Baked Asparagus

Don't get the idea that I only make desserts, I make dinner nearly every day.  But most of those dinners are every day cooking with no recipe involved.  Earlier this week I made spaghetti and a chicken stir fry that mainly consisted of odd and end veggies I had on hand.  I did fix my asparagus a new way this week.  Baked asparagus, just fresh asparagus from the garden tossed with a little olive oil, garlic, salt & pepper.  Really delicious.  B of course didn't like it, wasn't squishy enough for him.  He prefers it steamed to the point of being overdone with cheese sauce to further disguise it.  I now draw the line at cheese sauce.  I used to make it a lot when I was trying to get small children to eat their vegetables, but B will just have to grow up and eat his vegetables with out it.

Lemon Meringue Pie

The classic Lemon Meringue Pie was the last recipe I made on my lemon extravaganza Saturday. I have a standard recipe that I generally use, but this time I pulled out the recipe book A & M gave me a couple years ago - "The New Best Recipe" from America's Test kitchen. It made a good pie, but really not discernibly different than any other lemon meringue pie that I've ever made.



Lemon Meringue Pie

Filling:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup cold water
6 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1/2 cup juice from 2 to 3 lemons
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Meringue:
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/3 cup water
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 cup sugar
4 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

prebaked pie crust

Mix the sugar, cornstarch, salt and water in a large nonreactive saucepan. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, whisking occasionally at the beginning of the process and more frequently as the mixture begins to thicken. When the mixture starts to simmer and turns translucent, whisk in the egg yolks, two at a time. Whisk in the zest, then the lemon juice and finally the butter. Bring the mixture to a good simmer, whisking constantly.  Remove from the heat and cover to keep hot and prevent a skin from forming. For the meringue: Mix the cornstarch with the water in a small saucepan; bring to a simmer whisking occasionally at the beginning and more frequently as the mixture thickens. When the mixture starts to simmer and turns translucent, remove from the heat. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Mix the cream of tartar and sugar together. Beat the egg whites and vanilla until frothy. Beat in the sugar mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the sugar is incorporated and the mixture forms soft peaks. Add the cornstarch mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time; continue to beat the meringue to stiff peaks. Remove the cover from the lemon filling and return to very low heat during the last minute or so of beating the meringue (to ensure that the filling is hot). Pour the hot filling into the pie shell. Using a rubber spatula, immediately distribute the meringue evenly around the edge and then the center of the pie to keep it from sinking into the filling. Make sure the meringue attaches to the pie crust to prevent shrinking. Use the back of a spoon to create peaks all over the meringue. Bake the pie until the meringue is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Serve the same day.

Blueberry Coffee Cake With Lemon Struesel

So next on the agenda for my lemon excess was a new recipe from KAF, always a good source of tasty recipes, Blueberry Coffee Cake with Lemon Struesel.  It got very good reviews and once made was very good.  It made two cakes, so I was able to send one to the bake sale mentioned in the last post.  B & I each had a small piece and the rest went to work for sharing.  The only thing I would do differently would be to coat the blueberries with flour before folding them into the batter since they slightly drifted to the bottom of the cake.  I did substitute 2 tablespoons of lemon peel for the candied peel.

 

Blueberry Coffee Cake with Lemon Struesel

Lemon Studded Streusel:

3 1/2 ounces granulated sugar

4 1/4 ounces unbleached all purpose flour

pinch of salt

3 ounces candied lemon peel

3 ounces butter, softened

3-4 drops lemon oil, or 1/8 teaspoon lemon extract

Cake:

4 ounces butter, softened

7 ounces granulated sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

8 ounces sour cream, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

8 1/2 ounces unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

10 ounces fresh or frozen blueberries, well drained

Directions:

1) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F . Lightly grease a 9" x 13" baking pan or two 8" x 2" round pans

2) For the lemon streusel: In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the sugar, flour, and salt. Gently toss the candied peel until it is well coated. If you prefer smaller pieces of peel, you can pulse the mixture 10-12 times with a food processor at this point. For a bigger lemon "bite" leave as is

3) Work the softened butter into the flour/peel mixture until it resembles granola, some larger chunks, some smaller. Sprinkle on the lemon oil and toss again to combine. Set mixture aside.

4) For the cake: Cream the butter and sugar until light colored and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and beat after each addition. Be sure to scrape down the bowl well each time. Beat in the sour cream and vanilla

5) In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to the batter, mixing until combined. Avoid overbeating or the cake will become tough

6) Gently fold in the blueberries until well distributed throughout the batter. Pour into the prepared pan(s) and spread evenly. Sprinkle with the lemon streusel until the batter is completely covered

7) Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 15-20 minutes before serving

Lemon Pound Cake

There was a sale on lemons at Walmart this week - 3$ for a bag. Yay!  Time to break out the cook books, try something old, something new and then something in just a new way. So first the tried and true - Lemon Pound Cake.  I used a mini bundt pan.  It made 10 mini bundt cakes, 7 of them with my sister D here in town for the bake sale to send the eighth graders to St Louis on their 8th grade trip. I kept the three that had a problem releasing from the pan.  This is my go to lemon cake, not too sweet, but always good.  In fact, I'm going to go have a piece right now. 

Lemon Pound Cake

1 tablespoon butter

½ cup butter

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

2 ¾ cup flour

1 cup milk

¼ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons grated lemon peel

2 teaspoons baking powder

Glaze:

1/3 cup lemon juice

¾ cup sugar

Butter bundt pan generously with the one tablespoon of butter, dust with flour. In medium bowl with electric mixer at medium speed, cream ½ cup butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Reduce speed to low and add dry flour mixture alternating with milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.  Beat until smooth after each addition. Do not over beat. Fold in lemon peel. Pour batter evenly into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes at 350°. Remove from oven. Let cake stand in pan for 5 minutes, then invert onto wire rack. Place rack on piece of wax paper. Do not mix glaze until ready to brush on cake. In a small bowl stir lemon juice and sugar together (sugar will not dissolve). Brush all glaze over hot cake. Cool completely. To freeze; wrap securely and freeze for up to four months. To serve, thaw at room temperature for 4 hours.

Caramel Cake

I've been looking at Caramel Cake recipes, so this is my first experiment.  I don't think I'll make it again,  the cake itself was a little bland.  The icing was a mixture of cream cheese and caramel and I think the cream cheese slightly overpowered the caramel flavor.  Also the recipe had no flavorings of any kind, no vanilla or maple and I think it would have benefited by some extra flavor.  The caramel itself would have been better with some extra flavoring or butter.

Quiche

This is really my tried and true recipe for quiche. It's a lower fat version, if quiche can be lowfat. I used fresh asparagus from the garden, red onion, canadian bacon and some diced red pepper for color. I also used 1/2 cup baby swiss cheese and 1/2 cup of the mozarella. B of course doesn't generally eat such things and complained the whole time. When I told him that he must have liked it since he ate three pieces, he said not really, just that it was so lightwieght. Really though, it was delicious.


Cheesy Quiche

1 carton egg substitute
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (60 cal per serving size)
½ cup skim milk
½ cup chopped onions
¼ cup sliced mushrooms
¼ cup bell peppers
Salt & pepper to taste
Unbaked pie shell

Sautee onions, mushrooms and bell peppers in small amount of oil. Combine with all the other ingredients and pour into unbaked pie shell. Bake at 375 degrees in a preheated oven until eggs are set - about 20-30 minutes. About 225 calories per slice.

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

I made this cake a while back, but never got around to posting it.  I've tried several different banana cake recipes, but I think this is one of the best.  Still not a real pronounced banana flavor, especially with the cream cheese frosting slightly overpowering it.  But it was a very moist cake and not dense like a lot of banana cakes are, I'll definitely make it the next time I get too many over ripe bananas in the freezer.  By the way did you know that when the last banana in the bunch is just too ripe for eating, you can just toss it in the freezer? In the skin, no need to put in a bag or anything.  When you get several, just pull them out and defrost.  I usually take off the end and just squeeze the banana out. 

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Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Icing.
SERVES 16 , 1 9x13 pan or 1 bunt.
Ingredients

1 1/2 cups bananas, mashed, ripe

2 teaspoons lemon juice

3 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup butter, softened

2 1/8 cups sugar

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 1/2 cups icing (or powdered) sugar

chopped walnuts

Directions

Preheat oven to 275°.  Grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan.  In a small bowl, mix mashed banana with the lemon juice; set aside.  In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.  In a large bowl, cream 3/4 cup butter and 2 1/8 cups sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs, one at a time, then stir in 2 tsp vanilla.  Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk.  Stir in banana mixture.  Pour batter into prepared pan and bake. in preheated 275 F. degree oven.  Check it in about one hour, Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Remove from oven and place directly into the freezer for 45 minutes. This will make the cake very moist.  For the frosting, cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth.  Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla.  Add icing sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then on high speed until frosting is smooth.  Spread on cooled cake.  Sprinkle chopped walnuts over top of the frosting, if desired.

Morining Glory Muffins

These muffins are healthy and delicious. Great for a morning breakfast. They were good just by themselves, but I liked mine with a smear of cream cheese.  I didn't use the wheat germ or the sunflower seeds, but believe it or not all the other ingredients were things I had in the pantry.  The recipe says it makes 12, but I got 14 regular sized muffins and 24 mini muffins.  So probably 20 - 24 regular muffins,  which would of course affect the nutrition information.  I would bet that they have close to a full serving of fruit/veg per muffin.  They were nice and moist, but I think next time I'll try to cut back on the oil & substitute applesauce for a portion of the oil.. 

Morning Glory Muffins

1/2 cup (2 1/2 ounces) raisins
2 cups (8 1/2 ounces)  whole wheat flour, traditional or white whole wheat
1 cup (7 1/2 ounces) brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups (7 ounces) carrots, peeled and grated
1 large tart apple, peeled, cored, and grated
1/2 cup (1 1/2 ounces) sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup (2 ounces) chopped walnuts
1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) sunflower seeds or wheat germ, optional
3 large eggs
2/3 cup (4 5/8 ounces) vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup (2 ounces) orange juice

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin, or line it with papers and spray the insides of the papers.

To make the muffins: In a small bowl, cover the raisins with hot water, and set them aside to soak while you assemble the rest of the recipe. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, spices, and salt. Stir in the carrots, apple, coconut, nuts, and sunflower seeds or wheat germ, if using. In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, vanilla, and orange juice. Add to the flour mixture, and stir until evenly moistened. Drain the raisins and stir them in. Divide the batter among the wells of the prepared pan (they'll be full almost to the top; that's OK).

To bake the muffins: Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, until nicely domed and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven, let cool for 5 minutes in their pan on a rack, then turn out of pans to finish cooling.

Nutrition information per serving (1 muffin, 106g): 20g whole grains, 342 cal, 18g fat, 6g protein, 26g complex carbohydrates, 19g sugar, 4g dietary fiber, 53mg Cholesterol, 347mg sodium, 322mg potassium, 541RE vitamin A, 3mg vitamin C, 2mg iron, 47mg calcium, 131mg phosphorous.

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Amanda's Baby Shower

Strawberry Cake with Strawberry filling, iced with a whipped cream frosting.  The cupcakes are also strawberry with a Swiss Meringue Frosting,  the cookies are a regular sugar cookie with a royal icing.  I'm about to give up on the royal icing thing, this did not turn out shiny like it should be, but rather dull and splotchy.    The cake was good, kind of dense, but a good strawberry flavor.  The filling added a lot of moisture and flavor.  I don't think it would have been as good without the filling.

Strawberry Cake
3/4 cup strawberry puree, room temperature (follows)
1/4 cup milk, at room temperature
6 large egg whites, room temperature
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 cup cake flour, sifted
1 3/4 cup sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
12 Tbsp unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened (not melted)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare two 8 inch pans-spray inside with baking spray with flour.
In small bowl, combine puree, milk, egg, vanilla and mix with fork until well blended. In bowl of stand mixer, add sifted flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and mix to combine. Continue beating at slow speed and add butter. Mix until combined and resembling moist crumbs.
Add liquids and beat at medium speed for about 1 minute or until full and evenly combined. Stop mixer to scrape down the sides of the bowl and hand beat for 30 more seconds. Divide the batter evenly among the pans and smooth tops.
Bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (time will vary). Let cakes rest in pan for about 10 minutes and turn out onto wire racks. Let cakes cool completely (about 2 hours).
Strawberry puree
24oz frozen strawberries, thawed*
Thaw frozen strawberries in whatever form (sliced, whole, etc) and in whatever container/bag you have them in. Pour into a fine strainer placed over a bowl and let sit. Lightly toss the strawberries occasionally to remove any pockets of excess liquid. Reserve the liquid for another use or discard. Place strawberries in a food processor or blender and puree.
Use leftover puree to fill the cake or fold into the frosting, if desired. It’s also fabulous spooned over ice cream… and eaten straight with a spoon.
Yields: Approx 1 1/4 cup strawberry puree

Garlic Shrimp with Linguine

C came down Friday so we could go to Amanda's shower on Saturday.  I baked most of the day, so made a fairly quick dinner.  The recipe called itself  "Shrimp Scampi", but I call it Garlic Shrimp with Linguine. Basically quickly cook some shrimp in a mixture of half butter and half olive oil and 4 to 6 cloves of chopped (pressed) garlic.  Remove the shrimp from the skillet, add lemon zest, lemon juice, chopped parsley, white wine, a little red pepper flakes and salt & pepper.  Add cooked linguine into the sauce and then the previously cooked shrimp.  It was very flavorful, the shrimp nice and sweet & tender.  The only thing I would change would be to break the linguine or use a shorter/smaller pasta.  It tended to wrap around itself and not allow the shrimp to mix in.  I enjoyed it with fresh asparagus, garlic toast & a nice pinot grigio.  It was just myself because C fell asleep (there was no waking her up since she had been up all night working) and B was too busy playing a video game (with A in Atlanta) to bother coming in to eat dinner until it had gotten cold.  Too bad for them!  The dish did reheat pretty good, so C had it for breakfast the next day.

Kitchen Necessities

Sometimes things are a necessity and you don't even know it until after you have them.  Such is the case with my Cuisinart Dutch Oven that was a gift from my wonderful son W and his lovely wife J for Christmas. I'd kind of been wanting some enameled cast iron cookware, but it's pretty pricey.  When I got it,  I thought it was great, but kind of large for just B & I.  WRONG.  I've used it practically every week since I got it.  It is great for browning a roast & then slow cooking in the oven, also for any soup or stew.  This last week I used it for making chicken rice soup.  It holds the heat so well & is great for simmering.  Now that I have it, I don't know how I made do without one for so long.  Thanks W & J!