Best Fresh Lemonade

This recipe come from the April 2013 issue of Relish, a newspaper insert. I saved it for just such a time as this -- summer in the Deep South.

The recipe suggested coating glass rims with Lemon Sugar and I’ve included that recipe. I’ll probably skip that step. I won’t be skipping the step to completely dissolve the sugar with boiling water. It really does make a difference in the final product. It's a secret I learned years ago when making Sweet Tea.

Best Fresh Lemonade

4 cups water
2 cups sugar
2 cups fresh lemon juice (about 10 lemons)
Lemon Sugar for glass rims

Boil or microwave 2 cups water with sugar until sugar is dissolved. Let cool. Squeeze lemons to make about 2 cups juice. Combine juice, sugar water and remaining 2 cups water. Stir well and chill.

Drip the rim of each glass in a shallow bowl of water. Coat the rims with Lemon Sugar. Serve over ice and additional lemon slices.

Makes 8 servings.

Lemon Sugar

4 lemons
1 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 225 degrees.

Peel lemons with a vegetable peeler or paring knife. Place peels on a baking sheet. Place in oven and let dry about 2 hours, until light tan in color. When thoroughly dry, grind peels in a coffee mill or in a food processor. Mix ground peel with sugar.

Makes about 1 1/3 cups.

Ice Cream Sundae Cake

This recipe comes from Mary Kay Andrews. Her new book, Ladies’ Night, comes out June 4^th. Ya’ll be sure to support this wonderful, bestselling, Southern writer and purchase her book. If it’s anything like the others I’ve read, it’ll be laugh-out-loud funny and so good you won’t want to put it down.

If you’d like to receive other recipes from Andrews, just go to her website and sign up for her newsletter. This recipe was included in her latest one, along with her book-signing schedule and other things of interest.

Ice Cream Sundae Cake

For Brownie Layer:
Vegetable oil spray, for misting the baking pan
1/4 cup cornstarch, plus cornstarch, for dusting the baking pan
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

For Ice Cream Layer:
1 gallon ice cream, softened
1 jar ice-cream topping of your choice, butterscotch, caramel, hot fudge or combination
1 pkg. Heath Bar bits or crushed candy or cookie crumbs

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a 9-by-11-inch baking pan by spritzing with vegetable oil spray, then dusting with cornstarch.

Melt butter in medium saucepan over low heat, add cocoa powder and stir well. Remove pan from heat and stir in both kinds of sugars and vanilla. Add beaten eggs, quarter-cup cornstarch and salt and stir. Fold in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 15-20 minutes, till edges are firm, top is shiny and center is set.

Let brownies cool completely. With rubber spatula, smooth softened ice cream flavor of your choice on top of brownie crust, cover and freeze until hardened. Drizzle toppings over ice cream, sprinkle with Heath Bar bits or any other crushed candy or cookie crumbs. Cut in squares and serve.

Butterscotch Pecan Pie

There is an absolutely wonderful article in the May/June 2013 issue of AAA’s Alabama Journey magazine. It’s all about the Pie Lab in Greensboro. It’s almost enough to make me want to climb in the van and head out. And, yes, they serve more than pies. They also serve meals and conversation. And all in downtown Greensboro, Alabama. Who knew?!

They were thoughtful enough to share this recipe. I can’t wait to try it.

Butterscotch Pecan Pie

3 tablespoons butter
3 eggs
¾ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¾ cup corn syrup
1 ½ cups pecan halves
½ cup butterscotch morsels
1 9-inch pie crust

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt butter in a small saucepan. While butter is melting, whisk eggs in a medium bowl. Stir in brown sugar, flour, vanilla, and corn syrup until combined. Add the melted butter.

Mix in the pecans and the butterscotch morsels. Pour mixture into prepared pie shell.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes.

Pom-Berry Shake

A few years ago my Dad decided he wanted a few strawberry plants. We love strawberries and they’re fairly easy to grow. You just have to take care of them and keep the weeds at bay.

He soon lost interest and the weeds and grass covered the strawberries. They appeared to be lost. A couple of years passed and he wanted to purchase more strawberry plants. He did and cleared and space in the garden and planted them there.

I wasn’t quite ready to give up on the older plants. I began pulling grass and weeds and, sure enough, the plants had survived. They produce large, juicy strawberries. I’m so glad I took the time to uncover them.

This recipe is from the May 2013 issue of Coastal Living. They’ve got some fabulous milkshake recipes, along with some tips on making awesome shakes. Be sure to check it out.

Pom-Berry Shake

½ cup pomegranate-blueberry juice
12 oz. frozen mixed berries such as strawberries, raspberries and blueberries
1 quart vanilla ice cream
1 cup milk
Garnishes: whipped cream, fresh berries

Combine juice, berries, ice cream and milk in a blender. Process until smooth. Garnish, if desired.

Makes 4 servings.

Lemon-Yogurt Crumb Cake

Nothing quite says late spring or early summer to me quite like a lemon cake. It’s just so fresh, like a sunny day. I think this cake will be perfect with a little Blue Bell ice cream. Yum!

Lemon-Yogurt Crumb Cake

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon orange zest
1/8 teaspoon salt
½ cup cold butter, cut into pieces

Cake Batter
½ cup butter, softened
1 ½ cups granulated sugar, divided
3 large eggs, separated
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
½ cup plan Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon zest
¾ cup Quick & Easy Lemon Curd (recipe under separate entry)
¼ cup powdered sugar

Prepare Crumb Topping: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine first five ingredients; cut cold butter into flour mixture with a pastry blender or fork until crumbly. Cover and chill until ready to use.

Prepare Cake Batter: Beat softened butter at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until creamy. Add 1 ¼-cups granulated sugar, beating 3 minutes or until fluffy. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears.

Stir together flour and baking soda; add to butter mixture alternately with yogurt, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in lemon zest.

Beat egg whites at high speed until foamy; gradually add remaining ¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Fold into batter. Pour batter into a greased and floured 9-inch square (2-inch deep) pan. Dollop with lemon curd; gently swirl with a knife. Sprinkle Crumb Topping over batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven; dust with powdered sugar. Serve warm, or cool on a wire rack 1 hour.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.