3 Yummy Treats from 1 Yummy Fruit...

Oh, what a gorgeous and yummy fruit the Meyer Lemon is. Had a few on hand to try them. I squeezed the juice out for a pitcher of homemade lemonade, ate the flesh just because, and cooked the skin into candied citrus peel.

I remember being in elementary school, about 2nd or 3rd grade, and a girl in my class had this in her lunch pretty much every week. She gave me a piece to try and I have never forgotten that yummy goodness...sweet but tangy...I was hooked.

Several years later when I was a 7th grader, I tried my hand at this oh so simple candy. Much to my disappointment it was a complete failure! I never tried it again. All these years later I decided to give it another try. I have come to realize that it was possibly due to my impatient nature that the candy had not turned out as it should (read I didn't let it cook long enough).

So as I write here on my blog, I wait patiently for the boiling sugar and water to cook the lemon peel to a tender translucent gem. I still cannot wait to taste it, but I am a much more patient and experienced cook now.

Okay, you are going to get a chuckle out of this...the candy still has not turned out right! I think I was a little too patient. The candy cooked past the syrup stage and into the hard tack stage...anyone care to try my lemon peel brittle?

This is live blogging at it's best folks...no time delays used here...

It actually tastes really good...maybe I have come up with a new taste sensation...so I can keep the title of my post. Hurray!

Loving Nesting In The Winter...

The truth is I used to dread the onset of the winter months. The last few years however, I have come to love them almost more than summer time, which has always been my absolute favorite season. I honestly don't know what brought on such a change, but I'm guessing it has something to do with having a little one again. He becomes so excited about the snow and the winter holiday's that it is contagious! Not to mention the fact that we have more time for our crafting and artistic endeavors. Oh, and the baking and cooking...always more fun in cooler weather...

The recipe below is one my mom made when I was a little girl, and I have been making it for the last 27 years. It is a very "Simple Potato and Onion Soup", which is absolutely delicious. Hope you will try it out and let me know what you think...


Peel and cut into 3/4" cubes 4 large russet potatoes, as well as peel and dice 2 medium onions.


Place the potato and onion along with a stick of butter or margerine, and 8 cups of water in a 5 to 7 qt. soup pot with lid. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook until potatoes are done through and starting to get soft enough that they are getting a bit smaller than they started out.


At this point add 4 cups of whole milk to the soup pot, then in a small bowl measure out 1/4 cup of white corn meal (not yellow it is too sweet), to the cornmeal add about a cup of the hot broth from the soup pot, and whisk until all lumps are gone. Add this corn meal paste to the soup and stir thoroughly to incorporate. Next add the second stick of butter or margerine, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Turn heat down to a simmer and let cook for about 5 minutes with lid on, but do not bring to a boil again. Remove from heat.


The finished soup will have smaller chunks of potato, the onion will have cooked down a bit too, and the soup will be thicker, but not thick just kind of creamy. There are approximately 10 servings. Enjoy!

I have loved this soup my entire life and it is a very budget friendly recipe.