Greetings from the Cape

Happy summer! We've been busy settling into our summer digs and visiting all our favorite haunts. I've already been to the Bass River Farmers' Market, Tuckernuck Farm to pick up our CSA basket, and Miss Scarlet's Blue Ribbon Farm to pick up 113 pounds of piggy that my in-laws purchased. We visited this property (drool), and fantasized about starting a little farm of our own here on the Cape, complete with a pony, some goats and a few chickens too. Maybe someday.

And despite the fact that we've eaten here (twice), and here (swoon), and here, and here, and here, and here....wow, that's a lot of eating out....I have also managed to cook up a few good meals! I cannot, however, fit into my pants. C'est la vie.

The first meal I made was a couple of roasted chickens from Miss Scarlet's Blue Ribbon Farm in Yarmouth Port. (Read more about her and her farm here.) Of course I made Piero's chickens. Remember Piero? He's my wealthy, aristocratic Italian boyfriend who spends half the year producing amazing wine in Argentina. He raises bees...chickens...and wee bit of hell, I suspect.

Anyway, the last 5 times I have roasted chickens, I made this recipe. The skin is burnished and the flavor is outstanding. I highly recommend it, especially if you are using locally sourced chickens and honey. From your backyard is preferable...but in a pinch, you can call on Miss Scarlet like I do.

Honey, Lemon and Soy Glazed Chickens

Printable Recipe

This chicken is rich and flavorful, both from the simple glaze and the aromatic stuffing. Serve with roasted potatoes and a green salad.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Total time: about 1 1/2 hours

Yield: serves 4-6

Ingredients:

2 three-pound chickens

6 cloves of garlic, smashed

4 sprigs of rosemary

2 lemons, one sliced and one juiced

salt and pepper

1/4 cup honey

2 tablespoons soy sauce

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Pat both chickens dry and season inside and out with salt and pepper. Place in a large roasting pan.

2. Stuff each chicken equally with the smashed garlic, rosemary springs and lemon slices.

3. In a small bowl, whisk the honey with the soy sauce and lemon juice. Brush each chicken liberally with this mixture (about 2/3), reserving the rest for basting.

4. Roast chickens in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 and brush all over the rest of the glaze. Return the chickens to the oven and continue to roast for 45 minutes longer, or until the juices run clear when the thighs are pierced (and the meat registers 170 degrees). Remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes. Carve and serve immediately.

For the Love of Citrus...and Wine

Last week I had the opportunity to take a carload of 13 year old boys to the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles. Not only did we see a fantastic exhibit all about tracing one's family history, but we also had a brilliant "only in LA" moment as we were walking to a nearby park to eat our picnic lunches. Two men who lived in a small house that was nestled between giant apartment buildings, had moved their futon to the front yard so they could sunbathe. Greased and bronzed from head to tow, these swimsuit clad beauties (only one in a Speedo) were lounging at lunchtime, sipping what appeared to be sangria from rather large wine glasses.

Of course the boys snickered at the sight...we don't get much of that in suburbia...but what interested me most was their beverage--such a perfect refreshment on a hot day (it was 86 degrees and much too warm to be wearing a sweater, I might add). I was so parched that I almost skipped across the street to join them, but alas, I had a greater responsibility that day as an official adult chaperone.

But you can bet that when I returned home, I made a beeline for my produce drawer, still full of citrus from the farmers' market. Ten minutes later, I had a large pitcher of sangria chilling in the fridge. Fruity and tart, thirst quenching and light, it was the perfect way to end a very long day...and a very long week.

Sangria

Printable Recipe

This beverage is fruity and tart, with a punch of citrus brightening every sip. It tastes best when it has a chance to chill for at least two hours, so plan accordingly. Bring it on a picnic or serve it at your next barbecue. Blood oranges are a seasonal treat (winter in SoCal), but regular navel oranges are a fine substitute.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Total time: 2 hours

Yield: serves 6

Ingredients:

1 blood orange, cut into wheels

1 lime, cut into wheels

1 lemon, cut into wheels

6 ounces simple syrup

4 ounces freshly squeezed orange juice

2 ounces freshly squeezed lime juice

1 bottle of dry, red table wine

6 ounces brandy

Preparation:

1. Place the orange, lime and lemon slices in a large pitcher, along with the simple syrup. Muddle (smash) them with a muddler or the handle of a wooden spoon to release their juices.

2. Add the orange juice, lime juice, wine and brandy and stir well.

3. Place pitcher in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to 36 hours.

4. Placed ice cubes in 6 glasses, fill with sangria and garnish with the fruit slices.

Cocktail O' Clock!

Happy Friday everyone! What a fun filled week this has been...and I'm looking forward to a wonderful weekend too. Guess what? It's cocktail o'clock! Because I've been featuring lemons all week, I've decided to create a cocktail using them too. Reminiscent of a lemon drop martini, I've fancied it up a little by infusing a lemon simple syrup with rosemary.

Simple syrup really is simple to make. Usually it's equal parts water and sugar, boiled until the sugar dissolves. But in this case, the syrup is made from freshly squeezed lemon juice and sugar and is infused with a touch of rosemary, which lends a wonderful herbal note and cuts the sweetness of the sugar.





The recipe, adapted from Epicurious, is a spritzer of sorts--syrup and vodka over ice topped with a splash of club soda or seltzer. If you'd like to make a martini, just shake one part lemon syrup with 1 1/2-2 parts vodka, depending on how strong you like it. Strain it into a sugar rimmed martini glass and toast to this life. As my Danish grandfather would say, Skol!





Lemon Rosemary Fizz
Printable Recipe

This cocktail is like a sophisticated and fancy version of lemonade. The herbal notes of rosemary are the perfect counterpoint to the sweet syrup made with sugar and lemon juice, and the club soda adds just the right amount of bubbly goodness. Of course, this drink would make a wonderful mocktail too if you omit the vodka. Adapted from Epicurious.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Total time: 1 hour
Yield: makes 8 beverages

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
1 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
2 rosemary sprigs
8 ounces vodka
Chilled club soda or seltzer water

Preparation:

1. Place sugar, lemon juice and rosemary sprigs in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes, until sugar is dissolved.

2. Chill syrup for one hour in the refrigerator. Remove rosemary sprigs.

3. Pour one ounce of syrup and one ounce of vodka in eight ice filled (8 ounce) glasses. Top with club soda and garnish with a sprig of rosemary if desired. Stir and serve immediately.

**Turn this into a martini by shaking 2 ounces of lemon syrup with 2 ounces of vodka in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Strain into 4 martini glasses that have been rimmed with sugar. Top with a splash of club soda and garnish with a sprig of rosemary.

Lemon Roasted Chicken

There is something fundamentally unsexy about raw chicken--it's cold and pink and flabby. But thankfully, it's not hard to make something so unappealing absolutely delicious...especially when you've got lemons hanging around. A simple dish, fragrant with garlic, rosemary and yes, lemon, I was able to throw it together in the morning so the chicken could soak in all the lovely flavors before being roasted.

I put it in the oven before I left to take the kids to the ranch for their riding lessons, set the delay start button and headed out the door. (As an aside, the chicken sat at room temperature--in the cold oven for just under an hour. While I don't recommend that practice, desperate times call for desperate measures. I'm happy to report that we are all fine the day after...) When we returned from the ranch, not only was dinner done, but the home was filled with the scrumptious aroma of garlic and rosemary and roast chicken--which is right up there on my list of top 10 smells.....just behind horse. So yesterday, I got the best of both worlds.



Slap your chicken skin side up in a baking dish. This is a whole chicken cut into 8 pieces. Cutting up your own chicken is a great way to save a few bucks and takes only a few minutes.


Cut enough lemon slices to place on each piece. So, in this case, eight.



Smash garlic cloves with the side of a heavy knife. Then they are really easy to slip out of their skins. Use one garlic clove for each piece of chicken, and toss them on top.


Now add herbs. I always have fresh rosemary growing in my garden, so that's what I used. But this would also be work well with thyme.


I had a lemon on my counter that had been zested earlier in the week, so I squeezed the juice over the chicken for extra flavor.


Finally, drizzle the whole thing with plenty of extra virgin olive oil. Probably a few tablespoons or so. And sprinkle everything with a good pinch of sea salt and freshly ground pepper.


See, looks better already!


Cover it up and let it sit in the fridge all day, or even overnight.


Bake it at 425 degrees for about one hour. The garlic becomes tender, the lemons caramelize, and the chicken is juicy and wonderfully flavorful. Easy peasy.

This is your last chance to WIN the giveaway. Simply leave a comment here, telling me what YOU do with lemons by FIVE o'clock Friday. At that very happy hour, I will not only be mixing martinis, but I will be hitting the button to randomly select the winner of a nice bottle of FRESH Sugar Lemon Bath and Shower Gel. Wahoo!

Roast Chicken with Lemon, Garlic and Rosemary
Printable Recipe

Your home will be filled with the amazing aroma of garlic and rosemary when you make this dish. And because the chicken has been marinating all day, it is incredibly tender, juicy and flavorful.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, plus marinating time
Yield: serves 8

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
8 slices of lemon
8 cloves of garlic, smashed
1 tablespoon of chopped rosemary
Juice from one lemon
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Place chicken in a baking dish, skin side up. Place one slice of lemon and one clove of garlic on the top of each piece. Sprinkle with rosemary and salt and pepper. Drizzle everything with the lemon juice and olive oil.

2. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.

3. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bake for 50 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. (180 degrees in the thigh meat, and 165 in the breast.)

Sunshine Cake

If sunshine was cake, it would taste just like this. The bright flavors of lemon marry with butter and sour cream to create an amazingly tender and moist crumb. I wasn't kidding when I said that butter and lemon were made for each other--just like chocolate and peanut butter...Sonny and Cher...cat hair and black pants.

If you aren't in Southern California like me, chances are that you are very cold and it's probably also dark and dreary out, and you are spending your days slogging through constant mud, rain, snow or ice. This cake will cure you. It will remind you that warmth, and light, and the blessed sun do, in fact, exist and are coming...probably not soon enough, but coming. So run, don't walk, to your kitchen and turn on that warm oven and bake yourself some sunshine! You'll be glad you did.

And don't forget to leave a comment here for a chance to win some Fresh Sugar Lemon Bath and Shower Gel....then you can bathe with sunshine too!



Start with best quality ingredients....like lemons stolen from a neighbors tree.



Put some softened butter and sugar in your stand mixer.



Then beat the heck out of it for about 5 minutes, until it's light and fluffy.



Add your eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. And if your hands look as hideous as mine, go get yourself a manicure...or at least put on some lotion.



Use a microplane to zest your lemon. You do have a microplane, don't you? If not, stop here, run to your nearest kitchen store and get one. You'll thank me.



Add the zest, along with the juice from that lemon to the bowl and mix well.



If you are out of cake flour...or don't have any (and never did) that's okay. Add a some cornstarch (2 tablespoons of it per each cup) to the measuring cup before you measure out your flour. For this recipe you will use 3 tablespoons of cornstarch and 1 1/2 scant cups of flour. Put it in a small bowl.



Along with a pinch of salt.



And some baking soda.


Whisk it around to blend the dry ingredients completely.



Then add half the flour mixture to the wet ingredients.



Dump in some sour cream...I never said that sunshine was diet food, did I? Followed by the rest of the flour.



I forgot to add the lemon extract, so I dumped it in at this point. You don't have to use it, but it makes it taste even lemonier. Lemonyer? More lemonish. Or whatever.



Scrape the bowl clean with a rubber spatula and spread it in your loaf pan. Mine baked for almost one hour.



Test it with a toothpick to see if it's done.



Whip up the glaze....it's made from butter, sour cream, lemon juice, lemon zest and powdered sugar. Yum.



Pour over your cooled cake.



Let it pour down the sides.



Want a bite?



Lemon Loaf Cake
Printable Recipe

This cake is moist, sweet and tangy and just bursting with bright lemony flavor. If you are out of cake flour, you can make a substitute by adding 2 tablespoons of cornstarch per each cup of flour. So for this recipe, use 3 tablespoons of cornstarch and a scant 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Total time: 1 hour
Yield: 8-10 servings

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 extra large eggs
2 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup sour cream

Lemon Icing:

2 tablespoons of sour cream
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a standard loaf pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

2. Beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about five minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until combined. Mix in lemon juice, lemon zest and extract.

3. Whisk flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Add half to the batter and beat until combined. Then add the sour cream, beating gently, and finally the last portion of the flour mixture. Beat only until just combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and stir to make sure the batter is evenly mixed.

4. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

5. For icing, beat sour cream and butter together in a small mixing bowl until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar. Beat in lemon juice and zest and drizzle over the cake. Store cake in the refrigerator.

Lovely Lemon Capellini

I heart lemon + butter. They were made for each other--a perfect duet in both sweet and savory foods. For the latter, I add some garlic and chopped herbs to bring the flavor right up over the top. Simple food doesn't have to be boring, and just because this meal takes literally ten minutes to put together doesn't mean it won't make your mouth sing.

I would eat this for lunch every day....but last night we had it for a light Meatless Monday supper after an extraordinarily overindulgent weekend (cheesy bean dip and beer, anyone?). Though the kids rolled their eyes at the seemingly plain meal, they somehow managed to scarf it down--we did too...and I was very disappointed to learn that there wasn't a morsel left over for lunch today. Thankfully, it isn't hard to make.

Don't forget the give away! Leave a comment here telling me how you use lemons for a chance to win a scrumptious bottle of Fresh Sugar Lemon Bath Gel!






Lemon Capellini with Butter and Garlic
Printable Recipe

Serve this lovely pasta dish for lunch or for a light meatless supper. Garlic infused butter and olive oil, as well as lemon zest and bright herbs make for an explosion of flavor in such a quick and simple dish. Here I've only added parsley, but in summer I like to add chopped basil, lemon time and/or fresh oregano.

Prep time: 7 minutes
Total time: 10 minutes
Yield: serves 4 for lunch or a light dinner

Ingredients:

1 pound of capellini or angel hair pasta
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced or grated
Zest of one lemon, finely chopped
Juice from one lemon
Parmesan cheese, grated
Chopped Italian parsley for garnish
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation:

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add 1 tablespoon of sea salt. Add capellini and cook for 3 minutes or according to package directions.

2. While pasta is cooking, place butter, olive oil and garlic in a large skillet. Turn heat to medium low and cook until butter melts and garlic begins to turn golden. Add lemon zest and juice and turn heat to low.

3. Drain pasta, reserving about 1/2 cup of cooking water. Add pasta to the skillet and toss well with the butter and garlic. Add a splash of cooking water if necessary to keep pasta from sticking.

4. Pour pasta in to serving bowl and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, salt and pepper. Sprinkle with additional lemon zest if desired. Taste for seasoning and serve immediately.