I came across this recipe in a magazine and I think I remember it from the early 80's. I do not know if my mom or grandmother made this cake, but I remember wanting to eat this cake!
Cake:
2 1/2 cups sugar
5 large eggs (room temperature)
1/2 cup 7UP(room temperature)
1 tbsp lemon zest plus,
2 tspb juice from 1 lemon
1 tbsp lime zest, plus
2 tbsp juice from 2 limes
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups butter, melted and cooled slightly
3 1/4 cups cake flour
Glaze:
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp lime juice
1. Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees.
Grease and flour 12-cup non-stick tube pan or Bundt pan. In a food processor, process sugar, eggs, 7UP, lemon zest, lemon juice, lime zest, lime juice and salt until smooth.
With machine running, slowly pour in butter and process until incorporated.
Transfer to large bowl. Add flour slowly and whisk until combined.
2. Spread batter into prepared pan. Gently tap pan on counter. Bake 75-90 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack to cool completely (about 2 hours.)
3. Glaze: Whisk confectioner's sugar, lemon juice and lime juice in bowl until smooth. Pour glaze over cooled cake. Let glaze set for 10 minutes. Serve.
***Note: Do not use Diet 7UP, the artificial sweetners cause the cake to come out tough and dull in taste. However, Mountain dew, Sprite or Ginger Ale could be substituted nicely.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
French Country Chicken
I found this recipe in Cook's Country magazine. The picture looked just OK, but I wanted a new chicken recipe. This turned out FABULOUS! This may just be the best chicken dish I've ever had! Dave wasn't crazy about the artichokes in the recipe, so I may try to find a substitute, but other than that he loved it too! It was super easy to make as well.
Ingrediants:
4 skin-on split chicken breasts (about 3 lbs), halved crosswise
salt and pepper for seasoning
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 14 oz. can of halved artichokes (drained)
1/2 c. low sodium chicken broth
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried savory
1 tsp dried rosemary
4 tbsp butter cut into pieces
2 tsp white wine vinegar (cider or white vinegar can be used)
Pat chicken dry with papaer towels and season all sides with salt and pepper. I also pick up the skin and season underneath the skin.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until smoking. Cook chicken skin side down until well-browned, about 6-7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook until meat registers 160 degrees, about 15-20 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate and tent with foil.
Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat from skillet. Add artichokes and cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer to plate with chicken. Add broth, honey, herbs and any acculmulated chicken juices to skillet and simmer, scrapping up any browned bits and vinegar.
Pour sauce over chicken and artichokes. Serve.
Ingrediants:
4 skin-on split chicken breasts (about 3 lbs), halved crosswise
salt and pepper for seasoning
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 14 oz. can of halved artichokes (drained)
1/2 c. low sodium chicken broth
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried savory
1 tsp dried rosemary
4 tbsp butter cut into pieces
2 tsp white wine vinegar (cider or white vinegar can be used)
Pat chicken dry with papaer towels and season all sides with salt and pepper. I also pick up the skin and season underneath the skin.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until smoking. Cook chicken skin side down until well-browned, about 6-7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook until meat registers 160 degrees, about 15-20 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate and tent with foil.
Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat from skillet. Add artichokes and cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer to plate with chicken. Add broth, honey, herbs and any acculmulated chicken juices to skillet and simmer, scrapping up any browned bits and vinegar.
Pour sauce over chicken and artichokes. Serve.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Focaccia
I've been trying out different recipes from "Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook" that my mother-in-law gave me. In true Martha Stewart fashion, everything in this book looks amazing. So far I've made pizza dough, challah (twice, the second time I modified the recipe a bit), a dobos torte (a 7-layer hungarian cake. Dave's Nana used to make this for his father and they LOVE it. Mine came out OK. Dave ate it, but complained that it wasn't his Nana's!!), and I modified another cake into a sort of strawberry cake. (Again Dave complained that it wasn't like his grandmother's strawberry cake! I can't compete against the grandmothers!!!)
But the Focaccia recipe is so far my favorite. At least it came out the best. This took a long time to make and it had to rise 3 seperate times....but yum...it was worth it!!! It makes a big thing of foccacia, so I need to figure out if the recipe can be cut in half or if I can freeze the dough.
Ingredients:
7 c. bread flour
3 1/2 c. warm water (110-120 degrees)
1 tsp. active dry yeast (1 packet of the rapid rise yeast)
2 tbsp. coarse salt
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt for sprinkling
(not on original recipe, but 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese)
Get the yeast started in a small bowl if using dry yeast by mixing it with 1/4 c. of the water water and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk together the flour, water, and yeast. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until the mixture has triples in bulk and full of spongelike bubbles, about 2 hours.
After the dough has risen, add the salt. Attach the bowl to the electric mixer with the dough hook. Mix on low for 3-5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl, raise the speed to medium and beat for about 15 seconds. The dough will be wet, slack and very sticky. (Tip: spray your hands with non-stick cooking spray before handling dough. this will help --wont prevent-- your hand from becoming too doughy.)
Using a stick scraper, turn the dough onto a well floured work surface. (The dough will be hard to handle, so resist the urge to add flour to the top.) Fold the dough over itself 4 or 5 times. Fold the top edge down one-third of the way toward the center; turn the dough 45 degrees and repeat. Tap off excess flour as you go. Carefully, scoop up the dough and flip it over, seam side down. Place the dough in a well floured bowl, smooth side up. (Make sure the bowl in large enough to accomadate the dough when it has tripled in size!) Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, let rise in a warm place for 1 hour. (Spray the plastic wrap with non-stick spray to prevent it from sticking to the dough.)
Return the dough to a well-floured work surface. Repeat the folding process again. Return the dough to the well-floured and cover with the plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450 degrees with the rack in the lower third of the oven. Pour 1/4 cup of olive oil onto a 17 x 12" baking sheet, coating the bottom completely; set aside.
Return the dough to a well-floured surface; it should feel soft and spingy. Place the dough on the prepared sheet. With your hands, flip the dough over and thoroughly coat both sides with oil. Gently stretching the dough with your fingertips as you turn it over. (Allow the weight of the dough to do the work.) Push the dough to the edges of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap let it rest for 10 minutes. This will allow the dough to be stretched the rest of the way more easily. With the plastic wrap still on top of the dough, press out the dough to fill the pan. Remove the plastic wrap; the dough should be very bubbly and supple. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the top of the dough. Sprinkle liberally with the sea salt.
Bake, rotating sheet halfway though, until the focaccia is evenly browned on top and bottom, 25-30 minutes. At the halfway point, when I opened the oven to rotate the pan, I sprinkled the 1 c. of parmesan cheese all over the top of the dough.
Immediately slide focaccia onto a wire rack to cool. Best served warm. Slice with a serrated knife or pizza wheel!!
But the Focaccia recipe is so far my favorite. At least it came out the best. This took a long time to make and it had to rise 3 seperate times....but yum...it was worth it!!! It makes a big thing of foccacia, so I need to figure out if the recipe can be cut in half or if I can freeze the dough.
Ingredients:
7 c. bread flour
3 1/2 c. warm water (110-120 degrees)
1 tsp. active dry yeast (1 packet of the rapid rise yeast)
2 tbsp. coarse salt
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt for sprinkling
(not on original recipe, but 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese)
Get the yeast started in a small bowl if using dry yeast by mixing it with 1/4 c. of the water water and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk together the flour, water, and yeast. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until the mixture has triples in bulk and full of spongelike bubbles, about 2 hours.
After the dough has risen, add the salt. Attach the bowl to the electric mixer with the dough hook. Mix on low for 3-5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl, raise the speed to medium and beat for about 15 seconds. The dough will be wet, slack and very sticky. (Tip: spray your hands with non-stick cooking spray before handling dough. this will help --wont prevent-- your hand from becoming too doughy.)
Using a stick scraper, turn the dough onto a well floured work surface. (The dough will be hard to handle, so resist the urge to add flour to the top.) Fold the dough over itself 4 or 5 times. Fold the top edge down one-third of the way toward the center; turn the dough 45 degrees and repeat. Tap off excess flour as you go. Carefully, scoop up the dough and flip it over, seam side down. Place the dough in a well floured bowl, smooth side up. (Make sure the bowl in large enough to accomadate the dough when it has tripled in size!) Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, let rise in a warm place for 1 hour. (Spray the plastic wrap with non-stick spray to prevent it from sticking to the dough.)
Return the dough to a well-floured work surface. Repeat the folding process again. Return the dough to the well-floured and cover with the plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450 degrees with the rack in the lower third of the oven. Pour 1/4 cup of olive oil onto a 17 x 12" baking sheet, coating the bottom completely; set aside.
Return the dough to a well-floured surface; it should feel soft and spingy. Place the dough on the prepared sheet. With your hands, flip the dough over and thoroughly coat both sides with oil. Gently stretching the dough with your fingertips as you turn it over. (Allow the weight of the dough to do the work.) Push the dough to the edges of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap let it rest for 10 minutes. This will allow the dough to be stretched the rest of the way more easily. With the plastic wrap still on top of the dough, press out the dough to fill the pan. Remove the plastic wrap; the dough should be very bubbly and supple. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the top of the dough. Sprinkle liberally with the sea salt.
Bake, rotating sheet halfway though, until the focaccia is evenly browned on top and bottom, 25-30 minutes. At the halfway point, when I opened the oven to rotate the pan, I sprinkled the 1 c. of parmesan cheese all over the top of the dough.
Immediately slide focaccia onto a wire rack to cool. Best served warm. Slice with a serrated knife or pizza wheel!!
Raspberry Crumb Cake
I had a container of blackberries that was about a day from going bad, so I found this recipe and just substituted the raspberries with blackberries .
Ingredients:
2/3 c. sugar
1/4 c. corn starch
3/4 c. water
2 c. fresh raspberries (or your favorite in-season berries)
1 tbsp lemon juice
Crust:
3 c. ap flour
1 c. sugar
1 tbsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp mace
1 c. cold butter
2 eggs
1 c milk
1 tsp vanilla
Topping:
1/2 c ap flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cold butter
1/4 cup slivered almonds
In a saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, water and raspberries. Bring to a boil over medium heat; boil for 5 minutes or until thinkened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice. Cool.
Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the first 6 crust ingredients. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Beat eggs, milk and vanilla; add to crumb mixture and mix well. Spread two-thirds of mixture into a greased 13 x 9 x 2 baking pan. Spoon raspberry filling over crust to with in 1" of edges. Top with the remaining crust mixture.
For the topping, combine flour and sugar; cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in almonds. Sprinkle over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until lightly browned.
Ingredients:
2/3 c. sugar
1/4 c. corn starch
3/4 c. water
2 c. fresh raspberries (or your favorite in-season berries)
1 tbsp lemon juice
Crust:
3 c. ap flour
1 c. sugar
1 tbsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp mace
1 c. cold butter
2 eggs
1 c milk
1 tsp vanilla
Topping:
1/2 c ap flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cold butter
1/4 cup slivered almonds
In a saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, water and raspberries. Bring to a boil over medium heat; boil for 5 minutes or until thinkened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice. Cool.
Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the first 6 crust ingredients. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Beat eggs, milk and vanilla; add to crumb mixture and mix well. Spread two-thirds of mixture into a greased 13 x 9 x 2 baking pan. Spoon raspberry filling over crust to with in 1" of edges. Top with the remaining crust mixture.
For the topping, combine flour and sugar; cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in almonds. Sprinkle over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until lightly browned.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Tips and Tricks Tuesday
I've recently been experimenting with using plain yogurt in place of milk or sour cream in some recipes. This was all prompted by Zack and Aaron. They wanted Mac 'n cheese for lunch last week but I was out of milk. I had a nearly full tub of plain yogurt in the fridge, so I thought what they heck. It should lend a milky taste and it should make a nice creamy sauce. Oh my god was it good!!
I've made mac 'n cheese for the boys two more times since and I've cut the usual 1/4 cup of butter and 1/4 cup milk down to 2 tbsp of each and add 1/2 cup of plain yogurt. It's so yummy and the sause is so creamy! I'll never amke mac n cheese without it now.
Last night I made a Brisket with mashed potatoes as a side. Instead of loading the potatoes up with butter, milk and sour cream, I used the yogurt. I still added a small amount of butter, milk and sour cream, but not nearly as much.
Hopefully this will make a some of these fatty sauces and sides healthier. Plain yogurt will now be staple in my fridge. Hmmm, I wonder how it would taste in an Alfredo sauce....
I've made mac 'n cheese for the boys two more times since and I've cut the usual 1/4 cup of butter and 1/4 cup milk down to 2 tbsp of each and add 1/2 cup of plain yogurt. It's so yummy and the sause is so creamy! I'll never amke mac n cheese without it now.
Last night I made a Brisket with mashed potatoes as a side. Instead of loading the potatoes up with butter, milk and sour cream, I used the yogurt. I still added a small amount of butter, milk and sour cream, but not nearly as much.
Hopefully this will make a some of these fatty sauces and sides healthier. Plain yogurt will now be staple in my fridge. Hmmm, I wonder how it would taste in an Alfredo sauce....
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Turkish Meatballs
It's been awhile since I've posted anything because it's been awhile since I've felt like cooking. But we've eaten too much take out lately and need to get back on track.
I've had this ground lamb in my freezer for a while now. I had the intention on making Shepperd's Pie with it. But yesterday while in Barnes and Nobles, I found this recipe for Turkish Meatballs. I was in the children's area and it was a children's cook book. But hey, it sounded really good and easy. I didn't buy the cook book as it was almost $20. But I got the gist of the recipe and felt I could wing it at home. Of course this afternoon came and I couldn't remember anything. So I googled it. I also wanted to make a cucumber dress to drizzle over top of it. I compared several recipes and came up with something. I think they came out really good. There would only be a few things that I would do differently next time.
The first thing I would do (per someone else's suggestion) is to get a shoulder cut of lamb and have it ground rather than buying it pre-ground. Apparently, the pre-ground lamb has a great deal more fat in it. The meatballs did come out a bit greasy.
They also came out a tad spicy. I liked this bit of kick, but some people might not, so I would eliminate the cayenne pepper or reduce the amount.
The last thing I would do differently is to use real (fresh) breadcrumbs, as most recipes call for. If I had planned better, I could have done this, but this was a spur-of-the-moment meal. OK, so here's the recipe.
Turkish Meatballs
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup cilantro
1/4 cup fresh mint or 2 tsp dried mint
1 large shallot - chopped
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp all spice
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp oil
1 egg
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 lb ground lamb
Combine first 11 ingredients in a food processor. Process until the consistency of salsa. Add the egg, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese and lamb. Process until everything is even incorporated. You may have to stop and scrap the sides of the bowl from time to time.
Next form into desired size meatballs. I make mine about the size of ping-pong balls.
Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium-heat, add the meatballs. Brown on all sides. Finish in a 350 degree oven for 10 - 15 minutes, depending on the size of meatballs.
Cucumber Dressing
1 cucumber, skinned and seeded cut into chunks
8 oz plain yogurt
1 clove of garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp lemon juice
Combine all ingredients in the food processor. Pulse until creamy. Refridgerate for at least an hour before serving.
I've had this ground lamb in my freezer for a while now. I had the intention on making Shepperd's Pie with it. But yesterday while in Barnes and Nobles, I found this recipe for Turkish Meatballs. I was in the children's area and it was a children's cook book. But hey, it sounded really good and easy. I didn't buy the cook book as it was almost $20. But I got the gist of the recipe and felt I could wing it at home. Of course this afternoon came and I couldn't remember anything. So I googled it. I also wanted to make a cucumber dress to drizzle over top of it. I compared several recipes and came up with something. I think they came out really good. There would only be a few things that I would do differently next time.
The first thing I would do (per someone else's suggestion) is to get a shoulder cut of lamb and have it ground rather than buying it pre-ground. Apparently, the pre-ground lamb has a great deal more fat in it. The meatballs did come out a bit greasy.
They also came out a tad spicy. I liked this bit of kick, but some people might not, so I would eliminate the cayenne pepper or reduce the amount.
The last thing I would do differently is to use real (fresh) breadcrumbs, as most recipes call for. If I had planned better, I could have done this, but this was a spur-of-the-moment meal. OK, so here's the recipe.
Turkish Meatballs
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup cilantro
1/4 cup fresh mint or 2 tsp dried mint
1 large shallot - chopped
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp all spice
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp oil
1 egg
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 lb ground lamb
Combine first 11 ingredients in a food processor. Process until the consistency of salsa. Add the egg, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese and lamb. Process until everything is even incorporated. You may have to stop and scrap the sides of the bowl from time to time.
Next form into desired size meatballs. I make mine about the size of ping-pong balls.
Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium-heat, add the meatballs. Brown on all sides. Finish in a 350 degree oven for 10 - 15 minutes, depending on the size of meatballs.
Cucumber Dressing
1 cucumber, skinned and seeded cut into chunks
8 oz plain yogurt
1 clove of garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp lemon juice
Combine all ingredients in the food processor. Pulse until creamy. Refridgerate for at least an hour before serving.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Lemon Cake
This recipe came from my husband's awesome grandmother, Fira. This is one of my favorite desserts. I made it for the first time a few weeks ago and I'm making it again tonight.
1/2 cup butter (softened)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 milk
1 tbsp plain yogurt
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
grated rind of 1 lemon (save the juice of the lemon)
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
1. Cream together the butter and sugar.
2. Add the eggs, one at a time to the butter and sugar mixture.
3. Add the lemon rind.
4. Sift the flour with baking powder and gradually add it to the above mixture.
5. Add the milk and yogurt
Bake in a greased and floured loaf pan for about 45 minutes or until golden brown. It should spring back at the touch of a fingertip.
While still hot...
Mix the juice of the lemon with 1/4 cup of sugar in a small sauce pan. Warm the mixture up, but do not boil.
Poke holes in the cake, pour the syrup on top all over and let it penetrate.
Let cool before serving. Freezes well when wrapped in aluminum foil and then in a zip-lock bag.
1/2 cup butter (softened)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 milk
1 tbsp plain yogurt
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
grated rind of 1 lemon (save the juice of the lemon)
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
1. Cream together the butter and sugar.
2. Add the eggs, one at a time to the butter and sugar mixture.
3. Add the lemon rind.
4. Sift the flour with baking powder and gradually add it to the above mixture.
5. Add the milk and yogurt
Bake in a greased and floured loaf pan for about 45 minutes or until golden brown. It should spring back at the touch of a fingertip.
While still hot...
Mix the juice of the lemon with 1/4 cup of sugar in a small sauce pan. Warm the mixture up, but do not boil.
Poke holes in the cake, pour the syrup on top all over and let it penetrate.
Let cool before serving. Freezes well when wrapped in aluminum foil and then in a zip-lock bag.
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