5 Tasty Things to do When Life Gives You Lemons

For as long as I can remember referring to anything as a lemon (except lemons) was to suggest that it was inherently crappy or useless.

This car is a lemon. You sold me a lemon. Aw, go suck a lemon!

We have Lemon laws to protect consumers from defective crap.

Its status is only barely salvageable if you decide to make lemonade.

Well, I disagree!!! These tangy, bulging little yellow ovals are the workhorses of the kitchen.

The entire thing is usable and valuable.  Use it in marinades to season and tenderize meats.  Add a splash of lemon juice to brighten soups. A little bit of grated zest adds nutrition as well as flavor to veggies and desserts.

It makes a powerful addition to the homemade cleaning mixes you whip up to clean and deodorize all over the house.  If only everything I bought were that versatile.  I’d only buy lemons.

It was a happy day when I found a huge bag of Meyer lemons in the ugly fruit bin for .99¢.  I routinely scope out the ugly fruit bin at the grocery store.  Meal planning for the week and some serious inspiration starts there. Some folks call it red-bag produce.  I call it ugly fruit.  And ugly fruit means anything in the produce section that gets wrapped in a red mesh bag.  For .99¢

So, if life is giving you lemons…

 

Make a pitcher of Arnold Palmers

 

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Legend has it that Arnold Palmer introduced us to this refreshing drink.  Since he didn’t drink alcohol this was apparently his drink of choice at the 19th hole.  If you add vodka it’s called a John Daly, or so I’ve heard.

To make the basic Arnold Palmer recipe start with a simple syrup.  Bring 1/2 cup of water just to a boil, add 1/2 cup sugar.  Turn off the heat and stir to dissolve the sugar.

When cooled, add 3/4 cup of strained fresh-squeezed lemon juice.   Dilute with 2 cups water.  Add the lemonade to 4 cups brewed tea.  Pour over ice to serve.

Any brand of orange pekoe like Lipton’s, Tetley’s or the store brand from Kroger or Walmart, whatever you normally use will do.

I love making it with Celestial Seasoning’s Red Zinger.  It is a slight variation from the basic Arnold Palmer, but it rocks!  It is a refreshing drink on a hot day.

Try Lemon-Garlic Chicken Breasts for dinner

In a shallow baking dish add a tablespoon of olive oil.  Add 2-4 chicken breasts, rub with olive oil and minced garlic, squeeze the juice from one fresh lemon over the chicken.  Slice the rest of the lemon thinly and spread over the top of the chicken and in the baking dish.  Cook at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until juices run clear.  The lemon slices soften enough that you can eat them if you want.  I do and they’re delicious! This is a simple dish to make for a quick weeknight supper, but elegant enough for company.

 

Make a batch of Meyer Lemon Bars

Click here for the perfect recipe for Meyer Lemon Bars from WhatAGirlEats.com.  I had never made Lemon Bars from scratch, I don’t know why I thought that they must be difficult.

It’s really an easy recipe to put together, it takes about 10 minutes to prep and 45 minutes to cook.  It is sweet and intensely lemony.

I made a single recipe but it is easily doubled if you are feeding a crowd. It is a delicious summer dessert.

 

Freeze one and grate it on almost anything

Store a lemon in your freezer in a freezer bag or plastic container.  Pull it out, and using a small grater, grate it – rind, seeds, and all – over almost anything.  Salads, vegetables, fish, seafood, chicken, desserts.  Nothing gets wasted, and you add a punch of flavor and nutrition with every little sprinkle.

Graters like this are perfect for grating lemons, but also parmesan cheese, or nutmeg.  You will find yourself pulling your grater out and using it all the time:

 

Make Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

 

My favorite muffin recipe is one I cut out of a magazine about 27 batches ago.  It’s been so long ago I have no idea what the magazine was.  But it is a basic mix that you whip up and keep on hand for muffin opportunities.  You can add whatever you like, bananas, blueberries, lemon juice, and poppy seeds.

The entire recipe will make 4 batches of muffins.  To make one batch at a time just use 2-3/4 cup of the muffin mix.

I bake a few in an oiled cornstick muffin pan

…just because.

Getting a lemon here and there doesn’t have to be a bad thing!