Lemon Chicken Soup with Rice

 

1–2 Tbsp. butter or oil

2 ribs celery, diced

1 large yellow onion, diced

2–3 cloves garlic, minced

½ tsp. kosher salt

¼ tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. dried dill

8 cups chicken broth

¼ cup uncooked rice

2 cups shredded, cooked chicken

2 cups finely chopped kale leaves

2–4 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

 

Heat large stock pot to medium heat.  Add oil or butter.  Add chopped celery, and onion.  Saute 3-4 minutes until tender.  Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds more. Stir in salt, pepper and dill.  Add broth, stirring to scrape any bits off the bottom of pot.

Bring soup to a boil and reduce to a low simmer. Add rice and stir occasionally until cooked through (about 20 minutes.)

While soup is simmering, wash kale leaves and use a sharp knife to remove leaves from stems. Holding leaves tightly together, finely chop into very small pieces.

After rice is cooked through, add chicken and kale and stir for 1-2 minutes until chicken is heated through and kale is wilted.  Remove soup from heat and stir in lemon juice to taste. (A little grated lemon zest would be good, too!)

Makes about 8 cups of soup, and even though it’s broth-based, with the rice absorbing liquid, it can become quite thick the longer it cooks.  If you’d like to thin it out a bit, or extend serving sizes, feel free to add more broth to your liking.

This recipe can be found here. 

Chickpea Mediterranean Couscous

 

1 zucchini

8 oz heirloom grape tomatoes

¼ oz fresh thyme

4 scallions or green onions

4 cloves garlic

1 lemon

1 (3.4 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 tsp. smoked paprika

1 Tbsp. butter

1½ cup Israeli Couscous

1½ cups veggie stock

1 cup Feta cheese

 

Wash and dry all produce.  Put oven racks on the middle and upper portions of the oven and preheat to 425°.

 Trim zucchini, then cut into ½ in cubes.  Halve tomatoes.  Strip thyme leaves from stems.  Trim, then thinly slice scallions, keeping greens and whites separate.  Mince garlic.  Half lemon.

Toss zucchini, tomatoes, and half the thyme leaves on a baking sheet with a drizzle of olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Roast in the oven on the middle rack until tender (about 20 minutes) tossing halfway through.

 Toss chickpeas, paprika, a drizzle of olive oil, salt, and pepper, and place on another baking sheet.  Roast on the upper rack until crisp (about 20 minutes) tossing halfway through.

 Heat butter, garlic, and scallion whites in a medium pot over medium-high heat.  Once the butter is melted and the garlic is fragrant, add couscous and remaining thyme leaves.  Toss to coat.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook, tossing until couscous is lightly toasted (about 2 -3 minutes.)

Stir in veggie stock and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook until couscous is al dente (10 -12 minutes.)

Add half the veggies, half the feta, and a squeeze of lemon to the pot and toss to combine.  Season with salt and pepper.

 Divide the couscous between plates, and top with chickpeas and remaining veggies.  Sprinkle with scallion greens and the remaining feta.

This recipe can be found here.

Lemon Almond Crumble Bars

 

3 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

1 cup butter

1 large egg

1 cup chopped almonds

 

Lemon Filling:

14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk

4 Tbsp. lemon zest (zest of 2-3 lemons)

½ cup fresh lemon juice (about 3-4 lemons)

2 large egg yolks

 

Preheat oven to 375°. Line a 13x9-inch baking dish with parchment paper or foil and grease with cooking spray.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter one Tbsp. at a time and mix until the ingredients resemble fine crumbs. Add the egg and mix until incorporated.

Press 2/3 of the mixture onto the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes or until the crust is starting to lightly brown.

While crust is baking, mix together the sweetened condensed milk, lemon zest, lemon juice, and egg yolks. Gently pour over the semi-cooked crust while still warm. Spread evenly with a spatula.

Crumble the remaining crust evenly over the top of the lemon filling. (Squeeze crumbs together in hands for bigger chunks.) Sprinkle almonds on top. Bake at 375° for an additional 20-25 minutes until the top is lightly brown and the filling is set in the center.

Cool on a rack to room temperature. Then chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours or until cold. Lift bars out of the pan. Cut and serve. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Recipe adapted from here

Greek Pasta Salad

 

8 oz. pasta (your choice)

1 medium cucumber, chopped

½ medium red onion, minced

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 (15-oz.) can black olives, drained

1 cup grape tomatoes, rinsed

2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

pepperoni, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 recipe Greek Salad dressing

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When boiling, add the pasta and cook al dente. Drain, rinse with cool water, and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the cucumber, onion, bell pepper, olives, tomatoes, and feta cheese and any other ingredients you’re including. Add the cooked pasta and about 1 cup of the Greek salad dressing and toss to distribute evenly, add more dressing if needed. Chill for at least 4 hours before serving. 

Greek Salad Dressing

¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

¼ cup white vinegar

2 tsp. sugar

½ tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp. seasoning salt

½ tsp. red pepper flakes

¼ tsp. black pepper

4 cloves garlic

1 cup oil

½ cup crumbled feta cheese

¾ tsp. Greek or Italian seasoning

¼ tsp. dry oregano

 In the jar of a blender, combine all the ingredients through the garlic. Blend until smooth. While the blender is running, add the oil in a steady stream. Turn off the blender and add the feta and pulse the blender a few times (more if you want a creamier consistency). Whisk in the herbs. If possible, refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. 

These recipes can be found here and here.

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

 

1 cup butter, softened
2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 tsp. lemon zest
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
3 cups flour
¾ cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease light colored baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whip in vanilla, eggs, lemon zest, and juice. Scrape sides and mix again. Stir in all dry ingredients slowly until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly. Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate. Roll a heaping tsp. of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look matte {not melty or shiny}. Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

*If using a non-stick darker baking tray, reduce baking time by about 2 minutes.

This recipe can be found here.

Lemon Pull Apart Rolls

 ROLLS

12 Rhodes dinner rolls, thawed but still cold

zest of 1 lemon

1/2 cup sugar

3 Tbsp butter, melted

 

GLAZE:

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1 Tbsp lemon juice (more or less)

 

Cut rolls in half and place cut side down in a greased 9x13" pan. Drizzle with the melted butter. Mix lemon zest and sugar together in a small bowl. Sprinkle HALF of the lemon-sugar mixture over the rolls.

Cover with plastic wrap and let rise till doubled. Since the dough is still cold, it can take 2-3 hours.

 

Preheat oven to 350°.

Sprinkle the remaining lemon-sugar mixture on top of the rolls. Bake at 350° for about 20-25 minutes.

 

Whisk together glaze ingredients in a small bowl. Drizzle over rolls while still warm.

 

NOTES

-If you can't find frozen roll dough in your area, you can use homemade dough and it works just fine.

-If you like lots of icing on your rolls, double the icing recipe.

This recipe can be found here.

Lemon-Almond Cookies with Lemon Glaze

 

2¼ cups flour

½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. kosher salt

¾ cup granulated sugar

2 Tbsps. grated lemon zest

1 cup butter

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

¼ tsp. almond extract

glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. grated lemon zest

3 Tbsps. fresh lemon juice

¾ cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350°.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together.  Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the sugar with lemon zest and rub together with your fingers until fragrant and combined. Combine the butter and sugar mixture and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and extracts, mixing until smooth. Beat in the flour on low speed until the mixture comes together into a dough.

Drop the dough by the Tbsp. onto the prepared baking sheets. Gently press down the dough with the palm of your hand.

Bake for 12 minutes, until the cookies are just set and slightly golden around the edges. Let cool on the sheet for 2 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Whisk the confectioner's sugar, lemon zest, and juice. Dip the tops of the cooled cookies into the glaze. Sprinkle sliced almonds on top. Let the cookies sit until the glaze has set, about 15 to 20 minutes. Store in an airtight container up to 3 days.

This recipe can be found here.

Lemon Lemonies

FOR THE BARS

 ¾ cup white chocolate chips

 ½ cup butter

 2 large eggs

 ¾ cup granulated sugar

 ¼ cup fresh lemon juice

 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

 pinch salt

FOR THE GLAZE

 2 cups powdered sugar

 1/3 cup lemon juice, or as necessary for consistency

 1 Tbsp. lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350°. Line an 8-X-8-inch pan with foil, spray and set aside.

FOR THE BARS:

In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt butter.  Immediately add the white chocolate and stir until smooth.  Let sit for a minute. Add the eggs, granulated sugar, lemon juice, and whisk until combined.  Add the flour, salt, and stir until just combined.

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

Bake 27 - 28 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. Set aside and make the glaze.

FOR THE GLAZE:

In a medium bowl, add powdered sugar, lemon juice, and whisk until smooth. Glaze should be fairly thin and easily pourable. Add sugar or lemon juice as needed.  Evenly pour glaze over bars, smoothing it lightly with a spatula if necessary, but glaze will likely just slide into place. Evenly sprinkle with lemon zest.

Allow bars to cool in pan uncovered for at least 2 to 3 hours, (or overnight and cover with a sheet of foil) before slicing and serving so glaze can set up.

NOTES

Bars will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

This recipe can be found here.

Pound Cake Cookies

For the Cookies:

1 cup sugar

Lemon zest, from one whole lemon

11 Tbsp. butter

2 eggs

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

For the Glaze:

1¼ cups powdered sugar, sifted

1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

2 Tbsp. milk

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Set aside.

In large bowl, stir together the sugar and lemon zest until the sugar becomes moist and fragrant. Add butter to the sugar and beat until light and fluffy; about 3 minutes. Add eggs, lemon juice, and vanilla and mix until combined.

Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.

Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop cookie dough onto leaving 2 inches between each.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the bottoms of the cookies are golden. Rest on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before removing. Let cool completely.

For the Glaze:

In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice and milk. Spoon or pipe glaze over cookies. If desired, immediately sprinkle cookies with sparkling sugar.  Allow glaze to harden before serving.

Notes

Refrigerate leftover cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days.



This recipe can be found here.

Italian Lemon Shrimp

Shrimp

1 stick butter

1 lemon

1 pkg Italian Dressing Seasoning

Melt 1 stick of butter in pan.

Slice lemon and layer on top of melted butter.  Place a layer of fresh shrimp on top.  Sprinkle seasoning evenly over shrimp.

Bake at 350° for 15 minutes.

Serve

This recipe was found on facebook with no attribution

Lemon Drop Candy Cookies

2 cups sugar
1½ cups Butter Flavor Crisco
3 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. lemon extract
4 cups flour
1½ tsp. baking soda
1½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 lemon, finely zested
1 (6 oz.) packages lemon drop candies, crushed
1 cup powdered sugar
1 lemon, juiced

Preheat oven to 350°.

In mixing bowl cream sugar, shortening and eggs; add extracts. Stir in dry ingredients, lemon zest and crushed lemon drops.

Roll into 1-inch balls, flatten slightly and bake on parchment-lined baking sheet for 10-12 minutes.

Let cool slightly on pan 1 to 2 minutes.

Make a glaze by mixing powdered sugar with lemon juice; then brush lightly over cookie tops. Let cookies cool completely.


This recipe can be found here.

Shrimp and Tomato Sheet Pan Supper

1 lb. Jumbo Shrimp, Peeled and Deveined

2 cups Cherry Tomatoes

4 cloves Garlic, Very Thinly Sliced

Olive Oil, For Drizzling

Salt and Pepper, to taste

1 whole Lemon, Halved

Preheat the oven to 400°

Put the shrimp, cherry tomatoes and garlic on a rimmed baking sheet, then drizzle with olive oil and toss. Season with salt and pepper.

Roast until the shrimp are opaque and the tomatoes begin to burst, 10 to 12 minutes. Finish with a generous squeeze of lemon.

Serve with salad, bread, or pasta!

This recipe can be found here.

Lemon Chicken (Israel)

Cooking oil/spray

2-3 chicken breasts

4 large or 6 small lemons

Olive oil

Rosemary, dried and crushed

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400°.

Sprinkle or spray the bottom of a 9 X 13-inch pan to keep chicken from sticking.

Cut chicken into smaller pieces and place in pan.

Grate the lemon peels and then juice them.  Pour the juice and peel over the chicken.  Add water until the chicken is covered with liquid.  Sprinkle with olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper.

Lemon Ricotta Cookies

2½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 lemon, zested

Glaze:

1½ cups powdered sugar

3 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 lemon, zested

Preheat the oven to 375°

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In the large bowl combine the butter and the sugar. Using an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Beat to combine. Stir in the dry ingredients.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Spoon the dough (about 2 tablespoons for each cookie) onto the baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.

Glaze:

Combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Spoon about 1/2-teaspoon onto each cookie and use the back of the spoon to gently spread. Let the glaze harden for about 2 hours. 

This recipe can be found here.

Mini Lemon Loaves

½ cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ cup sour cream
1 large lemon, zested {5 teaspoons, approximately}
1½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted {which ends up being about 1 3/4 cup sifted flour}
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. milk

glaze:
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
½ cup granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray mini pans with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in eggs, vanilla, lemon zest and sour cream. Scrape sides and mix again. With mixer on low speed, incorporate all dry ingredients until just combined, then stir in milk. Scrape sides and mix a few more times by hand.

Spoon batter equally into prepared pans. Bake 15-20 minutes or until edges are golden brown and are baked thoroughly.

While lemon loaves are baking, mix ingredients together for glaze and microwave on high for 2 minutes, stirring every 20 seconds or so to dissolve sugar into lemon juice. The glaze is done once the sugar has dissolved.

Once loaves come out of the oven, cool at least 15 minutes before removing from pans. Spoon glaze over loaves and continue to cool completely. Store in air tight containers until ready to serve.

This recipe can be found here. 

Lemon Sandwich Cookies

1 cup butter, softened

1½ cups sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. lemon juice

1 Tbsp. lemon zest

1 tsp. vanilla

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. baking powder

2¼ cups flour

Lemon frosting:

½ cup butter

2½ cups powdered sugar

3 Tbsp. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

¼ tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

yellow food coloring, if desired

Preheat oven to 350°

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Add egg and beat in well. Add lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla and mix until well blended. Add salt, baking powder and flour and mix until well incorporated.

Roll cookies in 1/2 inch ball and place on greased cookie sheet. Space cookie dough balls about 2 inches apart from each other. Press cookie balls down slightly and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden on the edges of cookies.

Lemon Buttercream

Combine ingredients for frosting and beat until smooth and creamy. Spread frosting on a cookie and place another one on the frosting side of cookie to make a cookie sandwich.

This recipe can be found here.

Lemon Soda Bundt Cake

2½ cups sugar

5 large eggs, room temperature

½ cup lemon-lime soda (like 7-Up, Sprite, or Sierra Mist)

2 Tbsps. grated lemon zest

4 Tbsps. fresh lemon juice

2½ sticks salted butter

3¼ cups (13 ounces) cake flour

GLAZE (CAN BE DOUBLED):

1 cup (4 ounces) powdered sugar

2 Tbsps. fresh lemon juice

Instructions

Position the oven rack in the lower-middle position. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Grease and flour a 12-cup tube or Bundt pan.

Melt the butter and set aside to cool slightly.

Add the sugar, eggs, lemon-lime soda, lemon zest, and lemon juice to the jar of your blender. Run on lowest speed until combined. With the blender running, slowly add the butter in a steady stream and mix until fully incorporated. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add 1/3 of the flour and whisk until combined. Repeat twice until all the flour has been used.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 1¼-1½ hours or until a pick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean (be sure not to over-bake it—it will take on an eggy flavor.)  

Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes, then turn the cake out onto a wire rack to cool completely (about 2 hours.)

To make the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Place the cake, craggy side up, on a serving plate and drizzle with glaze. Let the glaze set for at least 10 minutes before serving. Makes 12 servings.

Lemon Shortbread Cookies

1 cup butter

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup sugar

1 cup powdered sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 ¾oz. box instant lemon pudding

4 cups flour

1 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 °

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, oil and sugars.  Beat in eggs, vanilla and pudding mix.  Combine remaining ingredients, and gradually add into wet mixture.

Drop by Tbsps. 2” apart on ungreased baking sheet.  Flatten with glass dipped in sugar.

Bake 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned.

recipe from a friend.

Banana Lemon Muffins

1 stick margarine

1¼ cups sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup mashed bananas

Pinch of salt

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

¾ cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350°.  Grease muffin cups.

Cream margarine and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time.  Whip in bananas, lemon juice and vanilla.  Sift dry ingredients together.  Stir in banana mixture alternately with buttermilk. 

Bake for 20 minutes.  Makes 18 muffins

Crisp Little Lemon Cookies

1 pkg lemon cake mix

1 cup Rice Krispies

½ cup margarine, melted

1 egg, slightly beaten

Heat oven to 350°

In large bowl, combine all ingredients.  Mix well.

Shape into 1 inch balls, pressing firmly.

Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. 

Bake 9 – 12 minutes. 

Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet.