Citrus!!

 

So, I brought all these home from my G-ma's trees in California.

SIGH.

I told Mark that I'd move to California for the sole purpose of having my own orange and lemon trees. G-ma grows Valencia oranges, which are grown mostly for juicing. They are the Best. Oranges. Ever. You have to stand over a sink while you eat them because the juice runs all the way down your elbows. They have a lot of seeds in them, but who cares. The lemons are fabulous, too.

I tried to make these last as long as I could, and when Mother's Day rolled around, I knew I needed to do something special with them. First, I made a loaf of Coconut Lemon Banana Bread and used half a lemon for the glaze, and then I decided to make a lemon cream pie and lemon orange bars. I made the pie and the bars in one morning before 11:00 am church on Mother's Day--it was crazy. Both recipes are definite keepers and I am already dreaming about making them again.

The lemon cream pie is from the website Made, and she got the recipe from someone's grandmother. I only got to eat one piece of it because we shared some with our parents and then Mark ate the last two pieces when I wasn't looking...

*Note* Each piece of fruit yields an average of 1/4 cup of juice, if you're going to use fresh.

 Lemon Cream Pie

Dana Willard from Made

Blind bake one 9-inch pie crust or purchase a pre-made crust from the store.  (I baked a frozen Marie Callender's pie crust)

For the Filling

Combine:

1 cup sugar

3 Tbsp. cornstarch

Add:

1/4 cup melted butter

1 Tbsp. lemon rind

1 cup milk

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

3 egg yolks slightly beaten

Cook over low heat until thick, stirring constantly. Takes about 10 minutes. Cool.

Stir in 1 cup sour cream and spoon into a baked, cooled pie crust. Cover the top with whipped cream or Cool Whip. Chill until ready to serve.

. . . . .

 My G-ma had shown me a dessert recipe using lemons and oranges when I was at her house, and I thought I took the Taste of Home magazine that it came from with me. But I must have grabbed the wrong issue. So instead I googled some lemon orange recipes and decided to go with one from Rachael Ray. It uses a ton of butter and sugar, but they were SO GOOD. (surprise, surprise) The crust was buttery and tender and the combo of lemon and orange was delicious. I gave most of the bars away to family, and when the bars were gone, I went back and ate all the baked-on edges that were still stuck to the pan. Yep, they were that good. It had to be done.

Recipe can be halved in a 8x8 dish.

 Golden Lemon Orange Bars

by Rachael Ray

Ingredients

2 sticks (8 ounces) salted butter, softened
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
1 1/2 tsp. grated lemon peel
1/2 tsp. grated orange peel
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon baking powder 

 

Directions
 

Preheat the oven to 350° F . Using an electric mixer, combine the butter, 2 cups flour and the powdered sugar until the mixture is the consistency of coarse sand. Stir in 1/2 tsp. lemon peel and the orange peel. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking pan. Bake until golden, about 25 minutes.  

  Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, combine the granulated sugar, eggs, lemon juice, orange juice, remaining 1 tsp. lemon peel, remaining 2 tablespoons flour and the baking powder and mix for 1-1/2 minutes. Pour the filling into the crust and bake until the top is golden, about 35-40 minutes. Let cool completely. Cut into bars and dust with powdered sugar.

 Both recipes are summery and delicious, so give them a try!