Mi Lemon Sour Cream Cookies

 Lemon Sour Cream Cookies

This lemon Sour Cream Cookie has a unique fluffy, moist, sturdy texture, tangy, and not overly sweet. A twist of lemon zest and a shot of lemon-cream cheese glaze delivers a punchy, lemony flavor. They fall into the tea cake or Madeline family of cookies. 

Makes about 3 1/2 dozen cookies | with slight adaptions.

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

16 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks – yep  lots of butter, but that is a good thing – just saying.)

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup sour cream

2 teaspoons grated zest and 1/4 cup juice from 2 lemons

3 cups confectioners’ sugar

Adjust oven racks to upper-middle racks and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a
large bowl.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix until combined. Reduce speed to medium-low. Mix in sour cream and zest. Add flour mixture and mix until incorporated.

Refrigerate until slightly firm, about 1 hour. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets, spacing cookies 2 inches apart. Bake until just golden around edges, about 15 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking. Cool on baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough.

Combine lemon juice and whisk in confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Top each cooled cookie with 1 teaspoon glaze or thereabouts.  Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days.

Mi Mediterranean Tortellini Chicken Salad

2 lbs tortellini

2 lbs cooked chicken breast diced 

1 red onion thinly sliced

1 jar sundried tomatoes julien sliced in oil

4 garlic cloves diced

1 red bell pepper seeded and julien diced

1/4 cup parm cheese 

1 box of Mediterranean couscous 

For the Dressing

1 bottle Kens light sundried tomato dressing

Olive oil

Canola oil

Basil

Garlic

Oregano

Instructions

Cook Couscous set aside to cool.

Cook the tortellini according to package directions. Drain pour some canola oil on (enough to coat lightly,) toss and set aside.

In a skillet saute your red pepper strips until soft and glistening, add garlic, lower heat and warm so garlic becomes soft, not burnt.

In a large bowl add the tortellini, cooked diced chicken, onion slices, red pepper and garlic with oil, tomatoes, cheese and 1/3 of the Couscous. Gently toss them together. Pour 1/2 bottle of the Kens salad dressing, 1/4 cup each of canola and olive oils over tortellini salad and gently mix until everything's nicely coated with the dressings.

Sprinkle lightly oregano, basil, and extra garlic if needed. Give one final toss and you're done. 

Serve this salad warm or at room temperature or cold.

Mi Sauces

1. San Marzano Red Wine Tomato Pasta Sauce

On top of the red wine, the entire sauce is homemade, making this pasta dish a little more effort. 

Ingredients:

1½ teaspoons minced fresh garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup dry red wine
2 (14½ ounces) cans petite diced San Marzano tomatoes, undrained, 14 1/2 ounce Can of San Marzano puree, 8 ounce Can of San Marzano paste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh or ½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 ounces uncooked thin spaghetti
1 (4-ounce) block mozzarella cheese, shredded
? cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Toppings

chopped fresh basil
freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Directions: Sauté garlic in hot oil in a large skillet over medium heat for 1 minute or until lightly browned. Carefully stir in wine and next five ingredients (tomato, basil, oregano, sugar, pepper); bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until thickened.

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Stir together hot pasta, mozzarella cheese, and ? cup Parmesan cheese in a large serving bowl, tossing to coat until cheeses start to melt. Pour tomato sauce over pasta mixture and toss to combine. Serve immediately with desired toppings.

2. Lemon Beurre Blanc

In this recipe from Seafood, via Williams-Sonoma, the lemon beurre blanc is paired with scallops (about 30 to serve six people). Beurre blanc pairs well with seafood in general, and if you aren’t into the scallops, consider salmon — or ditch the fish entirely and use the sauce for a chicken or vegetable dish.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon dry white vermouth or wine
1 small shallot, minced
12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces
salt and freshly ground white pepper, to taste
minced fresh chives for garnish
Directions: In a small, heavy, nonreactive saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the lemon juice, vermouth, and shallot. Bring to a low boil and cook until the liquid is reduced to about 1 teaspoon. Remove the pan from the heat and, using a whisk, beat in 1 piece of butter, then a second piece. Place the pan over very low heat and whisk in the remaining butter one piece at a time to make an emulsified sauce. Remove from the heat and whisk in salt and white pepper.

3. Bordelaise Sauce

Perhaps you noticed that the last recipe paired sauce with chicken and seafood, but not beef. When you have a steak in need of a little wine, try a classic bordelaise sauce. Named for France’s Bordeaux region.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons shallots, finely diced
1 sprig thyme
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon peppercorns, crushed
1¼ cup red wine (whatever kind you like)
1¾ cup veal stock (beef stock is fine)
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon butter
Directions: Combine the shallots, thyme, bay leaf, crushed peppercorns, and wine in a saucepan. Over medium heat, reduce about 90 percent (until the wine is a syrup) — this will take about 10 minutes. Add stock once reduced. Cook the mixture until thick. You will know the sauce is thick enough when it evenly coats the back of your spoon and you can draw a clean line down the middle. Strain and season with salt and pepper to taste, and swirl in butter off the heat.

4. Madeira Sauce

Of course, when you want one wine sauce that can go either way, look no further than Madeira. Steak, pork, duck, and chicken can all be prepared with Gateway Gourmet‘s recipe. You can either make your own Demi-Glace or purchase it ready to use.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
1-ounce butter (¼ stick)
½ pound white or crimini mushrooms, sliced (optional)
½ teaspoon cracked peppercorn
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh thyme (¼ teaspoon dried)
¼ cup red wine
¾ cup Madeira wine
1 cup Demi-Glace
¼ cup heavy cream (optional)
Directions: In a medium saucepan, sauté shallots in butter for 1-2 minutes or until translucent. Add mushrooms and cook until mushrooms are tender approximately 3 minutes. Remove mushrooms and set aside. Add peppercorns, thyme, and bay leaf, and cook 30 seconds. Add red wine and reduce by half. Add Madeira wine and bring to boil. Add Demi-Glace and whisk until incorporated into the sauce. Return mushrooms to pan and add heavy cream and reduce briefly. Serve over beef, veal, pork, chicken, or other grilled or roasted meats. The heavy cream is strictly optional and gives the sauce a richer color and flavor.

5. Champagne Butter Sauce

For anyone feeling decadent, head to the kitchen to make this champagne butter sauce from Just a Pinch and plan dinner around this delicious offering. Whether it’s over vegetables, seafood, or chicken, the sauce will be a superb finish to a simple dish.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
1 shallot, finely diced
½ cup champagne, dry
1 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper
Directions: In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and sauté shallots until soft and translucent. Add Champagne and simmer; reduce to half. Add heavy cream and simmer; reduce to half. Add salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle over fish or steamed vegetables.

6. Poached Pears

It isn’t always about meat and pasta, though. Pears poached in wine make an excellent dessert — just make Giada de Laurentiis’s recipe from the Food Network to see how sweet wine in your dessert can be.

Ingredients:

1 bottle Moscato wine or other sweet dessert wine
2 cups simple syrup
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
2 tablespoons honey
1 (¾-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
6 small, firm, ripe Anjou pears, peeled
serving suggestion: vanilla ice cream or gelato
Simple syrup

2 cups sugar
2 cups water
Directions: In a saucepan large enough to hold all the pears, combine the wine, simple syrup, cinnamon stick halves, honey, and ginger. Scrape in the seeds from the vanilla bean and add the bean and seeds to the saucepan. Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the honey has melted. Add the pears and simmer for 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally, until the pears are tender. Remove the pears from the liquid and allow to cool.

Continue to simmer the liquid until it thickens and is reduced by half, about 15-20 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Remove the cinnamon stick halves and the vanilla bean, and discard.

Place each pear on a small serving plate with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Drizzle with the honey, ginger, and cinnamon syrup. Serve immediately. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the syrup to cool.

7. Port Wine Sauce

Your options don’t stop at pears, either. This dessert requires a little international travel to Brazil, where French toast is called rabanada and can be served for dessert with a Port wine syrup. Just follow the recipe from Flavors of Brazil and you can give your dessert French toast — Brazilian or other — a sweet Port syrup.

Ingredients:

4 cups of water
1 cup good quality dry Port wine
1 stick cinnamon, about 2 inches in length
2/3 cup honey
Directions: Combine all the ingredients in a large, heavy saucepan. Stir well to combine and bring slowly to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the honey. When it comes to the boil, reduce heat and continue to cook at a slow boil for 10 minutes, or until the syrup has thickened and reduced by one half. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Reserve.

Mi Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Cheesecake

CHOCOLATE CRUMB CRUST(recipe follows)
3 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 egg
1/3 cup dairy sour cream
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup HERSHEY'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, melted
1 cup REESE'S Peanut Butter Chips, melted
HERSHEY'S Fudge Topping(optional)
Sweetened whipped cream(optional)
DIRECTIONS

1 Heat oven to 350°F. Prepare CHOCOLATE CRUMB CRUST.


2 Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until smooth. Add eggs, sour cream, flour, vanilla, and salt; beat until well blended.


3 Place half of the batter (about 2-1/2 cups) in a separate bowl. Stir melted chocolate into one bowl of cream cheese mixture and melted peanut butter chips into the second. Spread the chocolate mixture in prepared crust. Gently spread peanut butter mixture over chocolate mixture. Do not stir.


4 Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until center is almost set. (For less cracking of cheesecake surface bake in a water bath.) Remove from oven to wire rack. With a knife, loosen cake from side of the pan. Cool completely; remove side of the pan. Cover; refrigerate.


5 To serve, drizzle each slice with fudge topping and whipped cream if desired. Cover; refrigerate leftover cheesecake. Makes 12 servings.


CHOCOLATE CRUMB CRUST: Heat oven to 350°F. Combine 1-1/2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs (about 45 cookies, crushed), 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa and 1/3 cup butter or margarine (melted) in a medium bowl. Press onto bottom and 1 inch up sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake 8 minutes; cool.

Mi Won Ton Wrappers - Egg Rolls

Traditional Filling
1 pound ground meat (chicken, turkey, beef, lamb, pork)
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 stalk green onion, chopped
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 cups finely chopped cabbage or vegetables of your choice
1/2 cup water
1 egg
50 wonton wrappers, defrosted
cooking oil for frying.

In a large bowl, add the meat, ginger, garlic, green onions, soy sauce, oyster sauce, curry powder, and kale and mix well to combine. To make the egg wash, in a small bowl, add the water and egg and whisk with a fork.

To assemble the wontons, place a wonton wrapper flat in the palm of your hand. If frying, add 1 teaspoon of mixture to the center of the wrapper. If boiling, add 1 tablespoon of the mixture. Dip a finger in the egg wash, and paint all 4 edges with the wash. Fold the wonton in half, corner to opposite corner to make a triangle. Seal tightly all around. Make sure there are no air pockets or holes in the wonton. Fold the longer two triangle points together and seal to make the wonton shape.

Place folded wonton on a clean, dry plate or baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap to avoid drying out. When wontons are all folded, you can store or freeze.


To fry wontons, add 1 to 1 1/2 inches of cooking oil to a wok or pot. Heat the oil until it reaches 375F. Add a few wontons to the oil to fry, turning occasionally until they are golden brown. Remove them to a draining rack placed over a baking sheet so they can drain excess oil.

You can fill Won Tons with anything. Be creative.
Pizza Rolls
Taco Rolls
Thanksgiving Rolls
Meatball Rolls
Rice
Beans
Potatoes
Eggs
Even Dessert Fillings!

Mi Caprese Pasta Salad

16 ounces whole-grain fusilli or rotini pasta
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil, more to taste
2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes
1½ teaspoon fine sea salt
14 ounces mozzarella “pearls”, or one mozzarella ball, torn into bite-sized pieces
Several sprigs of fresh basil (enough for 2+ tablespoons chopped)
4 Tablespoons white balsamic vinegar or regular balsamic vinegar, more to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the pasta until al dente, according to package instructions. Drain the pasta and set it aside.
While the pasta is cooking, combine the olive oil, tomatoes, and salt in a large, non-reactive skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Cover the skillet (use a baking sheet if you don’t have a better lid). Cook, stirring occasionally until most of the tomatoes have started to burst out of their skins and the olive oil has a light red hue (about 6 to 12 minutes).
Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the cooked pasta. Let the mixture cool for a few minutes while you chop the basil.
Stir the mozzarella balls and basil into the pasta. Add the vinegar, then taste and add additional vinegar and/or salt, if it doesn’t quite taste spectacular yet. For best flavor, let the mixture rest for about 20 minutes, so the pasta can absorb some of the sauce. Or, refrigerate it for future use.
This salad will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Leftovers are great chilled or at room temperature. 

Mi Pineapple Carrot Cake

3 eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups shredded carrots
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice
1 cup raisins
Add all ingredients to list blend well.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8x12 inch pan.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine eggs, buttermilk, oil, sugar, and vanilla. Mix well. Add flour mixture and mix well.
In a medium bowl, combine shredded carrots, coconut, walnuts, pineapple, and raisins.
Using a large wooden spoon or a very heavy whisk, add carrot mixture to batter and fold in well.
Pour into prepared 8x12 inch pan, and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 hour. Check with toothpick.
Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.