Flavored Sugar

Wanna look cool and impress people with only a little bit of effort?!  Me too!  Making flavored sugar is one way to do that.  It's really easy and they add a lot to the different dishes you're making. 

Making a lemon pie?  Use lemon sugar!  Making an orange tart?  Use some orange sugar!  I love using the vanilla bean sugar in my coffee.  (I think I need to go make a cup of coffee) 

Citrus Sugar:

The peel of 1 orange and/or lemon (little to no white on it)
Enough plain white sugar to fill whatever container you're using, I used a mason jar

Lay the citrus peel out to dry for a couple of hours.  Moisture is not going to be the best friend of this sugar.  Letting it dry will keep the sugar from caking up.


















After the peel has dried some layer the peel and sugar in a jar. 

I like to let the peel sit out in the air, on top of a paper towel for at least half an hour.  This helps keep the sugar was caking up. 

Seal up the jar and let it sit for a couple of weeks.  I like to shake mine every couple of days so that the flavor will get all over everything.

Vanilla Bean Sugar:

1 vanilla bean per container.  Again, I used mason jars.
Enough sugar for your container

Split the vanilla bean down the middle.  All of the goodness is inside that little pod.

Fill your container up half way with sugar, stick the vanilla bean in the jar and fill the rest of the container up.  Let sit for a couple of weeks and enjoy.

Lemon Rosemary Cake with Strawberry Frosting

This is one of the most interesting cake recipes that I've seen.   I associate rosemary with savory things, like chicken, not in a sweet dessert cake.  This cake is really good and a great surprise for me.  

I decided to put a strawberry frosting on it.  I think that the flavors in the cake can really stand up to the sweeter frosting.

Lemon Rosemary Cake with Strawberry Frosting:

2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
2 cups turbinado sugar
4 eggs at room temperature
¼ cup lemon zest
2 tablespoons chopped rosemary leaves
3 cups all purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup lemon juice
¾ c buttermilk
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 13x9 inch pan. Cream together the
butter and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy and a pale yellow color, approximately
5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time making sure they are completely incorporated before
adding the next one. Add zest and rosemary.

Sift together all of the dry ingredients in a bowl. Combine lemon juice, buttermilk and
vanilla in another bowl.
 

Alternate adding flour and buttermilk mixture to the batter, beginning and ending with
the flour.
 

Bake for 45 minutes to an hour or until tester comes out clean.

Strawberry Frosting:
1 package cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/4 sticks butter, at room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract4 tablespoons strawberry jam (not jelly)

Mix everything together in a mixer.  Taste as you and and feel free to add more extract, sugar, or jam as you go.

Crispy Lemon Tilapia

Tilapia was on sale this week. (It seems like I use that sentence a lot, oh well)  I was on a quest to try a different preparation of a household classic.

I found this recipe on Tasty Kitchen and decided to give it a shot.  Most of the ingredients are all things that I keep in the house almost all of the time.














Crispy Lemon Tilapia:
(adapted from Tasty Kitchen)

Ingredients:
1 pound Tilapia Fillets
¼ teaspoons Kosher Salt
⅛ teaspoons Black Pepper
3 Tablespoons Flour
1 Tablespoon Old Bay
1 whole Lemon, Zest And Juice
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1/2 Tablespoons Butter
1 Tablespoon Fresh Parsley

Directions:

Lightly season both sides of the tilapia fillets with kosher salt and pepper to taste.  On a separate plate, mix the flour, seasoning and lemon zest.  Lightly dredge each tilapia fillet in the flour mixture, coating each side and pressing coating onto flesh so that it sticks.

In a large non-stick skillet, heat olive oil and butter over medium-high heat. Place the coated fish in the skillet and let it cook, for 2 minutes. Flip the fish and cook for 2 more minutes on the other side.

Remove the fish, squeeze the lemon juice over the fish. Serve immediately.

Lemon-Chive Tilapia

In my quest to use some of my old cookbooks and cooking magazines I found this recipe for tilapia, and you all know how much my household eats tilapia.

This was easy to make and except for the fact that my fish stuck to the pan it turned out great.

Lemon-Chive Tilapia:
(Clean Eating Magazine- June 2011)

4 boneless tilapia fillets
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 bunch chives, minced
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Juice of a lemon

In a small bowl mix together lemon juice, chives, and salt. Set aside.

Heat olive oil in a skillet. Add the garlic and let lightly brown. Add the tilapia and cook for 3 minutes then flip and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, until it's opaque.

Serve each fillet with a tablespoon of the lemon chive sauce on top.

Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake

Since it's Friday and we've all made it to today I thought it would be nice to have a treat for the weekend.

This is something that I made for my Grandma's birthday.   She always loved blueberries.

Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake:
(Adapted from my mom and Food Network)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened at room temperature
1 cup sugar, plus 1/3 cup
4 eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup lemon juice, plus 1/3 cup
Zest of one lemon
2 pints of blueberries
 
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a loaf pan or bundt pan. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.


In a mixer (or using a hand mixer), cream the butter. Add 1 cup of the sugar.  With the mixer running at low speed, add the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla.

Working in alternating batches, and mixing after each addition, add the dry ingredients and 1/3 cup of the lemon juice and the zest to the butter mixture. Mix until just smooth.
Fold one pint of blueberries into the mix.

Pour into the prepared pan and add second pint of blueberries to the top of the batter.  Bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out dry and almost clean about 65 to 75 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the glaze: In a small bowl, stir together the remaining 1/3 cup sugar and the remaining 1/3 cup lemon juice, and more zest until the sugar is dissolved.

When the cake is done, let cool in the pan 15 minutes (it will still be warm). Run a knife around the sides of the pan. Turn the cake out onto a wire rack.

After the cake is cooled put on a platter and spread the glaze all over the top and sides of the cake and let soak in. Repeat until the entire glaze is used up.

It goes great with vanilla bean ice cream.  I do however think it needs more lemon flavor.  Next time I make it i'm going to add more lemon and zest. 

Lemon Blossoms

When I was a kid I wanted giant desserts.  The thought of a giant brownie with a scoop of ice cream and chocolate sauce was the high point of my day.  The older I get the more I turn to something fruity and small.  These lemon blossoms are the perfect two-bite treat. 

Lemon Blossoms:
(Paula Deen)

Ingredients:
18 1/2-ounce package yellow cake mix
3 1/2-ounce package instant lemon pudding mix
4 large eggs

3/4 cup vegetable oil

Glaze:

4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 lemon, zested
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons water

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray miniature muffin tins with vegetable oil cooking spray. Combine the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs and oil and blend well with an electric mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour a small amount of batter, filling each muffin tin half way. Bake for 12 minutes. Turn out onto a tea towel.

To make the glaze, sift the sugar into a mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice, zest, oil, and 3 tablespoons water. Mix with a spoon until smooth.

With fingers, dip the cupcakes into the glaze while they're still warm, covering as much of the cake as possible, or spoon the glaze over the warm cupcakes, turning them to completely coat. Place on wire racks with waxed paper underneath to catch any drips. Let the glaze set thoroughly, about 1 hour, before storing in containers with tight-fitting lids.