Sparkling Limeade

Sparkling limeade is a cooling bubbly delight.  You have lime and lemon juice combined with sugar, mint, and a touch of kosher salt. The fruit and mint need to be bruised in order to release their oils.  Everything is stirred together and put in the fridge for at least one hour.  Pour the mixture into some iced glasses and top with club soda.  Add a sprig of mint and you have a nice refreshing summer beverage.

Sparkling Limeade
From Bon Appetit

Ingredients:
4 lemons
5 limes
2 large handfuls of fresh mint
1/2 cup sugar
Pinch of kosher salt
1 (12-ounce) can club soda

Directions:
1. Cut 1 lemon and 1 lime into wedges and toss them into a pitcher.
2. Slice 3 lemons, and 4 limes in half.  Squeeze their juice and place in the pitcher.
3. Add the mint, sugar and pinch of salt.
4. Smash down on the citrus and mint with a wooden spoon, bruising them to release their oils.  Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
5. Chill limeade at least 1 hour, then pour into 4 frosty ice-filled glasses.
6. Open the club soda and top off each glass.  Garnish with mint sprigs.

Serves 4

Grilled Halibut with Lemon-Basil Vinaigrette

An easy recipe and tasty recipe for grilled halibut.    Perfect for summer weather.  The halibut filets are grilled in a somewhat tangy lemon vinaigrette with basil and capers.  The result is a delicious piece of fish that is nice, moist and very flavorful.   A nice dish for a light and satisfying meal.




Grilled Halibut with Lemon-Basil Vinaigrette
Epicurious

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil (preferably extra-virgin)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
3 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil or 3 teaspoons dried
2 teaspoons drained capers
4 5- to 6-ounce halibut filets (about 3/4 inch thick)

PREPARATION

1.Whisk lemon juice, olive oil, crushed garlic cloves and grated lemon peel in small bowl to blend.  2. Stir in 2 tablespoons fresh basil and capers. Season vinaigrette to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 hour ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)
3. Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat) or preheat broiler. Season halibut steaks with salt and pepper. Brush fish with 1 tablespoon vinaigrette, dividing equally. Grill or broil halibut steaks until just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer fish to plates. Rewhisk remaining vinaigrette; pour over fish. Garnish fish with remaining 1 tablespoon basil and serve.

Serves 4

Summer Iced Tea

Iced Tea is one of my favorites during the summer.  So cool, refreshing, and great tasting.  In this recipe, the refreshing flavors of mint, orange and lemon are combined to make one of the best tasting teas I have had in a long time.

Brew some tea and make a simple syrup.  To the syrup add some fresh mint sprigs.  In a large pitcher add some orange juice, lemon juice, water, tea, and the syrup - mint sprigs removed.  Stir and chill.  Serve over ice and you will enjoy a very tasty and refreshing summer beverage.



Summer Iced Tea

Ingredients:
4 black tea bags
8 cups water - divided
1 cup sugar
3 mint sprigs
1 cup orange juice
1/3 cup lemon juice

Directions:
1.  Bring 4 cups of water to a boil.  In 2 cups of boiling water brew the tea bags for about 20 minutes. Remove the tea bags.
In the remaining 2 cups of water add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Let set for 20 minutes.
2. In a large pitcher add the remaining 4 cup of water, orange juice and lemon juice.  Remove the mint sprigs from the simple syrup and pour into the pitcher along with the brewed tea.  Stir well and chill for about 2 hours.
3.  Pour over ice and garnish with a mint sprig if desired.

Sauteed Lemon Chicken With Fried Capers

The other day at the library I found Sara Moulton's latest cookbook, Home Cooking 101 How to Make Everything Taste Better.  As I was thumbing through the book, I found a recipe that caught my eye - Sauteed Lemon Chicken With Fried Capers.   It looked delicious and was so easy to make.  I set to work. 

Chicken breast cutlets are seasoned with salt and pepper and coated with flour.  They are then fried until lightly golden on both sides.  When the chicken breast cutlets have been cooked, they are transferred to a plate.  Next  lemon slices are dipped in sugar and lightly caramelized.  The lemon slices are transferred to the plate with the chicken.  Now a delicious lemony sauce is prepare with shallots and chicken stock.  The chicken and lemon slices are returned to the skillet and simmered until the chicken is heated through.  The sauce thickens as it cooks.

Serve the chicken with some sauce and lemon slices over the chicken and top with the fried capers.  Wow -  this is the best lemon chicken I have ever tasted.  So tender and flavorful with just a hint of citrus.  The capers add some extra zing.  A very nice addition to the recipe.


Sauteed Lemon Chicken With Fried Capers
Home Cooking 101 How to Make Everything Taste Better By Sara Moulton

Ingredients:
1 pound skinless chicken breast cutlets, preferably thin sliced
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 tablespoons capers, rinsed, drained, and dried very well
Flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large lemon, sliced very thin crosswise
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 1/4 cups Chicken Stock

Directions:
1. Working with 1 cutlet at a time, pound the chicken until it is 1/8 inch thick and transfer to a plate.  Pat the chicken dry and cut the pieces in half if they are too large to saute easily.
2. In a large skillet, combine 2 tablespoons of the oil with the capers and heat the pan to medium-high.  Cook, stirring until they are crispy, about 2 minutes.  Transfer the capers to a small bowl with a slotted spoon.
3. Spread out the flour on a piece of parchment on the counter.  Heat the skillet over medium-high heat.   Working with half the chicken at a time, season the cutlets on both sides with salt and pepper and coat them lightly with the flour, lifting the parchment paper on both sides to help coat the chicken and shaking off the excess.  Add the chicken to the oil in the pan and cook until lightly golden, about 2 minutes per side.  Transfer to a plate.  Add 2 tablespoon oil to the pan.  Season and flour the remaining chicken and saute, transferring it as it is done to the plate.
4. Dip the lemon slices in the sugar, coating them lightly on both sides, and add them to the skillet.  Cook over medium heat until they are lightly caramelized, about 1 minute per side.  Transfer to the plate with the chicken.  Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the shallots to the pan and cook, stirring 1 minute.   Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan.  Return the chicken and lemon slices to the pan, along with any juices from the plate.  Simmer gently, turning the chicken over several times until it is heated through.
5. Transfer the chicken to 4 plates and simmer the sauce until it has thickened slightly.  Spoon the sauce and lemon slices over the chicken and top with the fried capers.  

Servings: 4
 

 



 

Baked Lemon Shrimp With Garlic

This is an amazing dish.  Flavorful, tender (not dry) shrimp  baked in a delicious lemon, garlic, butter sauce with some parley.  What could be better?    I served the shrimp over some rice and spooned sauce  over the shrimp and rice.  Any leftover sauce, I mopped up with a piece of crusty bread.

It takes about 45 minutes to prepare and bake this dish.  The most time consuming part was peeling the shrimp.  First,  melt a cup of butter  and add some salt, garlic and parsley.  Place your shrimp on top of the butter and bake in a 450 degree oven for about 5 minutes.  Remove the shrimp from the oven and turn to the other side.  Sprinkle with some lemon zest, remaining parsley, and the lemon juice.  Place back in the oven and bake for another 10 minutes or so.

Serve the shrimp over rice.  A wonderful dinner awaits your family.

Baked Lemon  Shrimp With Garlic
From Epicurious
INGREDIENTS

2 pounds large shrimp (about 30), peeled
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1 tablespoon mined garlic, or to taste
1/2 cup flat-leafed parsley leaves, washed well, spun dry, and chopped fine
2 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest (from about 2 large lemons)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste
Accompaniments:
cooked rice
lemon wedges

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 450°F.
In a flameproof baking dish large enough to hold shrimp in one layer melt butter with salt over moderately low heat. Stir in garlic and half of parsley. Add shrimp and bake 5 minutes. Turn shrimp and sprinkle with remaining parsley, zest, and lemon juice. Bake shrimp until just cooked through, 5 to 10 minutes more.
Serve shrimp with rice and lemon wedges.

Serves 6

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

The other day I had this soup at Panera and it was fantastic.  A nice summery soup with a splash of citrus flavor.  I couldn't wait to try to make it at home.  About a week later I made some for the family.  I had some chicken left over and this soup would be the perfect way to use the leftovers.

This soup is very easy to make.  I made a major change to the original soup I had at Panera.  No spinach in the soup.    That is a big turn off for the kids in my family.

This soup is like your basic chicken noodle only you use orzo pasta and lemon juice.  Everything is put in a stock pot except the lemon juice and cooked for 30 minutes or until the veggies and orzo are done. When the soup is ready you pour in the lemon juice and serve.  I garnished the soup with a lemon wheel.

The recipe was just as good or better than the soup I had at Panera.  Light, flavorful, and delicious:)


Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup


Ingredients:
8 cups chicken broth
2 cups cooked chicken cut into bite-sized pieces
1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced
1 medium celery stalk, sliced
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dry oregano
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 cup orzo pasta
Juice of fresh lemon (about 1/4 cup)
Salt to taste

Directions:
1. Place all of the ingredients except the lemon juice and salt in a stock pot.  Cover and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and the orzo is cooked.
3. Stir in lemon juice.  Taste and add salt if needed.
4. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with a lemon wheel.

Makes 6 servings

Beach Shrimp

This easy shrimp bake is the best.  The shrimp are baked in Italian dressing, ground pepper, garlic, lemon juice, parsley,  and of course butter.  Everything is tossed together in a baking dish and put into a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and serve.  Nothing could be easier for a quick dinner.

I served this dish with a tossed green salad and some bread.


Beach Shrimp
From my recipes

Ingredients:

3 pounds unpeeled, large raw shrimp

1 (16-oz.) bottle Italian dressing
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly ground pepper
2 garlic cloves, pressed
2 lemons, halved
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup butter, cut up

Directions:
1. Place first 4 ingredients in a 13- x 9-inch baking dish, tossing to coat. Squeeze juice from lemons over shrimp mixture, and stir. Add lemon halves to pan. Sprinkle evenly with parsley; dot with butter.
2. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes. Serve in pan.
Makes 6-8 servings