My House Smells of Lemon Goodness

 Yesterday I decided to use the lemons I was given by a friend at church (they come freshly picked from California).
  I wonder what I can make?  

(Pic of lemon brownies comes from Baker Girl's Blog, link below)

I have always wanted to make lemon curd but just haven't taken the time.  Today I learned that it is surprisingly simple to make (it can even be canned in a water bath) and at a fraction of the store price.

In addition to lemon curd, I also made Cakey Lemon Bar Brownies (which I love and have made several times), a delicious Warm Lemon Pudding Cake (best right out of the oven), and Lemon Crinkle Cookies (which were okay but nothing to die for, however they did win the best cookie award at ldsliving.com).

After my baking escapade, I froze the remaining freshly squeezed lemon juice and the lemon zest for later use.

Baked Goods from a Cold Kitchen

Yesterday after a long winter's nap (trying to get over a cold/larnygitis), I baked up a few things (click below for recipes).

Poppy Seed Bread with Glaze

Baking Powder Biscuits (that we enjoyed today for breakfast with country gravy - Olivia's favorite)

Banana Bread

Pie in a Jar

My Salsa Stash

I came home from my trip and canned another 21 quarts of this salsa recipe.  My family loves it.  We have already eaten several quarts and I have given 5 quarts away.  As of today I have 50 quarts of remaining salsa downstairs that are waiting to be eaten (not too fast kids)! 

What to do with my apricots?

Apricot Tart

I discovered that I have apricots that will be ready soon.  They are a surprise to me because last year the tree didn't bear any fruit.  Here are some things I've been thinking about making.

 Fruit Leather

 Apricot Grunt

 Apricot Jam

Seared Chicken with Apricot Sauce

Apricot Syrup

APRICOT BASIL DRESSING:  makes 1 cup
    1.     Combine 2 fresh, ripe apricots (pitted), 2 tbsp white wine vinegar and 1 tbsp sugar in blender; whirl until blended.
    2.     With blender running, slowly add 1/4 cup vegetable oil until thick and smooth.
    3.     Stir in 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp dried basil.

Menu Board Idea

I found this menu board on Pinterest, which inspired me to get my printed recipes in order.  So I gathered all my printed recipes (that were scattered about) and sorted through them (yes - some went in the garbage).  Now I have two full books of recipes, not including my recipe books in the cupboard.

Next I plan on making my menu tags and making the menu board.  I just need to find some more of the blue section dividers....I quickly ran out.  So they look pretty bad with all the post-it-note tabs.

I tell you, if you don't have Pinterest you are missing out.  But you can still look at other people's boards.  Click here to see what's on my boards.  Just click on the board you want to explore and then you can click on the individual photos.

Lasagna Soup

 (picture and recipe found on "A Farm Girl Dabbles")

I found this soup on Pinterest (if you haven't discovered Pinterest, you are missing out.  Click on my Pinterest button in the right column to explore what I have pinned).  I copied it to the sister's recipe blog - here.  I served it with homemade rolls.  We had enough leftover for Corbin and Paul's lunch and a small bowl for me.

Green Curry

 

I bought this for $2.45 at a local Thai grocery store on a trip with Tisha.  We explored all the isles of unique foods, noodles, sauces, etc.  I came home with three bag-fuls of new foods for experimention.  

Last night I made green curry with vegetables and chicken - it was delicious.  It tasted nearly as good as the Thai lunch I had last week and it was a heck of a lot cheaper!  Now I can explore more recipes (mine was on the back of the paste) from Pinterest - gosh, if you haven't looked on there yet, you are missing out!

Thai Green Curry with vegetables and tofu (I would use chicken instead)  On this post there is also a recipe to make your own green curry paste.  Check out my "In the Kitchen" Pinterest board for more recipes!