Lemon Blueberry Bread

Who can resist the flavors of lemon and blueberry?

Not my mom!  I've said this many times before, and I'll say it again.....Mom is a lemon lover.  Anything lemon, bars, pie, cake, cookies, hard candies..you name it.

So obviously when I found this recipe for Lemon Blueberry Bread I bookmarked it and took it along with me on my next trip to visit mom.  First thing I made when I got there was this Lemon Blueberry Bread, so we could munch on it during my visit. 

The recipe is one adapted from JoyofBaking.com.  You can find her recipe here.  A wonderful site with how-to videos of most recipes, and a great resource.  Note: She put a lemon glaze on the top.  We chose to leave this off as it was sweet enough.  This is not really what I would consider a quick bread.  It was more like making a cake.  It's denser, and a little more involved than a quick bread, however, the results were heavenly.  Just ask my mom the lemon expert!

Kitchen tip:  When folding fresh blueberries into a batter use a delicate hand so they don't crush and stain the batter blue. Tossing blueberries in a little flour helps to prevent them from falling to the bottom of the bread during baking.

Now I'm off to find another lemon wonder for my next visit with my Mom!

Enjoy!

Lemon Blueberry Bread

adapted from JoyofBaking.com

makes 1 loaf

1 1/2 c flour
1 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1T lemon zest
1 c fresh blueberries
1/2 c unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 c Splenda or sugar
2 large eggs
1 t vanilla
1/2 c 2% milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray the bottom and sides of a  loaf pan. 

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest. Place the blueberries in a small separate bowl and toss the berries with 1 tablespoon of the flour mixture.

In  a mixing bowl using a stand or hand mixer, beat the butter until softened.  Add the sugar and cream together until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.  Beat in the vanilla, making sure to scrape down the sides as needed.  

Add in the flour mixture in three additional, along with the milk, alternating.  Start and end with the flour.  Mix only until combined.  Gently fold in the blueberries.

Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for about 55 to 65 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Ranch Chicken

Who doesn't love dipping chicken strips into Ranch Dressing?

I think most kids do, and if truth be told adults too!  I myself love the flavor combo but sometimes I don't want to take the time to make chicken strips...I know lazy, especially on a weeknight or a busy weekend. They really are easy to make and there's no excuse, but I came up with a way to have the same flavor combo without all the prep work.

This is a fun, quick dinner that the family and the kiddos will love.  The taste is 'ranchilicious' and the chicken is soooo moist.  MGG helped me with this dish and to his credit he was "MMmnnnning" all through the meal! 

You just take chicken breasts, we used one super large one ( I'm not sure where these chickens are from they are really 'healthy' sized!) and I cut in to two thin but still medium sized breasts, and dipped them in ranch dressing ( no egg here) and panko.  Cook them in a skillet and serve.  Done, presto, chango!  A really quick and tasty meal in under 20 minutes.  As you can see I served this with a combination of yams, sweet potato, and pumpkin roasted vegetables.  YUM! (to see how to roast vegetables please see my post here.)

This was so flavorful that I think the next time I'll use Blue Cheese dressing for the tang.  Can't wait.  Hope you enjoy this quick and tasty dish.



Ranch Chicken

serves 2

2 medium sized boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/3 c ranch dressing
1/2 c panko crumbs
salt & pepper
2 T canola oil

Trim your chicken breasts of any unwanted fat or skin.  Place the ranch dressing in a dipping plate and the panko crumbs in another dipping plate.  Season the panko crumbs with salt & pepper to taste.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Dip the chicken breast into the dressing and then into the panko crumbs, pressing lightly to adhere.  Add chicken to the hot skillet.  Repeat with remaining chicken breast.

Cook on each side about 6 minutes, depending upon the thickness of the breasts.  Turning to cook another 5-6 minutes until done, and golden brown.  Serve and enjoy!