Monday, August 4, 2014

MONDAY MUSINGS—WHEN LIFE HANDS YOU LEMONS…





Life has a way of handing out surprises, doesn't it? It’s part of living day to day. Experience has taught me when dealing with life’s ups and downs it’s all about attitude. The right attitude means we take things that happen in stride. By the way, when we stride it means moving (walking, pacing, and crawling—lol!) forward. In other words we don’t let life’s surprises and dilemmas stop us. It’s okay, in my opinion, to pause long enough to assimilate the whatever the issue is and look for the right path to take but never let it trap you in quickset concrete so you can’t move. I’m a firm believer in having good friends and lots of humor to help move you along. J

My funny bone decided to share a few recipes for lemons. Besides, making things with those lemons gives you something constructive to do while thinking things out. J

Lemonade
1gallon

2 cups sugar (l prefer about 1 ½ cups)
1cup hot water
2 cups of fresh lemon juice (4-6 lemons per cup of juice remove seeds but I leave the pulp)      
1 lemon sliced to float in the lemonade

In a gallon container, place sugar and add hot water, and stir until dissolved. Or if you’re one who likes to use simple syrup for your ice tea or lemonade:
In a small saucepan, bring a cup of water to a boil and stir in the sugar until it dissolves. Allow it to cool. Can be stored, covered in the refrigerator a few days. 

Add fresh lemon juice and cold water to make up a gallon.

It’s easy to be creative and customize by adding pureed strawberries or raspberries. Or add a cup or two of cranberry juice to the gallon. Makes it pink but adds a refreshing taste to your lemonade.

Glazed Lemon Bread
1 loaf

4 ounces (1 stick) of softened butter
1 cup minus 1 tbsp of sugar
1 tbsp of honey
2 eggs at room temp (eggs rise better when at room temp)
1 tbsp of lemon zest
½ teaspoon of salt
½ cup of milk (I use whole milk)
1-½ cups of flour
½ teaspoon of ground cardamom
1 teaspoon of baking powder

Glaze:
¼ cup of lemon juice
1/3-cup sugar
1 tbsp honey

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 4x8-inch loaf pan.
2. Beat the butter until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and honey; continue to beat until creamy, a few minutes more. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition to incorporate. On low speed, slowly beat the milk in. Do not worry if the mixture looks a little curdled. Mix in lemon zest.
3. Sift together the flour, salt, cardamom, baking powder. Add to the wet ingredients, beating until smooth.
4. Place batter in prepared pan and bake for 1 hour at 350°F.
5. While the lemon bread is baking, prepare the glaze. Heat the glaze ingredients - lemon juice, sugar, honey - in a small saucepan until the sugar is completely dissolved.
6. Once you have removed the bread from the oven, poke holes all over the top with a thin skewer (this will help the glaze penetrate). Spoon the glaze over it while the bread is still in the pan and is still hot. Let cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan and slicing to serve.



Have a great week!