Lemon

Snap Beans with Lemons & Capers

July 23, 2014 by Kay Leave a Comment

Snap Beans with Lemon & Capers is a crisp side dish with tender green and yellow beans tossed in lemon juice & capers.

Are you familiar with capers? Capers are pickled flower buds. Tiny capers are picked from a shrub-like bush (Capparis spinosa), long before the buds ever flower. The capers are then dried in the sun and later brined or packed in salt. Capers are the perfect salt factor in Snap Beans with Lemon & Capers and compliment the beans and lemon juice nicely.

This dish is served more as a salad than a side dish. The snap beans are immersed in ice water after they boil to keep them crisp and cold. I used green and yellow beans in this recipe, feel free to use what ever combination you have on hand.

This definitely is a healthy recipe. I tend to make green beans with bacon mixed in, but I must say this is a nice alternative. If you are looking for a dish to make on a hot summer day, Snap Beans with Lemon & Capers is a good choice.

Enjoy!

Snap Beans with Lemons & Capers

Rating: 41

Yield: 4-6 Servings

Snap Beans with Lemons & Capers

Ingredients

3 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. capers, coarsley chopped
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 lb. green or yellow beans, trimmed

Instructions

Whisk together oil, capers, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a large bowl; set aside. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil; add beans and cook till tender, 3–4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain beans and toss with vinaigrette; adjust seasoning to taste and garnish with zest.

Notes

Adapted from Saveur.

http://www.lovefoodwillshare.com/snap-beans-lemons-capers/

Green Beans with Lemon & Capers

I love the vibrant colors.

Capers add the salt factor in this dish.

Serve with lemon slices.

Perfect summer side dish/salad.

Individual Rhubarb Bundt Cakes

May 27, 2014 by Kay Leave a Comment

Individual Rhubarb Bundt Cakes are the perfect mix of a sweet cake and the tartness of rhubarb topped with a sweet rhubarb curd. I hope everyone enjoyed their Memorial Day weekend. The weather in Wisconsin was beautiful, I couldn’t have asked for better weather. I did spend some time in the kitchen but I also attended a birthday party for my 4 year old niece and almost 2 year old nephew. The party was outside and it’s always fun watching young kids play and entertain. My brother and sister-in-law, Dave & Kathy, are here from New Hampshire along with their daughter, Sarah, from Baltimore. When they come to town we always go out for fish, perch to be exact, because you can’t get a Wisconsin Fish Fry anywhere else! The other item they enjoy when in Wisconsin is cheese curds, deep fried to a golden brown and they go real well with the fish fry! This nice weather brings rhubarb fresh for the picking. I went and picked a bag full the other day. I froze some of it and the rest I used in today’s recipe, Individual Rhubarb Bundt Cakes. Moist, sweet lemon flavored bundt cake with tart rhubarb mixed in.

Enjoy!

Individual Rhubarb Bundt Cakes

Rating: 51

Yield: 4 Cakes

Individual Rhubarb Bundt Cakes

Ingredients

1¼ cups plus 1 tbsp. flour, divided
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
½ cup, 1 stick, unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup plus 1 tbsp. sugar
Zest of ½ lemon
2 eggs
¼ tsp. lemon extract
½ cup, minus 1 tsp. buttermilk
1½ cups chopped fresh rhubarb
1 jar, rhubarb or lemon curd

Instructions

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray the bottom and sides of 4 1-cup mini bundt cake molds.
In a large bowl, whisk together 1¼ cups flour, baking powder and salt.
In the mixer, cream the butter, sugar and lemon zest until combined, about 2 minutes on medium speed. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each one until combined. Add the lemon extract and mix until combined.
Alternately mix in the flour mixture and buttermilk into the batter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, mixing after each addition on low speed.
Toss chopped rhubarb with remaining 1 tablespoon flour. Stir half of the rhubarb into the batter.
Divide batter evenly among prepared mini bundt cake molds. Top evenly with remaining rhubarb.
Bake cakes 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown on the edges and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool the cakes in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans and finish cooling on a wire rack.
When ready to serve, spoon some of the curd into the center of the cake.

http://www.lovefoodwillshare.com/individual-rhubarb-bundt-cakes/

Cake Batter

Add rhubarb to the top of the batter.

Bake until golden.

Makes 4 individual cakes.

Rhubarb Curd really takes this cake over the edge.

Beautiful colors.

Get some curd with each bite.

Adapted from Girl Versus Dough

Lemon Ricotta Cake

May 5, 2014 by Kay 4 Comments

Lemon Ricotta Cake is a super moist cake that is perfect served with fresh strawberries.

One thing you can find lots of in Italy is lemons and my recipe for Lemon Ricotta Cake takes me back to my trip to the Amalfi Coast and the tons of lemons the size of pineapples, I am not kidding, they were that big!

How was everyone’s weekend? We had a dinner party on Friday night and had some friends over. My husband, Mr. B broke out his smoker for the year and he smoked a pork butt and as always, it was very delicious. He has mastered smoking a pork butt.

Along with the smoked pork I served a roasted cauliflower salad, baked beans, and paprika garlic corn. I will feature the salad and baked beans in the next week or so, they are new recipes. The Paprika Garlic Corn I featured not so long ago and let me tell you, it has such a great flavor.

I also made a Raspberry Sauce to use in Mimosa’s and as a topping for the ice cream we had for dessert. To go with the Raspberry Sauce I made a Cinnamon Fudge Sauce to serve with the ice cream. Again, I will feature those recipe’s at a later date.

Mother’s Day is fast approaching, I will feature some recipes this week that would be great for a Mother’s Day Brunch or as a special dessert for your Mom. First up, Lemon Ricotta Cake. Ricotta cheese helps to make this cake extra moist and the lemon zest gives the cake an extra zip of lemon which I love. I love citrus flavored desserts.

Enjoy!

Lemon Ricotta Cake

Rating: 51

Yield: 8 Servings

Lemon Ricotta Cake

Ingredients

3/4 Cup Softened Butter
3/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
Zest From 2 Large Lemons
1 Tsp. Lemon Extract
3 eggs, Separated
1 Cup Whole Ricotta Cheese
1/2 Cup Plus 3 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour
2 Tsp. Baking Powder
Dash of Salt
Fresh Strawberries for serving

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour an 8 inch spring form pan.
In your mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add the lemon zest, extract, egg yolks and ricotta cheese. Mix until combined.
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Slowly add to the butter mixture, mix until combined.
Add the egg whites to a bowl, using your hand mixer beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.
GENTLY fold the egg whites into the batter by hand.
Spread the batter into the prepared pan and level the top with a spatula.
Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Cool to room temperature before serving. Serve with fresh strawberries.

http://www.lovefoodwillshare.com/lemon-ricotta-cake/