Lemonies and Orangies

Elder son has a Meyer lemon tree, so I wanted to make a lemon version of a brownie. They were great. My husband won second place in a baking contest with them. (He felt the first place winner was rigged.)  It works with oranges, too.

The original recipe is from iheartnaptime.net

1 stick butter, softened (recipe calls for salted, I used unsalted with no issues)

3/4 c. granulated sugar

zest of 1 lemon

2 large eggs

1 T fresh lemon juice

3/4 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 t baking powder

  for Glaze:

3/4 c. powdered sugar

1 1/2 T fresh lemon juice

zest of 1/2 lemon

Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly spray an 8x8 pan with cooking spray, line it with parchment, spray the parchment. In a large bowl with mixer, beat together butter, sugar and lemon zest until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Then mix in lemon juice. Add flour and baking powder and mix until combined.

Pour into pan and smooth into an even layer. (Batter is thick, I had trouble with this. The softer your butter, the smoother it will be.) Bake 20-25 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool.  For glaze whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice and zest, them pour over the top, spreading evenly to coat.  Cool completely before slicing into 12 or 16 pieces.

(Because my top was so lumpy, I flipped it over and glazed the underside. It was more porous, so the glaze soaked in more. My husband really liked it this way, and made his prize-winning batch the same way.)

Best Brownies

These are the best.  Recipe from Loveandlemons.com.  

1 1/2 c. granulated sugar

3/4 c. all-purpose flour

2/3 c. cocoa powder, sifted if lumpy

1/2 c. powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy

1/2 c. chocolate chips

1/2 c. nuts (optional)

1/2 t. salt

2 large eggs

1/2 c. vegetable oil

2 T water

1/2 t vanilla

Preheat oven to 325. Spray 8x8 pan with cooking spray, line with parchment, spray the parchment.

In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients.  In a large bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Add dry to wet and stir until just combined. Pour into pan and smooth top. Bake for 40 minutes until a toothpick comes out almost clean. Don't overbake! Cool before slicing into 16 pieces.

Pot Roast

Beef chuck or tri-tip

One can diced tomatoes

One packet onion soup mix

Potatoes

Carrots

Sliced onion

Cabbage or Brussels sprouts (optional)

Cornstarch and water (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°. Place the meat in a deep large dish/baking pan with lid (or could seal with foil). Pour the tomatoes on and around and sprinkle the onion soup mix over. Arrange potatoes, carrots, onion slices, and optional veg on top. Put the lid on, put it in the oven and bake for 3 hours. 

Retrieve the meat and veg from the pan. Pulverize the remaining tomato bits and liquid with an immersion blender. Or regular blender. Or leave chunky if you desire.  

You may wish to thicken the gravy mixture with a bit of cornstarch (mix a slurry with a bit of water).  

Dad’s Achiote Chicken

Chicken

Aciote paste

Olive Oil

Lemon juice

Minced garlic. 

Marinate in a ziploc bag overnight. 

Grill. 

Greek Octopus Salad

So I don't forget...

lettuce

Octopus (pre-cooked from Costco)
feta cheese
cucumber

tomato

tapenade (or chopped olives)

picked red onions

basil 

oregano

olive oil

lemon juice

white balsamic vinegar

New Jambalaya

After years of making things one way, things sometimes get shaken up.

Husband and elder son had Jambalaya at Cajun Kitchen. It was a saucier melange, served over a scoop of rice rather than having the rice cooked in.

I hunted a few recipes, and Rachael Ray's Everything Jambalaya fit the bill. I left out the chicken, because shrimp and sausage are just right, in our opinions.

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, once around the pan 
1 tablespoon butter 
1 pound boneless, skinless white or dark meat chicken 

3/4 pound andouille, casing removed and diced 

1 medium onion, chopped 2 ribs celery, chopped 

1 green bell pepper, chopped 

1 bay leaf, fresh or dried 

several drops hot sauce or 2 pinches cayenne pepper 

2 to 3 tablespoons (a handful) all-purpose flour 

1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice 

1(14-ounce) can or paper container chicken stock or broth 

1 teaspoon (1/3 palmful) cumin 

1 rounded teaspoon (1/2 palmful) dark chili powder 

1 teaspoon (1/3 palmful) poultry seasoning 

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 

1 pound medium shrimp, raw, deveined and peeled (ask for easy peel at fish counter) 

Coarse salt and black pepper 

Chopped scallions, for garnish 

Fresh thyme, chopped for garnish 

2 cups enriched white rice  

Cook rice to package directions. Place a large, deep skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and butter to the pan. Cube chicken and place in hot oil and butter. Brown chicken 3 minutes, add sausage, and cook 2 minutes more. Add onion, celery, pepper, bay, and cayenne. Saute vegetables 5 minutes, sprinkle flour over the pan and cook 1 or 2 minutes more. Stir in tomatoes and broth and season with cumin, chili, poultry seasoning, and Worcestershire. Bring liquids to a boil and add shrimp. Simmer shrimp 5 minutes until pink and firm. Remove the pot from the heat and place on a trivet. Ladle jambalaya into shallow bowls. Using an ice cream scoop, place a scoop of rice on to the center of the bowlfuls of jambalaya. Sprinkle dishes with salt, pepper, chopped scallions, and thyme leaves. 

Æbleskiver