Cooking wines are something that I don’t use too often because I’ve often assumed that they were more on the expensive side but recently, I was introduced to Holland House cooking wines.  Have you guys used them before?  Some of the most obvious cooking wine include sherry but the one that stood out to me the most out of the Holland House collection of cooking wines was the White Wine with Lemon Flavor.  <–LEMON!  We are big lemon users around here from lemon pepper to fresh lemons so when I saw that, I knew I had to incorporate into something and that something was a sauce for chicken!

I’ve made a couple of sauces using heavy cream before so I figured I’d try it with this cooking wine.  WOW oh WOW oh WOW!  Right off, I could smell the lemon in the wine while it was boiling.  That told me that I’d easily be able to taste the flavor in my sauce so it just boosted my confidence even more!  The sauce was AMAZING.  The flavor just blew me away and I have to say, while we enjoyed it in a casual setting, I am totally gonna make this when entertaining for guests.  Holy cow it was good and SOOOO easy to make!

Now I tried to measure accurately. If you don’t already know, I am terrible at measuring because I just pour or use my hands but I knew I had to get close so that you guys could make it.

INGREDIENTS

(for sauce)

• 1/2 cup or so of the Holland House White Wine with Lemon
• 5/8 cup of Heavy Cream (about 10 tablespoons)
• 1/2 cup of butter
• Salt and pepper (easy on the salt)

You’ll also need 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts and some parsley for garnish.

DIRECTIONS

Cook your chicken breasts with a dab of olive oil, in a skillet, with salt and pepper until done.  While that is cooking, start your sauce. It doesn’t take long to make at all so wait as long as you can before making it.  In a small saucepan, boil your white wine with lemon until it’s reduced just a bit.  Pour in your heavy cream and stir until mixed well and thick.  Slowly add butter in, about a tablespoon at a time, until melted.  Season with Salt and Pepper your done!!

You can either place chicken into a nice casserole pan and pour sauce all over it, or serve chicken as individual pieces and let them pour the sauce on their own.  Either way works just fine.

This is by far one of the most flavorful sauces I’ve made and the whole recipe is one of the easiest ones around ever!  I served with green beans and we had a fantastic lunch!

So have you seen this particular wine before, with the Lemon flavor? I have several other Holland House cooking wines so I’ll have to get creative and see what I can come up with!! Because I’m new to cooking wines, I decided to sign up for the Holland House newsletter.  If the other wines provide this much flavor when cooking, I NEED MORE RECIPES!!

Disclosure: Holland House sent me the cooking wines to try in some of my recipes and supplies compensation for my time and efforts to create this recipe and post.  Opinions are my own, always have been, always will be and this opinion says ” finger lickin’ good “!

It can be said that a mom rules over her home like a queen over her kingdom. This Mother’s Day, give mom the royal treatment with walnuts, (yeah, I said walnuts!) the nut once deemed “Jupiter’s Royal Nut” (juglans regia) by the Romans, in a delicious meal topped with a SMART Walnut Dusted Baked Apples & Pears dessert. As part of the SMART Menus Program, Walnut Dusted Baked Apples & Pears is a tasty treat that will show mom you care about her and her health!

Walnuts, once thought to be the nut of an ancient Roman god, are the perfect ingredient to show how much you care – jam-packed with great flavor and nutrients. The Walnuts Dusted Baked Apples & Pears recipe is simple, fun to make and, if sprinkled with some walnuts and a little love, can be the crowning dish this Mother’s day.

Before spring fruit arrives in the market we rely on apples and pears for great fresh flavor. The honey and vanilla combines with the lemon juice to create a delicious sauce. Use all apples or all pears if necessary… it’s more important to choose ripe fruit and cook until tender rather than relying on cooking time alone.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 pounds ripe apples; peeled, cored and quartered
• 1 1/2 pounds ripe pears; peeled, cored and quartered
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350′. Lightly butter a 9-inch (8-cup capacity) oval gratin baking dish. Add the apples, pears, cranberries, lemon juice, honey, and vanilla; mix well. Bake until the fruit is tender, can be 30 minutes or up to one hour. Sprinkle with walnuts and serve hot or at room temperature.

Serves 6

This recipe was created on behalf of the Smart Menu campaign, which aims to change the way America eats while providing individuals with the knowledge to make smart food choices.

Recipe Courtesy of Tina Salter

Yogurt is something that, I feel, you have to acquire a taste for.  I have always despised yogurt until recently.  Because of it’s many health benefits, I’m learning to like it.  Then, I was told, by the owner of this ranch, Amy, who is a very sweet woman I might add, about  FAGE, a Greek yogurt. She said it was delicious and that I MUST get my store to carry it.  I looked for it this weekend and could not find it sadly, so I’m going to take her word for it.

FAGE is pronounced as “fa-yeh”

I did a little reading on this particular yogurt and learned that it is diabetic &  gluten free friendly.  After reading the process and learning about the natural ingredients, that are indeed all natural, I think that this is perfect for those of you who prefer organic foods.  I think this will also be great for people eating healthier and dieting like myself.  I really wish I had some to try!

Have you tried this?? I would love to get your thoughts on the taste and even the process of how it’s made!

Enjoy this recipe from FAGE. It looks really good!  Be sure to check out their other recipes made with yogurt!

Angelic Lemon Cheesecake

Ingredients

• 3 reduced-fat digestive biscuits
• .35 oz low-fat spread
• 5 oz FAGE Total 0% Yogurt
• 1 tbsp good-quality lemon curd
• Thin slice of lemon and lemon zest to decorate

Preparation

1. Place the digestives in a plastic sandwich bag and roll a rolling pin across them, or crush with fingers until they are small, even crumbs
2. Melt the low-fat spread in a pan and add to the biscuits. Mix well until all the biscuits are lightly coated.
3. Place a small metal ring on a serving plate. Pour the biscuit mixture into the metal ring and press it down firmly with fingertips.
4. Open the yogurt and add the lemon curd and a little lemon zest. Spoon this mixture on top of the biscuit base and chill for at least an hour.
5. Remove the metal ring and add a slice of lemon rind to serve.

Chef’s tip
If you don’t have metal cooking rings, use a clean, small baked-bean can with each end removed. In-season, soft fruit, such as strawberries, can be pureed and used in place of the lemon curd.

If you are in a hurry for the cheesecake to set, it can be frozen. Just lift it out of the freezer 10-15 minutes before serving to allow it to soften slightly.

Every year my son asks for Lemon cake for his birthday and while I’m more than happy to oblige, I also wanted to make it holiday friendly.  I took a few recipes that I found and did a combo of sorts, making it my own I suppose and finally decided on a loaf recipe.  Lemon Bread.  I made this as a Christmas gift for our boss and they loved it. She was appreciative of me putting in the effort to make something and said it was so delicious that she tried to replicate it, but failed.  She of course asked me for the recipe. That made me feel good!

See,  you don’t always have to spend money on materialistic items you know, something from the heart and handmade is what counts.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3/4 cup margarine
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 1/4 cups plus 2 Tablespoons flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 soda
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• Grated rind of one lemon

Glaze Ingredients

• Juice of one lemon
• 1/2 cup sugar

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350′ for metal pan, 325 for glass.  Blend margarine and sugar and beat in eggs.  Sift dry ingredients together and add to batter alternating with buttermilk.  Mix well.  Stir in grated lemon rind.  Pour into 9″ x 5″ loaf pan that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  Bake at for 1 hour for metal pan and 1 hour 15min for glass pan.

While bread bakes, combine glaze ingredients, stirring lemon juice until sugar dissolves.  When baked, remove bread from pan and pierce top with toothpick or cake tester all over.  Spoon glaze over.  Allow to cool before slicing!  This freezes well folks.

TIP: If you don’t have buttermilk, add a little vinegar to regular milk and let sit for a few minutes.