Tag: lemon

Breads, Breakfast, Recipes

Lemon Blueberry Bread

Sarah

I love quick breads. They’re usually filled with fruit and/or yummy spices, so they have the appearance of a healthy treat… yet they’re sweet enough to masquerade as a dessert. Plus they are [by condition of their genre] quick. They only take a couple of minutes to mix up and after a turn in the oven, bake up nice and fluffy. This Lemon Blueberry Bread is no exception.

Lemon Blueberry Bread: Plump, sweet blueberries are accented by the light, tartness of fresh lemon… divine perfection!

Each slice is reminiscent of a warm summer day. Plump, sweet blueberries are accented by the light, tartness of fresh lemon… divine perfection! Though it’s March, spring isn’t quite here yet [at least not in Bloomington], but this bread will help ease the burden of late winter for just a little while longer.

Lemon Blueberry Bread

  • Servings: 12
  • Print

from the kitchen of Becky Bennett, Vera Bradley Product Development

Ingredients:

For bread

  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 6 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup skim milk
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest
  • 1 cup blueberries [frozen works just fine, but keep them in the freezer until ready to mix in]

For glaze

  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×5 loaf pan with cooking spray.

Stir together flour and baking powder in a small bowl. In the bowl of stand mixer, cream together sugar and butter. Beat in eggs one by one, then mix in flour and milk alternately. Fold in lemon zest and blueberries, then pour into pan. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

While bread is baking, prepare the glaze. Whisk together lemon juice and sugar, then heat in a small saucepan until sugar dissolves.

After bread has cooled for a few minutes, pierce with a fork all over. Pour glaze over the top. Cool completely before cutting bread.

Lemon Blueberry Bread: Plump, sweet blueberries are accented by the light, tartness of fresh lemon… divine perfection!
This is what happens when you do NOT wait to cut the bread. It falls completely apart and big chunks break off. Please, do yourselves a favor and wait to cut it! But if you do indulge earlier, leave it in the pan while cutting. 🙂

 

Main Dishes, Recipes, Sandwiches and Wraps

The Best Egg Salad I’ve Ever Had

Sarah

egg saladSo, I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical when I first saw this recipe on Joy the Baker’s site. Don’t get me wrong, I love egg salad. This egg salad is just… different. Chock-full of savory mustard, flavorful herbs, and fresh lemon, this egg salad is like no other. So what was my hesitation? Sounds good, right? The thing is… I just grew up despising mustard and only eating egg salad prepared with mayo and hard boiled eggs. My mom may have doctored her egg salad up, but I didn’t even like it with pickles. But I was intrigued, once I began to think about how much flavor herbs and lemon and even–gasp–mustard would add to the same old, same old lunchtime sandwich routine. The flavors of this egg salad are absolutely phenomenal. Every bite is great and draws me in for more. I can’t wait to make this again soon. 🙂

The Best Egg Salad I’ve Ever Had [from Joy the Baker]

Ingredients:

  • 8 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped into medium-sized pieces
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • heaping teaspoon whole grain dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
  • 2 teaspoons dried parsley
  • 2 tablespoons finely diced sweet onions
  • 2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine eggs, mayonnaise, dijon mustard, herbs, onion, and lemon juice/zest in a bowl. Stir together with a fork, breaking up the egg. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with crackers or on bread. You can store the leftovers in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Click here for the printable version: The Best Egg Salad

Main Dishes, Recipes, Sandwiches and Wraps

Mediterranean Tuna Salad

Sarah

Tuna is one of those foods that I’ve always been iffy on. Occasionally a tuna sandwich would call my name, but most of the time I’d steer clear. Consequently, when perusing a new cookbook, Ellie Krieger’s So Easy, I was a little surprised to find that this tuna salad sounded good to me. And not only did it sound good, it was good! So delicious in fact that I think it will become one of my regular lunch options. With just four ingredients [and theMediterranean Tuna Salad from Ellie Krieger's cookbook So Easy tuna], it couldn’t be simpler either. The flavors, inspired by the Mediterranean region, are simply incredible. With the light essence of lemon coupled with fresh, refreshing parsley and the tang of a red onion, you’ll be thinking about your lunch box all morning long!

Mediterranean Tuna Salad [from Ellie Krieger’s So Easy]

Ingredients:

  • 2 6-ounce cans chunk light tuna in water, drained
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1/4 cup red onion, diced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • salt

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients, mixing together well and seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Serve atop a salad with all your favorite fixings, in a wrap or sandwich with lettuce and tomato, with crackers, etc. The possibilities are endless! Serves 4.

Click here for the printable version: Mediterranean Tuna Salad

Question of the Day: What are some foods that you’ve come to love over the years?

Chicken, Main Dishes, Recipes

Lemon-Herb Grilled Chicken

Sarah

I promise, I really do cook real food and not just desserts. And just to prove it to ya… here’s a fab new recipe I recently tried.

This Lemon-Herb Grilled Chicken is a wonderfully easy summertime recipe. I used the fresh herbs growing on my balcony in the marinade, and it was absolutely divine. I loved being able to taste and smell a variety of flavors in this chicken. It cooked really quickly in the George Foreman grill, too, which was perfect for a weeknight meal, and didn’t require the use of the oven so the apartment didn’t get all toasty. What a plus! 🙂

Lemon-Herb Grilled Chicken - an easy summertime recipe | thepajamachef.com
grillin’ UP!

This recipe does require some advanced prep work, but it’s easy enough to whip up in the morning before work or the night before. Also, I found the red pepper flakes really spicy for some reason. My husband loved it, but feel free to omit those or decrease the amount if you want a milder dish.

Lemon-Herb Grilled Chicken - an easy summertime recipe | thepajamachef.com
Dinner is served!

Lemon-Herb Grilled Chicken

  • Servings: 3-4
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[adapted from Midwest Living July/August 2010]

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb chicken breasts [I used 3]
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, or 4 teaspoons dried parsley
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • 1/3 cup lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped or 1 teaspoon dried sage
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup honey

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients except the chicken, salt, pepper, and water. Mix well, and reserve 1/4 cup marinade. In a separate bowl or on a plate, season chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken and water to the first bowl [not the reserved portion], toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate chicken, as well as reserved marinade for at least 4 hours or up to 24. I left mine for about 9 hours. Grill chicken [husband used the George Foreman] until cooked through. Cut into the chicken every so often to test for doneness. When chicken is tender and no longer pink on the inside, brush the marinade over the top and cook for an additional minute or two, holding open the grill cover. Remove to a plate and let rest for two minutes before serving.

Bars, Desserts, Recipes

Creamy Lemon Squares

Sarah

Martha Stewart. Brings to mind different opinions for different folks. I won’t even go into that debate here. That being said… the recipe.

I read accounts of this particular version of lemon squares here and here and here. I’m sure it’s elsewhere too.

I was initially drawn to this recipe because it looks like an absolutely amazing way to eat a lemon. I love lemons but don’t make homemade lemonade because I don’t have a juicer and think it’d be hard to squeeze all those lemons by hand. I don’t want to always use lemon as a chicken marinade (even though it can be really tasty). And I don’t really think to make it as a dessert very often because I love peanut butter and chocolate and berries way too much. Not all together. Just different combination of those yummy morsels.

I’m rambling. I’m sorry. It’s late and now I’m thinking of peanut butter. Mmmmm peanut butter. A spoonful might be necessary now.

Okay, back to the lemon squares. These are a refreshing treat on a hot summer day. Best cold out of the fridge, I would recommend these lemon bars for an everyday treat or a fancy dinner party dessert. They can be dressed up with some powdered sugar or a sprinkling of fresh berries… the possibilities are endless!

A word to the wise though… use parchment paper. I didn’t, and regretted it. Horribly, horribly regretted it. I didn’t take a picture of the aftermath of the pan or the broken lemon squares. It was sad. Really sad. At least they were tasty… very tasty!

Creamy Lemon Squares | thepajamachef.com
The prettiest ones of the bunch.

Another redeeming quality of these bars were that they were gooey. And I cannot resist a gooey dessert… yumalicious!

Creamy Lemon Squares | thepajamachef.com
Gooooooo!

Without further ado…

Creamy Lemon Square

  • Servings: 12
  • Print

by Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened [or 1/2 cup unsalted butter + 1/4 teaspoon salt]
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar, plus more for dusting [or dumping like I did]
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 14 ounces lowfat sweetened condensed milk
  • 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice, from about 3 lemons [some bloggers suggest 4; I made it with 3… depends on the size of your lemons]
  • cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8″x8″ baking pan with cooking spray, line with parchment paper (leaving an overhang on two sides), and spray paper. [PLEASE DO THIS. Or you will be sad.]

For the crust, combine butter and sugar in an electric mixer until fully combined and fluffy. Add flour, about 1/3 of a cup at a time, and mix until incorporated in the butter. Spoon dough into the prepared pan, pressing along the sides and bottom of the pan. Use a fork to prick all over so your crust doesn’t bubble up. Bake until golden yet still soft to the touch, about 15-20 minutes.

Now onto the lemony goodness… aka the reason to make this recipe.

Add yolks, milk, and lemon juice to a large bowl. Whisk until combined. [Hint: teach husband to separate eggs and serve him the whites for breakyfasty the next day. Yes, I did just say breakyfasty. I’m not sure why. Husband is also a good whisker too.]

Pour filling over hot crust in pan. Ooh and ahh over how good the butter and sugar and lemon smells.

Return lemon squares to oven and bake until filling is set. Martha recommends 25-30 minutes, mine was set in about 22. My advice? Watch it very closely after about 19 minutes… that’s when mine started to brown around the edges.

Cool completely in pan, then refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours. I let mine refrigerate overnight, and Martha sez you can keep it in there for up to 3 days. 3 days?!? Geeze, I don’t think an uncut dessert would last that long here.

Before eating and enjoying, remove cake from pan, cut, and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Yum.

I’m not sure why I’m so weird now, but I am… and don’t forget… use parchment paper! It will make your life so much better. The end.