All of Liza's recipes in one handy place!

All of Liza's recipes in one handy place!!

Friday, July 24, 2009

Spicy Grilled Chicken

For 4-6 boneless chicken breasts

Spice Rub:
1 Tbs paprika 2 tsp cumin 2 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp coarse pepper 2 tsp kosher or sea salt
2 tsp ground fennel seeds

Brush chicken with olive oil and coat with spice rub. I usually toss both in a ziplock bag) Grill chicken until cooked turning occasionally either on a gas or charcoal grill.

Serve with grilled vegetables and basmati rice.

Kentucky Butter Cake

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, softened
4 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Sift flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder in medium bowl and set aside. Beat sugar and butter in a large bowl until blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine buttermilk with vanilla in a measuring glass. Add buttermilk and flour mixtures to the large bowl (with sugar, butter, and eggs), alternating in thirds, ending with the flour mixture and beating well after each addition.

Spoon batter into greased cake pans. Bake until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Bourbon Sauce:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon vanilla
Glug glug of bourbon
Strawberries and/or powdered sugar, optional garnish

To prepare the glaze, heat butter, sugar, water, vanilla, and bourbon in a small saucepan over medium heat until everything is melted and dissolved, about ten minutes. DO NOT BOIL.

Prick cake repeatedly with a toothpick after removing it from the oven. Pour glaze/sauce over cake and serve immediately while warm. You may want to garnish with strawberries or powdered sugar.

Zucchini Fries

1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese(Honestly, the green can does work well for this, even though I prefer fresh grated.)
4-5 small zucchini
1 beaten egg

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Trim zucchini and cut in half lengthwise, then slice into 1/4 inch wide sticks resembling french fries.Combine bread crumbs and grated cheese in a shallow bowl.Beat egg in a 2nd shallow bowl and dip zucchini fries into egg, then into crumb mixture.Place on baking sheet coated with nonstick cooking spray.

Bake at 450 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and tender. (Serves 4) VERY TASTY!!!

Chocolate Caramel Cookies

28 min 20 min prep
30-36 Cookies

2 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
30-36 chocolate-covered caramel candies2
tablespoons sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. . In a large mixing bowl, add sugar, brown sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla. Mix together until well blended. Add flour, cocoa and baking soda and mix well. Refrigerate and chill dough for 30 minutes.

Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place 1 chocolate-covered caramel candy in the center of each dough ball. Form the dough ball around the majority of the chocolate-covered caramel candy. Roll each dough ball in sugar.


Place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet and bake for 7-10 minutes. Let cool on pan for 1 minute then take off and place on cookie cooling rack

Lemon Pound Cake

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt3
sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
2 1/4 cups sugar
6 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 1/2 TB lemon zest
1 tsp. pure lemon extract
1/2 cup fresh lemon juicePreheat oven to 300F.

Butter and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together twice.

Cream the butter and 1 3/4 cups sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce the speed and add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour. Stir in the lemon zest and lemon extract.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 1/2 hours, or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Poke holes all over the cake with a wooden skewer.

Meanwhile, bring the lemon juice and remaining sugar to a boil over medium high heat in a small saucepan, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.

Invert the cake onto a rack, position over a baking sheet and slowly pour the syrup over the cake, it will seep through the holes and into the cake. Let cool to room temp.

Lime Meltaways

12 TBS unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup confectioners’ sugar2
limes, grated zest of
2 TBS lime juice, freshly (I like to use 3)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups + 2 TBS all-purpose flour
2 TBS cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream butter and 1/3 cup sugar together until fluffy. Add lime zest, juice, and vanilla; whip until fluffy. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, and salt.

Add to butter mixture, and beat on low speed until combined. Roll the dough into two 1 1/4-inch-diameter logs. I held a sheet of parchment on opposite ends, cradling the dough in the middle and rolled it about until it was log-like. Wrap in plastic wrap.

Chill at least 1 hour.
Place remaining 2/3 cup sugar in a resealable plastic bag. Remove dough from refrigerator and slice into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Place rounds on baking sheets, spaced 1 inch apart. Bake cookies until barely golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool slightly, just three or four minutes. While still warm, place cookies in the sugar-filled bag; toss to coat. Bake or freeze remaining dough. Store baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Frozen dough can keep up to 2 months.

Lemon Chicken with Rice

4 chicken breasts
2 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour4 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk or half-and-half
1/4 teaspoon nutmegpinch cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup rice

Rinse the rice and combine with 2 cups of the chicken stock in a medium pot. Bring to a boil then simmer until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, adding water if necessary.

Add peas, if using, towards the end of cooking. In the meantime, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat until the foam subsides. Add the flour and whisk into the butter, breaking up any clumps. Add the chicken stock, whisking. Bring to a boil, then simmer about 10 minutes. Add the milk, nutmeg, cayenne, 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice, and salt to taste. Bring to a boil and simmer an additional 5 minutes.

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and saute over medium heat until cooked through (alternatively, they can gently poach until cooked). Add the final tablespoon of lemon juice to the rice and taste for seasoning. Slice the chicken and serve on the rice smothered in the sauce.

Very Best Blueberry Muffins

Muffin Base:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 cup fresh blueberries

Crumb Topping:
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, cubed [half a stick]
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.


2. Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.

3. To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.

4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.