Strawberry Muffins

Tags

lemon, muffins, strawberry, yogurt

For many people, the school year has begun yet again. That means early mornings with rushed breakfasts, and quick afternoon snacks on the go. What could be better than muffins! The perfectly portable treat! 🙂 These muffins happen to be strawberry, and I realize that strawberries aren’t really in season anymore but I’m sure there are still some good ones out there. Even if they are less than perfect, that just means they’re perfect for baking to really help pull out their sweetness. Besides, the plump, juicy, sweet strawberries are so hard to resist just popping in your mouth until oops, they’re all gone! But I digress… These muffins are a perfect vessel for strawberries, or any fruit really. They have a tender crumb, but are still sturdy without being overly dense. (They are normally very domed like bakery muffins, but my mom’s oven was apparently having some issues which explains why things weren’t quite baking right when I was there.) They also have a slight hint of lemon which adds to the fresh flavor. So give yourself and your family a treat and try these strawberry muffins!One Year Ago: Strawberry Lemonade Icebox Pie

Strawberry Muffins
Yield: 18 muffins

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
¼ teaspoon lemon extract
1½ cups plain fat-free Greek yogurt
1½ cups chopped strawberries
Coarse sugar, for sprinkling tops (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners or spray with cooking spray; set aside

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add vanilla, lemon extract, and eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix the flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the yogurt, beating until incorporated; batter will be thick. Gently fold in the strawberries.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle tops lightly with coarse sugar, if using. Bake for 8 minutes and then decrease oven temperature to 375 degrees F and bake for about 12 more minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool 5 minutes in the pan before removing and cooling completely.

Source: Confections of a Foodie Bride

Blueberry Breakfast Cake

Tags

blueberry, buttermilk, cake, lemon, muffins

Breakfast. Cake. Could life be any better? 🙂 This is the best excuse ever to eat cake for breakfast! I mean, it’s all right there in the title… If it makes you feel any better, it’s like eating a blueberry muffin. It’s just cut into squares like cake. And has a tender crumb, like cake. But it’s not overly sweet like cake, so therefore it’s a perfect breakfast cake or snack cake. Sorry, I just said cake so many times! This is really delicious, though. Plump blueberries bursting in every bite, with a slight tang from the lemon and buttermilk. So good, and such a pretty breakfast cake. 🙂 Hurry and take advantage while blueberries are still in season!

One Year Ago: Skillet Lasagna and Garlic Rice Pilaf

Blueberry Breakfast Cake

½ cup butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons lemon zest
¾ cup + 1 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour, divided
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups fresh blueberries
½ cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9×9-inch pan with cooking spray; set aside. Toss the blueberries with ¼ cup flour; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter, lemon zest and ¾ cup sugar together; beat until creamy and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat just until combined. Slowly add the flour mixture, alternating with the buttermilk. Mix until just combined, then gently fold in the blueberries and any loose flour. Batter will be thick.

Spread batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar evenly over the top of batter. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool 15 minutes before serving.

Source: Slightly adapted from Life as a Lofthouse

 

Lemon-Garlic Linguine with Mascarpone and Shrimp

Tags

lemon, mascarpone, pasta, shrimp

I’m thinking it’s been a while since I posted a pasta recipe… the horror! Hehe. Yes, I have an addiction. It’s almost as bad as my chocolate addiction. 🙂 In my defense, it doesn’t help that my husband always wants pasta. When given dinner options, he’ll always choose the dish with pasta in it! Don’t worry, I’m not complaining!I already have lemon pasta dishes, such as Spaghetti with Olive Oil and Lemon and Orecchiette with Shrimp, Arugula, and Grape Tomatoes, but having more delicious lemony and pasta-y recipes is never a bad thing in my book. This specific recipe has a special Italian flair due to the addition of mascarpone, which is an Italian cream cheese (hence, awesomeness, since it’s cream cheese and Italian). The pasta is creamy and delicious, with a subtle kick from the red pepper flakes. It’s a perfect dish for spring!One Year Ago: Penne with Sausage, Artichokes, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Lemon-Garlic Linguine with Mascarpone and Shrimp

1 pound dried linguine
1½ teaspoon lemon zest
Juice of 1 lemon, about ⅓ cup
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 small shallot, minced
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
¼ cup dry white wine
½ cup mascarpone cheese
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Lemon slices, for serving, optional

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to boil. Cook pasta until al dente, according to package instructions. Drain, reserving ½ cup of the pasta water.

Meanwhile, pat the shrimp dry and toss with half the lemon zest, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

In a large skillet set over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the shallot, garlic, and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring continuously, until the garlic is golden brown and fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the shrimp and cook about 90 seconds on one side. Flip the shrimp, reduce the heat to medium, and add the white wine and half the lemon juice. Bring to a boil and cook about 1 minute. Add the mascarpone, reserved pasta water, and linguine; toss to coat. Cook an additional 1 to 2 minutes, or until the pasta is well coated and the sauce has thickened slightly. Stir in the remaining lemon zest, lemon juice, and parsley. Season with additional salt and pepper if necessary, and serve immediately, with lemon slices if desired.

Source: Adapted from Pink Parsley

Citrus Soy Chicken Drumsticks

Tags

Asian, chicken, citus, lemon, orange, soy sauce

Happy Spring! Even though it’s felt like spring pretty much all winter, but that’s beside the point! Today is kind of a cold, overcast day for the first day of spring. Not really a barbecue sort of day, but perfect for baked chicken with a little citrus flair to brighten the day! The fun thing with drumsticks is that you get to use your hands, and really get into your food. 🙂 Plus, I personally prefer dark meat, which makes drumsticks that much better! This chicken has a nice Asian twist that combines soy sauce and sake along with ginger, garlic, and citrus. All in all, it makes for a nice, light chicken dish. I served these with garlic miso chicken as well, for a sort of drumstick sampler. I thought it made dinner a little more fun! 🙂Citrus Soy Chicken Drumsticks

8 chicken drumsticks (about 2 pounds)
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
½ tablespoon garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup sake
¼ cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ cup chopped green onions, for garnish

Rinse the chicken and dry with paper towels; place in a re-sealable plastic bag. In a small bowl, combine ginger, garlic, salt, sake, citrus juices, sugar, and soy sauce. Add marinade to the chicken and toss to coat. Marinade for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place drumsticks in a 13×9-inch baking dish, pouring marinade over the top. Bake for 30 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked through, flipping chicken pieces halfway through baking. Serve immediately, sprinkling green onions over chicken.

Source: Adapted from Cooking Light

White Bean Soup with Crisped Prosciutto

Tags

beans, cannelini beans, lemon, prosciutto, sage, soup

It was a cold and rainy day yesterday. We haven’t had many days like that this winter, so I figured I had to take advantage of it while I could. And make soup! What could be more comforting than a bowl of soup while the rain hits the windows!

I’ve been on kind of a bean kick lately, trying lots of recipes involving beans in all sorts of ways. In this soup, they’re pureed down to a creamy delicious soup that’s loaded with vegetables. This sort of thing really is the best way to get me to eat my veggies! And like Courtney always says, make sure to fully read through the recipe! I initially forgot to add the lemon at the end, so when I tasted the soup it was definitely missing something. But once the lemon was in there, it gave it the perfect little zing it needed. And the prosciutto on top was the icing on the cake!

White Bean Soup with Crisped Prosciutto
Yield: about 8 cups

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
4 large sage leaves, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bay leaf
6 cups chicken stock
2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained & rinsed
Salt
6 – 8 thin slices prosciutto
1½ teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more as needed

In a large 8-quart pot, heat oil over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until they turn translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the celery and carrot; cook until softened slightly, about 10 minutes. Add the sage, garlic, and bay leaf and continue to cook for 2 more minutes, or until aromatic.

Add the chicken stock and beans; season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, uncovered, until the vegetables are soft and have started to break down, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Meanwhile, position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.

Brush both sides of the prosciutto with olive oil and place each piece on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake until they are slightly darker and wrinkly, 10 to 15 minutes; they will become crisp as they cool. Once cooled, break into shards and set aside.

To finish the soup, remove the bay leaf and puree the soup with an immersion blender, or use a blender or food processor and puree the soup in batches. Stir in the lemon juice and add more if needed; salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, topped with the crisped prosciutto.

Source: Shutterbean