Roasted Vegetables with Meyer Lemons

Last March, I won a Meyer Lemon Tree in a giveaway sponsored by Simply Citrus Nursery, and it has been an adventure! The lemons are finally ripening, and I am having a blast with all the possibilities! Find the giveaway story in the link above.

Beautiful Meyer Lemons, and they taste delicious!

I decided to start with what I had on hand. I love roasting and caramelizing vegetables in the oven, especially root vegetables! I had carrots, potatoes and onions on hand so I threw in some lemon juice and lemon slices. OMGoodness!!! We already ate one lemon by itself, but roasting the slices and eating them rind, pith and all was more than delicious! My mouth is watering as I think about it!

Roasted Vegetables with Meyer Lemons

Carrots, peeled and sliced into sticks about 2-3 inches
Potatoes, peeled and cubed
Onion sliced thick
2 tablespoons olive oil
3-4 tablespoons red wine vinegar, to taste
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
Dash of pepper
Dried basil, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degree F.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium sized bowl add carrots, potatoes and onion.

In a small bowl, add the vinegar, lemon, salt, pepper and olive oil. Whisk until combined.
Pour the vinegar mixture over top of the vegetables. Toss until well coated then pour them onto the cookie sheet.

Place in oven and roast for about 30 to 45 minutes until golden brown and caramelized. I like a good bit of color on my roasted vegetables, as you can see. Remove from oven. Transfer to a bowl. Serve warm.

Served on a pretty platter.

It tastes better than it looks, if that is possible!

Lemon Pepper Garlic Salt

I am participating in a year long Food In Jars Mastery Challenge hosted by Marisa from Food in Jars, and the February challenge was Salt Preserving! There were a host of ways to use salt. I have several ways that I used it, but this recipe is the quickie recipe that only takes an hour or so to complete, start to finish. I decided to infuse salt with citrus and herbs. 

1. 1 lemon
2. 2-4 cloves garlic*
3. 1/4 tsp course black pepper, or more to taste
4. 1 cup kosher salt

1. Zest lemon in a shallow oven-proof dish.** Mix salt in with the lemon.
2. Juice the lemon and add to the salt. Run the garlic through a garlic press and add it to the salt also. Mix the salt, lemon zest, lemon juice and garlic. Use a fork or your fingers to work the salt as much as possible.

1. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees. Place the lemon salt in the oven for about an hour to dry out the salt. (When it's done, it will be rock hard with no moisture left.) Prop the oven door open with a wooden spoon to provide ventilation for proper drying.
2. Wait for the salt to cool and use a fork, wooden spoon or your fingers to break up salt.
3. Package up the salt in small jars.

*I use 2 large cloves or 4 small, depending on their size and the strength of garlic you desire. Add or subtract the amount you want.

**Next time, I will use parchment paper to line the dish, since the salt and liquids harden to the bottom of the dish and can be hard to remove.

Greek Pork Loin with Red Potatoes and Green Beans

I'm used to doing Greek Chicken and potatoes, but I wanted something different. I had a 1/4 of a pork loin left in the freezer so I changed things up a bit. I dusted it very generously with Greek Seasoning and poured lemon juice in the bottom of the pan. I also added potatoes and green beans sprinkled with Greek Seasoning.

Good Dark Crispy Coating on the Loin!

Pork Loin

Cavender's Greek Seasoning

1/2 cup Lemon Juice

6-8 small Red Potatoes

Green Beans

Preheat oven to 400. Place loin in a casserole dish fat side up. Dust pork loin with Cavender's Greek Seasoning very, very generously and pour lemon juice in the bottom of the dish. (not on the loin) Cover and bake for 1 hour so the lemon juice steams into the loin. Then add the potatoes and green beans. Sprinkle with Greek Seasoning and return to the oven (Uncovered) to cook another 1/2 hour or until center reaches 145 degrees and the fat and seasonings forms a dark crispy coating. Remove from oven and let rest in the pan for 5 minutes. A great one dish meal! Everything was done at the same time!

I pulled a few chunks off the side of the roast... 

you know that good juicy darker meat?

Oh my Lawd, it's so good!

** You can also add a little butter or margarine to the pan drippings and make a sauce to drizzle over the entire plate. All the flavors compliment each other well!

Shrimp Scampi

My family doesn't always agree on what to have for supper, or how I fix shrimp for that matter. They do, however, all agree on Shrimp Scampi! 

1 (16 ounce) package angel hair pasta
1/2 cup butter or margarine
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup minced onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 1/2 pounds shrimp
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

Bring a large pot of salted water (with a drizzle of olive oil added) to a boil over high heat. Add the angel hair pasta, and cook until done; drain. Reserve the pasta water. 

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, onion, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Once the mixture begins to bubble, stir in the shrimp. Cook and stir until heated through. Add in cooked pasta and toss. Add enough pasta water to create a sauce as thick or thin as you want. Taste and adjust seasonings. 

Serve sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and add a salad and some garlic bread to serve.

Crab Cakes

1 lb crab meat
1 large egg
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1-1/2 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 

1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1-1/4 cups fresh breadcrumbs (about 3 slices of white bread)
Oil for frying


Drain crab meat. Put the crab in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg, mayonnaise, mustard, Old Bay seasoning, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and salt. Pour the mixture over the crab and mix gently until combined. Gently break up the lumps with your fingers but do not overmix.

Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the mixture and mix gently. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 to 3 hours.

Shape the crab mixture into 8 cakes about 1 inch thick. In a cast iron skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the cakes to the pan. Cook until dark golden brown on the underside, about 4 minutes. Flip the cakes and continue cooking until the other side is well browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges, Mustard Sauce and Cocktail Sauce.

Grilled Greek Pork Chops

I know that I say 'grilled', and that's what we started them on... the grill. However, our grill ran out of gas rather quickly, and I had to finish them in my cast iron skillet on the stove. That's why there are no grill marks in the pics!

4 bone-in Pork Chops

Cavender's Greek Seasoning

1/4 cup Lemon Juice (or more)

stick butter

Cover the pork chops with lemon juice. (My pork chops were very thin, so it didn't take a lot of lemon.) Sprinkle generously with Greek seasoning. Let the chops hang out in the lemon and seasoning for 30 minutes or so. Depending on the thickness, grill for a few minutes on each side. I had to finish mine off over medium high heat for a couple of minutes on each side. Before pulling them off the grill/pan, rub them with the end of a stick of butter. Flip and repeat. I served mine with seasoned butter beans and loaded mashed potatoes! (I know... I needed a green for the picture! To much blah beige!)

Bone-in pork chops...

 My plate... I like this cut of pork chop.

Sausage, Onion and Greek Potatoes

This is always a good recipe when the pantry and frig get low. With three basic ingredients, it's quick and easy! It's also a good meal for the meat and potatoes man/woman in the house!

1 pound of Kielbasa Sausage, sliced

4 or 5 potatoes, boiled and cut into slices

1 large onion, sliced
1 tsp minced garlic

Oil

Lemon Juice

Cavendar's Greek Seasoning

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Saute sausage and potatoes in a cast iron frying pan in a little oil over a medium heat... just enough oil to keep it from sticking, because the sausage will render some fat. Cook until sausage and potatoes take on some good color... about 15-20 minutes. Add the onion and garlic. Sprinkle well with lemon juice, and add about 2 tbsp of Greek seasonings. Toss and transfer the frying pan to the oven, and cook at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until golden brown and caramelized.

Shared on Meal Plan Monday 

Greek Chicken and Poatoes

This recipe is so delicious! The lemon and spices and herbs make my house smell so good! This is so simple, but it can make you look like a master chef in the kitchen. The key is to use the Cavender's Greek Seasoning and a whole chicken cut into pieces with the skin ON! Please don't use skinless or it will dry out. If your diet dictates that you can not have the skin, you probably should not be eating a dish that calls for half a cup of oil. OR! Maybe you can forego the diet for one meal! It is so worth the guilt.

Greek Chicken and Potatoes

• 1/2 cup butter, room temp

• 3 cloves garlic, chopped

• Cavender's Greek Seasoning
• 2 lemons, juiced or 1/4 cup juice

• 1 (4 pound) chicken, cut into pieces

• 4 or 5 baking potatoes, cubed
• 1 large onion, cut into thick slices
• 2 lemons, sliced thin

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a small bowl, mix the butter, garlic, 1 tbsp Cavender's and lemon juice. Loosen the skin from the meat with your fingers or with the handle of a spoon. Be careful not to break the skin. Loosen as much as you can even down the legs. Place a scoop of the butter mixture under the skin and rub down, spreading the butter under the skin. Repeat this process until the butter is covering the entire chicken. Dust chicken with Cavender's Greek Seasoning. Place the potatoes, onions and some of the lemon slices in a 13X9 casserole dish. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice and sprinkle the Greek Seasoning over the potato mixture. Place chicken on top of potatoes and onion. 

Bake uncovered for an hour and a half 

or until chicken is golden brown and potatoes are tender.

**********

Also great with leg quarters!

Old Fashioned Lemon Pound Cake with Lemon Glaze

Every time I bake, my kitchen dies a little. It usually turns out alright. It's never a pretty site! These cakes fell, but my hubby says that it only makes room for frosting! :-)

1 pound Flour* = 4 cups
1 pound Sugar = 2 cups
1 pound Butter = 4 sticks
9 Eggs
1/2 teaspoon Lemon Extract

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large mixing bowl. Cream the butter and sugar to the texture of whipped cream. Add one egg at a time until 5 have been added, beating each egg 2 1/2 minutes. Add the others 2 at a time, beating 2 1/2 minutes. Add lemon extract. Fold in flour, a cup at a time. Grease and flour cake, bundt or loaf pan. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. 

* Use self-rising flour

This recipe made 2 loaf pans and a 5-inch cake pan full!

Lemon Glaze:
1½ cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 lemon, finely zested

In a small bowl mix the confectioners' sugar, lemon juice and zest together until well blended. Use a toothpick or skewer, poke holes in the cake for the glaze to soak into.
Using a large spoon, spoon the glaze onto the cake and spread it around using the back of the spoon.