in a flower bed next to the garbage can so that it could be disposed of on trash day. Sure enough, when trash day rolled around I bent down to pick up my tree and I noticed some fresh, new growth. I didn't have the heart to throw away a plant that with such a strong will to survive so I stuck it back in its original pot, pushed it into the corner and decided to let fate take its course. Fast forward 2 months to Spring and I had a beautiful, thriving lemon tree with dozens of tiny lemons on the ends of its long healthy branches. It's been 9 months now since that day I yanked my little tree from it's pot and today, I've got a bumper crop of lemons. I decided that I needed to do something extra special with my super resilient lemons. After all, if they can survive me, they deserve to be used it in an extraordinary way. What better way to highlight my precious fruit than to turn it into a simple marmalade using just three ingredients: lemon, sugar and water? Canning my lemon marmalade was a great way to preserve my lemons so that I can enjoy them all year. Turns out - even with just 3 ingredients, making lemon marmalade isn't as easy to make as you might think. My first attempt at lemon jam was a disaster. The finished jam had a very unpleasant bitter aftertaste. I made some adjustments and gave my lemon marmalade another shot. My second attempt turned out MUCH better. Never fear - you can always count on me to make all the mistakes so that you won't have to. Now that I've perfected my lemon marmalade recipe - I hope that you'll try it - even if you don't have your own lemon tree - works just at well with supermarkets lemons. Lemon Marmalade 4 cups of chopped lemons (about 10 lemons) 4 cups water 4 cups sugar Quarter the lemons. Separate the fruit from the peel. Save peels.
Thinly slice peels into strips. Add peel strips to cut fruit.
While waiting for mixture to reach temperature, wash and dry jars. Put them in a 200 degree oven to warm. Working quickly, pour 220 degree jam mixture into glass measuring cup and carefully pour into warm jars. Mixture should be thin but will thicken as it cools. Wipe rims with a damp paper towel. Place on lids and screw on rings. Let jars sit overnight. Lids will "pop" as they seal. Enjoying the "fruits" of my labor. hahahahaha Breakfast is served. Yum.
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