If you know me, you know I LOVE lemons. If a recipe has lemon in it, I will most likely love it. Lemons are a wonderful addition to everything from desserts to roasted chicken. If you love the flavor of lemon, but aren’t sure where to add it in your menu, check out ways to use lemon this summer!
Lemony Roasted Chicken and Potatoes
A great way to take roast chicken and potatoes from being a fall or winter dish to a summer knockout is to add lemon. Recipe: Place a whole cut up chicken along with two to three pounds of potatoes cut into chunks to a baking dish. Add two to three lemons cut into wedges along with rosemary sprigs. Drizzle everything with olive oil, add salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Bake at 425 degrees for 45 to 60 minutes or until cooked through and the chicken is no longer pink. Serve with crusty French bread and a salad topped with a lemon vinaigrette.
Lemon Sorbet Containers
Want a decorative and delicious way to serve sorbet? Use lemon peels. Cut a lemon in half and use the two ends as serving dishes. Just scoop out 90% of the lemon flesh, cut the bottoms so the cups sit flat, and fill with your favorite sorbet. The sour flavor of the lemon combined with the sugary sorbet is pure heaven. Try adding blueberry, strawberry, or raspberry sorbet for a delicious sweet and sour combination.
used with permission from A Busy Mommy
Homemade Lemonade
It wouldn’t be summer without lemonade. While you can buy lemonade at the store, you’ll get much better flavor making your own. Homemade lemonade contains three simple ingredients: lemon juice, water, and sugar. If you want a more gourmet flavor, you can add pureed berries, fresh herbs, or 100% fruit juices. You could even get really fancy and add dried lavender. Or if you go the store-bought route, kick it up a notch with this great sweet & salty strawberry lemonade recipe!
Salad Dressings
Lemons make fantastic salad dressings in a snap. Mix olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and fresh herbs for an easy and delicious summer dressing.. You can also make a dressing for a fruit salad using lemon juice, honey, and dried lavender or vanilla. Heat the honey over a medium flame and whisk until the honey is melted add your lemon juice and lavender or vanilla and stir to combine. Allow to cool and then add to your fruit salad. Also check out this delicious recipe for Lemony Pasta salad with Grape Tomatoes and Feta.
Lemon Baked Goods
Last, but not least, the possibilities for lemon baked goods is endless. You can make lemon poppy seed muffins, lemon buttercream cupcakes, lemon cookies, lemon bars, lemon pie…you’re only limited by your imagination. Try combining lemon with other summer flavor, such as strawberries, for even better results. Some of my favorites are Luscious Lemon Loaf and Sweet & Tangy Iced Lemon Cookies.
These are just a few delicious uses for lemons this summer. How do you like to use lemons? List your favorite uses in the comment section below.
