Tag Archives: lemon

Recipes - Desserts

Grandma’s Lemon Cake

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I could write forever about this cake, but somehow that isn’t a fitting accompaniment for this quick-to-prepare totally delicious cake.  It’s a simple cake with a simple text:  it is an old recipe, my Grandma Opha’s, it has a delicate texture, airy and light, the glaze is tart with the juice of fresh lemons, and it tastes better the longer it sits.  And, oh, men love this cake (go figure).

No matter how “artistic” I was while taking pictures, the best ones today are also simple.  Moist sunny squares flavored with the thin powdered sugar and lemon glaze.  I couldn’t resist eating three of the five pieces on the plate here, still warm, with a glass of cold milk. The cake serves 15 people easily, or a few people for several days, and honestly, this is one of those cakes where it is great to get the last piece because the longer it mellows, the better it tastes.

Only five ingredients in the cake, two of those boxed mixes, and finished in less than an hour, cake baked and glazed, with the kitchen cleaned! There’s just no way you cannot make time to bake this for a church dinner, or to carry in to a friend’s house. I guarantee your baking dish will come home empty. Simply put, this is a simply outstanding offering!  Do enjoy every bite!

Grandma James’ Lemon Cake

Ingredients

For the cake

1 box Duncan Hinds Lemon Supreme cake mix
1-(3 oz.) box instant lemon pudding mix
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs

Directions Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl and beat at low speed with electric mixer until smooth then allow to breathe in the bowl for five minutes. Do NOT grease or flour your baking pan. Pour into a 9×13 glass baking dish and bake for 40 minutes or until the top springs back when touched.

GLAZE:

2 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2 T. butter or margarine, melted
1 T. water

Directions Do not cook glaze; just whisk until completely smooth then poke holes in cake with fork and pour glaze over cake while it is still hot from the oven.

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Recipes - Entrees

Paprika Chicken Thighs with Brussels Sprouts

Although this dish from my “Missouri to Maui” cookbook is a good choice for any day, it is an especially great choice for a very cold and snowy day! My original Plan A was to prepare this dish yesterday but once the weather man mentioned we could expect 3-6″ of snow today, I switched to Plan B.  What could warm a snowy day more than paprika-seasoned chicken and roasted Brussels sprouts?  I cooked a pot of my treasured short-grain rice to accompany this dish though you might find mashed potatoes or a loaf of crusty French bread most enjoyable sides as well.

This dish has hardly any prep at all.  Only trim the stem ends of your Brussels sprouts and halve them, or quarter them if they are very large, mince the garlic and slice a lemon and you’re practically there! Today I cut the sprouts in half since the chicken thighs were very large and I didn’t want the sprouts to finish roasting before the chicken.   Make the seasoning  early and rub it on the chicken so that it has time to thoroughly flavor the meat and then pop all in the oven for 30-45 minutes and you’re done.  If you use smaller thighs, they will need less time.  Today, I let everything roast for 45 minutes.

My local market doesn’t carry shallots so I substituted an onion; I used Hungarian paprika which is more on the hot (and not the sweet) side and it provided the tang in this dish along with the slices of fresh lemon.  Both flavors complement the sprouts; the chicken roasts up in the seasoning rub, resulting in the most tender and flavorful pieces.  There is enough olive oil on both the sprouts and in the rub so that you have plenty of juice to flavor either rice or mashed potatoes if you prefer them. The recipe offers a great alternative to boiling or steaming the sprouts and the seasonings produce sprouts bursting with flavor.  This is definitely a one-pot meal with the cook needing only to prepare a salad or starchy side dish for a well-rounded, delicious, supper.  You will find that is warming  and flavorful and really perfect for a late winter snow day!

Paprika Chicken Thighs with Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients

1 lb. Brussel sprouts, trimmed and halved (quartered, if large)
4 small shallots, quartered if available; if not, use a medium onion, chopped
1 lemon, sliced
3 T. olive oil, divided
3/4 tsp. salt, divided
1/2 tsp. pepper, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. smoked paprika, sweet or hot
1 tsp. dried thyme
4 large, or 8 small, bone-in chicken thighs (2-1/2 lbs.), skin removed

Directions Preheat oven to 450, positioning rack in lower third of oven. Combine Brussel sprouts, shallots (or onion, chopped), and lemon with 1 T. oil and 1/4 tsp. each of salt and pepper on a large rimmed baking sheet such as a jelly roll pan. Mash garlic and the remaining 1/2 tsp. salt with the side of a large knife to form a paste. Combine this garlic paste with the paprika, thyme, the remaining 1 T. oil and 1/4 tsp. pepper in a small bowl. Rub the paste all over the chicken. Nestle the chicken in among the Brussel sprouts. Roast on the lower rack until the Brussel sprouts are tender and the chicken thorough cooked, at least 20-25 minutes. Pierce chicken with a fork; if the juices run clear, it is finished. The Brussel sprouts will brown, roasting as they bake.

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Food for Thought

Braised Cabbage & Spicy Croutons

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Braised Cabbage Croutons
croutons prepared in electric skillet

 

Braised Cabbage & Spicy Croutons 6

Not sure about you but there’s something about winter that leads to a craving for cabbage, turnips or carrots at my house. I bought cabbage yesterday but wasn’t sure what I was going to use it for. Until lunch time today.

This recipe from my cookbook collection has just enough  bite from the red pepper flakes to thoroughly warm you and your kitchen on a very cold day. The croutons are quickly prepared and set aside then a quick simmer of the cabbage and you’re all set.  25 minutes from start to finish resulting in a dish that can stand alone as it did for my lunch or a large bowl for serving on the side, its intended purpose  at my house tonight with  meatloaf.

I did use 2 T. of butter today instead of the one tablespoon the original recipe calls for because I cut the bread into two-bite pieces. Eating the croutons with your fingers provides the chance to really taste their olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flake seasonings. 15 minutes at 300 is perfect for braising the cabbage until it is just tender.  Use your electric skillet for preparing  this as you will need the room to spread out the six large cabbage wedges.  I drizzled 1/2 tsp. more olive oil over the bowl before digging in.

Thanks to friend, Dodie Conrad, for supplying me with the fresh parsley sprigs from her indoor pot.  Our market didn’t have fresh parsley today, and Dodie rescued the recipe by bringing over that small, but essential, ingredient.  Yet another advantage of living in a small town to be sure.  =)

Braised Cabbage & Spicy Croutons

Ingredients

1 T. olive oil
1 T. butter
1/3 coarse bread baguette torn into 1” cubes to equal 2 cups
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 small head cabbage cut into six wedges
1/2 cup water
Salt and pepper, to taste
Fresh parsley for garnish
Lemon wedges for garnish

Directions In large skillet, heat oil and butter over medium heat. Add bread, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook and stir 3-5 minutes until golden brown. Remove croutons from skillet with slotted spoon and cool on paper towel.

Add cabbage to skillet, overlapping wedges if needed. Season with salt and pepper and add water. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer, covered, 15 minutes or until tender. Place cabbage on serving platter, drizzle with small amount olive oil if needed. Sprinkle with croutons and garnish with parsley and lemon wedges.

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