Sep 27, 2011

Gooey Lemon Butter Cookies


Lemon Gooey Butter Cookies
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Confectioner’s sugar, for dusting
1   (18 ounce) box lemon cake mix
1   (8-ounce) brick cream cheese, room temperature
1   egg
1   stick of butter, room temperature
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in the egg.
Then beat in the vanilla extract. Beat in the cake mix.
Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours to firm up so that you can roll the batter into balls. Roll the chilled batter into tablespoon sized balls and then roll them in confectioner’s sugar.
Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake 12 minutes. The cookies will remain soft and gooey. Cool completely and sprinkle with more confectioners’ sugar, if desired.

Source: Paula Deen

Sep 26, 2011

Lemon Fettucine



Lemon Fettucine

We are a big fan of lemon at our household, so this dish we have made quite a few times. It could easily be our new favorite recipe. It is super easy to make & absolutely delicious. I cannot rave enough about it!
It comes from Eva Longoria's new cookbook, Eva's Kitchen, and in it she says that she would go to New York and eat at Serafina Restaurant. She chef gave her the recipe and she transformed it into a lighter, creamier version!  

You will need:

1 cup beef broth
1 cup heavy whipping cream
juice from 2 lemons
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
grated lemon zest from 2 lemons
salt
1 pound fettucine or linguine
boneless, skinless chicken breast (optional)

To make:
In a large skillet, pour the beef broth and whipping cream and stir to whisk together. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer gently until it is reduced by a 1/3, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Stir in lemon juice, butter, and lemon zest.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Then add pasta and cook noodles to al dente, about 8 minutes.
Drain the noodles and immediately add them to the lemon sauce in skillet. Let stand uncovered 15 minutes so pasta can absorb the sauce.

*Tip: When we make this we like to grill some chicken & then slice it over top *


Country Fried Chicken


Chicken Fried Chicken

So I found this packet at the grocery store and thought I would give it a try!



You will need:
above packet of country gravy mix
boneless, skinless chicken breast
panko
egg
flour

To make:
So to begin I rinsed the chicken and then patted it dry. Then cut it up into tender size and rolled it in flour, then egg, and then drudged in panko.

Then I placed it in the deep fryer for a few minutes to cook.
I also mixed up this gravy mix in the meantime and poured it all over the chicken when it was done cooking and cooled. 
It came out great! 







Sep 25, 2011

Beef & Chicken Kabob Marinade with Grilled Veggies



We love to grill outside & this is a fabulous marinade to use for any meat, I used chicken & beef. 
My trick is to make sure that I let it sit in the fridge to marinate overnight!
I also like to put the veggies on a stick separate because the meat and veggies have different cooking times.

You will need:

  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 3/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 cup prepared mustard
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons coarsely cracked black pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced


In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, ground black pepper, and garlic.  

Mix well, and add your favorite meat. 
Seal the bag, and marinate in the refrigerator for 4 to 24 hours.


Sep 12, 2011

Grilled Fajita's



Grilled Fajitas


I seem to always be on the hunt for a good fajita recipe and this one was very good and flavorful! 

½ medium onion, thinly sliced
2 tsp ground cumin
3 whole pickled jalapenos, chopped (2 Tbsp)
½ tsp granulated garlic
2 pounds skirt steak
1/3 cup lime juice (2 limes)
2 Tbsp jalapeno pickling liquid (the vinegar-liquid used to pickle & flavor jarred & canned jalapenos)
1 Tbsp olive or vegetable oil
1 Tbsp soy sauce
veggies you like (i used green and red bell pepper)

Place half of the onions in the bottom of a nonreactive dish. In a small bowl, mix cumin, jalapenos, & garlic together, then rub the mixture on all sides of meat. Put the steak into the dish, on top of the onions. Pour the lime juice, jalapeno pickling liquid, & oil over everything, turning the meat to coat. Sprinkle the remaining onions on top of the meat. Cover & refrigerate at least 1 hour, preferable overnight, turning once.

Rub grilling rack with vegetable oil to prevent meat from sticking. Then heat very hot or preheat broiler.
Pour soy sauce onto the meat. Grill or broil very close to meat source, 3-5 minutes on each side.
Transfer meat to cutting board. Set aside for a few minutes. Then cut the meat into thin strips. Serve with corn or flour tortillas!