Lemon-Blueberry Pancakes

I pretty much love anything with lemon, so I really enjoyed these pancakes. The recipe is from Pioneer Woman, so you know it's a keeper!

 

• 1-1/2 cup Cake Flour
• 1 Tablespoon (additional) Cake Flour
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1 Tablespoon (heaping) Baking Powder
• 3 Tablespoons Sugar
• 1-1/2 cup Evaporated Milk (more If Needed)
• 1 whole Lemon (more If Needed)
• 1 whole Large Egg
• 1-1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
• 2 Tablespoons Butter, Melted
• Zest From 1 Lemon
• 1 cup Heaping Blueberries
• Extra Butter
• Maple Or Pancake Syrup

Heat heavy skillet or grill over medium low heat.
In a medium bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix evaporated milk, juice of 1 lemon (more if lemon isn't very juicy), and lemon zest. Allow to sit for five minutes, then add egg, vanilla, and melted butter. Mix to combine.

Pour wet mixture into dry ingredients. Stir gently to combine. Splash in more evaporated milk if mixture is overly thick.

Stir in blueberries.
 
 
Melt butter in heated skillet. Drop batter by 1/4 cup measures and fry pancakes on both sides until golden.
 
 
Serve and enjoy!

 

Lemon Ice Cream with Strawberry Swirl

Homemade ice cream is the best! This is my favorite flavor so far. The lemon ice cream is tart and creamy and the strawberry swirl really perfects the flavor. I didn't check my strawberries before I made the ice cream and some of them had gone bad, so my pictures show about half as many strawberries as the recipe calls for. It was still delicious, but I will definitely use the full amount next time. 

This is a perfect summer treat! It's been pretty hot here in Utah and this ice cream is so refreshing!!

 Lemon Ice Cream
4 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup half & half
pinch of fine salt
 Strawberry Swirl
1/4 cup sugar 1 pint of strawberries
Combine the heavy cream and half and half into a saucepan and bring the mixture just to a simmer. Remove from the heat.

While that is taking place, beat the egg yolks with the sugar and a pinch of salt until the mixture thickens.

Using a ladle add the dairy mixture to the egg mixture one scoop at a time. This is done to prevent scrambled eggs. Make sure to whisk the mixture to combine before adding the next dose. Repeat this until about 1/3 of the dairy is left, then you can safely dump the rest of the dairy into the egg mixture.

Pour the now combined mixture into the saucepan over low heat. Attach a thermometer and whisk the mixture continually until it reaches 170-175 degrees. At this point if you stick a spoon into the mixture it will coat the back of the spoon.

Pour the mixture into a bowl and place the mixture into the refrigerator. After 30 minutes add the lemon juice. Then place into the fridge for at least 2 hours to fully chill.

For the strawberry swirl: cut up your strawberries and pour 1/4 cup of sugar over them. Let it sit for a half hour.  Then using a food processor or blender, puree the strawberries. Place your pureed strawberries into the fridge to thoroughly chill.

When your ice cream mixture is fully chilled, pour the mixture into your ice cream maker according to the instructions of your model.   About 2-3 minutes, before your ice cream is done, slowly introduction your pureed strawberries.  Turn off the ice cream maker, and pour your ice cream into your favorite container and place in the freezer to fully harden before enjoying.

Mom's Triple-Layered Lemon Bars

My mom and I love lemon... the tarter the better! These are one of our favorite lemon bar recipes. They have a shortbread crust, lemon cheesecake layer, and lemon curd layer... delicious!!! They are a little too tart for my husband, but my sister Lisa was in town visiting and loved them. So if you love a strong lemon flavor like my family does, you will love these!  Crust: 1 stick butter, softened1 tsp vanilla1/4 cup powdered sugar1 cup all-purpose flour
Cream Cheese Filling: 8 oz cream cheese, softened1/2 cup powdered sugar1 egg1 tsp lemon extract
Lemon Curd: 4 egg yolks1 tbsp cornstarch (+1 tbsp if using 3/4 cup lemon juice)3/4 cup granulated sugar3/4 cup water1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (use 3/4 cup if you really like tart)2 tsp lemon zest2 tbsp butter, softened
Topping:2 tbsp powdered sugar Crust:Cream butter and sugar in medium bowl with electric mixer set on high speed. Add vanilla and mix until combined. Add flour and mix at low speed until fully incorporated.  Press dough evenly into bottom of an 8x8-inch pan.  Refrigerate until firm, approximately 20-30 minutes. Preheat oven to 300-325 degrees 15 minutes after refrigerating dough. Prick shortbread crust with fork.  Bake for 30 minutes or until crust turns golden brown.   Cool on rack to room temperature, about 5 minutes. Do not turn oven off.
Filling:Meanwhile, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth in a medium bowl with electric mixer set on high speed. Add egg and lemon extract and beat on medium speed until light and smooth. Cover bowl tightly and refrigerate.
Lemon Curd:Blend the egg yolks with the cornstarch and sugar in medium saucepan. Place over low heat and slowly whisk in water and lemon juice. Increase heat to medium-low and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat. Add lemon zest and butter and cool for 10 minutes.

Assembly:Spread chilled cream cheese filling evenly over cooled shortbread crust with spatula.  Spread lemon curd evenly over cream cheese filling.  Place pan in center of oven. Bake 30-40 minutes or until edges begin to turn light golden brown. Cool to room temperature on rack. Chill in refrigerator 1 hour before cutting into bars. Dust top with powdered sugar. 

Grilled Chicken with Lemon Basil Pasta

I love lemon, so this recipe was a must-try for me. This recipe is from Pioneer Woman (LOVE her recipes). This dish has a very strong lemon flavor in both the chicken and the pasta, which is hard to find. I discovered the amazing combination of lemon and basil! Smells and tastes wonderful!

Chicken

4 whole Grilled Chicken Breasts, I used thin cuts
 Marinade: 1/2 cup Olive oil
Juice of three lemons
Squirt of Dijon
A tiny bit of honey
A dash of salt
Pasta 4 whole Grilled Chicken Breasts, Sliced 1 pound Penne Pasta, Cooked Al Dente ½ stick Butter 3 whole Lemons, Juiced ¾ cup Heavy Cream ¼ cup Half-and-half 1-½ cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste 20 whole Basil Leaves, Chopped

Marinate chicken overnight. I added some basil to the marinade in the morning, because it sounded tasty. Grill chicken, slice, and set aside (keeping warm).

Cook pasta, reserving 1 cup of hot pasta water when you drain. Set pasta aside in a colander.
In the same pot, melt butter over medium heat. Squeeze in the juice of 3 lemons. Whisk together. Pour in cream and half-and-half. Whisk until hot. Dump in cheese and mix until melted.

Add salt and pepper. Check consistency, adding some of the hot pasta water to loosen the sauce if needed.
Pour pasta and sauce into a large serving bowl.

Sprinkle basil all over the top, then add sliced chicken breasts. Serve immediately!