Spring is on the horizon, the birds are singing, the daffies are blooming here in Middle Tennessee and when I think of spring and food, I immediately think of... lemon!   I'll be posting a fresh, tart, puckery lemon recipe every day for the month of March, just because...

 

This is really decadent pie adapted from a recipe by Trisha Yearwood.  I saw her make this on Trisha's Southern Cooking years ago and knew I just had to make it.  Hubby would eat this every week, but we would have to roll us out of the kitchen in a wheelbarrow, so I save it and make it for special occasions.  I have to share the full picture of it, it's just so good, so rustic and I have to admit, I really love this picture, even if I did take it years ago.  I'm posting the original recipe which calls for sweetened whipped cream, but that's a pain in the patootie, a squirt of Reddi Whip or a dollop of Cool Whip sprinkled with cinnamon works for me.  

And even better, forget the whipped cream altogether and top this piece of lusciousness with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.   This is best served warm, but then we're a family who love warm pies.  

 

I combined Half Baked Harvest's Lasagna soup with Carlsbad Cravings Lasagna Soup and came up with a wonderful variation.  Carlsbad Craving's recipe calls for you to break lasagna noodles in half and simmer  in the soup.  Well, have you ever tried breaking dry lasagna noodles?  All they do is fly all over the kitchen and break unevenly.  So then I found Half Baked Harvest's recipe and Tieghan called for cooking the lasagna noodles separately, then cutting them into manageable pieces because they are pliable after you cook them.  That made a lot more sense to me, and it was much easier.  Anyway, this is my variation of both of their recipes for an excellent cold winter evening soup, full of all the lasagna goodness we all love so much.

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef 
1 yellow onion, diced
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 24 oz. jar Prego Traditional Italian Sauce or marinara sauce
6 cups chicken broth - I use a big tablespoon of Chicken Better than Bouillon instead of chicken broth
1 14 oz. can can crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tsp EACH dried parsley, dried oregano, salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 whole bay leaf
8-10 oz. cooked lasagna noodles
1/2 cup heavy cream,optional**

CHEESE GARNISH:

shredded mozzarella cheese
freshly finely grated Parmesan cheese
ricotta cheese, whipped

Steps

Heat large Dutch oven/large soup pot over medium high heat. Add beef and onion and cook, stirring occasionally until beef is browned. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and saute for 30 seconds. Drain off any excess fat.

Add Prego Sauce, 6 cups chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, sugar and spices. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, stirring occasionally (approximately 20-30 minutes).

 Discard bay leaf and stir in cooked lasagna noodles and heavy cream (optional).  Garnish individual servings with desired amount of cheeses.

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#lasagna #italian #yummy #jancooksrealfood #soup #italiansoup #lasagnasoup #lasagnalover #lasagnarecipe #comfortfood #homemadefood #halfbakedharvest 

You drive thru #Starbucks, buy a slice of their yummy lemon loaf for at least $3.50, knowing the next time they will have a price increase on your very favorite treat that you just are addicted to, then you buy a Venti Latte with a double shot of espresso, don't forget the tax and the tip, and oops, you've spent a chunka change.  Do that several times a month and it can be really painful.

But there is a better way.  Just make this at home and enjoy a slice every morning for days for a fraction of the price.  There are a lot of copycat Starbucks Lemon Loaf recipes floating around online, I've tried several that were just meh, and then I found this.  And yes, it's ahh-mazing. If you follow me, you know that I'm a huge lover of anything lemon, in fact so much so that next month I'm going to post a new lemon recipe for you every day for the entire month.

So get out your bakeware, grab your ingredients and stir up this yummy lemon bread, you don't even need a mixer.  This is very simple to make and you will love it!  You can even take a walk on the wild side and add some blueberries, but if you do, toss those blueberries in a bit of flour so that they don't all sink to the bottom.

INGREDIENTS:

3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream 
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil, don't use olive oil for this, it needs to be vegetable oil
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1 to 2 tablespoons lemon extract, to taste (make sure you're using tablespoons not teaspoons)* and preferably use 2 tablespoons of this extract for maximum pucker power 
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
 2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Lemon Glaze:

1 cup confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice, or as necessary for consistency

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with  cooking spray, then make a parchment paper saddle and put in the pan so that you can lift the cooked loaf out easily.  Also spray the parchment paper with cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs, sugar, sour cream, and whisk vigorously until smooth and combined.

Drizzle in the oil while whisking to combine.

Add the lemon zest, lemon extract, and whisk to combine. Note – I used 2 tablespoons of lemon extract because no actual lemon juice is used in the loaf and I found 2 tablespoons lemon extract necessary for full-bodied lemon flavor, don't wimp out on this, just do it!

Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and stir until just combined, don’t overmix. Some lumps will be present and that’s okay, don’t try to stir them smooth.

Turn the batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula.

Bake for about 50 to 52 minutes, or until top is domed, set, and toothpick inserted in the center crack comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs but no batter. In the last 10 minutes of baking, tent pan with foil (loosely drape a sheet of foil over pan) to prevent excessive browning on the top and sides of bread before center cooks through.

Allow loaf to cool in pan on top of a wire rack for at least 30 minutes (I cooled 4 hours) before turning out onto rack to cool completely before glazing.

Lemon Glaze:

In a small bowl, add the confectioner’s sugar and slowly drizzle in the lemon juice while whisking until smooth and combined. You may need to play with the sugar and lemon juice amounts a bit as necessary for desired consistency and flavor.

Evenly drizzle glaze over bread before slicing and serving.

Extra glaze can be spread on the cut surface of the bread like you’d spread butter on toast and it soaks right in making the bread even moister and more lemony. Or you can halve the glaze recipe if you’re not a glaze person.

NOTES:

Bread will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months; I don’t recommend storing it in the fridge because it will dry out.

ONE OF MY FAVORITE KITCHEN GADGETS:

I've had a Butter Bell for years and sometimes I just assume that others have them as well.  I'm the kitchen gadget queen, and I try everything, but this is really a great way to keep soft butter on your counter at the ready.

This is the original Butter Bell, it's available in many colors and so worth the money, I have a red one, and I've  used it every day for years.

 

I was watching Paula Deen live one day on Facebook and she had Michael in the kitchen making her dill tuna salad.  Talk about a duck out of water 😂  It looked so good, so I found the recipe and it was a must try for me.  It didn't disappoint, the infusion of dill was wonderful.

I did add a few ingredients to intensify the flavors, as I love dill in tuna, so here's the recipe, with my tweaks.

2 cans (6-ounces each) solid white tuna, packed in water, drained
2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and finely chopped
⅓ cup mayonnaise
juice of ½ a lemon
lemon zest
1 tsp. dried dill weed
3 tablespoons thinly sliced chives (I substitute scallions when I don't have chives in the garden)
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 tablespoon dill pickle relish
1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion
Kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
mixed salad greens, optional
toasted sourdough or whole-wheat bread (optional)

Steps:

In a mixing bowl, combine the tuna, eggs, mayonnaise, lemon juice, chives, celery, relish, and onion. Season the salad with a big pinch of salt and pepper and stir to combine. Serve on a bed of salad greens or on toasted bread, if you like. 

Healthy Options:

Low fat mayo is obvious choice but I''m a big fan of 20 calorie Miracle Whip Light - don't judge 😁 
Yogurt works,  but it's too sour for me.  Or you could just take a walk on the wild side and just mix it with yellow mustard.

Egg whites instead of whole eggs, or one egg yolk and two egg whites.  It's little things, but those darn calories add up really quickly 😖

I've had one of these handy tuna strainers for years.  I see so many people open a can of tuna, and drain it with the lid partially on, not a good idea, who knows what's on that lid.  With this, you just take the lid completely off and push to strain.  So easy.

Tuna Strainer

I've also had a vegetable chopper similar to this one, and it's one of my most used kitchen gadgets.  I use it multiple times weekly and I use it for my tuna salad because I never seem to have dill pickle relish.  I just substitute dill pickles using the smallest dice with this gadget and it works great.  I'm sure many of you have this, it's been around for years, just posting in case you don't.   I really like this one, it has more blades than mine, and then there's the color.  Love the color! 

Vegetable Chopper

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#tuna #tunasalad #pauladeen #saladlover #whatsforlunch #jancooksrealfood #yummy #healthyfood #tunasandwich #pauladeen #pauladeensfamilykitchen #pioneerwoman

 

This is my favorite pasta dish of all time and I'm a pasta lover.  I first ate this at The Olde Spaghetti Factory years ago and have made it countless times since.  If you haven't eaten this, you're really missing a wonderful dish.  Don't let the picture of this simple dish fool you, this pasta is full of flavor, it's pungent, intense, delicious, comfort food, it's simply divine and it takes only minutes to make.  I've made

Insanely good, decadently delicious, these are seriously the best lemon bars I’ve ever eaten. If I could give these bars twenty stars, I would! I've made these for my daughter-in-laws, who both love anything lemon, I've made them for girlfriends,I've made them for neighbors, we all moan with every bite. 

Not for the faint of heart, these lemon bars are intensey lemon flavored. They actually tasted like a lemon meringue pie without the meringue, they were so custardy inside.  Easy to make, too, my personal tweaks at the end of the recipe.  I will never look further than this for a lemon bar recipe, these are perfection. Thank you Ina Garten, what a National Treasure you are.

Ingredients

For the crust:

1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

For the filling:

6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (4 to 6 lemons)
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine the flour and salt and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter until just mixed. Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking sheet, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides. Chill.

Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.

For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crustand bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.

Cut into triangles and dust with confectioners' sugar.

And now for my tweaks:

I made a saddle of parchment paper (I sprayed the parchment with Pam just to be on the safe side) and put it in my 9x13 pan before patting in the crust. Putting a bit of additional flour on your hands really helps press them into the pan easily. I'm a big fan of using saddles, because you can just lift your bars right out of the pan to cut them. 

 

After I baked the lemon bars for the minimum time (just until they slightly jiggled but not brown, the tops were pale, with just a bit of browning around the edges) I put them in the refrigerator overnight. I didn’t cut them, I didn’t dust them with confectioner’s sugar, I just cooled them and put them in the fridge.

The next morning I lifted the edges of the parchment paper, they came out with just a little bit of a tug, I put them on a cutting board, and I put another cutting board on top and flipped them, then it was simple to peel off the parchment paper. It didn’t stick at all, thanks to the Pam. I then flipped them again so they were upright, cut them into large squares, took the cutting board, put it over the sink, used a strainer and dusted the squares heavily with confectioner’s sugar. I used a lot of powdered sugar.

I read all of Ina’s reviews before I made these, and decided to make her original recipe. There was a bit of confusion about the size of the pan, in the following video she says 9x12, but the website says 9x13, I used 9x13 and they were fine. But since I like all things thick, I might consider just the next size smaller pan the next time I make these.  But then again, these were pretty darned perfect...

A few of the reviewers complained that the filling tasted floury. I tasted one corner when they were warm, and I could detect a faint flour taste, but the secret lies with overnight chilling. This allows the flavors to marry, and trust me, you don’t taste flour, you taste lemon! Utterly delightful, yummy, fresh lemon. I think they are best cold, too. I learned from my elderly neighbor, who loves cold cake and bars, that things straight from the fridge do have a delightfully fresh, cool taste.

I’ve made lemon bars many times, but never with results like this. I think in the past I always dusted with the sugar too soon and it soaked into the bars, and I never refrigerated them. But, oh what a difference a day in the refrigerator makes...

You can dust leftover bars with more powdered sugar to freshen them.  Who doesn't like a lot of powdered sugar. 

Give these bars a try the next time you want a WOW Dessert! They won't disappoint...
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#lemonbars #lemon #dessert #baking #lemonbar #homemade #desserts #lemons #food #sweets #lemoncake #cookies #brownies #foodphotography #lemonsultan #bakery #foodie #glutenfree #yummy #lemondessert #lemonade #homebaker #sweet #sweettooth #lemonsquares #cake #lemonwater #lemoncurd #yum

 

This really is an absolutely delicious recipe, it's mellow, the flavors aren't overpowering at all, it's just warm, creamy, gooey perfection. 

She made this yummy recipe on Season 2, episode 4 of The Magnolia Table.  I watched that episode and knew I just had to make this and it did not disappoint.  It's such a nice change from cumin infused, adobo type sauces, it's like the Mexican version of Fettuccine Alfredo.  Well, okay, not really, but you get the idea...

Ingredients

Cooking spray

2 (10-ounce) cans mild green enchilada sauce
1 (10-ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 (8-ounce) container sour cream (1 cup)
4 cups shredded meat from 1 store-bought rotisserie chicken
1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles
1 (14-ounce) bag grated mozzarella cheese (about 3 1/2 cups)
10 (8-inch) soft flour tortillas
1 tomato, chopped
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro 🤮
1 lime, cut into wedges

Cooked rice (preferably Mexican rice) and seasoned beans (preferably charro beans), warmed, for serving (optional)

Steps

Position an oven rack in the top third of the oven and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a deep 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the enchilada sauce, condensed soup and sour cream. Spread 1/2 cup in the baking dish; set aside the remaining 3 1/2 cups creamy enchilada sauce.

In a medium bowl, combine the chicken and chiles (including any liquid from the can); set aside.

Sprinkle about 2 heaping tablespoons mozzarella on a tortilla, then add a heaping 1/3 cup of the shredded chicken and chiles. Tightly roll up the tortilla and place it seam side down in the prepared baking dish. Continue filling and rolling the remaining tortillas with 2 tablespoons mozzarella and a heaping 1/3 cup chicken mixture, placing the tortillas in the baking dish as they are filled, pushing the rolled tortillas as needed to fit in a single layer.

Pour the reserved creamy enchilada sauce over the filled tortillas. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the remaining mozzarella on top. Bake until the cheese is melted, about 15 minutes. If you’d like it to be a bit browner in spots, you can pop it under the broiler for another minute or two.

Sprinkle enchiladas with tomato and cilantro and pass with lime wedges for squeezing on top. Serve enchiladas with rice and beans, if desired. Store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days; reheat in a 300-degree oven.

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#enchilada #jancooksrealfood #mexicanfood #enchiladas #food #burrito #mexican #foodie #dinner #foodporn #instafood #tacos #chimichanga #nachos  #lunch #texmex y #foodstagram #fajita #foodphotography #chicken #margaritas r #mexicancuisine #chickenenchilidas #joannagaines #magnoliatable

Do y'all make Taco Salad, the one that's been around forever that's made with Doritos and Catalina Dressing?  If you haven't made it, You've probably had it at your mom's house or at a potluck or picnic. Maybe you've eaten it and forgotten just how good it is.   I've been making this salad since the 80's, and it's still one of my most requested recipes.  Hubby would happily eat this multiple times a week, he enjoys it that much. 

A lot of people add taco seasoned ground beef to their Taco Salad, we never do, but we do serve it with grilled burgers.  It's just soul soothing, yummy goodness, period!

This is so easy, it goes together in no time.  Here's how you do it.

1 can of light red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 chopped onion, green onion is awesome in this salad
iceberg lettuce, shredded
sliced cherry or grape tomatoes
Handfuls of grated cheddar cheese
Handfuls of Nacho Doritos that you crush lightly with your hands.
Catalina Dressing

Put everything in a large salad bowl, ending with the Doritos, toss at last minute with the chips and serve.

Now wasn't that easy?  It's not really a recipe, you just throw in what you like.  You can use any kind of  chip with this, Mexican corn chips, Fritos, etc. but the Doritos really are the best, because they have that great tangy, cheesy taste.

If you want to add seasoned and cooked ground beef, go for it and top it with a big dollop of sour cream.  You want corn in it?  That works, too.

So many possibilities with this, and you just can't go wrong, it's so good.

Note:  I put the beans in the fridge overnight, and then drain and rinse at the last minute so they are cold.

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#tacotuesday #taco #tacosalad #salad #yummy #jancooksrealfood tacoseveryday  #tacolover #foodporn #foodie #tacosarelife #tacosfordays #mexicanfood # #tacotime #taconight #tacolife #tacotruck #tacoshop #yummy #tacolove #food #dinner #tacobar