Lemon Zucchini Bread

I don't know about you, but when our zucchini plant starts producing we have a couple of frantic weeks that we have way more zucchini than we possibly know what to do with.  I have to get creative quick! So when I saw this lemon zucchini bread pop up on Pinterest I knew I had found a winner!  I mean lemon?! Zucchini?! Sweet bread?! Yes, Yes, YES! It did not disappoint! Although I have to say, the lemon dominates! The zucchini was just there as my justification that I was eating healthy! Add in the bonus of using one more of these fast growing, fast producing veggies and this bread is a keeper! Original recipe found here.

Lemon Zucchini Bread
(1 loaf)

2 cups flour
3/4 t salt
2 t baking powder
2 eggs
1/2 cup avocado oil (or canola)
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 T lemon juice
zest of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 c grated zucchini

Glaze:

1 1/3 cups powdered sugar
2 T lemon juice
1 T milk

Preheat oven to 350. Mix together flour, salt and baking powder and set aside.  In a large bowl beat the eggs.  Add the oil and sugar and mix until blended.  Add the lemon juice, buttermilk, and lemon zest to this mixture and mix well.  Stir in the shredded zucchini.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until well combined.  Grease a loaf pan and pour the batter into it.  Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.   While the bread is cooling, mix up the glaze.  Pour the glaze over the warm bread.  Let the glaze set before slicing.

Lemon Drop Cookies

I LOVE lemon!  Anything lemon! So when my dear friend made these for a luncheon and I ate half the plate, I knew I was in trouble!  {Thanks Ashley ;) }They are soft and chewy and tart and sweet!  I know, perfect, right?! Just wait until you make them, I dare you to not eat half the plate! The original recipe is found here.

Lemon Drop Cookies
about 4 dozen

1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 t vanilla
1 t lemon extract
4 cups flour
1 1/2 t baking soda
1 1/2 t baking powder
3/4 t salt
zest of 1 lemon
6 oz. lemon drops, crushed (NOT lemon heads)

1  1/2 cups powdered sugar
juice of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 350.  Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs and flavorings and blend well. Sift the dry ingredients together and slowly add to the wet ingredients. Add the lemon zest and crushed lemon drops and mix until combined.  Drop tablespoonfuls onto a cookies sheet covered in parchment paper** and flatten slightly with the palm of your hand or a fork.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.  While they are baking whisk together the lemon juice and powdered sugar to make the glaze. Let the cookies cool for 1 to 2 minutes and then brush the glaze over them with a pastry brush. Let them cool completely.  After they were cooled, I drizzled a little more glaze over the top to make them look striped.

*Lemon drops can be hard to find, I found them at my speciality grocery store and I also saw them at Michaels Craft store

**Make sure you don't skip this step!  The little candy bits will totally stick to the cookie sheet and make it hard to get your cookies off! Plus, when you are brushing the glaze on, it tends to drip and this makes cleaning the pans or starting another batch a snap!

Lemon Poppy Seed Scones

I love scones and I love lemon!  These come together so fast and are so beautiful and delicious, you just can't go wrong!  Such a great way to start a beautiful, sunny morning! I found this recipe at Our Best Bites.

Lemon Poppy Seed Scones

(8 scones)

2 cups flour, lightly spooned into the measuring cup and leveled with a knife
1/3 cup sugar
1 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 t poppy seeds
8 T frozen butter
1/2 cup sour cream, I used light
1 egg
zest of 1 lemon

Glaze


1/4 cup lemon juice
2 T melted butter
1 1/3 cup powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, poppy seeds and salt.  Add the lemon zest and whisk to combine.  Grate the frozen butter (or used a food processor) and toss it into the flour mixture.  Combine it with your fingers until it resembles coarse meal.  set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together sour cream and egg.  Add this to the flour/butter mixture and toss with a fork until it comes to a ball and all the flour is moistened.

Lightly flour a surface and place the dough on it. Press the ball into an 8 inch disk and cut into equal wedges using a butter knife or pizza cutter. Place them evenly on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15-17 minutes or until lightly golden.  Remove from the oven and let them cool.

While the scones are cooling, whisk together the glaze.  Drizzle over the scones. IF you do it while they are still warm, it will spread over the top and drip down the sides, my favorite! Or you can do it when they are cool and drizzle squiggles on the tops.

My Favorite Lemon Bars

I usually don't start into my citrus kick until closer to Spring, but call it the SUPER mild winter we are having or the fact that I am just so giddy that this is my LAST Michigan winter, I have been craving lemon bars for a few weeks now.  I finally gave in and turned to THE BEST recipe I know for these! I know that I already have a lemon bar recipe on here but this one totally trumps the first one.  I thought about just replacing the other one but I was afraid that someone out there LOVES the other one and didn't want to take it away from them.  With that said, I would replace the other one in a heartbeat with this one.  The ratio of lemon to crust is perfect, the lemony flavor is perfect, the crispy crust is perfect.  I really just can't say enough about these!  So, hands down this is the recipe you want if you are craving lemon bars or Spring, or sunshine (because these literally scream sunshine to me!).  I got this recipe out of this cookbook (it is one of my favorites!)

Lemon Bars

2 cups flour
1 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 t salt
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup flour
1/2 t baking powder
powdered sugar for garnish

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease a 9x13 in pan. In a medium bowl, combine 2 cups flour, butter, powdered sugar and salt until crumbly.  Press the mixture into the prepared pan, making sure it is even.  Bake for 15 minutes until light brown on the edges.  In another medium bowl, Beat together eggs, sugar, lemon juice, 1/4 cup flour, and baking powder.  Pour the lemon mixture over the crust and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until set in the middle.  You will know it is set as it will not jiggle.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cool completely before serving.

Lemon Berry Trifle

I have had this recipe on my "to make" list for about a year! It is from My Kitchen Cafe, so I knew it would be amazing. But it also has a few steps so I wanted to wait and make it for a special occasion. So when we were trying to decide what to have for Easter dessert (the best part of any dinner, in my opinion!) I thought of this first. I made it again a week later for a baby shower.  Now, let me just tell you, it is worth the time and the many steps! Which, if you make the different parts a day or two in advance, which I did, it comes together lickity split! Just remember to let the finished product sit for a few hours in your fridge to blend together and saturate each other!

Lemon Berry Trifle
(serves 8-10)

Berries (can be made the day before and refrigerated)
4 cups berries (any triple berry combination works, fresh or frozen (if frozen thaw and drain before using)
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup sugar
2 t cornstarch

Combine the berries, sugar lemon juice, and cornstarch in a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat.  Bring to a simmer and cook until the berries start to break down, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Lemon Curd (can be made unto 3 days in advance)
4 egg yolks
1 whole egg
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons), strained
8 T butter (1 stick), cut into pieces
1 T grated lemon zest (about 1 lemon)

Strain the yolks and whole egg through a fine mesh strainer into a heavy medium sauce pan. Add the sugar and lemon juice and whisk to combine.

Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens and coats the back of the spoon.  This takes about 10-12 minutes.  Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in the butter, one piece at a time, until fully incorporated.  Stir in the lemon zest.  Cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming.  Store in an airtight container until chilled through or for up to 3 days.

Lemon Cream
3 cups whipping cream
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 t vanilla
1 recipe Lemon Curd (see above)

In a bowl, whip the cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form.  Whisk 1/4 cup of the whipped cream into the lemon curd to loosen it up.  Add the rest of the whipped cream to the curd and fold in gently.  Cover and refrigerate if not using immediately.

Lemon Pound Cake (can be made the day before or made and frozen for longer)
(this makes two rounds and I only used one for my trifle, I froze the other one for later use)
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
3 cups flour
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
2 cups sugar
5 large eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 t lemon zest
2 T fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 325.  Butter and dust with flour 2 round cake pans.  Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

Place the butter in a large bowl and beat until soft, using a hand mixer. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy (1-2 minutes).  Add the eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated after each one.  Add the flour mixture alternating with the buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour mixture.  Mixing well after each addition.  Stir in the lemon juice and zest.

Pour the batter into the 2 prepared pans.  Bake until a toothpick comes out clean 35-45 minutes.  Cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan and cooling completely on a wire rack.

The Assembly


To assemble the trifle, spoon a layer of lemon cream on the bottom of a trifle bowl.  Add a layer of pound cake. You may need to break the pound cake slices into smaller pieces and jigsaw them together to fit.  Then drizzle on about 1/3 of the berry syrup.  Don't worry if it doesn't completely coat the pound cake - just drizzle it across and let the berries fall where they may.  Spoon a layer of lemon cream over the top, smoothing to the sides.  Repeat all the layers 2 more times finishing with a layer of lemon cream.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.  It is best to let this set for several hours before serving.

Day 79 - Lemon Meringue Pie

     Ok, it's 11:00 at night and I just finished tasting the pie.  I started making it at 4:00 this afternoon, had many interruptions, and watched the movie, 'Black Swan'.  Natalie Portman SO deserved that Oscar she was awarded.  I loved it, but at the same time, it was so very disturbing.  My review at the end of the recipe.
     I used my Fannie Farmer Cookbook Thirteenth Edition for today's pie.  Recipe for the crust was on page 639, meringue topping on page 642, and the pie on page 653.  Marion Cunningham is the author, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., a division of Random House, and the ISBN is 0-394-56788-9.

     Lemon Meringue Pie

     Pastry Shell - 9-inch pie shell
     1½ cup flour
     ¼ teaspoon salt
     ½ cup shortening
     3-4 tablespoons cold water (I ended up using about 7)
    
     Mix the flour and salt.  Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender or two knives.  Combine lightly only until the mixture resembles coarse meal or very tiny peas:  its texture will be uniform, but will contain crumbs and small bits and pieces.  Sprinkle water over the flour mixture, a tablespoon at a time, and mix lightly with a fork, using only enough water so that the pastry will hold together when pressed gently together.  Roll the dough out 2 inches larger than the pie pan. 

Fit it loosely but firmly into the pan.  Prick the dough all over and crimp or flute the edges.

     Preheat the oven to 425ºF.  bake for 16-18 minutes, until lightly browned.

     Meringue Topping - for 9-inch pie
     5 egg whites, at room temperature
     ½ cup sugar
     ¼ teaspoon salt

     Put the egg whites and sugar in a mixing bowl and place the bowl in a pan of hot water.  Stir constantly until the egg whites feel warm, then add the salt. 

Remove the bowl from the hot water and beat with an electric beater until the meringue is stiff and shiny. 

     Pie
     4 tablespoons cornstarch
     4 tablespoons flour
     ¼ teaspoon salt
     1¼ cups sugar
     1½ cup water
     Grated rind of 1 lemon
     ½ cup lemon juice
     2 tablespoons butter
     4 egg yolks, slightly beaten

     Mix the cornstarch, flour, salt, sugar, and water in a saucepan.  Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 3 minutes.  Remove from the heat.  Stir in the lemon rind, lemon juice, and butter.  Stir ½ cup of the hot mixture into the egg yolks, then stir the yolks into the remaining hot mixture and cook, stirring for another 3 minutes.  Let cool a bit.  Spread the lemon mixture in the baked pie shell.

Spread the meringue over the filling.  Be sure that the meringue touches the inner edge of the crust; this will keep it from shrinking.  Run under the broiler until the meringue peaks are delicately browned, taking care not to burn them; it will only take a minute or two.  This particular meringue will hold up as long as two days without weeping and shrinking.  Refrigerate for storage, but serve at room temperature.

     Oh.  MY.  UNBELIEVABLE.  GOODNESS!  I actually think this recipe is better than what my grandmother used to make and hers was good.  I had two recipes to choose from and I am SO VERY glad I chose this one!  I just cannot put into words how delicious this pie was.  I kind of feel like I cheated today and didn't bake, but technically the crust was baked, so we'll count that.  I am so glad I made this.  I was talking to our neighbor/friend, Wayne, the other day and he asked if I was planning to make a Lemon Meringue Pie during my 365.  He had said that it was his favorite and that his mother's were the best.  Unfortunately, Wayne won't be around for a few days, but I'll be sure to save him a piece.  We'll see what he thinks.  My husband thought everything about it was perfect, and to quote him, "restaurant quality".  So, if any of you own a restaurant and want me to start making Lemon Meringue Pies, I'm for hire.  That is of course after this year is up. Haha.  Needless to say, this dessert earns 4 rolling pins on my scale of 1-4 with 4 being something I highly recommend you bake.  The meringue was delicious, tall and thick, the lemon filling had just the right amount of tartness balanced with the perfect amount of sweet and the crust was flaky and not dry.  I think it could have been rolled just a little thinner though.  Oh, and I put it under the broiler, but it just seemed to be taking too long, so I used my mini torch on it - worked like a charm. 
     People will shower you with compliments after they try this wonderful creation.  Go for it.  Happy baking!

Day 71 - Lemon Sugar Snaps

  
      I burnt myself for the third time today.  Not three times today, three times since I've started this blog.  I suppose if you're baking every day, the odds are that you're going to increase the chances of wounding yourself.  There are two almost identical burn marks on my left forearm from reaching into the oven and touching one of the racks, and now on my right thumb; I went to reach under the baking sheet to grab what, I don't know.  So, if my body ever needs to be identified,  remember to remind my family about the marks on my arm and that there will probably be flour under my fingernails, too.
     I found this recipe in the Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook, p.93; author, Martha Stewart; publisher Clarkson Potter/Publishers, a division of Random House; ISBN 0-307-23672-2.

     Lemon Sugar Snaps

     1 3/4 cups flour
     1 teaspoon baking soda
     1 teaspoon cream of tartar
     ½ teaspoon salt
     2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
     1 cup sugar, plus more for dusting
     1 large egg
     Freshly grated zest of 3 lemons
     1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

     In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt; set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add the egg and lemon zest and juice; beat until combined.  Add the flour mixture; beat until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Transfer dough to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

     Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.  Place sugar in a shallow bowl.  Shape leveled tablespoons of dough into 1-inch balls.  Roll balls in sugar to coat completely, and place about 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. 

Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until the edges just begin to turn golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.  Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.  Cookies can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

     Wow!  These were lemonylicious!  I refrigerated for 4 hours and the dough was manageable.  It did become a little sticky though when I was rolling it.  I only used one large baking sheet, so in between batches I put the remaining dough into the fridge, covered.  The first batch I put into the oven, 6 were rolled in granulated sugar and 6 were rolled in confectioners' sugar.  I was hoping with the powdered sugar to get the affect of those Sunshine Lemon Coolers I always ate as a kid.  Oh how I loved those! No go.  And they were too sweet. 
     Martha is so smart, she knows exactly what her cookies need.  However, she really likes things big!  Martha always does things big.  I love how Martha likes big, but I like smaller cookies .  She called for flattened tablespoonfuls and as you can see here, they were large cookies. 

The last batch I made I used a flattened teaspoonful and baked them for 4 minutes and then rotated the rack for another 4 minutes.  I like this size much better. 

BUT, eating more of them is tempting.  Maybe that's why they're supposed to be larger. 
     My rating system is based on a scale of 1-4 with 4 rocking the house.  Martha's Lemon Sugar Snaps earn a 3½ rolling pins!  These would be divine with your pinky up on a cup of afternoon tea!
     Happy baking!

Day 47 - Lemon Chess Pie

          In honor of Pi (pie) Day, it is only fitting that today's recipe should be a pie.  I didn't even know until last week that there was such a thing; pi day, not pie, silly (that I'm well aware of!).  My son came home with a field trip form saying his 8th grade class was going to the park to celebrate it last Friday.  A math field trip of course, and that they would be eating pizza (pies), and different kinds of pie.  They were also going to do some different pi type events, such as finding the circumference of the park.  Needless to say, the boy wasn't that excited about it, but it turned out to be a beautiful day and he was outside instead of inside a classroom which I'm sure was a plus. 
I did a little research on good ol' Wikipedia to find more about March 14.  Gee, Pi Day today, the Ides of March tomorrow, St. Patrick's Day on the 17th and Poultry Day on the 19th, who can handle it?

Pi Day is a holiday commemorating the mathematical constant π (pi). Pi Day is celebrated on March 14 (or 3/14 in month/day date format), since 3, 1 and 4 are the three most significant digits of π in the decimal form. In 2009, the United States House of Representatives supported the designation of Pi Day.^[2]

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I wonder if Hallmark sells cards for Pi Day, too?

    

     I made a lemon chess pie and also made the crust from scratch.  This one comes from The New Doubleday Cookbook, p.766, 783; authors, Jean Anderson and Elaine Hanna; publisher, Doubleday, a division of Random House; ISBN 0-385-19577-X.

     Lemon Chess Pie

    

     1 recipe Flaky Pastry I

     Flaky Pastry I

     1¼ cups sifted flour

     ½ teaspoon salt

     1/3 cup vegetable shortening or lard, chilled

     ¼ cup ice water

      Place flour and salt in a shallow mixing bowl and cut in shortening with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Sprinkle water over surface, 1 tablespoon at a time, and mix in lightly and quickly with a fork, just until the pastry holds together.  Shape gently into a ball on a lightly floured pastry cloth, then flatten into a circle about 1" thick, evening up the rough edges.  Using a lightly floured, stockinette-covered rolling pin, and short, firm strokes, roll into a circle about 3" larger than the pan you plan to use.  To transfer pastry to pan, lay rolling pin across center of pastry circle, fold half of pastry over pin and ease into pan; press lightly.  Seal any cracks or holes by pressing dampened scraps of pastry on top.  Trim pastry so it hangs evenly 1" over rim, roll overhang under even with rim and crimp or flute.

    

                                         

     Filling

     1½ cups sugar

     2 tablespoons flour

     Finely grated rind of 2 lemons

     5 eggs

     Juice of 2 lemons

     1/3 cup melted butter or margarine

    

     Preheat oven to 325ºF.  Make pastry as directed and fit into a 9" pie pan; do not bake.  Mix sugar, flour, and rind.

Then beat in eggs, one at a time.  Stir in lemon juice and finally the melted butter, adding a bit at a time and beating well after each addition.  Pour filling into pie shell and bake about 1 hour until puffy and golden (filling will seem unset). 

Cool pie to room temperature (filling will settle and thicken).  Serve at room temperature.

     I have to say that everybody loved this!  My rating system is from 1-4 with 4 being the best and this lemon chess pie earned a rating of 3½ rolling pins.  It was deliciously lemony.  It had just the right amount of tartness to go with the perfect amount of sweetness and reminded me of lemon meringue pie without the meringue.  Oh, and by the way,  I didn't use the stockinette-covered rolling pin.  My regular lightly floured one worked just fine.

     Happy baking!

Day 29 - Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze

     Another recipe from the Food Network:    http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/lemon-ricotta-cookies-with-lemon-glaze-recipe/index.html
These were the cookies I saw yesterday while searching for a cookie recipe, but came across the Flu-Fighters and decided to make those instead.  These are from Giada De Laurentiis.  I love her.  She is so petite and pretty and she knows her stuff.  And she's Italian, too.  I love Italy and everything Italian.  If there's one place in the world I'd love to visit, it's Italy.  I don't have an ounce of Italian in me, but I overcook so much food on occasion that you'd think I was.
     As you know, I'm also partial to lemons and anything lemon flavored.  I think it started when I was young and would get the lemon-filled donut when we'd go to Dunkin' Donuts.  Oh, how I love those!  Then, if you're from Rhode Island, there's Del's (frozen) Lemonade which is absolutely the best thing to have on a hot summer day, especially at the beach.  Now in 2011, they also have different flavors of Del's, like Watermelon, Cherry, Blueberry, and others, but if you're as old as me (not that old, born in the late 60's - and I'm already telling you my weight, so something's gotta be kept a secret!), the original flavor was lemon and Del's isn't Del's unless it's lemon.  My kids, of course, think otherwise.
   These cookies were easy to make (not nearly as many ingredients as yesterday).  They contain flour, sugar, lemon juice,  lemon zest, eggs, unsalted butter, ricotta cheese, baking powder, and salt.

Butter and sugar.

Butter and sugar, eggs.

Eggs, butter, and sugar, lemon zest, ricotta cheese, lemon juice.

Dry ingredients added.

Onto the cookie sheet.

They were just a little time consuming because I used one cookie sheet to make sure I wouldn't have any too dark, and then they had to sit for 20 minutes on the sheet after they came out of the oven to cool before being frosted. 

Being cooled.

So that's where the time went.  However, I have never had so much trouble zesting a stupid lemon.  I was becoming extremely aggravated with the thing.  I had zested half of it and then all of a sudden it was like it surrounded itself with this invisible shield and I couldn't get anything more to come off it.  I pushed, I scraped, I pressed really hard, but nothing was coming off.  FINE!  You're going to succumb to your death anyway because I'm going to need your juice, so you might as well just surrender and give me ALL of it.  Hmmmm....still nothing.  Stupid lemon.

     They were big cookies, too.  Directions said to drop about 2 tablespoons for each cookie - I did about 1½ or so.  Because they are light and have the specks of lemon zest in the glaze, I think these are an awesome spring cookie and would be great to have out at your Easter gatherings.  The rating:  3½ rolling pins.  The family liked them and I did as well.  They were light and lemony, and soft, but not too soft.
     Happy baking!

Day 28 - Flu-Fighter Cookies

  Yes, a recipe that took me by surprise.  I was searching for a cookie recipe on the http://www.foodnetwork.com/ website and saw a delicious looking recipe that I'll definitely be trying, but when I was scrolling down the page this one caught my eye.  I had never heard of a cookie named the Flu-Fighter Cookie.  The thought of it just really doesn't sound too appetizing; which is why my teenage daughter probably turned her nose up at them and wouldn't give them a try besides the fact that they contain nuts (not that she's allergic, she just doesn't like to eat them).  The name sounded so unappetizing to me and yet at the same time, was so very much intriguing!  And it is completely filled with ingredients.  It's like someone took a pantry and spice cupboard and dumped it all in a bowl - really bizarre.  There are 18 different things in this one cookie!  And soooo many different flavors! I can't post the recipe, but I can give you the link: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/flu-fighter-cookies-recipe/index.html (I still haven't figured out how to link words to websites yet.  It's on my list of things to do, so please bear with me.)  I am going to list the ingredients for you though, you ready?
flour
baking powder
baking soda
salt
ground cinnamon
freshly grated nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves
unsalted butter
dark brown sugar (I went to two different grocery stores for different things today and forgot it each time.  I had some light brown sugar at home, so I just used that.)
eggs
molasses
Greek yogurt (I always have that in my fridge)
freshly grated ginger
grated lemon zest
old-fashioned oats
golden raisins
dried cranberries
chopped toasted walnuts
See?  That's quite a list, isn't it?  They're so much in them that I was concerned about how they would taste, but then I'm thinking the Food Network isn't going to put crappy recipes up on their site and it's so different that I'm just going to have to try it.  Besides, people around these here parts have been quite sick with the flu and whatever else is going around, so maybe these will help to boost people's immune systems.  I know I'm going to be eating them for a while.  Heck, they're healthy, too (ok, at least they appear to be - it says each cookie has a calorie count of 174).  Any excuse I have to eat a cookie, I'm all over it and again, if you read my weigh-in post today, I didn't gain any weight this week.  I'm ok.
     The ingredients:  oats, flour, brown sugar, butter, baking powder, baking soda, cloves, salt, cinnamon, and, eggs.

Golden raisins, toasted walnuts, dried cranberries. molasses, and Greek yogurt.

 Lemon zest, grated ginger (behind it is ginger juice), and grated nutmeg.

After grating the nutmeg, (grating those lil' buggers is hard!  It was rolling around in my fingers and wouldn't stay still.  I need to get me one of those microplane graters) something which I had never done before, I sliced it to make sure I was grating the proper part.  I had no idea.  It smelled good as I was grating, so I figured I was doing something right.  I couldn't buy just one piece, had to buy a jar of nine for $7.9something, and four of which are stuck in the bottom of the bottle.  How the heck am I going to get those out of there and when am I going to use the rest of it?  Guess we'll be making more things with nutmeg in them.  It doesn't expire until sometime in 2014, so we're good.  The smell reminded me of some rice pudding I used to eat, so there's one idea.
I thought the inside of the nutmeg was cool:

My sous chef, Charlie.  He kept watching the mixer, but really he's waiting for me to feed him because, you know, the world revolves around the cat.

The flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves combined.

 The butter and brown sugar creamed.

The second egg added to the butter and brown sugar.

The molasses, lemon zest and ginger added to mixture.

The flour mixture added to previous ingredients.  Hanging off the blender are the fibers from the ginger.  I was really thinking this wasn't going to be a good part of the cookie and would be stringy.

Oats,  ½ of each of the cranberries, walnuts and raisins added.

Ready for the oven.

Baked and ready to be eaten.

     The aroma that filled the house while these were in the oven was wonderful!  It smelled like gingerbread.  I have to say I wasn't looking forward to trying these and was thinking that they were not going to be eaten.  But, wow!  For a cookie with so much in it, it's like a taste party in your mouth!  Unbelievable.  It's gingery, with a taste of cinnamon; a touch of lemon and I'm not tasting that ginger stringy-stuff I thought I would; crunchy from the nuts and chewy because of the raisins and cranberries; and it has just the right amount of sweetness!  These probably are the healthiest tasting cookies I have ever had.  It's a good cookie to send in a care package to your college student who is stressed, doesn't eat well or get enough sleep and is around a lot of sick people, especially this time of year.  You can bet I'll be sending some of these out to my daughter.
     The rating for Flu-Fighter Cookies: 3½ rolling pins.
     So, here's to your immune systems, happy baking!

Day 17 - Breakfast Kugel

     I've started reading Julie & Julia  365 days, 524 recipes, 1 tiny apartment kitchen by Julie Powell.  It's the book that the movie, Julie & Julia was based on.  I saw the movie, but wanted to read the book because a lot of times, as we all know, the book is better.  Given the fact that I've been baking for the past 16 days, I have absolutely no idea how this woman stayed sane doing 524 recipes in 365 days and worked a full-time job!  I would have lost it.  Ok, to be honest, it's something I never would have done.  I was going nuts enough when I was working full-time and managing a home, never mind the cooking part of it.  I give her a lot of credit.

Voilà!  A recipe from a new book!  The Essential Vegetarian Cookbook:  Your guide to the Best Foods on Earth, pg. 97; author, Diana Shaw;  Clarkson/Potter Publishers, a division of Random House; ISBN 0-517-59989-9.  Today it is a Breakfast Kugel or rather an early afternoon Kugel.  A kugel is typically a Jewish side dish or dessert made of baked noodles.  When we would have family potlucks, Dan would always make this, and I absolutely loved it.  I don't have his recipe and always meant to ask him for it, so I was excited when I found one in my recipe book.  Not the same as Dan's (sigh).  Maybe it was because today I had already pigged out on those Tostito Roasted Garlic & Black Bean Chips (I LOVE those!) and salsa.  I just wasn't hungry, but of course, had to try it anyway.  I'm feeling like I'm going to need an overdosing of vegetables soon.

     Breakfast Kugel
     8 ounces dried whole wheat penne or elbow noodles
     1 large egg
     2 large egg whites
     2 cups low-fat cottage cheese or low-fat farmer cheese
     2/3 cup nonfat or reduced -fat sour cream
     ½ cup sugar
     1 tablespoon grated lemon or orange zest
     1 teaspoon vanilla extract
     ½ cup soft bread crumbs, from whole wheat or French bread
     1/3 cup raisins or dried cherries

     Heat the oven to 350ºF.  Lightly grease an 8-inch baking pan or squirt with nonstick spray.
     Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Stir in the pasta, and cook until not quite done (test it with your teeth, it should still be a bit hard in the center when you bite into one), about 6 minutes.
     In a food processor or blender, combine the egg and egg whites.  Add the cottage or farmer cheese, sour cream, sugar, lemon or orange zest, and vanilla extract.  Process until smooth.

     Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and stir in the breadcrumbs and raisins or cherries. I added the noodles here because I didn't see where she wanted them added, but I'm assuming this was the logical place to do it.  And you know what assume means, but it worked out.

Spoon into the baking pan and bake until golden brown, about 50 minutes.

     Let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before cutting and serving.  Serve warm right away or refrigerate, covered, and serve cold.

     I used regular noodles because I'm partial to them and I thought about using plain Greek yogurt instead of the sour cream.  I've used it before as a substitution, and while the yogurt is a bit more tart than sour cream, I never heard any complaints from family members, but I didn't have any.  I didn't use the raisins or cherries because I know the dish won't be eaten in this house if I include them.  Also, when you are grating the lemon or orange rind, please make sure you keep your thumb knuckle far enough away from the grater.  I took a nice little chunk out of mine.  This is good though, only my second injury since beginning this.  The first was a slight burn on the second day when I went to take the Cream Cheese cookies out of the oven.  I'm fine, it's nothing a band-aid can't handle; just bake with care.
     I liked the taste because it was very similar to the blintze filling that I make but without the bread crumbs.  I didn't like the texture of the bread crumbs, but I'm sure they were used to thicken it as the mixture was very runny before they were added and also to ensure that the noodles wouldn't sink.   I don't remember the one Dan made for the family ever having any bread crumbs either.  However, it was tasty and I really liked the sour cream/cream cheese/lemon combination.  To be honest though , I don't know if I'd ever make it again.  But if I did, I'd try it without the bread crumbs and see how it turns out.  This one earns: 2½ rolling pins.
     Happy baking!