Meyer Lemon Peach Cake

I served this today in the store. Hope you like it!

Meyer Lemon Peach Cake

This is an alteration of a basic box mix.
You need:

1 box white cake mix
1/4 cup Peach Jam for every egg called for
Meyer Lemon Olive Oil for the vegetable oil called for
2 Peaches, diced
White Peach Balsamic, for topping

My box mix called for 3 eggs, so I used at total of 3/4 cups Peach Jam. I used the water it wanted me to use and then the vegetable oil was subbed out with Meyer Lemon Olive Oil.

I tossed in the peaches at the end, stirred it a bit and turned the batter out into a baking pan.

The jam makes this more moist and sticky than is intended, so mine required about 10 more minutes baking. When a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, it is done.

While it is cooling brush it with the White Peach Balsamic.

Balsamic Fruits

2 pints raspberries
2 peaches, diced
1/2 cup White Peach Balsamic

If your peaches aren't perfectly ripe, start this the night before you want to serve it. Dice the peaches and stir with 1/2 cup White Peach Balsamic. Let sit in the fridge overnight. Add the raspberries, stir and serve.

Can be served along with the cake, or by itself. Or used as the base of a cocktail. Just add club soda or prosecco and you're done!

Happy Mother's Day Coupon!

This is for Mother's day - or because I love crispy potatoes. Either or. Love you mom!

Mint and Lemon Roast Potatoes

1 lb small potatoes

3 tbsp Mint and Lemon Sea Salt

1/4 cup Meyer Lemon Olive Oil

a pinch of black pepper

juice of one lemon

Preheat the oven to 375°. 

Halve or quarter your potatoes, if you have any really tiny ones, leave them whole. Toss in a large casserole pan with the olive oil, salt and the black pepper. Spread out in a single layer.

Roast for about 40 minutes, stirring and flipping every 10 minutes.

Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice.

Pumpkin Hummus

Oh pumpkin. I have so much love for pumpkin. If you don't, you may want to skip the next week or so of posts!

Pumpkin Hummus

2 cloves garlic

3 tbsp Meyer Lemon Olive Oil

1 can Garbanzo Beans

1/2 can Pure Pumpkin Puree

1/4 cup Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

1 tbsp Citrus Habanero Olive Oil

1 tbsp Greek Honey

1 tsp Cayenne Pepper, plus more for garnish

1 tsp Salt

2 tbsp Tahini

Put the garlic, salt, tahini and the beans into a food processor and blend until smooth. Add the pumpkin and cayenne pepper. Process slowly, adding in the olive oil by the tablespoon until you get to your desired consistency. Fold in the pumpkin seeds. Save a couple for the top.

Top with a little more pumpkin seeds a sprinkle of cayenne and the honey.

Limoncello Fig Toasts

This was for a day when I felt like having an alcoholic dinner. Because those liquor soaked figs are potent!

Limoncello Fig Toast

1 jar Limoncello Figs

1/2 loaf french baguette

2 cups arugula

1 tbsp Meyer Lemon Olive Oil

ricotta, or chream cheese

flaky sea salt

Turn on your broiler. Slice the baguette into thin slices. Brush the olive oil over the slices and pop them under the broiler for about 2-5 minutes. They should be browning, but not too toasted. Keep an eye on them.

Meanwhile, slice some of the figs and saute them in a pan over medium heat. Toss in the arugula and a little of the juice from the jar. Stir around until the arugula is wilted down.

Spread some of the cheese on your toasts, the amount is up to you. I only gave it a thin layer of Ricotta. Top off with some figs and arugula and a sprinkle of salt. Serve for dinner or as a great appetizer.

The figs are available only in the store or by phone right now. We have Grappa, Cedro, Rhum and the Limoncello.

Asparagus and Proscuitto Pizza with Pecans

We have been craving pizza. But not gooey pizza. Little individual make your own pizzas. With pesto, and salty things, and.... well, whatever I had in my fridge.

This is for one small pita pizza. Double or triple it for a full size pizza.

Asparagus and Prosciutto Pizza

1 pocket-less pita (I like whole wheat)

1 tbsp Meyer Lemon Olive Oil

2-3 tbsp Trapanese Pesto sauce* available in store

a handful of shredded mozzerella

2-3 spears asparagus thinly cut on a diagonal

a handful of pecans

Plain Sea Salt, to taste

1 slice prosciutto, torn into small bits

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush the crust with the olive oil and spread the pesto over the top. Arrange everything evenly but leave off the prosciutto. It gets too crispy.

Sprinkle with the salt and bake for about 5-7 minutes. Check it at five minutes, if the cheese is browning, you're done.

Scatter the prosciutto across the top and serve.

Egg and Artichoke Bake

I made this for my mom. She loves artichokes to no end. And now I find out that my husband likes them too! This was as much a surprise for him as it was for me. But it means I have to buy more artichokes. More fun food for me! This serves 2 very well, double it for more.

Egg and Artichoke Bake

1/2 cup thinly sliced onion
3 tbsp white wine, or broth
3 cups watercress
1 cup spinach
1 can quartered artichokes
4 eggs
4 tbsp heavy cream
2 tbsp Meyer Lemon Olive Oil
     plus more for the pan
Black pepper
Salt

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Rub down a small pie pan with olive oil.

In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil to medium heat. Add the onion, the thinner the slices, the better. Add a little salt and saute for 6-7 minutes, until it is soft and starting to caramelize. Put in the watercress, spinach and the white wine. Let cook for about 3 minutes. The greens should be wilted, but not mushy.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with a little black pepper. Quarter the artichoke pieces and mix into the watercress and onions. Put all that into the casserole pan. Pour the eggs over top and stir a little to make sure everything is well distributed.

Bake for around 10 minutes. Check after 8. When it no longer jiggles, it's ready. The larger your pan, the thinner this is and the less time it takes to cook.

Zucchini Lemon Cake

Once more, Zucchini!

I never did get around to making the zucchini bread over again. But this works out as a good substitute.

The only problem I had, was I ran out of confectioner's sugar when it came time to make the frosting! I love the rustic texture of the brown sugar though, so it's not a problem for me, but make sure you check that you have all your ingredients before hand!

Zucchini Lemon Cake

1 1/2 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp Lemon Twist Sea Salt
1 cup pureed zucchini, about 1 1/2 zucchinis
chopped zucchini skin
1/4 cup Meyer Lemon Olive Oil
1/4 cup milk
1 cup chopped walnuts
juice of 1 lemon
zest of one lemon, chopped

Preheat your oven to 375. Spray a 9 inch round pan or rub it down with olive oil.

Prepare your zucchini! Wash and peel them, but don't discard the skins. Dice about 1 1/2 zucchini's and put them in a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth. You may need to add a little of the olive oil to make it smooth, but I wouldn't say more than 3 tbsp all together. You could also use a little water. Chop the skins and set aside.

Sift together all the dry ingredients, except the skins in one bowl and set aside. Stir all the wet ingredients, including the lemon juice together in another larger bowl until they combine. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet. Once everything is thoroughly combined, fold in the walnuts and the zucchini and lemon skins.

Pour into the pan and smooth down. Bake for about 40-45 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean. Let cool on a wire rack before frosting. Try a cream cheese or sour cream frosting, or my brown sugar frosting is after the pictures.

Rustic Brown Sugar Sour Cream Frosting

1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 c butter
1/2 c sour cream
1 tsp lemon extract

Whip everything together and chill before serving. You could heat the butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan until the sugar dissolves before whipping everything together, but I think it tastes wonderful as is. I just call it rustic.

Lemon Pepper Kebabs

Remember the Red Pepper Bruschetta Pasta from last week? The marinaded chicken I was talking about was this one! I finally got to the grocery store and here you go!

Lemon Pepper Kebabs

3 large chicken breasts
1/2 cup sour cream
3 tbsp Meyer Lemon Olive Oil
1 tbsp fresh minced thyme
1 tsp fresh black pepper
zest of one lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
bamboo skewers

Cube the chicken. Stir all the marinade ingredients together and toss the chicken in it.

Refrigerate it for at least 2 hours or overnight. Soak you skewers in water or use metal ones. Slide the chicken on and give them an extra sprinkle of pepper.

Grill. Cooking time depends on how thick your chicken cubes are, but mine took about 5 minutes. Makes about 6 skewers.

Lemon Pepper Squash

I got all my ingredients ready for last night. I made sure my grill had enough propane, I found and cleaned my grill basket. I got everything all together...

And as I walked down the stairs to start the grill, it started pouring! And not little rain. Big, crazy, put out the grill type of rain. Strangely enough, the sun was still shining. I changed my plans, made this inside, and before I was finished, so was the rain. What was that?

Moral of the story: Summer rains are weird.

And they mess up my grilling plans! So, here is the stove-top version of this dish. I suggest you grill it. Darn that weather!

Lemon Pepper Squash

1/2- 1 Yellow Squash per serving/person

1 tsp Lemon Pepper Seasonings per serving

1 tbsp Meyer Lemon Olive Oil per serving

Slice your squash thinly. Toss in a bowl with the seasoning and the Olive Oil. Spread evenly over the surface of your grill basket. Or your saute pan. 

The cooking time will depend on your heat source and how much squash you are making. It takes about a minute or 2 on each side if you you want to brown it, 1 minute each side if you are just softening them up.

Serve.

I made this for my dinner, but it would make nice side dish as well.

Peach Balsamic Chicken

This chicken is so awesome! I've told a few people at the store about this already, so as promised, here it is!

Peach Balsamic Chicken

1/2 cup Peach Jam

1 pkg chicken thighs, about 4

1 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 tbsp Meyer Lemon Olive Oil

3 tbsp White Peach Balsamic

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan to medium-high heat. Add the chopped onions and let them caramelize. Stir occasionally, but it should take about 7-10 minutes. 

Add the jam and Balsamic and stir. Cook a couple minutes to melt the jam. Stir to combine.

Arrange the chicken in an oven-safe pan and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Pour the broth and the jam/onion mixture over the chicken.

Bake for 45 minutes.

Meyer Lemon Chickpea Salad

I have been in the mood for some simple food. You can't get much more simple than this salad. A little chopping, a little opening of cans, and salad!

I took this to our Father's Day picnic. It went over so well I only got a picture of my own bowl.

Meyer Lemon Chickpea Salad

1 can Chickpeas
1 avocado
1/2 a cucumber
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1-3 cloves garlic
2-4 tbsp Meyer Lemon Olive Oil
(optional - a little drizzle of Greek Honey)

Rinse and drain the chickpeas. Add to a large serving bowl.

Dice the avocado, cucumber and the cherry tomatoes. Add to the bowl. Depending on how much garlic everyone likes, press 1-3 cloves. We like a lot of garlic, so 3 cloves it was. Start with one and see how it goes. You can always stir in more later.

Toss everything with the Meyer Lemon Olive Oil and chill for at least an hour. Drizzle with the honey just before serving. (if using)

Eat Your Veggies Sauce

I bought some zucchini and a can of asparagus last week for a couple recipes I never made. So I pulled out a bunch of veggies that I had on hand and realized that everything was green.

I sauteed everything up and tasted it, and hey, this would taste great on pasta! Where's my blender!

I love this dish. So springtime. And even if it's not Monday, it's good to eat one meat-less day a week right? Or more than one day. So tasty!

Eat Your Veggies Sauce

1 can pigeon peas

1 large zucchini, rough chopped

1 onion, sliced thinly

1 can asparagus, drained

2 tbsp Meyer Lemon Olive Oil

1 lb pappardelle pasta

Saute the onion with the olive oil over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Add the rest of the veggies and continue to cook until the peas are nice and soft, about 7-9 minutes.

I let this cool for about 10 minutes before putting it in my blender. I used the interval to cook my pasta and drain it. If your blender has a steam vent, make sure it is open. If you have a Vita-mix  I'm jealous; and you probably don't have to worry about any of this. 

Blend the sauce until it is smooth. Add a little extra Olive Oil if it isn't thin enough, but you should be okay.

Serve over the pasta.

A Savory April Fools!

Happy April Fools Day!

I was going to make surprise cakes, ya know, mini cakes with things like candied cherries or nuts hidden in the centers... But it's April Fools Day. You would be expecting something like that.

Instead I went literal. Ful, pronounced Fool, is Egyptian for a kind of fava bean dish.

Now, when you think fava bean, pop culture being what it is, you probably hear Hannibal Lecter talking about liver and Chianti.

I have nothing against Chianti, but lets agree that it is just too creepy to put these things together anymore. I'm getting as far away from that as possible here and giving you a breakfast recipe.

This is, from what I read, a popular Egyptian breakfast. I thought it was fantastic! And healthier by far than French Toast.

So Happy April 'Fuls' Day. Lets Eat!

And Happy 1st Blogiversary to me as well!

This is easiest to make with canned beans, but if you can't find them, use dried.

Ful Medames

1 can fava beans, rinsed and drained - 

or, about 1 cup dried, soaked and boiled according to package directions

2-3 tbsp Meyer Lemon Olive Oil

1 lime

2 tsp garlic

1 tsp fresh ginger

cumin

salt

Crush the garlic and the ginger together to make a paste. Add to the beans and olive oil. Mash together with a fork and add the salt and cumin to taste.

Serve with warm flat bread, an egg and a squeeze of lime.

Beef and Mushrooms with Dill Sauce

This is not a creamy dill sauce like you would have over fish or chicken. If you want it to be thicker, you could use sour cream or a thick yogurt in place of the heavy cream.

You can serve this over rice or pasta, or by itself as an easy weeknight meal.

And a big THANK YOU to Unionville Winery! They were nice enough to let us come to their tasting room and set up a small selection of our oils and balsamics this weekend. I really had a great time. And I love their Revolutionary Red wine with this dish!

Beef and Mushrooms with Creamy Dill Sauce

2 tbsp Meyer Lemon Olive Oil
1lb ground beef
2 pints mushrooms, any kind
Sea Salt (I used our new sea salt from Crete!)
pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
1 tbsp fresh dill, rough chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp Dijon mustard

Heat the Meyer Lemon Olive Oil in a pan to medium high heat. Brown the beef, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes.

Rough chop the mushrooms and add them to the beef. Sprinkle with salt and saute about 2 minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium low. Stir in the cream, mustard, dill and red pepper, if using. Stirring constantly, cook 2-4 minutes until everything is well incorporated and the cream is warmed through.

Serve with a glass of wine  and have a good night!

Thanks again guys!

Lemon Beef with Spinach

Can you believe I still have parsley left over? I think I'll be through with it after this!

And while I know that this isn't particularly Super Bowl-y, I think that it's fast enough and easy enough to make for a crowd if you wanted to scale it up a bit. Have fun tomorrow!

Lemon Beef with Spinach

1/2 lb beef strips
2 tbsp White Peach Balsamic
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1 bag spinach
1/4 cup chopped bell peppers, red and orange
1/2 bunch green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 tbsp Meyer Lemon Olive Oil, divided

Set your oven to broil.

Toss the beef strips in the White Peach Balsamic. Use 1tbsp of the olive oil and lightly grease a baking pan. Lay out the beef strips and broil for 4-6 minutes, turning once.

Heat the remaining olive oil in a pan to medium high heat. Saute the red onion, bell peppers and half of the green onions for about 5 minutes. Add the spinach and parsley toss to coat. Let the spinach wilt, another five minutes.

Assemble, with the spinach on the bottom and the beef on top. Toss the rest of the green onions on just before serving. And maybe a teensy bit more White Peach Balsamic.

Warm Shrimp Salad

This is a per person recipe. I have made this for just me and I've made this for a group. It works as an appetizer or a main meal. It all depends on how much shrimp you put on!

Warm Shrimp Salad

5-7 Shrimp,cooked
1/2 tomatillo, diced
1/4 red onion, diced
1/2 red or orange pepper, diced
1 tsp minced garlic
Black Pepper
1 1/2 tbsp Meyer Lemon Olive Oil
3 cups spring mix
1 tbsp Zesty Lemon Balsamic

Warm the Meyer Lemon Olive Oil in a saute pan. Add in the garlic and saute 1-2 minutes. Place the shrimp in the pan and sprinkle with a generous amount of black pepper.

Saute for about 5 minutes, turning once.

Assemble the salad. Toss the spring mix with with onion, pepper and tomatillo. Lay the shrimp on top and drizzle with the Zesty Lemon Balsamic.

Lemon Shortbread

Shortbread has got to be one of the easiest cookies to put together. A lot of recipes call for lots of ingredients, baking sodas, salt, extracts of every kind.... All that is just filler. Good shortbread is just flour, sugar and butter.

Or in this case, olive oil and butter.

Lemon Shortbread

1/2 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 cup Meyer Lemon Olive Oil
1/2 cup butter, softened

Preheat your oven to 300degrees.

Cream the oil, butter and sugar together until well blended. Mix in the flour until combined.

This dough works best when rolled out into a sheet and cut into bars. You can cut it before or after. Before baking, poke the cookies with a fork all over.

Bake for 35-40 minutes.

This should make around 3 dozen small cookies.

There cookies are delicate and buttery without being overly sweet. If you use more olive oil and less butter, these become very crumbly, so I do suggest doing this half with butter and half with olive oil. This works well with any of the fruit flavored olive oils. You can also add in a tablespoon of cocoa powder. But if you do, you need an extra tablespoon of oil too.

(Like these!)

Marinated Mushrooms and Squash

This recipe is mostly a make ahead recipe. A blessing on those crazy cooking times, like now. But it's also great as long as squash is in season.

Marinated Mushrooms and Squash

2 cups Meyer Lemon Olive Oil,
     or 1 cup Meyer Lemon Olive Oil, and 1 cup Varietal Oil
6 garlic cloves
1 lb mushrooms
2 tsp salt
Pinch of black pepper
1 acorn squash
Traditional Balsamic for drizzling

Heat your oven to 400degrees. Cut the acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Brush the insides with a tablespoon or two of olive oil, sprinkle with black pepper and score the insides in a diamond pattern. Roast in a pan for 1 hour. Make sure the pan has 1/4 inch of water in the bottom so the skin doesn't burn.

Once the squash is cool, scoop out the flesh. Toss squash, mushrooms and seasonings together in a large dish and let it marinate at least 6 hrs or overnight.

Heat your oven to 350degrees. Bring the mushroom squash mixture to room temperature before baking. Bake 5 minutes. Drizzle with Traditional Balsamic and return to the oven to bake for another 5-10 minutes.

Turkey Trio: one day, three turkeys

Okay, it isn't really three turkeys. But it is three turkey breasts. And I did make them all last night.

I was only going to make a Lemon Pepper, and a Spanish Rosemary one, but I threw in a surprise one too.

I only made turkey breasts, but these recipes can work for a whole turkey with no problem. Since the size of your turkey decides your cooking times, I am not going to give you that part of the recipe. The USDA recommends that you heat your meat to a minimum of 165 degrees. I really suggest you invest in a good meat thermometer.

12o'clock: Lemon Pepper, 4o'clock Cranberry Lemon, 9o'clock Rosemary Butter

Lemon Pepper Turkey

Rub Lemon Pepper blend all over the outside of your turkey. For the breast I used 1 tbsp. For a whole turkey, it should be less than 4 tbsp, unless you want to rub the inside too. You could lift the skin of the turkey and rub it underneath the skin instead. If you do that, I suggest that you brush the skin with butter.

Slice a lemon in half and slip it inside your bird. I placed some lemon slices on top as well before roasting. I liked the way that looked for presentation.

Cook to 165 degrees.


Cranberry Lemon Bonus Turkey

Gently pull the skin away from the breast of the turkey. Lift it, but don't rip it. Massage 1-2 tbsp Meyer Lemon Olive Oil under the skin. Slice one lemon in thick slices. Slide them under the skin. If you have any bits left over, you can put them inside the turkey.

Brush the top with Cranberry Balsamic.

The balsamic burns quickly, so tent a sheet of foil over the turkey, cover it, or rub the inside of the turkey with the Cranberry Balsamic and brush the outside 20 minutes before the end of your cooking time.

For even more cranberry, try putting some fresh cranberries under the skin as well as lemon slices, and inside the turkey as well.

Cook to 165 degrees.


Spanish Rosemary Butter Turkey

Let 1 stick of unsalted butter(8 tbsp) come to room temperature. Stir in 2 tsp Marsala Rosemary Sea Salt. Mix until well combined.

Pull the skin up from the turkey breast. Be careful not to rip. Rub the infused butter under the skin, saving about 1 tbsp. Rub the remaining tbsp on the outsides.

Cook to 165 degrees.

A plate full of choices

Cranberry Chutney

Fresh Cranberry Chutney

1 12oz bag fresh or frozen cranberries
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup Chocolate Balsamic
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
1/4 tsp allspice
1 1/2 tablespoons Meyer Lemon or Blood Orange Olive Oil
3 shallots, coarsely chopped
1 tbsp lemon zest

Cook shallots with the olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Stir once or twice, until softened. Stir in remaining ingredients. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the berries pop. About ten minutes. Taste, if it's still too tart, add in 1/4 cup more brown sugar.

Allow to cool and sprinkle with the lemon zest.