Frozen Lemon Squares

This is my mom's recipe, so we grew up with it each summer.  I now also try to make it each summer.  I add a design made of chocolate syrup to the top, before freezing.  I usually buy the crumbs pre-made, which might be the reason that sometimes the crumbs don't stick together well.  I haven't tried making this in a pre-made crust yet. 


1/4 cup margarine or butter, melted
1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lemon juice
whipped topping (Cool Whip, etc.  I use low-fat/fat free cool whip)


Combine margarine, crumbs and sugar
Press into 8 or 9-inch pan
In bowl, beat egg yolks
Stir in sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice
Pour into crust
Top with topping and freeze

Lemon & Herb Risotto

Another really good and easy-to-make Risotto recipe! This serves 4 people.

1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup butter
1 cup onions, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
2 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1 3/4 cups dry white wine (I sometimes replace the wine with water)
1 lemon
1 1/3 cups arborio risotto rice
1/4 Parmesan cheese, grated
3 tbsp parsley
2 tbsp chives
salt and pepper

Heat the oil and half the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onions and garlic and cook over a moderate heat until they become transparent and softened. Place the stock and wine in a saucepan, heat to a very gentle simmer, cover and keep hot.

Finely grate the zest from the lemon and add to the rice. Squeeze the juice from the lemon and reserve.

Add the zest and rice to the pan, stirring well to coat in the onion and garlic mixture. Cook for 1-2 minutes.

Now add 3-4 ladles of the hot stick to the rice mixture, stirring well to mix. Cook, stirring gently, until the liquid has almost been absorbed. Add another 3-4 ladles of the hot stock. Continue cooking in this way until the mixture is thick and creamy and the rice is tender but not soft (risotto should have a little "bite" to it). You may not need all the hot stock, just keeping adding it until the risotto is your liking.

Remove from the heat. Add the remaining butter and the Parmesan, stirring quickly to mix. Sprinkle over the herbs and fold them through with a large metal spoon. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.


100 Great Recipes: Vegetarian, Vicki Smallwood, 2009

Lemon & Lime Love Cake

This book is organized by type of fruit. Each chapter gives a small history of the fruit, and preparation, cooking, and nutrition information.

The mixture on top of the cake was too sweet for our taste, will use less sugar next time. The cake itself was very good! I didn't put the cake on a wire rack, so just poured the mixture on top of the cake in the loaf pan, and it worked out fine.

1 lemon
1 lime
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 stick butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup milk

Preheat over to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9 x 5 inch loaf tin. Grate the zest from the lemon and lime and set it aside. Cut both fruits in half and squeeze one lemon half and all the lime. Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt together.

Put the butter in a mixing bowl and add 3/4 cup of sugar. Beat the mixture until it is pale and creamy, then gradually beat in the eggs, adding a little of the flour if the mixture shows signs of curdling. Gradually add the remaining flour mixture, alternately with the milk, beating well after each addition. Stir in the lemon and lime zest.

Spoon the mixture in the prepared loaf pan and level the surface. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Mix the citrus juice with the remaining sugar. Invert the loaf onto a wire rack, then turn it right way up again.

Put a tray underneath the rack. Immediately spoon the sugar mixture over the top of the loaf, letting it run down the sides slightly. Leave to cool before slicing.

Variations:

Add 1/2 cup chopped pecans with the lemon zest.
Instead of using both lemon and lime, use the grated zest and juice of 1 lemon or 2 limes.


The Farmers' Market Guide to Fruit, Jenni Fleetwood, 2001