Few takeout dishes evoke pure comfort quite like a platter of glossy, vibrant Chinese lemon chicken, but recreating that perfect restaurant texture at home can feel like a game of culinary guesswork.
Traditionally deep-fried to achieve its signature crunch, this beloved Cantonese-fusion classic often loses its magic when adapted for a standard home oven—resulting in dry meat or a soggy coating. The secret to bridging the gap between a messy commercial deep fryer and a stress-free weeknight dinner lies in a brilliant bit of kitchen science: velveting with baking soda.
By combining this simple restaurant tenderizing technique with a crisp cornstarch crust and a brilliant, naturally sweetened fresh honey-lemon glaze, you can skip the heavy oils entirely. The result is an effortlessly baked, incredibly juicy dish that honors classic sweet-and-sour flavor profiles while proving that you don’t need a deep fryer to achieve absolute takeout perfection right in your own kitchen.
For many, lemon chicken is an introduction to Cantonese-fusion cuisine. It is a staple of takeout culture, making it deeply familiar, comforting, and nostalgic. Because the flavor profile relies on recognizable ingredients like citrus and honey rather than intense heat or unfamiliar spices, it remains incredibly approachable for all ages and a guaranteed crowd-pleaser on any dinner table.
Print Recipe
Chinese Style Baked Lemon Chicken
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
|
|
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
|
Instructions
Chicken
Slice chicken thighs into bite-sized, even pieces (about 1-inch chunks).
In a medium bowl, toss the chicken with the ¼ tsp baking soda, a generous pinch of salt & pepper. Let it sit for 10–15 minutes. This technique tenderizes the meat, so it stays juicy while baking.
Shake cornstarch over the seasoned chicken. Toss thoroughly until every piece is evenly coated in a dry, dusty layer.
Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or place a wire rack inside a baking sheet & grease it lightly with cooking spray.
Spread the coated chicken out in a single layer on the tray, making sure the pieces do not touch. Spacing them out ensures they bake up crispy instead of steaming.
Bake for 20–25 minutes, flipping the pieces halfway through, until they are golden brown & fully cooked through.
Lemon Sauce
While the chicken bakes, whisk together lemon juice, soy sauce, chicken stock, honey, garlic & ground ginger in a small bowl until the honey dissolves. In a separate tiny bowl or cup, mix the 1 Tbsp cornstarch with 1 Tbsp of cold water until smooth. Set this aside.
Pour the liquid base into a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Bring it to a gentle simmer. Give the cornstarch slurry a quick stir & pour it into the simmering sauce. Stir constantly for 1–2 minutes until the sauce bubbles, clears up & thickens into a glossy glaze. Turn the heat down to low.
Toss/Serve
As soon as the chicken comes out of the oven, transfer the hot, crispy pieces directly into the skillet with the warm lemon sauce. Toss quickly so every piece of chicken is totally glazed. Remove from the heat & place onto a serving platter. Sprinkle the sliced green onions & toasted sesame seeds (if using) over the top. Serve immediately over warm rice.
Plum cake, a beloved dessert in Germany that spans the gap between summer and autumn. German plum cake, also known as ‘Zwetschgenkuchen’ is a culinary highlight in late summer and autumn in Germany. It is no secret that Germans love both seasonal fruit and streusel and when plum season is on, you will find all kinds of German plum recipes from plum dumplings to plum butter, and especially this cake.
Variations of the German specialty exist where some versions are made with a shortbread pastry verses a yeast dough, some have streusel – some do not – some are round, others are rectangular. One thing for sure is that they all use the plump, sweet, juicy European plums also known as Italian Prune Plums or Empress Plums. This variety is ideal for cooking not only because of their texture but also because their flavor becomes more complex through cooking.
When I was growing up and my mother used Italian Prune Plums in her canning or baking, I just thought it was because they were available at the time. I had no idea that they played such a special part in German baking until I was older.
This particular ‘elevated’ German zwetschgenkuchen features juicy plums baked over a creamy cheesecake layer and spiced cake base, topped with a crunchy pepita streusel. Yum!
Print Recipe
German Cheesecake-Swirl Plum Cake
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
|
|
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
|
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray with cooking spray or lightly butter a 9-inch springform pan. Set aside. Cut plums into quarters & set aside.
Cheesecake
In a separate medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, egg, vanilla extract & cornstarch together until completely smooth & free of lumps. Set aside in refrigerator.
Streusel
In the bowl, using a mixer, combine the flour, chopped pepitas, sugar & cinnamon. Add the soft butter & beat until everything is combined & the crumbs have a coarse, distinctly textured crumble (about 30 seconds to 1 minute). Set aside.
Spiced Cake Batter
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, ground cardamom & black pepper. Add sugar, vanilla, lemon zest, butter & eggs. Beat at a low speed with a mixer until combined, then increase speed to medium-high & beat until smooth, about 1-2 minutes.
Assembly/Baking
Spread spiced cake batter evenly into the bottom of prepared pan. Top with cheesecake batter, spreading evenly over the cake batter leaving a narrow 1/2-inch border around the outside edge. Gently drag a butter knife through both layers in a fiqure-8 pattern to create a subtle marble effect.
Gently place plum slices in a concentric pattern directly on top of the cheesecake layer. Push them skin side down so the juices pool in the plum skins.
Using your fingers, sprinkle the pepita streusel evenly on top of the plums.
Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until the top of the cake is lightly golden & the center no longer jiggles. Test with a skewer in the center for doneness.
Let the cake sit in the pan for about 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the pan and remove the outer ring of the springform. Let cool to room temperature before serving so the cheesecake layer can fully set.
-
Recipe Notes
• If you prefer, swap the pepita seeds for 1/4 cup of old-fashioned rolled oats to create a crisp, textured crumble.
• If using pepita seeds, toast seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes until they are fragrant & lightly golden before chopping them. Let them cool completely before mixing them into the streusel so they do not melt other ingredients.
It’s autumn and that means it’s grape season. Grapes come in a variety of colors and types such as seedless or with seeds, table grapes or wine grapes. One thing I’ve noticed on the internet is that there are unlimited recipes for everything imaginable using grapes except cookie recipes.
Red grape and gouda cheese cookies are a gourmet twist on traditional baking that transforms classic charcuterie elements into portable, sweet and savory pastry.
I have been doing a bit of recipe development to come up with a cookie recipe that used grapes without ending up with a soggy mess due to the water content of grapes. The approach I took was to first make a thick jelly from the grapes for the filling keeping it slightly tart. To give the cookie some texture, I used oatmeal and pepita seeds in the dough. By forming it into the classic ‘thumbprint’ shape gives you a nice depression for the jelly, gouda and fresh grapes. The experiment worked out quite well giving a very unique seasonal cookie.
Grape based baking such as crisp, tarts, cake, galette or pie strictly aligns with the fall grape harvest but since grapes are available all year long its nice to have lots of choices to make use of them, right?!
Print Recipe
Grape & Gouda Cookies
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
|
|
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
|
Instructions
Grape Jelly Filling
Wash & halve the grapes. In a small saucepan, combine all filling ingredients. Stir everything together & bring it to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Allow mixture to simmer for about 5-7 minutes until grapes soften & mixture thickens. When cooked, pour through a fine mesh strainer to extract the grape skins. Set aside until ready to use.
Cookie Dough
In a bowl, combine flour, oatmeal, baking soda, salt & pepita seeds. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream the butter & sugars until light & fluffy. This should take about 3 minutes.
Beat in eggs & vanilla until fully combined. Gradually add dry mixture to wet ingredients, mixing until JUST combined. Place dough in refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
Assembly/Baking
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. If you prefer a bit of a fancier look for the cookies, use large paper muffin cups and just set them directly on the baking sheet.
Halve the 42 grapes needed for topping the cookies. Cut gouda cheese into 1/2-inch cubes.
Using a cookie scoop, scoop dough either directly on the parchment paper or into the paper cups. In the center of each cookie make a fairly deep depression. Place grape jelly filling in the depression (don’t be afraid to use a generous amount of grape jelly in each cookie. Since the ‘jelly’ is very thick it adds flavor but doesn’t run out during baking). Top it with a cube of gouda cheese. Next place 3 grape halves over the cheese.
Bake cookies for about 12-15 minutes or until the edges are slightly browned. Remove the cookies from the oven & allow to cook on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. Remove paper cups (if using) to show the fluted edge.
Recipe Notes
• Cookies containing grapes soften after a few days due to moisture migration. Water inside the fruit slowly moves out into the drier cookie dough. Sugar in the cookies then traps this extra water, making the whole cookie soft and moist. Make sure to store cookies in the refrigerator & it is best to use them within a couple of days due to the softening of the cookie.
How about upside down cake turned into cookie form? What makes these peach upside-down cookies special is that they capture the essence of a summer peach. Soft & chewy with a bottom layer of soft peaches coated in brown sugar and topped with a dusting of powdered sugar.
The concept of upside-down ‘cakes’ dates back to the Middle Ages, when Europeans made some cakes by topping batter with fruit — usually apples or dried fruit — and cooking it over a fire (or baking it), then flipping it over for serving.
In 1925 the Hawaiian Pineapple Company sponsored a contest calling for (canned) pineapple recipes. They received a flood of 60,000 submissions of which an alleged 2,500 were for pineapple upside-down cake. No surprise then that the winning entry was—yes, a pineapple upside-down cake! The company built a major advertising campaign around the winning recipe and by the mid-1930s pineapple upside-down cake was probably the most popular home-baked cake in North America.
These ingenious inverted cakes were no doubt the precursor to the upside-down cookie idea. The ‘classic’ upside down cake is often thought to be made with pineapple. I think these cookies are a great way of enjoying whichever fruits are plentiful, fresh and in season.
Print Recipe
Peach Upside-Down Cookies
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
|
|
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
|
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line muffin tin with foil-lined muffin paper cups.
In each muffin cup, place 1/2 tsp brown sugar & 1 full slice of peach.
Cream butter & remaining sugars until fluffy. Add egg & vanilla. Mix well. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cornstarch & cinnamon. Gradually add to wet ingredients.
Divide dough into 12-14 portions & roll each into a ball. Place a cookie dough ball on top of each peach slice in the muffin cups..
Bake for 12–15 minutes. Cool 5 mins, then gently flip cookies out & remove paper cups. Serve peach side up warm, chilled or at room temperature. Store in airtight container.
BIRTHDAY WISHES!
The small pleasures of life are found in the little things. In people who make us smile, in the people who understand us even without words.
The little pleasures in life lie in the things we almost always take for granted, just assuming they will always be there. As we grow older, it has become very clear to me there are so many ‘little’ things to appreciate and be grateful for daily and what a special privilege it is to simply have each other to share life with. The little everyday things seem to take on much greater importance. Maybe it’s the state of our world at this time that has made it very clear not to take anything for granted. Throughout our married life Brion has always gone above and beyond to look after us. I am grateful to have the privilege of such a loving and caring husband.
I find this quote from Steven Aitchison so fitting, ‘If I could give you one special ability in life it would be the gift of seeing yourself through the eyes of someone who loves you …. then you would realize just how amazing you truly are’.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRION, WITH LOVE!
Print Recipe
Raspberry Custard Cinnamon Rolls
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Drizzle, optional
Raspberry Glaze, optional
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Drizzle, optional
Raspberry Glaze, optional
|
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
|
Instructions
Dough
Whisk the warm milk, 2 Tbsp sugar & yeast together in a bowl. Allow mixture to sit for about 5 minutes or until foamy on top.
With a handheld mixer, beat in the remaining 3 Tbsp sugar & softened butter until it is slightly broken up. Add eggs, vanilla & salt. Beat at a medium speed until combined. The butter won’t really be mixing into the mixture, so don’t be concerned if it stays in pieces.
Using the mixer, add 1 cup of flour making sure it’s fully incorporated, then using a fork add the remaining 3 cups, mixing the dough by hand. It should only take about 3 minutes until the dough comes together & pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Dough will be soft.
Knead on a lightly floured surface for 5 full minutes. If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add more flour than you need because you do not want a dry dough. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise.
Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or use nonstick spray. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap & a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise in a relatively warm place for 2 hours or until double in size.
Butter the bottom & sides of a 9×13-inch baking dish.
Punch down the dough to release the air. Place dough on a lightly floured work surface & using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough into a 12×18-inch rectangle. Make sure the dough is smooth & evenly thick.
Filling
In a medium bowl, toss the frozen raspberries with sugar & cornstarch. Spread the cold sugared raspberries evenly over the dough. Tightly roll up the dough to form an 18-inch long log. With an extra sharp knife or an unscented piece of floss, cut into 18 even rolls. Arrange in a buttered 9 x 13” glass baking pan.
Cover the rolls with a buttered piece of plastic wrap & a tea towel. Allow to rise until puffy, about 20 minutes. The berries will release their juice at the bottom of the pan—this is OK.
Custard
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the eggs until the yolks & whites are fully combined. Add the whole milk, heavy cream, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon & salt. Whisk until the brown sugar is dissolved & the mixture looks smooth & evenly speckled with cinnamon.
Slowly pour the custard over the rolls in the glass baking dish, making sure to cover all the pieces so they soak up the custard. Gently press down any pieces that sit too high, so everything is lightly moistened.
-
Let the dish rest on the counter for 30 minutes to allow the rolls to start absorbing the sweet mixture. This short soak helps the casserole bake up custardy rather than dry.
Place the dish on the center rack of the preheated oven & bake for 30–40 minutes, or until the top is puffed & golden brown & the custard is set in the center. A knife inserted in the middle should come out mostly clean, with no liquid custard clinging to it.
Remove the casserole from the oven & let it cool for about 10 minutes. If using, top rolls with cream cheese drizzle followed by the raspberry glaze.
Cream Cheese Drizzle
In a small blender, place all ingredients & blend until smooth & of drizzle consistency.
Raspberry Glaze
Place all glaze ingredients in a small saucepan. Cook while stirring until mixture is clear & bubbling. Remove from heat
Store any leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days & reheat gently in a low oven or microwave before serving.
-
Recipe Notes
• If you prefer a custard with a slightly lighter texture, replace the heavy cream with additional whole milk & reduce the brown sugar to ¼ cup.
• Cream cheese drizzle & raspberry glaze are purely optional. Since none of the components of the rolls are not overly sweet, adding the extra toppings still works if you choose to use them.
Cherries are one of the quintessential fruits of summer. Sour cherries have a unique tartness, giving them an added dimension of cherry flavor wherever you use them. And, unlike their sweet counterparts, they come in a variety of different shades. Sour cherries hold their authentic cherry flavor throughout a high heat cooking process, making them the ideal choice for baked goods or jams.
Pies, crumbles and crisps are the perfect canvas for fresh sour cherries—the buttery pastry and/or oat topping helps cut the fruit’s pungent acidity.
Sour cherries have less sugar than sweet cherries and that’s a good thing because their high acidity brings a bright, vivid flavor while their sugars will concentrate as you cook them. Once cooked, they’ll taste sweeter. When you bake with sweet cherries, the sugar is so high without acidity to balance it out, so the flavor is one-note, and sometimes too sweet.
The bright, vivid flavor of sour cherries complements many other flavors, including vanilla, chocolate, and cinnamon.
This sour cherry crisp is an easy way to let this fleeting seasonal ingredient shine.
Print Recipe
Sour Cherry Crisp
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
|
|
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
|
Instructions
Filling
-
In a saucepan, combine the cherries, sugar, juice & cornstarch. Make sure the cornstarch is well dispersed. Place saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally until bubbly & thickened. Pour the cherry filling into a greased 8 X 8-inch baking dish.
Topping
In a bowl, combine oats, flour & brown sugar. Using a fork, mix in the softened butter until crumbly.
Assembly
Sprinkle the oat topping over the cherries & bake 30 minutes or until topping is a golden color.
Serve at room temperature with whipped topping or vanilla ice cream if you wish.
I had no idea when I completed my studies in the commercial food industry that there would be some food items, I would make so many times. One such item was an omelet.
In the early years of my career, my first position was a short order chef. It all sounded pretty easy until it came to the weekends. On Sunday morning alone, you could use anywhere from 90-120 DOZEN eggs. A large percentage of them were made into omelets with various fillings. All this would be made and served in the course of 4-5 hours as individual breakfasts in the hotel restaurant. That job definitely taught you the perseverance you would need to survive in the industry.
Omelets have a long history dating back to 16th century France. Most are made with just simple egg and dairy ingredients. The fluffiest omelets use whole eggs or all egg whites, which are beaten with a small measure of cream, milk or water. I even recall adding just a tiny bit of pancake batter to give them more body.
Legend has it that when Napoleon and his army were travelling through the south of France, they spent one night near Bessieres. Napoleon ate an omelet prepared by a local cook and enjoyed it so much that he ordered the townspeople to gather all the eggs in the village and prepare a gigantic omelet for his army the next day. Since 1973, every year on the Monday following Easter, people in Bessieres, France make a giant omelet, using 15,000 fresh eggs.
I have added some pictures of this huge omelet as well as one of a cook dumping eggshells in a pile.
The recipe I am including has everything it takes to make a great flavored omelet.
Print Recipe
Omelet w/ Veggies, Bacon & Cheddar
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
|
|
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
|
Instructions
On a large griddle, place frozen hashbrowns & spray with cooking spray. Cover with a lid & cook until golden then flip over & fry a little longer. Remove from griddle & set aside.
Place bacon on griddle & cook until crispy. Set on paper towels to drain the grease then chop into crumbles. Set aside.
Place the onions & mushrooms on the griddle in the bacon drippings & cook on medium-high for 10 minutes or until the mushrooms are golden brown & the onion is tender. Remove from pan & set aside.
Using an 8-inch baking dish turned upside down, form 2 'foil pans' with aluminum paper. Spray the inside of each one with cooking spray.
In a bowl, whisk eggs, cornstarch & milk until well blended; season with sea salt & pepper, to taste. Set 'foil pans' on the medium-high heated griddle. Divide the egg mixture into each of the 'foil pans', swirling so the pan is evenly coated with the egg.
Once the egg is starting to set, sprinkle a small amount of cheese on top of each egg mixture then divide the hashbrowns & refried beans & spoon over each omelet. Next, top each omelet with half of the onion/mushroom mixture & a sprinkle of green onions & a bit more cheese.
'Cover' The griddle with a large baking sheet to help 'steam' the omelets. This will only take a few minutes. Remove each 'foil pan' & place the omelets on serving plates. Roll into customary omelet shape if preferred.
Top each with remaining cheese & green onion if preferred. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
- Omelet is the standard spelling in American English. The British spelling, omelette, is actually the modern French spelling.
Crunchy and soft, tasty and light: sweets with rice krispies are easy and quick to make. Rice krispie cereal is an extremely versatile ingredient but it’s in snack and dessert recipes that its taste and texture is most successfully enhanced. There is something about those original crispy, buttery bars that is almost irresistible – especially when they’re freshly made and still slightly warm – and I can see the appeal of trying to translate it into other dishes. That is exactly what I tried to do when I came up with this Rice Krispie & Ricotta Strawberry Tart. The base includes mini marshmallows and rice krispie cereal for a cereal treat-like flavor.
Whether you spell it as rice krispie treats, rice krispy treats, or rice crispy treats, one thing is for sure, whatever you chose to create with them, it will be good.
This dessert is a real winner when it comes to something special that’s easy to prepare, tastes great and has eye appeal all in one.
Print Recipe
Rice Krispie & Ricotta Strawberry Tart
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
|
|
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
|
Instructions
Glaze
Place the crushed strawberries, sugar & gel coloring (if using) in a small saucepan. Dissolve the cornstarch in the cold water & stir in as well. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Once boiling, cook 3 minutes more, stirring, then remove to a glass measuring cup to cool completely.
Base
Generously spray a 9-inch pie or springform pan with non-stick cooking spray.
In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter, marshmallows, vanilla extract & salt, stirring frequently until completely smooth. Remove the saucepan from the heat & gently fold in the crispy rice cereal until the pieces are evenly coated.
Let the mixture cool for 2–3 minutes so it's safe to handle. Lightly butter your hands or a rubber spatula & press the mixture firmly but GENTLY into the bottom of the springform pan. DO NOT OVER-COMPACT THE CRUST, or it will become too hard to slice later.
Place the crust in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to fully set.
Filling
In a food processor, pulse ricotta to become more of a creamy texture, add powdered sugar. Add vanilla extract & blend well. Set aside.
Fruit
Hull then wash & dry strawberries. Slice about 1/8" thick. Add strawberries to cooled glaze & gently stir with a rubber spatula to completely coat berries.
Assembly
Evenly top crispy rice base with ricotta filling the carefully spoon glazed strawberries over all. Garnish with a few fresh strawberry leaves. Slice & serve.
The original Peachy Chicken recipe has been printed on the back of the Heinz Malt Vinegar bottle for many years. Peaches paired with chicken just go together extremely well. The chicken cooked in peach sauce just melts in your mouth and the sauce itself has a sweet & sour flavor that is just amazing.
Malt vinegar transforms simple baked chicken into something incredibly special! Made from malted grains of barley, malt vinegar has a tart flavor and can help to enhance the flavors of other foods it is paired with. It is best known for topping fish and chips.
Malt vinegar is produced from the same grains that are used for making beer, and so it has a similar lemony, nutty, and caramel flavor profile as malted ale. It can range in color from light to dark brown while some distilled varieties are clear.
Usually found in condiment or bakery aisles at the grocery store, it’s become a culinary mainstay in British and Canadian cuisines.
Print Recipe
Peachy Chicken
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
|
|
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
|
Instructions
In a large skillet, brown the chicken thighs, onion & garlic in the oil.
Combine the reserved peach juice, orange juice concentrate, vinegar, brown sugar, red pepper flakes (if using), basil, salt, cloves, cinnamon & pepper. Pour over browned chicken mixture. Cover & simmer 25-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
Add peaches; heat. Combine cornstarch & water; stir into sauce. Heat, stirring, until sauce is thickened.
Serve chicken & sauce over rice.
Recipe Notes
• If malt vinegar is not available, try using apple cider vinegar as a substitute.
