Award Winning Lemon Crinkle Biscuits

They say when you start talking about the weather, you have nothing to say.  In some cultures, when they have nothing to say to one another, they talk food instead of weather. I know I'm always talking about the weather on here, but it's because to me, without a question, food and weather go hand in hand. Casseroles and cold winter nights, lemon and summertime, rainy days and comfort food. Call me boring, but weather sways my every move in the kitchen. So here I go again--Today was particularly warm for a winter's day--25C, and it made me rip off my cardigan and get baking in the kitchen with the kids, doors and windows flung open. We whipped up these amazing lemon crinkle biscuits, and the house was infused with citrus scents for the duration of the cooking. I've never tasted anything quite like them.  

They're sweet and crisp on the outside, soft and fudgy on the inside and taste just like summer feels to me--warm and golden, zesty and fresh. 

You absolutely will not be able to stop at one--so make a double batch, I guarantee you won't regret it. And a little note--do use fresh lemon juice and zest! It really makes all the difference and packs a punch. Now I want a lemon tree. Oh for a lemon tree. Lemon really is a perk-me-up.

LEMON CRINKLE BISCUITS (Adapted from LDS Living)

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1 egg
1 tsp lemon zest, finely grated
1 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
pinch salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 cup icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease and line baking trays with non stick baking paper and set aside.
In a medium bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until creamy and light. Add the vanilla, egg, zest and lemon juice. Beat until combined. Stir in the salt, baking powder, baking soda and flour until just combined. In a small bowl or plate, place the icing sugar. Take walnut sized balls of dough and roll them in the icing sugar until well covered. Place on the baking sheets and cook for 9-11 minutes, until the surfaces are matte and the bottoms are just beginning to brown ever so slightly. Remove from the oven and let sit on the baking trays for 3 minutes before removing and placing on a cooling rack.

Makes approximately 25-30
Tastes most awesome when still slightly warm from the oven.

Lemon & Lime Basil Sorbet

 Truth be told, when the idea came up of making a palate cleanser as one of the courses for our Gourmet Garden dinner party, I wasn't sure where to position it in the order of things. I decided to place it at the end of the main meals, and to wean everyone of all  things savory before dessert was served (as the dessert to me, of course, is the be all and end all). I love my sweets. Any wonder I couldn't go on the herb blog-off without incorporating sweets into the deal?
My mother in law found this delightful and refreshing recipe in her ice cream maker cookbook. I adapted it a bit, as I ran out of lemons (where is a lemon tree when you need one? Oh wait. That's right, I kill everything I try to grow.) I used the few limes to make up the rest of the lemon juice required, so now it's citrus and basil sorbet instead of lemon basil sorbet. Which reminds me, lemon basil is incredible...If you ever happen to get your hands on some, its beautiful in both sweet and savory dishes. Don't ask what happened to my lemon basil plant, please.
You will love how refreshing this sorbet is and how wonderfully the fresh citrus flavours intermingle with the basil. Did I mention basil is my favourite herb? I cut some from the garden (practically the only leaves that had not become inhabited by my creepy crawly fiends) to garnish, and the smell lingered in the house for hours. So refreshing!

Course 4:

LEMON & LIME BASIL SORBET (Adapted from Cuisinart ice cream recipe book/manual)

3 cups water
2 cups granulated sugar
2 tbsp. lemon zest
1 tbsp. Gourmet Garden Basil paste
 pinch salt
2 1/2 cups lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1/2 cup lime juice, freshly squeezed

Place the water, sugar and zest in a medium saucepan, over a medium heat. When the sugar has dissolved, remove from the flame and set aside to steep for half an hour. Add the citrus juice and strain the mixture through a fine sieve. Discard the remnants caught in the sieve.
Set the juice aside in the refrigerator over night, or for 3 hours at least.
Pour mixture into the frozen ice cream bowl and follow the instructions for your ice cream maker. The sorbet should churn for about 15-20 minutes, or until it reaches desired consistency. Freezing for 2 or more hours will give a firmer consistency if desired. Remove from freezer 10 minutes before serving to thaw.
Makes 8-10 cups

NOTES: You can substitute the basil paste for 1 1/2 cups packed fresh basil leaves. Lime juice is also optional. 3 cups of lemon juice is just as good!

Furry Green Monsters in your Fridge?

I don't know about you, but I am constantly finding food in the back of the fridge that needs to be thrown out. Yes, those furry green monsters no one wants to touch. Okay, it's not that bad...especially as now I have got my act together and decided I will be that Domestic Goddess my husband thinks I am. *giggles*
It is much easier than you think. It depends how determined you are. I suppose there are a lot of factors that go into it, but I decided to begin, I would reorganise my day and prioritise properly.
Starting with the kitchen of course.
After all, a great percentage of the day is spent in that room (as well as that room that harbours the computer, but that's changed too). I bought myself a thick folder, made myself shopping list spreadsheets, pantry inventory lists, menu planners, to do lists, weekly chore planners, the lot, and  set it out all nicely. It now lives on my kitchen bench and looks at me every morning to remind me. Once every fortnight I sit and plan the next fortnight, the meals, the cleaning, the appointments, the things I want to get done.

My house has gone from bomb to bliss! 

The refrigerator has gone from clutter to clean! I know what I have and I know what has to be used, and I plan meals and baking around that. There are no furry monsters hiding way back in the shadows. I have more time to do what I want as well, would you believe? More baking can be slotted in, grocery bills reduced due to menu planning, and I never have to get up and wonder what on earth we are having for dinner that day. I have the kitchen organised and the sink sparkling and the rest of the housework feels like a joy...its done in no time. Planning...is all it takes!
Are you ready to take the challenge? Get organised? I dare you to start with the green furry monsters.
Did you find a half full can of sweetened condensed milk that's still okay back there? Here's a winner for the sweet tooth's from my mum's archives. Mmmh, citrus! That's what I call a clean taste!

ICED LEMON COCONUT SQUARES

1/2 cup condensed milk
1 tsp. grated lemon rind
1 packet plain sweet biscuits (such as Marie or Arrowroot biscuits)
125g butter
1 cup coconut
extra coconut to decorate

Place the condensed milk and butter in a small saucepan, and stir over a gentle heat until the butter melts. Stir to combine.
Crush biscuits to resemble fine breadcrumbs. Add lemon rind and coconut to the crumbs and mix well. Add the warm butter mixture and mix until well combined. Press into a greased and lined 11"8" lamington tin with a fork.
Refrigerate for one hour. Ice with lemon icing and sprinkle with coconut if desired. Refrigerate and cut into squares when the icing has set.

NOTES: to make the lemon icing, combine 2-3 cups of pure icing sugar with lemon juice and stir to combine, adding more lemon juice until you reach the desired consistency.

Lime Sour Cream Cakes

 When ever I go to buy sour cream I am hit with frustration. Its almost impossible to find sour cream that isn't "light". You know how I love my fat.
I'm all for people trying to lose weight if they need to, but "light" products have always given me the irrits. For one, it generally tastes awful in comparison to full-cream (try eating light yogurt and you'll know what I mean) and for another, lots of people use it as an excuse. Which really annoys me.
When I worked in cafes, it was an every day thing for a hugely over weight person to walk in and order a double sized milkshake on "skinny milk" with extra icecream, extra "light" cream, and all the toppings imaginable.
Someone's trying to lose weight. Oh yes! I'm having it all skinny!
Besides the fact I find this a huge joke, its incredibly annoying when someone orders one of those "1/4 strength skinny decaff lattes on soy with no foam and 1/2 a sugar."
I admit it doesn't have much to do with my "skinny" rant, but why bother? Its not even coffee!!
Alright, I'll forgive you if you use light sour cream in this recipe. It probably wont make any difference to the taste at all. Enjoy these babies, they're light, moist and deliciously citrus all at once, you may not be able to stop after one. If this is the case, make sure you eat it along side one of those double sized milkshake on "skinny milk" with extra icecream, extra "light" cream, and all the toppings imaginable--just to avoid putting on the extra weight. You know you want to!

LIME SOUR CREAM CAKES (adapted from http://www.taste.com.au/ )

70g butter, softened
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 egg
125 g (1/2 cup) sour cream
1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 cup self raising flour
1 tbsp finely grated lime rind
2 tbsp lime juice
1 cup icing sugar
1-2 tbsp extra lime juice

Preheat oven to 160°C.
Beat the butter and sugar together until pale and creamy. Add the egg and beat until well combined. Add the sour cream and combined flours and stir to combine. Add the lemon rind and juice and stir to combine. Spoon the mixture evenly among the prepared pans and smooth the surface. Place pans on an oven tray and bake for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through. Remove tray from oven and transfer cakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
Combine enough icing sugar and lime juice to create a thin icing. Drizzle over the cupcakes and leave to dry. Serve.

Baked Lemon Cheesecake

I know that citrus is usually associated with Summer, and maybe that's why it's become a sudden obsession with me--clinging to the remains of  what is quickly turning into brisk mornings and chilly nights. Don't get me wrong, I love winter, but generally winter desserts are heavier, and a light dessert tickles my fancy a little more. What am I talking about? I just made my first cheesecake (not particularly light) but it just seems to be a Summer dessert.
Baked cheesecakes always win the vote in the family. I tend to think the texture is more interesting than a chilled cheesecake and in my opinion, tastier too. You know me--I think any good food has to have two of three things to be successful:

Great Appearance
Great Texture
Great Taste

I believe any dish or dessert or edible can get away with only two of these three, and be a winner. Avocado for instance, looks divine and has a wonderful buttery, smooth texture, but doesn't really have much of a taste. All the better if something looks amazing, tastes amazing and has great texture. Like a baked cheesecake.
So I took the plunge and made my first ever cheesecake, a baked lemon delight in a fluted pie dish. It was super rich, with the ultimate creamy texture, the perfect amount of citrus to make it zingy without being overpowering and the appearance wasn't too bad either...though next time I will decorate it a little to jazz it up. Blueberries in the centre with some zest tendrils would have looked divine, with a sprig of mint to top it off.
I have one more thing to add. I found this recipe on Taste.com.au, a great source of recipes. Below the recipe was a comment from a woman who had baked this cheesecake every week for six months, for her husband. Every week she asks him, if it was time for a change of dessert...the husband looks back at her in sheer protestation! WHAT IS SHE THINKING!!! I think this little tale goes to show that you should definitely give this recipe a go, its sure to become a favourite! (I refuse to make it every week for my husband though--we may need a crane after six months for the both of us!)

BAKED LEMON CHEESECAKE

250g plain sweet biscuits (I used Buttersnaps)
150g butter, melted
500g cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup caster sugar
1 tbsp. lemon zest, finely grated
3 eggs
1/4 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
Icing sugar and cream to serve

Preheat oven to 160C/140C for fanforced.
Grease a 6cm deep, 20cm round springform pan or dish. Process the biscuits until they resemble very fine crumbs. Add the melted butter and combine well. Press this mixture over the base and up the sides of the prepared tin. Place in the fridge to set. for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, beat cream cheese, sugar and zest together until smooth. Add the eggs one by one, beating well after each addition. Add the lemon juice and beat for one minute. Smooth the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 50 minutes or until the mixture has just set. The centre may still be wobbly but will firm on standing. Turn the oven off and keep the door ajar until cooled. Refrigerate cheesecake for 4 hours or more, dust with icing sugar and serve with cream, if desired.

Serves 12

NOTES: a tip for cutting baked cheesecakes: wet the knife under hot water before plunging into the cake to avoid a messy cut.

If He Doesnt Cook, Train Him

Too often have I heard women talking about how much they hate cooking. Imagine having to cook everyday without fail for 30 years of your life. Often when you have to do something without much choice, often part of the joy is taken out of it. It becomes a tedious, boring task.Then you fall into a cooking rut and find it difficult to feel any joy in providing the food three times a day (or more if you have toddlers-they ask for foo every 20 minutes).

I think if at all possible, a woman should find a life partner who can cook. What man isn't interested in food? I can't name even one. They make some of the finest cooks. If they're only interested in the eating and not the creating, it's time to get them into the kitchen! What if they don't want to be involved? You could urge them in the right direction by getting their input with things like meal planning for the week. Buy a few foodie magazines and get them drooling. They might just be inspired to get cooking.And if not, get them to light up the BBQ every so often, I'm pretty sure most men think it's their duty to cook the meat on the BBQ.

I think I get so much pleasure out of being in the kitchen because I don't have to be, I want to be. My husband has an interest in food and is happy to make the dinner if I am too tired or just don't feel like it. He recently created an amazing curry which I will put up on the blog soon. In the meantime, here's another creation of his to get you all through this warm summer. Happy New Year!

CITRUS MULE

350ml Gingerbeer mixer 

2L lemonade

1/5 cup lemon juice

250lm coconut liqueur

150lm white rum

Combine all ingredients together in a large jug. Serve chilled with lemon wedges.

NOTES: Gingerbeer Mixer can be found in your local Coles or Woolworth stores. It is a cordial/syrup made by Buderim Ginger. Alternately, use Gingerbeer and less lemonade.