Lemon Picnic Cake

OOoooo ... Lemon Cake! I love lemon cake; sponge cake, Bundt cake, iced cake, icebox cake ... I love when someone makes lemon cake. At my recent bakery Open House, the Lemon Mousse Cake and Key Lime Cake were the first samples to go! I think Lemon Cake reminds us all of summertime. While in Ohio right now, it's raining and a bit cool, we all know summer is coming. This is a very easy cake to make, bake and take. Served with some fresh berries on the side, you have a delicious treat and as always, a Bundt pan takes all the decorating off your hands.

Lemon Picnic Cake

Cake:

4 eggs, seperated

2 c. granulated sugar

1 c. butter, softened

3 c. flour

2 t. baking powder

1 c. whole milk

1 T. grated lemon zest

2 T. lemon juice

1 t. vanilla extract

1st Glaze:

1/3 c. granulated sugar

1/3 c. lemon juice

1 T. grated lemon zest

2nd Glaze:

1 c. powdered sugar

1 - 2 T. lemon juice

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In small mixer bowl beat egg whites at high speed, scraping bowl often, just until peaks form (2 - 3 minutes). Set aside.

2. In large mixer bowl combine 2 c. sugar and butter. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy (2 - 3 minutes). Add egg yolks; continue beating until creamy (1 - 2 minutes).

3. In small bowl stir together flour and baking powder. Reduce speed to low. Beat, gradually adding flour mixture alternately with milk to butter mixture, until well blended. Add lemon peel, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Continue beating until well mixed. By hand, gently fold in egg whites.

4. Pour batter into greased and floured 12 cup Bundt pan or 10" tube pan. Bake for 50 - 65 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

5. In a 1-quart saucepan stir together all glaze ingredients. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved (3 - 4 minutes). Without removing cake from pan, poke holes in cake with a toothpick; pour glaze over cake. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan. Place cake on serving plate.

6. In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar and enough lemon juice for glazing consistency (thin enough to pour easily, but thick enough to stick without pooling too much onto serving plate); drizzle over cooled cake.

Bourbon Street Chicken

When asked this week what I wanted for dinner on Mother's Day I quickly replied; "Bourbon Street Chicken". Why not go out to eat, why not request steaks on the grill or a seafood feast? Simple, because I have these strange cravings now and again and this week it's bourbon and chicken! Honestly, I could whip up a batch of Bourbon Slush right now and go sit on the porch, just drinking away. Ok, I couldn't do that right now because it's raining, but you know what I mean. This recipe is delicious over rice or even mashed potatoes. It's very easy to prepare and really, who couldn't use a nice bottle of Jim Beam or Maker's Mark in their cabinet!

Bourbon Chicken

1 pound chicken leg or thigh meat, cut into bite-size chunks
4 ounces soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
2 tablespoons dried minced onion
1/2 cup Jim Beam or Maker's Mark Bourbon Whiskey
2 tablespoons white wine

1. Mix all the marinade ingredients (minus the white wine) and pour over chicken pieces in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate (stirring often) for several hours (best overnight).

2. Bake chicken in a 9 x 13" baking dish; 350 degrees for 1 hour in a single layer, basting every 10 minutes or so.

3. Remove chicken. Scrape pan juices with all the brown bits into a frying pan. Heat, and add white wine. Stir and add chicken.

4. Cook for 5 minutes and serve.

Rosemary Chicken with Wild Rice

How many ways can we prepare chicken in this house ... I am guessing 101! Here is an easy recipe that my kids even enjoy. We like Wild Rice in our household, if you don't care for the complex flavor of Wild Rice, use a nice rice pilaf instead. I think Near East makes a really nice rice pilaf. Here is another great recipe to use your fresh home grown rosemary. I am building herb boxes this week for my upper back deck. I will post their photos on the crafts blog soon. http://www.smittenkittencrafts.blogspot.com/

Rosemary Chicken with Wild Rice Serves 6

1 c. wild rice

1 T. olive oil

1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, cubed

2 carrots, diced

1 T. dried rosemary leaves, crumbled

1/4 c. + 2 T. orange marmalade

1/4 c. Dijon mustard

1/4 t. garlic powder

1/8 t. freshly ground black pepper

1. Cook the rice according to the directions on the package.

2. In a large skillet, heat the oil. Saute the chicken and carrots; stirring frequently; about 4 minutes. Stir in the rosemary; cook until the chicken is no longer pink, 4 more minutes.

3. Stir in the marmalade, mustard, garlic powder and pepper; cook, stirring frequently until heated through, about 4 more minutes. Add the rice; toss to combine.