Glazed Lemon Shortbread

I am such a citrus girl! The tartness of the lemon in these cookies with the rich butter of the shortbread is a great combination. Give these a try and make sure you pucker up...they pack a punch!

3 cups all~purpose flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup lemon zest (5 to 6 lemons)
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Lemon Glaze~ recipe follows

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a 13x9x2~inch baking pan with heavy foil, extending foil over the pan edges. Lightly grease foil; set aside.

In a bowl, stir together flour and cornstarch; set aside. In another bowl, combine the powdered sugar and lemon zest. Pressing against the side of the bowl with a spoon, work the zest into the sugar until sugar is yellow and fragrant. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine butter, lemon juice, salt, and vanilla; beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Gradually beat in sugar mixture. Stir in flour mixture. Press dough evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake about 40 minutes or until pale golden in color. Remove from oven. Immediately spoon Lemon Glaze oer the top and gently spread to evenly distribute the glaze. Let cool completely. Using the foil, lift the uncut bars out of the pan. Be careful not to crack the top of the glaze. Cut into bars or desired shapes.

*Pressing the lemon zest into the sugar helps release the lemon oils.

Lemon Glaze
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons lemon zest
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Add all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth.

Maureen's Ah~mazing Fairy Rolls

I have to admit, baking certain things is not my favorite. Baking tends to be exact measurements...not so much my thing. I rarely follow a recipe, I love to play around with ingredients and measurements of those ingredients. I sometimes feel a little stressed about making bread or rolls. That's a little sad because I love them...who doesn't right?

When my sweet friend Maureen came to dinner one night and brought her rolls, I thought I may need learn to like baking. :) My husband is always asking me to make Maureen's rolls. I'm just shocked I don't mess them up. If I can make them, so can you. They are super light and ridiculously AH~mazing! Thank you Maureen!!

2 cups water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter
2 tablespoons yeast
1/3 cup lukewarm water (90~110 degrees)
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
6 cups flour

In a sauce pan heat water, brown sugar and butter until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. (I like to just wait until the butter melts and is not boiling. It takes less time to cool). Cool to lukewarm, and pour into a mixing bowl.

Proof the yeast in lukewarm water and sugar. When yeast is ready add to the above mixture, add the eggs, baking powder and salt. Mix slightly on low speed. Slowly add the flour 1 cup at a time scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix about 4-5 minutes until flour is blended in (dough should look porous, like a sponge and will be slightly sticky). Place the dough into a greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Place the dough on a floured surface. Roll out and cut into desired shape.

I like to make Parker House rolls. Roll half the dough out on a generously floured surface, between 1/8 and a 1/4 inch thick. Cut with a 4 inch round cutter. Brush each circle with melted butter. Fold so top half slightly overlaps bottom half.

Place on cookie sheets. Cover and let rise 30 minutes. Bake at 375 for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Brush tops with butter while still hot.

Makes 35-40 rolls.

Apricot~Ginger Chicken

Ok, I love to cook. But, when I'm tired (with a kid in middle school, a 3rd grade 'diva in training' and a 2 year old) how could I possibly be tired, you ask? Even the best of us often need a night off from cooking. This recipe is really fast and easy. It's great for when you don't have a lot of time or energy! My kids love it because the sauce is sweet. Try it, I'm sure you'll add it to your "Really...It's dinner time" dishes ;) Before you order that pizza, give it a shot.

2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon sherry
1/2 cup Apricot preserves
1 tablespoon oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1 pound Chicken breasts, boneless skinless~ cut into strips or bite sized pieces
1 medium green pepper, chopped
3~4 green onions, thinly sliced
3/4 cup salted cashews, reserve some for garnish
a handful of cilantro for garnish

In a bowl, combine the soy sauce, cornstarch and sherry(you could substitute chicken stock here). Mix until smooth. Stir in the apricot preserves, oil, garlic and ginger. Set aside.

In a saute pan or wok. Heat a very little amount of oil and saute the chicken for a few minutes until almost cooked through. Add the sauce, green pepper, onion, and cashews to the pan. Continue cooking until the chicken is no longer pink.

Serve with rice. Garnish with reserved cashews and cilantro.

Strawberry Shortcake

I love strawberries! When I was a kid, we had a ton of strawberries in the garden. They were next to the mint. I think I hung out in the backyard a lot eating strawberries wrapped in mint. Not bad if I do say so myself :) I make this pretty much every 4th of July. Adding blueberries, it's the perfect red, white and blue dessert! I grew up with the biscuit style and never really fell in love with angel food cake. Maybe I haven't really had a good one. Although, I think my good friend Kori might have a good recipe she's going to try. Maybe she will share some with me ;)

This recipe isn't gourmet. It comes right off the Bisquick box, with a couple small changes. It's worth giving the angel food a break...

2 1/3 cups Bisquick mix
3 tablespoons sugar
2/3 cup milk
3 tablespoons melted butter
4 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
1/4 ~ 1/2 cup sugar to taste~ you could also use honey
whipped cream

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix in a bowl the Bisquick mix, 3 tablespoons of sugar, milk and butter. Drop spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. **The recipe calls for 6, I like to make them a little bit bigger. I make 4 or 5 per batch, depending on if they will be for adults or kids. I also like to sprinkle them with a little more sugar before they bake. They come out sparkling!

Bake 10-12 minutes or until they start to turn golden brown. Be careful not to over bake.

For the strawberries~ Some people like to mash them. Not me, they don't seem as fresh. I like the strawberries sliced and I make a quick puree to mix them in. I reserve a few of the strawberries to puree in the blender, add the sugar to taste. Add puree to the sliced strawberries. Keep strawberries refrigerated until ready to use.

Split the shortcakes, fill and top with strawberries and puree. Top with whipped cream.

Hot Ham & Cheese Dip

I got this recipe off a cracker box years ago and tweaked it a little. My friend Sandra used to ask me to make it whenever we got together. Now that we live in different states, I think fondly of her when I make it! You know those great friends you just miss being around?! It's really simple and quick, a great go to recipe when you kinda don't feel like making anything. I've added chopped red pepper, green chilies, green onion. Add what you love or leave as is.

1 8oz. package cream cheese, softened
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
4 slices smoked ham, chopped (I get the ham from the deli and ask them to slice it in about 1/8 inch slices...you just don't want it too thin)

Mix the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, pepper and ground mustard together. Add the ham and mix until just combined. You don't want to over~mix as the ham will break down.
*If you are going to add any vegetables, add them with the ham.

Transfer mixture to a shallow oven proof dish. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.

Serve warm as a spread with crackers.

Honey~Lime Glazed Grilled Pineapple

I grew up in Southern California, we grilled a lot. I love anything on the grill (even zucchini)! This would be great served with some vanilla bean ice cream. And, maybe drizzle some of the leftover marinade over it! Yum!


½ cup honey
zest of 1 lime
juice of 4 limes
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pineapple cut into ½ inch rings, core removed

In a baking dish, mix together the honey, lime zest, lime juice, and cinnamon. Place the pineapple slices in the glaze and let marinate for 2 hours, turning occasionally.

Preheat grill at about medium heat.

Place the pineapple slices on the grill. Grill on both sides until the glaze caramelizes and grill marks form.

Fresh Lemonade

One of my summertime favorites! It's really easy~ I wonder why I sometimes bother with the powder mixes. My kids love to help make this. It's pretty with some lemon slices in the pitcher and each glass.

1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice~ about 6 lemons
3/4 cup superfine sugar~ to taste use a little less or add a little more to your liking
4 cups cold water
1~2 cups ice

Mix all the ingredients in a pitcher. Serve and enjoy!
Or~
Mix all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Serve over ice.