Lemons are nature’s original flavor-enhancer, adding a bit of tang to otherwise bland recipes. They’re also good for you, with plenty of Vitamin C and other health promoting properties. Bring a little zest into your meal routine with these tasty lemon recipes:
Tilapia Lemon Parmesan
Ingredients:
5 8-oz. tilapia fillets
4 tsp butter, softened
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
Rinse the tilapia fillets in cold water and drain thoroughly. Top with butter or margarine and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Broil about 4 inches from the heat source of for approximately 5 minutes or until the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. To make lemon-Parmesan sauce, mix together 2 tablespoons lemon juice, mayonnaise, and parmesan cheese. Top each filet with 3 tablespoons of the sauce, and broil another 2-3 minutes, until sauce turns golden brown.
Lemon Meringue Pie
Filling ingredients:
1 9-inch pie shell, baked
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups hot water
3 egg yolks
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tsp lemon peel, grated
1 tbsp butter
Meringue ingredients:
3 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
6 tbsp sugar
Directions:
In a saucepan, mix the cornstarch, sugar, and salt. Gradually add hot water and cook over direct heat, stirring continuously until the mixture becomes thick and clear, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Beat the egg yolks together and gradually stir 1/4 cup of the cornstarch mixture into the yolks. Pour this mixture back into the saucepan and cook at low heat, stirring continuously, for about 6 minutes. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice, peel, and butter. Allow this mixture to cool somewhat before pouring into the pie shell. To make the meringue, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar and continue beating until the meringue holds in firm glossy peaks. Spread meringue evenly over the pie filling. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown.
Lemon Cutout Cookies
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
Powdered sugar to taste
Directions:
Into a mixing bowl, sift flour, baking powder and salt. Sift the mixture again. In a separate bowl, combine the shortening sugar, egg, egg yolk, lemon juice, and lemon zest, and beat together. Add the flour mixture and beat together. Refrigerate the dough overnight. Remove dough from refrigerator. Prepare your work area with flour. Tear off a baseball-sized piece of dough, and place the remainder back into the refrigerator. Flour the top of the dough. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to about 1/8″ thick. Cut cookies with a cookie cutter place them on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Repeat until all of the dough has been used. Cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar.
If you notice a hole in the upper left-hand corner of your Farmers' Almanac, don't return it to the store! That hole isn't a defect; it's a part of history. Starting with the first edition of the Farmers' Almanac in 1818, readers used to nail holes into the corners to hang it up in their homes, barns, and outhouses (to provide both reading material and toilet paper). In 1910, the Almanac's publishers began pre-drilling holes in the corners to make it even easier for readers to keep all of that invaluable information (and paper) handy.
