Five Happy Things
Give me all the lemons!
Spread a little joy today! Pass this along to someone who’d love it. 🥰
Last week the cherry blossoms peaked here in Portland, and my family and I (along with thousands of other people) enjoyed a lovely walk along the river to see them.
So you know what’s right around the corner?
Cherries!
But they’re not here yet. 🙁
There’s not even any rhubarb at the farmer’s market yet.
This is the time of year when I start getting twitchy for those tart fruits, and so I end up eating a lot of lemons. 💛 🍋 💛 🍋 💛 🍋 💛
I truly can’t imagine cooking without lemons, so I use them in a million things - but these are some of my favorite recipes that are all about the lemons.
Lemon Bars from the Barefoot Contessa - This is my favorite lemon bar recipe. Friends - they are tart. I don’t bother measuring the lemon zest. I just zest every lemon before I juice it, and then I use it all. So maybe mine are more tart than they ought to be? For me there’s no such thing. 🥰
Lemon Curd - maybe you don’t want bars? Maybe you just want to eat pure lemony goodness with a spoon? That’s when I make lemon curd. I also make it whenever I have a couple of extra egg yolks, which is why my recipe is also broken down into a “per egg yolk” version. 🙂 I love lemon curd on pancakes, buttered toast, biscuits, shortbread cookies, ginger snaps, or - totally not kidding - just eaten with a spoon. I also love it on angel food cake, which is handy because my favorite angel food cake recipe uses ten egg whites. 🎉
Lemonade - I can’t share lemon recipes without sharing my basic lemonade recipe. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s super easy and delicious. If I want to make it fancy, I add a cup of pureed strawberries, raspberries, watermelon, blueberries, or other fruit. Sometimes I put colored sugar on the rim to make it extra fancy. 😂
Lemon Herb Pasta Salad with Marinated Chickpeas from Pinch of Yum - of course, lemons aren’t just for desserts. I love this simple pasta salad. I like to eat the first batch while it’s still warm, and then the leftovers are terrific at room temperature. Sometimes I throw in a handful of halved grape tomatoes, too. Delicious!
Lemon Potatoes from Smitten Kitchen - These are soooooo yummy. I use Yukon gold potatoes and a mix of butter and olive oil. They’re creamy and moist on the inside, crispy and golden around the edges, with a sauce that’s liquid gold. So good!
Bonus recipe! I didn’t want to make this one of the five because it’s not free, but if you have What Goes with What (an amazing cookbook by Julia Turshen), the Creamy Lemon Dressing on page 24 is delicious! I’ve been eating it lately on salads of arugula, cucumber, sugar snap peas, avocado, and hard-boiled egg.
If you have a favorite lemon recipe, please share a link in the comments so everyone can give it a try!
You can find past newsletters with recipes here.
Enjoy!
Best,
Wendi
❤️
In an effort to have fewer email providers chop my emails in half because they’re so dang long, I’ve moved my inspirations (book recommendations, favorite recipes, and awesome artists) to their own newsletter every Wednesday. Think of it as a quick way to fill your cup in the middle of the week. 🥰
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Sure glad after eating all those lemons that you haven't turned into a sourpuss! ggg
I just love your designs. Thanks for sharing your talent with the rest of us. They are such a special treat. vbg
My favorite silken tofu lemon "cheesecake" is a blender recipe I made up years ago, plunked into a graham cracker/digestive biscuit crust, and baked for fifty (50) minutes.
♦ 1 shelf stable box of MoriNu (or other shelf-stable brand) tofu,
♦ the juice and zest of a whole lemon,
♦ 2 TBSP cornstarch
♦ a box of cream cheese - whether a vegan brand like Daiya or Tofutti or plain old Philadelphia, it doesn't matter, and
♦ one cup of sugar (to taste; I like my lemony things tart; others vary, so can add 1 1/3 cup. Since it's egg-free, you can just taste test).
Bake at 350°F/176.67°C for fifty minutes, or until the top is slightly browned and solid. I garnish with zest on the top and a slightly sweetened whipped topping - vegan or otherwise. It is by far one of the fastest desserts I can come up with and I keep freshly squeezed lemon juice in the freezer just so I can always have this. I am an absolute lemon/lime addict. I dislike meringue but could eat an entire key lime pie for breakfast. Yum.