Raspberry Lemon Tart

Raspberries and lemon are a wonderful combination.  And what a perfect way to end this beautiful Memorial day weekend.  The dough for the tart is made in a food processor so that means an easy clean up so you can spend your time doing something you love.

Raspberry Lemon Tart

Tart Shell ~

1 ¼ cup flour

¾ cup powdered sugar

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp cinnamon

½ cup cold butter, sliced in small pieces

1 large egg

1 tbsp milk

½ tsp vanilla

 

Put all the dry ingredients in your food processor with the blade and pulse until combined.  Add in butter slices.  Pulse again until just combined so the butter doesn’t get too warm.  In a small dish, combine the milk, egg and vanilla.  Pour into the flour mixture and pulse until a dough forms.  Remove the dough from the processor and wrap in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for a half hour.  Remove from the refrigerator and let sit for 10 minutes.  Roll out until the dough is ¼” thick.  Butter  the bottom only of your tart pan.  Place dough in pan.  Only lightly pressing down and on the sides.  Trim off any extra.  Return to refrigerator while your oven heats up to 350°.  Cover the bottom of the dough with aluminum foil and add pie weights.  When the oven is heated, bake for 30 minutes.

 

While that is baking, you can start your lemon filling.

 

Lemon Filling ~

2 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

¾ cup sugar

1/3 cup lemon juice

1 tsp lemon zest

Whisk together in a large saucepan.  Cook over medium heat until it thickens.  Allow to cool to just warm and pour into the tart shell.  Bake for 20 minutes at 350°.  Remove and allow to cool completely.  Place in refrigerator for 2 hours before serving.

Top with 1 pint rinsed and dried raspberries.

Peaches n' Cream Scones

The aroma of warm peaches, cinnamon and vanilla fill my home this morning.  These tender scones with a light vanilla glaze are a perfect start to the day.  Easy to put together and so worth it.  

Peaches n' Cream Scones

2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, cold and cubed
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup whipping cream
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup peaches, fresh or frozen, diced

Glaze

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp whipping cream

Mix all the dry ingredients together.  Using a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until the dough turns into course crumbs.  In a small bowl, mix together sour cream, vanilla and whipping cream.  Add into the dry ingredients and stir until it's completely combined.  Add in the peaches.  Turn out on to a floured surface.  Pat into a circle that is approximately 1/2 - 3/4" thick.  Cut into 8 slices and put onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Make sure they are spread out since the scores will spread slightly.  Brush 2 tbsp whipping cream on top of the scones.  Bake for 20 minutes at 400°.  Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack.  Allow to sit for 10 minutes and then spoon glaze over the scones.

Three Chip Bars

One of my friends made a pan of chocolate chip bars a few weeks ago and posted it on Facebook.  I hadn’t made them in years and they looked so delicious.  Too bad she lives so far away or else I would have gone over to visit.  I decided to play around with my recipe and shake things up using a variety of different chips.

 

Three Chip Bars

½ cup butter, softened

¾ cup brown sugar, packed

1 large egg

1 tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 1 /4 cups flour

½ tsp salt

½ tsp baking powder

1/3 cup ea semi-sweet chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips and butterscotch chips

Grease a 8 x  8 pan.  Cream together the butter and brown sugar.  Add in the egg, milk and vanilla.  Stir in the dry ingredients.  Fold in the chips.  Spread out dough evenly in your greased pan (moistening your fingers with water works great).  Bake for 26 minutes at 350°.

Hot Sauce Chicken

Some like it hot...and chicken is especially tasty when it sits in a hot sauce brine and served with hot sauce on the side for a drizzle or dunk.  It's also great for a cold/sinus pressure situation.  I put the chicken in the brine at 2 and it was ready to go at 5.

Hot Sauce Chicken

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup Coca Cola
2 tbsp hot sauce (I used Frank's)
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 sprig thyme

Place in a large plastic bag that seals.  Allow to marinade in the refrigerator for 3 hours.

Combine the following in a bowl for dredging -

1/2 cup flour
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Remove chicken breasts from bag and dredge through the flour mixture before placing in a hot frying pan with 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil.  Fry both sides and cook until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165°.  Serve with your favorite hot sauce.

Blueberry Lemon Bread

Finally Spring is here and time to enjoy the great outdoors but it's nice to start your day off with a tasty bread or have a snack when you finish yard work.  

Blueberry Lemon Bread

1/2 cup butter. softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs , lightly beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon peel
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup lemon bits (King Arthur Flour), optional
1 pint blueberries mixed in 2 tsp flour


Mix together butter and sugar.  Add in eggs, milk and lemon juice.  Mix in sour cream.  Gradually add in dry ingredients. Gently fold in the blueberries coated in flour (so they do not sink).  Pour into greased loaf pan(s).  Cool in the pan(s) for about 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack.  Bake for 45 minutes for 3 small loaf pans or 1 hour for a regular loaf pan at 350°.

Parmesan Rice Pilaf

Lots of flavor and easy to make....my kind of side.  I always use the Uncle Ben's boil in the bag rice because you cannot go wrong (and I have in the past with rice).  However you choose to make it, you just need to end up with 2 cups of cooked rice - white or brown.  

Parmesan Rice Pilaf

2 cups cooked white rice

2 tbsp slivered almonds

2 tbsp butter

1/4 cup Parmesan, freshly grated

1 tsp parsley

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Add all the ingredients together into the hot white rice.  Stir and serve.  Can it get any easier?

Pancetta Wrapped Turkey Breast

I'm still not sure why I picked up pancetta but it turned out to serve a very good purpose.  I was wondering how to make the turkey breast yesterday and saw the pancetta out of the corner of my eye and grabbed it out at the same time.  I made of quick rub of different spices and dark brown sugar that I had on the counter for the turkey and then covered it with the pancetta.  The pancetta cooked and turned crispy while it kept the turkey breast tender and juicy.

Pancetta Wrapped Turkey Breast

1 - 1-2# turkey breast or tenders

3 oz pancetta slices

Rub -

1 tbsp dark brown sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350°.  Combine all the spices and brown sugar in a small bowl.  Rub over all sides of the turkey breast and place into a greased pan.  Cover the top of the turkey breast with the pancetta slices.  Cover the roasting pan with a lid or aluminum foil for the first hour of baking.  Uncover for the last 45 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 165°.