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Monday, June 7, 2010

Meal of the Moment: lemons, lemons

Playful and quaint lemons
rolling in a basket
waiting to be used for some
freshy, freshy eats.

Our (not so recent) company gave us a bag of extra fresh lemons straight off of their Arizona tree and I was happy to find ways to use them in recipes. This is a Meal of the Moment post, where I share ideas on how to NOT waste food (one of my big pet peeves). Freshy, freshy lemon ideas are here!



Squeeze em...


and Zest em...

I enjoy being creative with cooking so often I don't use recipes when I cook. {so I don't have a recipe to share but you get the idea!} I used a lemon to make a light lemon cream sauce with shrimp over whole wheat linguine.



This Lemon Lover's Pound cake had rich but light flavor in every bite...with a fresh, lemon sour cream icing flooded on top.

So this was supposed to be a gorgeous bunt cake with the icing nicely laced on top. What you see is PLAN B as the entire cake stuck to the pan. Apparently cooking spray wasn't sufficient for this sugar bread. {tears} At least the taste was diVINE.

Next up...

Spinach, bacon salad with hard boiled eggs....

With a homemade lemon salad dressing, making this spinach salad kick with tang.


I still had a few lemons left, sooo artichokes boiled in a lemon and onion bath is next on our list of lemon meals. They made a perfect side dish to a bbq steak dinner.


For this last one, once again I didn't use a recipe, but instead had fun mixing together all the sugars and goodies into my own fresh treat.


Lemon squares with a ribbon of cream cheese
were piled on a cake plate.

My recent Martha Stewart Mag
also had some lemon treats...


Lemons are playful and happy
and carry all the delight
in this art
from my always deeply loved, Ballard Designs.

Other ways that lemons shine in the kitchen:

simply squeezed over a salad for a healthy dressing alternative

used in marinates before you bbq meat

squeezed into most any drinks over ice

sliced into boiling water when preparing veggies to help the food hold it's color

in your Sunday morning pancake mix




For more Meal of the Moment posts, click here.

This post is linked to: Weekend Wrap Up, Tempt Tummy Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table, Its so very Creative,
Tasty Tuesday, Works for Me Wednesday, Foodie Friday, Inspired By,

32 comments:

  1. JannaJune 7, 2010 at 9:10 AM

    oooh, yummy - I love anything with lemons, but that lemon cream sauce is calling my name ;) thanks for the ideas.

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  2. cavemanJune 7, 2010 at 10:45 AM

    This post makes me hungry. Very hungry. I was going to say, "Oh loved that light lemon cream sauce!". Then I saw the dreamy pound cake... then the amazing dressing on those really good salads...oh and those artichokes... and that lemon bread!! Wow I didn't realize just how far you made those lemons go! Martha Stewart has nothing on you Lissy!

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  3. T3June 7, 2010 at 10:54 AM

    I love this quote...

    The lemon is the quintessential fruit that makes food sparkle. It has become synonymous with the word refreshing. — Betty Wrenn Day

    Where I live we don't have easy access to fresh lemons, so what I do is just go online (http://www.buy-lemons-online.com/ ) and order from growers that pick them right off the trees and ship them direct — a tip I learned from my cousin in North Dakota. This way I get fresh lemons picked from the tree without all the time sitting in cartons, trucks and warehouses.

    Thanks for these terrific recipes and tips on how not to waste food.

    One tip about lemons that I thought I would share is if you have extra lemons or limes on hand and want to save them before they spoil, squeeze the juice into an ice-cube tray, then transfer the frozen juice cubes to a plastic bag where you can use them later to flavor drinks.

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  4. JanineJune 7, 2010 at 1:50 PM

    Yummm...lemon bars are one of my ultimate favorites. Every dish looks so scruptous! Thanks for sharing.

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  5. sarahgraceJune 7, 2010 at 3:59 PM

    Yum! Lemons are starting to become one of my favorite little fruits... though it IS hard to beat lime.. ;-)
    I discovered a great recipe for Lemon Icebox cookies in Martha Stuarts EverydayFood Mag not too long ago- soooo delicious! (I think I may have to go make some right now!)

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  6. Jenny @ Anything PrettyJune 7, 2010 at 8:13 PM

    These all look so delicious! And I am impressed with your amazing not wasting food skills....what a variety of creative recipes!

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  7. NannaJune 8, 2010 at 7:54 AM

    It's amazing what all you can do with lemons, I have a lemon tart pie recipe I'd like to send you, just a few basic ingredients, it makes up thin & thick like a custard pie & ohhh so good!
    Helen

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  8. BonBon Rose Girls KristinJune 8, 2010 at 10:05 AM

    Best post ever! I big puffy heart all things lemon!

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  9. BonBon Rose Girls KristinJune 8, 2010 at 10:05 AM

    Best post ever! I big puffy heart all things lemon!

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  10. KimMalkJune 8, 2010 at 12:58 PM

    Just wonderful, Lisa. I 'm enjoying all of the lemony goodness :).

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  11. Norma Lee @ Norma Lee GoodJune 8, 2010 at 7:56 PM

    Ohhh this post is so pretty. I love the look of lemons. They are so fresh. For some reason when I am pregnant i love lemons. Today I used 2 whole lemons {throughout the day} to squeeze into my water. It makes me drink more water!

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  12. JulieJune 8, 2010 at 8:29 PM

    I love all things lemon! Your boys are cuties!

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  13. ShelbyJune 9, 2010 at 12:45 AM

    We have a lemon tree and the amount of lemons we get from it is insane, so I'm always looking for good lemon recipes. Thanks! I also rub the lemon skins (after juicing) on my wooden cutting boards to freshen them, and then throw them in the garbage disposal to deodorize and freshen the disposal!

    Shelby@http://www.genxmomsblog.com/

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  14. JenniferJune 9, 2010 at 5:08 AM

    How about fresh squeezed lemonade? I squeeze 4 lemons, add 1/3 cup of sugar and fill a 2 quart container with water. The kids love it and it is better for you than store bought. When I have lemons going bad quickly, I squeeze them all and pour into ice cube trays to freeze for later.

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  15. Julie BagamaryJune 9, 2010 at 5:42 AM

    I remember always having lemon pound cake at my great grandma's house. YUM - still my favorite.

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  16. AnonymousJune 9, 2010 at 10:38 AM

    Beautiful pictures. I love AZ lemons, too!! Love it when friends give us some to make home made lemonade!! I also like a squirt in my AZ Sun Tea. :)

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  17. Faded PlainsJune 9, 2010 at 1:10 PM

    I love lemons...in CA we used to have lemon trees in our backyard, and I was a lemonade makin' momma.

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  18. Sherry @ Lamp Unto My FeetJune 9, 2010 at 4:01 PM

    Need to wipe drool off my keyboard. YUM! :D Love lemony dishes!! :D

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  19. DoreyJune 9, 2010 at 4:18 PM

    Your food always looks so good! I love the look of lemons in a basket or jar in the kitchen but I don't seem to use them as much as I'd like to. :D

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  20. Cheryl @ a pretty cool life.June 9, 2010 at 6:49 PM

    I wish I lived in a climate where I could have citrus trees! I love them!

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  21. BonBon Rose Girls KristinJune 9, 2010 at 8:33 PM

    p.s. Our blog has moved! We would love for you to visit us at our new site: http://www.bonbonrosegirls.com/
    Unfortunately, if you followed us with Google Friend Connect you'll have to re-follow but everything else is the same! Hugs, K

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  22. The TablescaperJune 9, 2010 at 8:53 PM

    Oh, please do come and join the new meem I'm hosting called "Summer Sundays" and it's all about what summer means to YOU. Perhaps some lemons or your last post about early summer love? Hope you'll come and join us.

    - The Tablescaper

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  23. Jessica Loukota LeimbackJune 10, 2010 at 8:11 AM

    Imagine what you could do with a tree!! Great ideas. My mouth is watering thinking about the lemon shrimp dish.

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  24. AnonymousJune 10, 2010 at 4:45 PM

    everything really does look delicious and refreshing!!!

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  25. susanJune 11, 2010 at 1:58 AM

    I don't see one picture that doesn't look delicious to me! I bet the bundt cake was still eaten--what a great idea to cut it up and serve it that way! Poor me, I don't think I have ever had a lemon that did not come from the grocery store.

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  26. honeysuckleJune 11, 2010 at 9:40 AM

    I just love the taste of fresh lemons. In fact, I posted about my Lovely Lemon Tart today too. All your suggestions and photos are mouth-watering!

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  27. UnknownJune 11, 2010 at 9:58 AM

    I LOVE all-things lemon and your ideas all look heavenly :)

    Blessings!
    Gail

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  28. Patricia @ ButterYumJune 11, 2010 at 12:53 PM

    So many wonderfully lemon goodies to be had. Great photos - very inspiring.


    :)
    ButterYum

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  29. UnknownJune 12, 2010 at 12:51 AM

    Great post... Little bit o lemon for everything! Yummy...

    ~Rainey~

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  30. ValJune 12, 2010 at 7:18 PM

    I must go whip up a lemon treat now...mmm

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  31. Clueless_MamaJune 14, 2010 at 1:27 AM

    The salad looked to die for! That is one of my favorite kinds of salads. I love lemon, so everything you posted looks great. Now I'm hungry!

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  32. Kelly MillerJune 24, 2010 at 10:40 PM

    I love lemons (and limes). My favorite way to eat them? Peeled and sectioned like oranges. Yum!

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