Green Beans with Goat Cheese and Fresh Lemon Vinaigrette

Inspiration: Oprah.com and green beans from our CSA.


Ingredients:

• 2 pounds green beans , trimmed
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 2 ounces goat cheese , softened and crumbled

Instructions:

1. In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil. Add green beans. Cook 3 minutes; drain well. Set beans aside in colander; do not rinse (they will continue to cook).
   
2. In a large bowl, whisk together lemon zest, juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Add beans to bowl and toss.
   
3. Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with crumbled goat cheese.
   

Notes: Loved the combination of lemon zest and goat cheese with the green beans. We took this to work with our lunches- it's a nice way to mix up the monotony of bagged lunch.

Tim's Rating: 8.5/10
Liz's Rating: 9.5/10

Giada's Lemon Ricotta Cookies

Inspiration: Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients:

Cookies:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 lemon, zested

Glaze:

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 lemon, zested

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

   Cookies:

2. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

3. In the large bowl combine the butter and the sugar. Using an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
   

4. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated.
   

5. Add the ricotta cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Beat to combine.
   

6. Stir in the dry ingredients.

7. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Spoon the dough (about 2 tablespoons for each cookie) onto the baking sheets.
   

8. Bake for 15 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges.
   

9. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.

   Glaze:

10. Combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a small bowl and stir until smooth.
    

11. Spoon about 1/2-teaspoon onto each cookie and use the back of the spoon to gently spread.
    

12. Let the glaze harden for about 2 hours.
    

Notes:

• I am revisiting a few recipes I published when first working on this blog, before I had many readers or my dSLR. I hope you enjoy these!
• Make sure you don't overbake these- they may not look done at the suggested time, but they are. :)
• It is very important to let the glaze harden before you store the cookies.
• I have not had much luck storing them in sealed containers- I think it's better to cover them loosely with plastic wrap or tinfoil and serve them within a couple days.
• These may make you famous with your friends, family, and colleagues. Everyone loves them!
  

Tim's Rating: 10/10
Liz's Rating: 10/10

Chicken Pomodoro

Inspiration:
Amish Paste tomatoes from my garden, chicken from the Farmers Market
and
Cuisine at Home magazine


Ingredients:

• 4 chicken cutlets
  
• 2 T. vegetable oil
  
• ¼ cup vodka
  
• ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
  
• 1 T. fresh lemon juice
  
• ½ cup tomatoes, chopped
  
• 2 T. heavy cream
  
• ⅓ cup scallions, minced

Instructions:

1. Season cutlets with salt and pepper then dust with flour.
   Saute cutlets in oil. Transfer to a platter; pour off fat from pan
   
2. Deglaze pan with vodka (away from heat) and cook until vodka is nearly gone. Add broth and lemon juice. Return cutlets to pan and cook each side 1 minute. Transfer cutlets to a warm plate.
   
3. Finish the sauce with tomatoes and cream. Heat through, then pour over cutlets. Garnish with scallions.

Notes: This was fairly easy and a great way to use up some tomatoes from the garden. I doubled the vodka, broth, lemon, and cream and quadrupled the tomatoes; the sauce was delicious!! Don't skip the scallions as they add some good texture and flavor contrast.


Liz's Rating: 8.5/10
Tim's Rating: 9/10

Asparagus, Goat Cheese, and Lemon Pasta

Inspiration:
Smitten Kitchen and Bon Appétit

Notes:
Whenever Tim needs to work late, I see an opportunity to make a recipe I know he won't enjoy... like a pasta with a creamy goat cheese sauce. This was fantastic, and very quick!

Liz's Rating: 9/10

TWD: Lemon French Yogurt Cake

Inspiration:
Liliana of My Cookbook Addiction chose this week's recipe and will be posting it on her blog.

I skipped the optional marmalade glaze because I didn't want it to be too sticky. It was a simple, delicious bread, sort of like a lemon pound cake. It would be a nice thing to take to a friend's home or to serve to overnight guests.

This was easy to make. I used a dark metal pan, and my loaf didn't seem to rise as much as others. It was also done earlier than the recipe described.

I am a little late posting this because... I am lazy. I baked this on Sunday but didn't get the photo uploaded in time. Whoops!


Tim's Rating: 8.5/10
Liz's Rating: 8/10


Next week on TWD: Blueberry Crumb Cake (!)

TWD: Lemon Curd Custard

Inspiration:
Bridget, one of my favorite food bloggers, chose this week's recipe. She will post the recipe on her blog today.

I halved the recipe and filled three ramekins. I added one clove to the milk along with the lemon zest, which gave it a nice flavor.

The texture of this custard is like flan. I am not a huge fan of flan. If you are, I highly suggest you try this recipe!

Tim's Rating: 6/10 ("It has nothing to do with you. I didn't like the consistency.")
Liz's Rating: 6.5/10 (due to flan-like texture)

Lemon-Shallot Vinaigrette

Inspiration:
Food & Wine

Ingredients:

• 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons minced shallots
• 1 1/4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 1/4 teaspoons white wine vinegar
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions:

1. In a blender, combine the lemon zest and juice, shallots, mustard, vinegar and garlic and puree until smooth. With the machine on, slowly add the olive oil until emulsified. Pour the vinaigrette into a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
   

Recipe Notes: This vinaigrette is also great drizzled over grilled fish, chicken or vegetables.

Notes: I will be making this again and again. I can't wait to try it with cooked veggies, chicken or fish.

Tim's Rating: 9.5/10
Liz's Rating: 10/10
Brother-in-law Chris: "This tastes like it came from a restaurant!"

Braised Chicken with Lemon and Olives

Inspiration:
Good Things Catered, which adapted a recipe from Williams-Sonoma

Ingredients:

• 8 mixed bone-in chicken pieces
  
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  
• 3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  
• 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  
• 1 c. Chardonnay
  
• 30 green olives, pitted
  
• 1 lemon, sliced 1/8 inch thick
  
• 2 bay leaves
  
• 2 c. chicken stock
  
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  
• 2 Tbsp sifted flour

Instructions:

1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
   
2. In a large braiser over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil until almost smoking. Working in batches, brown the chicken on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.
   
3. Reduce the heat to medium, add the garlic to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, for 15 seconds; do not allow it to burn.
   
4. Add the Chardonnay and cook down, stirring to scrape up the browned bits from the pan bottom, about 5 minutes.
   
5. Add the olives, lemon slices and bay leaves and cook, stirring occasionally, 4 to 5 minutes.
   
6. Return the chicken to the pan, add the stock and bring to a boil.
   
7. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the chicken is very tender, about 1 1⁄2 hours.
   
8. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper. Remove chicken, lemon, and olives from the pan and place on serving platter.
   
9. With braiser over medium high heat, add flour and whisk to combine. Cook to thicken, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes.
   
10. Pour thickened braising sauce over chicken and garnish with the parsley. Serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6.

My Notes:
WOW! When I saw this recipe on Katie's blog, I knew I had to make it. I couldn't stop thinking about it, and I was so happy when it tasted just as I had imagined. I loved it. I used 5 chicken drumsticks, which are budget-friendly and cook faster. I only braised my chicken for about 45 minutes. Make sure you brown the chicken well in the second step.


Liz's Rating: 10/10
Tim's Rating: 8/10 (Tim didn't like green olives until about 2 weeks ago. I wasn't even going to have him try this, but he jumped right in and enjoyed it.)

Product Rave: Trader Joe's Lemon Pepper Pappardelle Pasta

My friend H. and I went shopping at Trader Joe's, and we both picked up this pasta. She made it before I did, and recommended serving shrimp on top. So, I blackened some shrimp (toss shelled shrimp in a mixture of flour, salt, cayenne, and black pepper and then pan fry) and served it on the pasta with a little lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.

An extremely fast and tasty meal for a weeknight. If I had some fresh parsley, I would have sprinkled it on top.

Liz's Rating: 8.5/10
Tim's Rating: N/A

Parmesan-Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Inspiration:
Free-range chicken from the co-op and parsley from our CSA

Ingredients/Instructions:
Martha Stewart

Notes:
Easy! This was very easy and quick to put together. I loved the lemon zest.

Per Serving:
429 calories, 6.1 grams fat, 81.9 grams protein, 35.8 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber

Tim's Rating: 8/10
Liz's Rating: 8.5/10

Lemon-Parsley Pork Chops

Inspiration:
Parsley from our CSA and Everyday Food

Ingredients:

• Zest of 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 bone-in loin pork chops, (about 8 ounces each)
  
  

Instructions:

1. Mince lemon zest; combine in a small bowl with parsley, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Season pork chops on both sides with salt and pepper. Cook in skillet until browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
3. Add 1/2 cup water to skillet; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover, and simmer gently until pork is cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer pork chops to a platter or serving plates; drizzle with pan juices as desired, and sprinkle with lemon-parsley mixture.

Notes: This is a yummy, fresh-tasting recipe. It would be perfect for winter when we need some freshness for our taste buds, since quality lemon and parsley are available year-round.


Tim's Rating: 9/10
Liz's Rating: 9.5/10

Lemon-Blueberry Muffins

Source:
Food and Wine

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup blueberries
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Butter a standard 12-cup muffin pan. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in the blueberries. In another medium bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk, oil and lemon zest, then whisk in the lemon juice. Using a rubber spatula, fold the egg mixture into the flour mixture until blended; do not overmix.
2. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups and bake for about 20 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let the muffins stand in the pan for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer them to a rack to cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe Notes:
"Using frozen berries makes the batter incredibly thick and keeps them from sinking to the bottom of the pan. Of course, the muffins are fantastic with fresh blueberries as well.
Once thoroughly cooled, the muffins can be kept overnight in an airtight container."

My Notes:
Next time I will sprinkle a little sugar on top before baking. These are very, very good.

Tim: 9/10
Liz's Rating: 9.5/10

Tim Cooks: Tangy Lemon-Caper Dip

Inspiration:
A desire for a dip for our CSA veggies, and a recipe found in Better Homes and Gardens.

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces light sour cream
• 1/2 cup yogurt, low-fat plain
• 1 tablespoon capers, drained and finely-chopped
• 2 teaspoons snipped fresh dill (or 1/2 teaspoon dried dill)
• 1/2 teaspoon finely-shredded lemon peel
• lemon peel and dill for garnish
  
• Assorted vegetable dippers (such as peeled baby carrots, zucchini slices, pea pods, yellow summer squash sticks, and/or red sweet pepper strips)

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl, stir together sour cream, yogurt, capers, the 2 teaspoons snipped dill, and the 1/2 teaspoon lemon peel.
2. To serve, garnish with additional lemon peel and additional fresh dill or thyme. Serve with dippers.

Recipe Notes:
Nutritional Info (Per serving): Calories: 32, Saturated Fat: 2g, Sodium: 36mg, Dietary Fiber: 0g, Total Fat: 2g, Carbs: 2g, Cholesterol: 8mg, Protein: 1g. Exchanges: Fat: 0.5

Tim's Rating: 8/10
Liz's Rating: 8/10

Lemon-Glazed Candied-Ginger Muffins

Inspiration:
I wanted to make Martha Stewart's recipe for Lemon-Glazed Candied-Ginger Cookies, but of course I didn't read the recipe all the way through before I bought all of the ingredients. When it came time to make them, I didn't feel like rolling out the dough and using a cookie cutter, chilling between steps, and so on.

SO, I found this recipe for Lemon and Candied Ginger muffins.


Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup butter, soft
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Zest of 1 lemon (about 1 tbsp zest)
• 3/4 cup milk (low fat is ok)
• 1/2 cup candied ginger, in small pieces
• 2-3 tbsp lemon juice
  
• 1 cup confectioners sugar

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
3. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the lemon zest and vanilla extract.
4. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk to the butter/sugar mix, working in two or three additions and beating at a low speed (or by hand) only until just combined. Stir in candied ginger.
5. Divide batter evenly into prepared muffin cups and bake for about 15 minutes, until a tester comes out clean and the top of the muffin springs back when lightly pressed.
6. Cool on a wire rack, drizzling with lemon glaze (below) while muffins are still slightly warm.
7. In a small bowl, combine confectioners’ sugar with enough lemon juice to make a glaze that will drizzle easily from the tines of a fork. You don’t have to be exact, and can always add either a bit more juice or a bit more sugar to achieve a good consistency.
   
8. Drizzle a little glaze over each muffin and let dry for at least a few minutes before serving.

Tim's Rating: 8.5/10
Liz's Rating: 7.5/10

Giada's Chicken Piccata

Inspiration:
Giada's recipe

Ingredients:

• 1lb. boneless skinless chicken tenders
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• All-purpose flour, for dredging
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1/4 cup brined capers, thoroughly rinsed
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions:

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.

2. In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 2 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add chicken and cook for 3 minutes. When chicken is browned, flip and cook other side for 3 minutes. Remove and transfer to plate.
   

3. Into the pan add the lemon juice, stock and capers. Return to stove and bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Check for seasoning. Return all the chicken to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove chicken to platter. Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with parsley.

Suggested Beverage: Pinot Grigio (Lindeman's Bin 85 Sauvignon Blanc)

Notes: I like the sauce, but the chicken was a little blah.

Tim's Rating: 7/10 ("It's fine, I'd eat it, I just don't like it that much. I'd rather eat tacos if I had the choice.")
Tim's Second Helping: 8/10 ("It's growing on me, I am changing my rating to an 8.")
Liz's Rating: 8/10

Lemony Broccoli and Chickpea Penne

Inspiration:
Chef Marc Meyer's recipe, seen in Food and Wine Magazine

Ingredients:

• One 19-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds broccoli, cut into florets
• 1 pound penne or rigatoni
• 5 large garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

1. In a medium bowl, toss the chickpeas with the lemon juice and 1/2 cup of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
2. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the broccoli until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the broccoli to a colander and rinse under cold water until cool. Add the rigatoni to the boiling water and cook until al dente.
3. Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet, heat the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and cook over moderate heat until the garlic is golden, about 3 minutes. Add the broccoli and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the chickpea mixture and cook until warmed through, about 1 minute.
4. Drain the rigatoni, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the broccoli and chickpeas along with the reserved cooking water and season with salt and pepper. Cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the rigatoni is coated with sauce. Remove from the heat and stir in 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese. Transfer the pasta to a bowl, sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and serve

Notes: Next time I will reduce the amount of garlic to 3 cloves and the amount of olive oil to 1/2 cup. I would also sprinkle lemon zest on top of the plated pasta.

Tim's Rating: 8/10
Liz's Rating: 8/10

Lemon Linguini

Inspiration:
A wonderful dish at this Roman restaurant has had me looking for a lemon spaghetti recipe for almost a year. I finally found one from Food Network chef Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients:

• 9 oz. refrigerated whole-wheat linguini
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Instructions:

1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 4-5 minutes (for refrigerated pasta; otherwise check directions on package).
   
   
2. Meanwhile, whisk the oil, Parmesan, and lemon juice in a large bowl to blend.

3. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
   

4. Toss the pasta with the lemon sauce, and the reserved cooking liquid, adding 1/4 cup at a time as needed to moisten. Season with salt and pepper.
   

5. Garnish with lemon zest and chopped basil.

Notes: This is a great "fresh"-tasting meal for the middle of winter.

Tim's Rating: 8/10
Liz's Rating: 8.5/10

Spicy Lemon Shrimp, New Orleans Style

Inspiration:
Cold-Weather Cooking, my mom Jeanne, and "Auntie" Sharon

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup unsalted margarine
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp fresh rosemary, or 1 Tbsp dried, coarsely chopped
• 3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 to 2 tsp Tabasco sauce
• 3 1/2 Tbsp coarsely cracked black pepper
• 2 tsp salt
• 3 lbs large shrimp, in shells (preferably deveined)
• 2 whole lemons, thinly sliced and seeds removed
• 2 loaves French bread, sliced
  

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Melt the butter and margarine together in a saucepan over medium heat.
3. Remove from the heat and stir in the garlic, rosemary, Worcestershire, and enough Tabasco to impart the desired spiciness. Add the pepper and salt.
4. Place the shrimp in a large, shallow baking dish and pour the butter mixture over them. Tuck the lemon slices in and around the shrimp.
5. Back the shrimp, turning them once, halfway through, until tender and just cooked through (pink), 20-25 minutes.
6. Place the shrimp on a trivet in the center of the dining table.
7. Let the guests serve themselves on plates and offer plenty of bread for dunking into the delicious sauce. Be sure to have an empty dish on hand for the discarded shells.
   

Tim's Rating: 8/10
Liz's Rating: 10/10