lemon – Tia Maria's Blog

chicken / Main Dish / Photo Gallery / Recipes / rice

August 3, 2017

Lisbon Lemon Chicken – Galinha com Limão a Lisboa

One bite of this chicken and you’ll taste the tangy lemony mouthwatering flavor. It’s simple to prepare and decadent enough to serve for your guests.

It’s different than the standard lemon chicken recipes because I add smoky paprika and a kick of garlic flavor. Using Portuguese Vinho Verde also gives a kick!

Ingredients:

6 boneless chicken breasts

2 – 4 tablespoons of olive oil

1 – 2 tablespoon of butter or margarine

1/4 cup of flour

juice from 1 fresh lemon

lemon zest from 1 lemon

1 tbsp Taste Portugal Seasoning or

(2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper 2 teaspoons paprika, 2 teaspoons garlic powder)

1/2 cup of Portuguese Vinho Verde wine

1/2 cup of chicken broth

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Parsley for garnish

Preparation:

Cut the chicken breasts in half or into thirds if very thick. Place between 2 pieces of saran wrap and pound to about 1/4 inch thick. This will tenderize the chicken and make it very moist after cooking. Season spices and let marinate for a few minutes. Coat lightly with the flour in a bowl and set aside while you heat the cooking pan.

Heat 1/2 of olive oil and butter on high heat in a large saute pan. Reduce heat to medium and cook the chicken in batches for about 3 minutes or longer on each side until they turn golden brown, remove them from the pan and set aside. You may need to add more butter and oil if you find it evaporates.

De-glaze the frying pan with wine, lemon juice and chicken broth and let cook for about 1 minute until the alcohol evaporates.

Return the chicken to the pan and let it cook in the lemon sauce for another 3 – 4 minutes on medium heat to incorporate the lemon and wine flavor.

Turn heat to low, add oregano and the lemon zest and cook for about 1 minute. The sauce will thicken as it cooks. If you find the sauce too thick add a little more chicken broth.

Top with lemon slices and parsley for garnish. Serve with Portuguese rice with peas.

Desserts / Holiday Recipes / Photo Gallery / Recipes

August 18, 2016

Cranberry Lemon Scones

Invite your friends over for these Cranberry Lemon Scones and enjoy the company! They’re a perfect breakfast or anytime treat.

I served mine with Lemon Balm Tea (Cha de Cidreira) which is my favorite tea. My mother made this tea just about every day and grew her own lemon balm in her garden. She dried the leaves to make tea all year long. I also grow my own now and make tea on a regular basis. It’s a soothing calming tea and good for when you have an upset stomach as well.

“A member of the mint family, lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) has a lovely lemon flavor and the ability to gently calm the nerves and lift one’s mood. Native to the Mediterranean, lemon balm’s medicinal and culinary use dates back over 2,000 years. Avicenna, the 11th-century Arab physician, wrote that lemon balm “causeth the mind and heart to become merry.” http://www.thekitchn.com

How to dry the lemon balm leaves for tea:

Cut the branches and trim off the larger stems. Wash and dry them and lay them out on paper towels or newspapers. Place in a dry place for about 1 week or more until the leaves are dry and brittle. Break the stems and leaves into small pieces and place in ziploc bags or a jar. Store in your cupboard.

When ready to make tea, boil 1 tablespoon of the dry tea leaves per 1 – 2 cups of tea for about 5 minutes. Let seep for another 5 minutes or longer depending on how strong you like it

Cranberry Lemon Scones

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 stick cut into chunks (8 tablespoons of very cold butter)

1/2 cup sour cream

1 egg

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon of coarse natural sugar

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Mix all dry ingredients and cold butter food processor or mixer until well blended.

(do not over mix)

Add remaining egg and sour cream to mixture and pulse until well blended and crumbly.

Add the cranberries and lemon zest and give the processor a few pulses just to mix slightly.

Shape into a circle of 3/4 inch thickness on a slightly floured surface.

Sprinkle with the coarse sugar.

Cut into 8 equal pieces. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until lightly golden brown.

Look at that beautiful golden color.

Light and flaky!

Desserts / Photo Gallery

July 30, 2016

Lemon Bars with Maria Cookie Crust – Torta de Limão com Bolacha Maria

What an light and easy dessert for summer! I know most of you probably have the needed ingredients right in your kitchen pantry so go ahead and try it this weekend!

I don’t know anyone that doesn’t like lemon bars and I know everyone, will love these! Enjoy!

Filling:
6 large eggs

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup flour

zest and juice of 4 or 5 large lemons

powdered sugar (for decoration)

Crust:
1 package 7.05 oz Maria Cookies (coarsely ground) (I placed them in a ziplock and pounded with a kitchen mallet for a coarser ground)

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

5 tablespoons butter

Preparation:

Preheat oven at 350 degrees F.

Mix the crust mixture in a bowl using a fork until well incorporated. Press the crust mixture into bottom of a ceramic or glass deep baking dish approximately 7 x 11 inches and bake for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Meanwhile, whisk together flour, sugar and eggs in a bowl until smooth and creamy. Add the lemon zest and juice and mix until well blended.

Pour the mixture over the slightly cooled crust and bake for about 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees F, or until set. Let cool and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Dust with powdered sugar and cut into desired squares. Enjoy!

chicken / Main Dish / Photo Gallery / Recipes

June 15, 2016

Limonchello Chicken

You will love this lemony flavored chicken! The recipe is simple to make and takes very little time to prepare.

I served the chicken with my recipe for Green Bean Rice which pares perfectly with lemony sauce.

Serves 4-8

Ingredients:

4 boneless chicken breasts (cut in half and pounded to 1/4-1/2 inch thick)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 cup chicken broth (or 1/2 chicken bouillon cube and 1 cup water)

1/4 cup Limonchello liquor

Zest of 1 lemon

Lemon slices

1/2 teaspoon dry oregano

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 stick margarine or butter

Preparation:

Season the chicken with the salt, pepper and garlic powder. Coat with flour and set aside.

Heat 1/2 of the olive oil and 1/2 of the butter in a saute pan until hot. Cook 1/2 of the chicken in the oil for about 5-8 minutes turning chicken over on each side until golden brown. Set cooked chicken aside. Add the remaining oil and butter and cook the rest of the chicken and set aside.

Deglaze the pan with the chicken broth and limonchello and cook for about 3 minutes on high for the liquor to evaporate.

Place the chicken back into the pan. Add the lemon zest and simmer for about 5 minutes until the sauce thickens. Add the oregano, cover and let sit on low heat until ready to serve. Top with fresh lemon slices and serve.

Desserts / Photo Gallery

March 11, 2014

Lemon Raspberry Coconut Cake

Lemon Raspberry Coconut Cake is perfect for your next Birthday Cake. I made it this weekend and it was a big hit! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Cake:

1 Package of Lemon Cake mix

Ingredients as per package

Raspberry Filling:

1 and 1/2 cup of fresh or frozen Raspberries

2 tablespoons of sugar

1 teaspoon of corn starch

Frosting:

1 can of vanilla frosting

1 and 1/2 cups of flaked coconut

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the cake mix per package directions and pour into 2 round cake pans.

Let the cake cool completely or leave it overnight before frosting.

Place the raspberries and sugar in a small saucepan and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes until the raspberries have dissolved into a jelly consistency.

Add the corn starch and cook for another few minutes until the mixture thickens. Place the raspberries in the refrigerator until cold. They mixture should be thick like a jelly not too runny.

When the cake has cooled, spread the jelly over one layer and top with the other layer.