I made this homemade lemonade for a BBQ we had yesterday (yes we had a BBQ in the middle of January. A perk of living in Southern California). I used more lemons from our neighbor’s lemon tree. The tree resides in an organic community garden, so I guess you could say this is organic lemonade. Sounds Californian doesn’t it?

I doubled the recipe and it served about 8-10 adults and a few kids. I think everyone had more than one glass.

6-7 lemons produce about a cup of juice. I used between 18-20 lemons.

It was really delicious by the way. We’re still sipping on it today at home, and I’d say it tastes better the second day.

1 3/4 cups white sugar
8 cups water
1 1/2 cups lemon juice

Directions:

In a small saucepan, combine sugar and 1 cup water. Bring to boil and stir to dissolve sugar. Allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until chilled.

Remove seeds from lemon juice, but leave pulp. In pitcher, stir together chilled syrup, lemon juice and remaining 7 cups water.

I’m about to reveal a secret. The secret of how to get moist baked chicken. Now listen carefully. This little piece of info could very well change your life! High temperature, short baking time. Did you get that? For example, you should never bake chicken at 350° for an hour like so many recipes call for. You will be eating cardboard. I would go with at least 375° for 30 minutes. But 20-25 minutes at 400-425° is even better.

Ingredients:

1 (15 oz) can artichoke hearts, drained
and chopped
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (the stuff in the green can works great)
3/4 cup mayonnaise (can substitute half of mayo with sour cream)
1 pinch garlic pepper (just used a little garlic and some freshly ground pepper)
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°.

In a medium bowl, mix together the artichoke hearts, Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, and garlic pepper. Place chicken in a greased baking dish, and cover evenly with artichoke mixture.

Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until chicken is no longer pink in the center and juices run clear.

This is a great recipe for fresh blueberries. I quartered this recipe (I didn’t think Miles and I needed 24 or even 12 muffins all to ourselves) and it worked out great. I think it’s a good idea to double the amount of blueberries called for.

Ingredients:

4 eggs
2 cups white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups sour cream
2 cups blueberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°. Grease 24 muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.

In large bowl beat eggs, gradually add sugars while beating. Continue beating while slowly pouring in oil. Add sour cream. Stir in vanilla. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, salt and baking soda.

Stir dry ingredients into egg mixture. Gently fold in blueberries. Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake 20 minutes.

If you can’t tell, I’ve been cooking like a mad woman this week. I tried four or five new recipes and we loved ‘em all!

This pork roast recipe was the best I’ve ever made! And perhaps the best I’ve eaten.

I used the following recipe, but instead of roasting the pork in the oven, I used the crock-pot. After adding an onion and a few carrots to the bottom of the pot, I cooked the roast on high for 4 hours. Then I removed the vegetables and drained the drippings. After returning the roast to the crock-pot, I poured half of the glaze over top, then cooked the roast an additional hour on high. Soooo goooood!

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 (5 pound) boneless pork loin
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325°.

In a bowl, combine sage, salt, pepper, and garlic. Rub thoroughly all over pork. Place pork in an uncovered roasting pan on the middle oven rack.

Bake in the preheated oven approximately 3 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches at least 150 degrees F, depending upon your desired doneness.

Meanwhile, place sugar, cornstarch, vinegar, water, and soy sauce in a small saucepan. Heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture begins to bubble and thicken slightly. Brush roast with glaze 3 or 4 times during the last 1/2 hour of cooking. Pour remaining glaze over roast, and serve.