Loaf:
2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 eggs
1/2 cup Lemon Curd
1/4 cup vanilla yogurt
1 teaspoon finely chopped lemon zest, plus more for garnish
1 teaspoon vanilla
juice of 1 lemon
Glaze:
1/2 cup icing sugar
juice from 1 lemon
In a bowl, add just enough lemon juice to make a glaze.  Drizzle glaze over cooled loaf ( still in pan ) and allow to set.
Berries:
2 cups or more mixed berries – sliced strawberries, blueberries, blackberries
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Place berries in bowl and sprinkle with sugar and lemon juice. Stir gently to combine. Cover and refrigerate for a day before using ; stir several times to ensure sugar has dissolved. You could gently crush some of the strawberries to release some of their natural juices which will help the maceration process.
Topping:
whipping cream
Lemon Curd
lemon zest for garnish
I used a 2:1 ratio of whipping cream to curd.  Whip cream until stiff but not dry; gently fold in lemon curd until well mixed. Refrigerate.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy; then add the eggs one at a time. Beat well and then add the lemon juice, zest, lemon curd, yogurt, vanilla, and beat another minute or so until well blended.
In another bowl, mix together the flour, salt and baking powder; then add this flour mixture to the butter mixture and combine until just mixed.
Butter a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan and spoon the mixture into the pan.  Bake for about an hour or until set. Use a skewer to test for doneness. It is fairly common for a crack to form on the top.  If the top is beginning to brown too quickly, cover with foil while the loaf continues to bake. When done, remove loaf to a baking rack and cool.

Serve slices of the loaf with the macerated berries, topping and lemon zest.

Ingredients

3 cups romaine lettuce, sliced and chopped
3 cups baby spinach leaves, torn
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins
1/3 cup thinly sliced or chopped red onion
4-6 strips bacon
1 mango, peeled, sliced and chopped (optional)
Garlic Mango Dressing
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans… or your favourite

Directions

Cook the bacon until crisp. Drain, place between paper towels and set aside until cool.
I like to use a combination of Romaine and baby spinach, but use whatever lettuce you prefer.
Crumble the bacon and combine with all other ingredients, except the pecans.
Toss with the Garlic Mango Dressing.  Garnish with pecans.  Enjoy !

Ingredients

12 frozen tart shells
Bake as per instructions and cool on a wire rack.

1 and 1/4 cups Lime Curd
1 and 1/4 cups whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 Tablespoons icing sugar
1 lime, for zest and lime wedge garnish

Directions

Whip the cream at high speed until it starts to thicken (about 5 minutes), along with the vanilla and sugar.
Fold the lime curd and the desired amount of lime zest into the whipped cream mixture with a spatula and fill cooled tart shells. Chill for 2 hours in refrigerator and then top with additional whipped cream if desired.
Garnish with additional zest and small wedges of lime.

Ingredients

3 – 4 pounds peeled potatoes
2-3 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 tsp. ground thyme
chopped chives , fresh or dry
1 pound bacon
salt and pepper

Directions

Thinly slice potatoes.  Line a pie plate or casserole dish with bacon, leaving half of each slice of bacon over the edge of the dish.  Layer potatoes, a generous amount of cheddar cheese, chopped chives, salt and pepper to taste.  Repeat until you have four layers. ( Sprinkle first layer only with ground thyme.)
Pull bacon ends up over top.  Pie should be about 4 -5 inches thick in the middle.
Fasten centre with a skewer.

Bake at 375 degrees F. for 2 hours covered with foil and then an additional 30 minutes uncovered.

Serve with Maple Bacon Sauce by combining…
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon crumbled bacon bits

Ingredients

9 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup finely ground cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups Wild Blueberry and Lemon Preserves

Directions

Mix together the softened butter and sugar with a hand mixer until well blended. Add the egg and egg yolk and continue to mix until smooth.

In a separate bowl, mix the flour, cornmeal, salt, baking powder and cinnamon. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix just until the dough comes together.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Take about 3/4 of a cup of the dough mixture and set it aside. Press the remaining dough into the bottom and up the sides of a 10 inch tart pan with a removable bottom. It is very easy to work with this dough. Spoon the preserves into the crust and use a spoon to smooth across the bottom crust. Using your fingers, break up the remaining crust mixture into small pea sized pieces;  I rolled the little pieces between my fingers and dropped them along the outer edges of the tart, leaving the center section of preserves uncovered.

Bake the tart in the preheated oven for about 20 to 25 minutes or until it is lightly browned. Remove from the oven and allow to come to room temperature before serving. To store, simply cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 to 5 days. Allow to return to room temperature before serving.

An option is to serve with a dollop of lemon curd whipped cream.  For 1 cup whipped cream use about 1/2 cup lemon curd, or to your preferred taste. Just whip the cream until stiff, but not dry. Gently fold in the lemon curd. Refrigerate covered until ready to serve.

Ingredients

1 clove garlic,minced or 1-2 teaspoons garlic flakes
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 to 1/4 cup white sugar (depending on how sweet you like it)
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup Raspberry Vinegar
3/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions

Blend with hand blender or whisk until just combined ; if blended too much, it will become too thick to pour.

Ingredients

3 – 4 pound chicken, giblets removed ( brined – optional )
1 lemon, halved
1 head of garlic, cut in half, crosswise ( Do not remove skin )
3-4 carrots ( cut in chunks )
2 onions, quartered
2 parsnips ( cut in chunks )
3-4 medium sized potatoes ( quartered or halved, depending on size)
fresh thyme or rosemary sprigs
salt, freshly ground black pepper
olive oil

3/4 cup Lemon Curd
juice of 1 lemon

Directions

Brine the chicken the day before, if choosing this option. Remove chicken from the brine. Rinse under cold water, pat dry and allow to rest for 20-30 minutes.
If not brining the chicken, rinse the chicken inside and out, and pat the outside dry.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. In a small bowl, whisk the lemon curd to loosen it. Add the lemon juice to the curd and whisk to combine until smooth. Set aside.

Salt and pepper the the central cavity of the chicken and stuff with the lemon halves, garlic head halves, fresh herbs. Tie the drumsticks together with kitchen twine. Tuck the wing tips under the chicken or tie the wings down to the chicken’s sides.

Place the onions, carrots, parsnips and potatoes in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, thyme or rosemary and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top, breast side up.  Brush 1/4 cup of the lemon curd mixture all over the chicken. Salt and pepper again. Place roasting pan in center of oven. Roast uncovered for 40 minutes, checking the bird every 15 minutes. If skin is browning too quickly, cover loosely with a piece of aluminum foil. After an additional 30 minutes, brush another 1/4 cup of the lemon curd mixture all over the chicken.

Ovens vary. I usually roast a chicken this size about 90 minutes. To be sure, use an instant read thermometer. Stick the meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh and breast, without touching a bone. ( If not sure, push thermometer in to the bone and then pull it out halfway.)You need to check both thigh and breast.  Chicken is cooked when the internal temperature has reached a minimum of 165 degrees F.  I’ve cooked chicken to 170F and even 175F without it becoming overdone, so it’s best to stay on the safe side.

Brush with a little or all of the remaining lemon curd mixture, cover with tinfoil and allow to rest for at least 15 minutes before carving.

1 and 3/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup Red Pepper Jelly
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. Balsamic vinegar
salt, pepper
metal or wooden skewers

Directions

Slice the chicken breasts crosswise into four or five 1 inch thick strips.   In a small mixing bowl, combine the Red Pepper Jelly, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Marinate the chicken strips in 2/3 of the marinade for about thirty minutes. Reserve 1/3 of the marinade in a small dish to brush on the cooked chicken.

( If using wooden skewers, soak prior to using. You could brush each with a little oil before broiling brochettes.)

Position one of the oven racks up high, so that a baking sheet with a rack on it will allow the brochettes to be within a few inches of the broiler element.

Fold each strip and insert a skewer so that it goes through the strip twice. Thread several strips on each skewer without crowding too tightly. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

Line a baking sheet with foil and place a rack on top of the sheet. Place the skewers evenly on the rack.

Broil the brochettes, turning every 3-4 minutes so they cook and brown evenly, for a total of 10-12 minutes.  Cut into a thick piece to ensure meat is cooked and not pink.

Brush cooked brochettes with remaining marinade, using a clean brush. Serve over a bed of your favourite rice.

Ingredients

1 pound pasta ( spaghetti or linguine )
1/4 – 1/2 cup  Olive Tapenade
1 pound feta cheese, crumbled
5 – 6  Roma tomatoes, quartered, cored, seeded and cut into small pieces

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add the pasta to the water, and cook until al dente, following the suggested cooking time on the box. Reserve some of the pasta water before draining. When added to pasta sauce, the reserved water helps thin and loosen the sauce, allowing it to better coat the pasta. The starch in the pasta water also helps the sauce bind to the pasta.

As soon as the pasta is ready, drain, and immediately toss with the Olive Tapenade,  1/2 of the crumbled Feta, 1/2 of the tomatoes, adding the reserved pasta water a little at a time until sauce  is of a creamy consistency.

Plate and then top each serving with remainder of the cheese and the chopped tomatoes. Serve immediately.

2-3 cups cooked chicken, coarsely chopped or shredded
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
4-6 green olives, pitted and minced
1/4 cup of finely chopped red onion
1/2 – whole apple, cored and chopped
8 crisp Romaine lettuce leaves, sliced and chopped

DRESSING:
5 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. Very Berry Cherry Preserves
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions

Prepare the dressing. Combine the mayonnaise, preserves, and lemon juice. Taste for proper balance. The dressing should not be too sweet nor too sour. Adjust the ingredients until you have achieved the balance you want. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Prepare the salad ingredients and combine in a large bowl.

Mix the dressing with the salad ingredients. Toss well.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Serves 4.