Lay out your tortillas.  Place a couple of lettuce leaves on each. Divide the chicken salad between each tortilla.  Fold up from the bottom and then from the sides to shape cones.  Fasten securely with toothpicks and serve immediately!

 

My very British Husband is quite fond of telling me that eating peanut butter and jam together is completely insane.  That didn't stop him from scarfing down three of these as soon as I had them finished though!  (Me thinks he is a bit of a porkie pie teller and that he secretly LOVES the combination as much as I do!)



Could it be that I have finally indoctrinated him to my wild and wooly North American ways????  Could it be that his veins are beginning to run a tiny bit  with peanut butter and jam???  I like to think so at any rate!  This is a combination I love soooo much!  It's that sweet and salty thing!

 

Today I decided to indulge it by making little peanut butter cookie cups.  I was going to make them snickers cups . . . but then I got sidelined by the Thames Jubilee Pageant and so I just filled them with jam before baking and then topped them with a quick buttercream icing.  I wanted to sit and watch all the fun!
(Oh my but it was fabulous!  I've never seen anything like it.  Everyone was turned out beautifully.  I thought Kate was just gorgeous, as always, and the Queen looked positively radiant!)

 

This is the type of thing I would positively make for Her Royal Majesty, did she ever chance to drop in for tea.  I would want to bake her something to with her cuppa that was ludicrously North American and what can be any more North American than Peanut Butter and Jam!!  (I don't think she'd enjoy porqupine . . . not really.)

 

Crisp peanut butter cookie cups . . . baked with a sweet dab of jam in the middle . . . then topped with a peanut butter flavoured butter cream frosting.  Oh so scrummishly moreishly decadently good!!  Bet YOU couldn't eat just one either!

 

*Peanut Butter and Jam Cookie Cups*
Makes about 36
Printable Recipe

Tasty little peanut butter cookie cups, filled with jam and baked until crispy and then topped with a peanutbutter flavoured buttercream icing when cool.  M-O-R-E-I-S-H!!

For the cookie cups:
280g of flour (2 cups)
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp salt
172g of unsalted butter at room temperature (3/4 cup)
135g of creamy peanut butter (3/4 cup)
96g of caster sugar (1/2 cup)
100g of soft light brown sugar (1/2 cup packed)
1 large free range eggs
1 tsp vanilla
seedless raspberry jam

For the frosting:
6 TBS unsalted butter at room temperature
100g of icing sugar (3/4 cup) sifted
135g of creamy peanut butter (3/4 cup)
3 TBS heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.  Have ready several mini juffin tins.  Spray with some nonstick cooking spray.  Set aside.

Cream together the butter and peanut butter until thorougly combined.  Beat in the egg and vanilla.  Whisk together the flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda.  Stir this in to make a soft dough.  Shape the dough into 1 1/2 inch balls.  Place one in each muffin cup.  Press in with the bottom of a rolling pin, or a pastry damper to make a shell.  Fill the centres with about 1/2 tsp of jam.  Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.  They should be lightly golden brown around the edges.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes, then remove and set on a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

To make the frosting, combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and beat with an electric whisk until light and fluffy.  Spoon or pipe a little dab of this frosting into the centre of each cookie cup to cover the jam.  Allow to set completely.

Alternately the cookie dough can be rolled into walnut sized balls and pressed flat with a fork on a lightly buttered baking tray.   You can then bake them for about 10 to 12 minutes.  Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.  Put together with a layer of jam and a layer of the peanut butter flavoured buttercream!

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.  If you can eat just one, you're a better woman than I am!!

 

 In any case if you didn't want to go to the trouble of making these as cookie cups, you could just bake them as regular peanut butter cookies and then sandwich them together with some of the frosting and some jam!

 

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*C. Lightly grease and flour a deep 9 inch cake tin and set aside.
Beat together the oil, 1 cup of sugar, salt and molasses with an electric mixer. Beat in the egg, mixing it in well.

Sift together the flour, spices, and baking soda. Remove 2 TBS of the mixture and dredge the berries in this.

Add the remaining flour to the beaten mixture, alternately with the buttermilk, beating well after each addition. Fold in the blueberries and remaining flour.

Spread in the prepared pan. Smooth the top and sprinkle the Demerara sugar evenly over top.
Bake for approximately 50 to 60 minutes, or until well risen and the top springs back when gently touched with your fingertips. a toothpick inserted in the centre should come out fairly clean.

Set on a rack to cool. Cut into wedges to serve, either warm with butter of with some whipped cream on top. OR…you can do like I do, and split the slices in half and dollop some lovely lemon curd in the middle and then put them back together.

*Raspberry Lemon Bars*
Makes 15 squares
Printable Recipe

These delicious squares combine a buttery shortbread crust and a tangy lemon curd topping, all sandwiched together with sweet and fruity strawberry jam. A batch of these baked in mid-winter is a sweet and satisfying reminder of warm summer days.

2 cups plus 3 TBS plain flour
1/3 cup icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
¼ tsp salt
8 ounces chilled butter, cut into small pieces
1 ¼ cups caster sugar
½ tsp baking powder
3 large eggs
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tsp grated lemon zest (I use un-waxed lemons,
if you aren’t using these wash your lemons
well in warm soapy water)
¾ cup good quality strawberry preserves (you can also use raspberry)

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Grease and flour an 11 X 7 inch baking pan. I then line it with greaseproof paper lengthwise, leaving a one inch overhang either end so that I can lift the squares out after baking for ease in cutting into squares.

Stir together 2 cups of the flour, 1/3 cups of the icing sugar and salt. Rub in the cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press into the prepared baking pan evenly and bake for about 16 minutes until just firm.

Stir together the sugar, 3 TBS flour, and baking powder in a bowl. Stir in the eggs, lemon zest and lemon juice, mixing well.

Remove the pan from the oven and spread with the strawberry jam evenly. Pour the lemon mixture over top and return the pan to the oven. Bake for another 25 to 30 minutes until set. Remove from the oven. Let cool in the pan before removing and cutting into squares. Lightly dust with more icing sugar before serving.


 

Lemon Blueberry Drop Scones*
Makes 12 to 14
Printable Recipe

Deliciously moist, flavored with lemon and stogged full of lucious blueberries!

2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup (8 ounces) lemon yoghurt
1 large egg
1/4 cup butter melted
1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries

Glaze:
1/2 cup icing sugar, sifted
1 TBS fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest

Preheat the oven to 400*C/200*F/ Gas mark 7.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.  Set aside.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.  Beat together the yoghurt, egg and butter.  Add all at once to the dry ingredients.  Stir to moisten evenly without over mixing.  Fold in the berries.

Drop by heaped tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving 2 inches of space in between each.  Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 18 minutes, until lightly browned and well risen.  Remove from the oven.

Whisk together the glaze ingredients until smooth.  Drizzle over top of the warm scones.  Serve warm.
 

instructions:

How to cook Lemon & Oregano Pork Chops

1. To make the lemon mayonnaise, mix together all the ingredients with a fork or small whisk until well incorporated and seasoning to taste with a good grinding of black pepper. Set aside and keep cool.
2. Take a shallow plate and on it mix together the bread crumbs, lemon zest and oregano. Set it aside.
3. Squeeze the lemon juice iinto another shallow plate and set it aside.
4. Place the pork chops into a plastic bag, one at a time, and beat it with the length of your rolling pin on each side until they are half as thick as they started out. Season each one generously with some salt and pepper on each side. Working with one at a time, dip them first in the lemon juice and then into the bread crumb mixture until they are well coated.
5. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over high heat and cook the pork for about 3 minutes on each side, until the crumbs are crisp and nicely browned and the pork is just cooked through.
6. Serve each on a heated plate with some lemon mayonnaise. Boiled new potatoes and a simple steamed vegetable such as green beans or carrots go very well with these

*Chinese Lemon Chicken*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

This has always been my favourite kind of chicken.  I just love the tanginess of the lemon sauce.

2 pounds skinless chicken breasts, sliced
1 cup cornstarch (150g)
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
3 cups peanut or vegetable oil
Lemon slices (optional)
White sesame seeds (optional)
Marinade:
3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
Sauce:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2-inch piece of ginger, minced
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1/4 cup chicken stock (60ml)
1/4 cup sugar (45g)
1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup (60ml) water 

Whisk together the soy sauce and sesame oil for the marinade.  Coat the chicken with the marinade, cover and then place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least half an hour.

Combine the cornstarch and white pepper in a shallow bowl. Remove the chicken from the marinade, allowing any excess to drip off.  Roll the chicken pieces in the cornstatch mixture, shaking off any excess before frying.

Heat the three cups of oil in a large pan, until just smoking, then add the first batch of chicken pieces and deep-fry until cooked through.  This will take about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove chicken with a slotted spoon to drain on paper towels.  Repeat with the rest of the chicken. 

Turn off the pan with the oil in it, removing 1 tablespoon of the oil into a medium-sized pot and heat over medium-high. (You can save the used oil for later use by allowing it to cool, then straining into an aluminum can or other container.)

Add the garlic and ginger to the 1 tablespoon of the oil,  and cook briefly until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, chicken stock, and sugar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook to thicken.

Remove the sauce from the heat.  Add the fried chicken pieces and toss them in the sauce. Garnish with lemon slices and white sesame seeds, if desired. Serve with white rice and maybe some steamed broccoli or snow peas on the side.