July 10, 2011: Rotisserie Chicken Recipe

Since we got our “mac daddy” big, stainless steel grill last year, my husband and I have been doing our best to use all of its features. One of our favorite meals from the grill is rotisserie chicken.

We last served rotisserie chicken with the Parmesan green beans recipe I shared yesterday so the seasoning mixture is similar. This chicken was scrumptious – nicely seasoned, very moist and tender, yet crisped on the outside. If you have a rotisserie option on your grill, use it!

Rotisserie Chicken

4 pound roasting chicken
Salt and pepper
1 key lime
1 t. lemon pepper
1 t. garlic salt
1 t. citrus peel seasoning blend

Heat grill to 400 degrees.

Rinse chicken inside and out; remove giblets, if necessary. Sprinkle inside cavity with salt and pepper.

Cut lime in half and remove seeds. Squeeze juice into inside cavity of chicken; rub cut halves over outer skin.

Mix together remaining seasonings. Rub over outside of chicken.

Thread chicken onto rotisserie skewers and secure. Roast on grill for one and a half hours, until crispy on the outside, legs move easily in the joints, and no red juice is remaining.

July 7, 2011: Grilled Corn Salad

Here’s a slightly different way to serve grilled corn with your summer barbecues. This recipe is similar to the Parmesan crusted corn recipe I shared with you last month but this one capitalizes on the sweet flavor of fresh corn. Try it and see what you think!

Grilled Corn Salad

3 ears corn
2 T. mayonnaise
1 T. jarred, diced pimiento
Juice of one key lime (about 1 tablespoon)
1 t. garlic salt
1 t. honey
1 t. dried parsley

Prepare corn by removing silk and husks (if wrapping in foil). Grill over medium indirect heat for 20 minutes or until done, turning often.

Remove corn from the cob. Combine with remaining ingredients. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 4.

June 30, 2011: Coconut Lime Loaf Recipe

I had a baking disaster recently… I promised Margaret I would make a rhubarb custard pie to take to my women’s Bible study group. I got the pie made before dinner the night before but noticed that it didn’t cook quite like the last one I’d baked. As I was watching TV that night just before bedtime, I thought back over the recipe and realized – to my horror – that I’d forgotten to add the sugar! Needless to say, that pie ended up in the trash.

But I still needed to bring something to the Bible study group. Using what I had on hand, I quickly threw together this sweet bread the next morning and all was saved!

Coconut Lime Loaf

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 ½ cups flour
1 T. baking powder
½ t. salt
¾ cup milk
1 cup flaked or shredded coconut
Zest from 3 key limes
Juice from 3 key limes (about 1/8 cup)
3 drops green food coloring

Topping:
3 T. butter
3 T. milk
¼ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup flaked or shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a loaf pan.

In a medium bowl or bowl of stand mixer, beat together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add alternately with milk to butter mixture. Stir in coconut.

Spread 1/3 of the batter in the bottom of the prepared loaf pan. To the remaining batter add the zest, lime juice, and green food coloring. Carefully spread over the top of the batter in the loaf pan.

Prepare topping by melting butter in a small saucepan. Mix in remaining ingredients. Slowly pour over the top of the batter.

Bake in preheated oven 55 to 60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean. Cool completely before serving.

June 29, 2011: Citrus Risotto Recipe

This is a nice, light side dish that goes great with grilled meats. It does take some time during preparation to stir the dish, so it’s not the best one to select when you have guests – but the flavor does have that “wow” factor. Try it and see what you think.

Citrus Risotto

¼ cup butter
1 ½ cups Arborio (short grain) rice (I have also used jasmine rice with nice results)
1 t. minced garlic
1 t. dried parsley
1 t. citrus peel seasoning blend
Juice of one key lime
1 quart chicken broth
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Melt the butter over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the rice and cook until lightly browned. Slowly stir in 1 ½ cups of the chicken broth and the garlic, parsley, lime juice and citrus seasoning. Continue stirring frequently, until almost all the broth is absorbed. Continue to add broth a half cup at a time and stir frequently until it is almost absorbed before adding additional broth. The rice is done when all the broth is nearly absorbed and the sauce is creamy. Just before serving, stir in the grated Parmesan cheese.

June 25, 2011: Homemade Limeade Recipe

What sounds better on a hot summer day than refreshing, tangy, homemade limeade? Okay, sometimes a beer sounds better for a lazy summer afternoon while you’re enjoying a good book or sitting poolside, a tall, ice-cold glass of limeade can be just the ticket. Plus, it’s easy to make – it just takes some muscles to juice all those limes but if you’ve got an electric machine, then you’ve got no excuse!

Homemade Limeade

1 ½ cups sugar
½ cup boiling water
2 t. grated lime rind
1 ½ cup fresh lime juice (I used 1 dozen regular limes and 4 key limes)
5 cups cold water

Dissolve the sugar in the boiling water and pour into pitcher. Add remaining ingredients and stir well; refrigerate several hours. Garnish with mint leaves or lime slices.

May 28, 2011: Honey Coconut Key Lime Cupcakes Recipe

To celebrate the Memorial Day weekend, we're having a barbecue today. I kept the menu pretty simple: veggie pizza for an appetizer, hamburgers, brats,and an assortment of side dishes my guests are bringing. That's not a lot of cooking for me to do so I decided to do it up right with the dessert. I opted for two types of cupcakes since they're so popular these days: Honey Coconut Key Lime and Better Than Sex Chocolate. Sure hope my guests appreciate them!

Here's the recipe for the coconut cupcakes. BTW, my niece and I have been on a coconut kick lately, buying coconut-scented lotions and soaps and indulging in a coconut creme cappuccino from Starbucks, so they just seemed appropriate. They may not be her fave coconut creme pie but I think they're the next best thing!

Honey Coconut Key Lime Cupcakes

Cupcakes:
2 cups flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 t. Key lime zest
1/4 cup juice from Key limes (about 6 - 7)
3/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup buter, softened
1/4 cup mild honey
2 large eggs
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup macadamia nuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine dry ingredients, set aside. In a liquid measure, combine lime zest, lime juice, and coconut milk.

In a large mixing bowl or sand mixer bowl, cream butter until fluffy. Add honey and mix again. Add eggs, one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl after each addition.

Add half of reserved dry ingredients; mix on low just until combined. With mixer on low, slowly add the wet ingredients. Add remaining dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Stir in coconut and nuts. Pour mixture into paper-lined muffin tins until two-thirds full. Bake 18 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in cetner of muffin comes out clean. Remove to wire rack; cool. Frost with coconut cream frosting.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

Coconut Cream Frosting
3 oz. cream cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 T. coconut milk
2 T. mild honey
4 - 5 cups powdered sugar
1 cup shredded coconut

In a large mixing bowl, cream together cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add honey, coconut milk and coconut; mix well. Beat in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, until spreading consistency.