Freezing Lemons

Meyer Lemons

If you love the Meyer lemons but can't eat them all while they are in season, you can juice them and put the juice into an ice cube tray and freeze. Once they are frozen you can leave them in the tray or put them into a freezer bag or container. To get the most juice from your lemon, you can roll it on the counter before cutting or pop it in the microwave for about 10 seconds. Just make sure to strain before freezing to remove seeds and pulp. You can also freeze the zest for later use. 

Angie

Oven Mac n' Cheese

My husband and I aren't huge macaroni and cheese fans but the other night I was low on groceries and it was cold and snowy.  I  know there are several recipes for oven mac n cheese but I used what ingredients I had and this one is family approved.  My daughter took it to eat on her break at her dance studio and a couple people asked what restaurant it was from!

What you will need: 

• Pasta, the amount and type is whatever you have
• 3T butter or marg.
• 3T flour
• 3 c milk
• 2-3 cups of shredded cheese (what you like and have on hand)

• I used 1lb. box of Penne Pasta ( this served 4 and we had left overs)
• boil your pasta. I took it out a couple minutes earlier than what the box said, it will cook in the oven and I don't like mushy pasta.  While the pasta is boiling, put together your cheese sauce. If you watch cooking shows, or you want to sound fancy, it's a Bechamel sauce.
• in a saucepan melt 3T butter or margarine, 3T flour until it is like paste then slowly add your 3 cups of milk.  Whisk this in the pan with a little minced onion and salt, and pepper and 2-3 cups of grated cheese(I used mostly cheddar and a little mozzarella, until it has thickened and is smooth).  

• Drain your pasta and  pour sauce over, top with dry bread crumbs.  Put it in the oven at 350 for about 30 minutes.  It will be thin at first but it will thicken while baking.

Enjoy!

Simply Angie

Hot Chocolate

Here is a delicious, but very thick and rich hot chocolate recipe. It goes perfectly with the homemade marshmallows recipe shown earlier. I found the original recipe for this in Family Circle magazine. I have made it with a few different variations and it's always rich and delicious.

• Bring 1c milk to a boil on the stove. (I have made this with whole milk or skim milk instead, to cut calories)
• Add 3 T of cream, (I have also used half and half instead)
• Add  2-3 oz of chocolate. (I used Bakers semi-sweet, or chocolate chips and they both turned out yummy) bring to a second boil until the chocolate melts and is mixed well (the second boil is the key to the thickness).

Then top it with a marshmallow and enjoy!  This is supposed to be one serving, but it is so rich that I split it into 3, half cup servings. 

 Angie

Vapor Rub

Seems like everyone I know has a cold right now.  I found a great recipe on crunchybetty.com for a homemade vapor rub.

Ingredients:

2 tsp beeswax (grated)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

25-35 drops of peppermint essential oil

15 drops eucalyptus essential oil

10-15 drops rosemary essential oil

Melt the beeswax and olive oil together until smooth in a double boiler (or I used a Pyrex measuring cup in a pan of water). Stir well with a whisk. Continue whisking while adding the essential oils drop by drop. Transfer to a small lidded container. Store in a cool, dry place for up to a year. 

Use just as you would the store bought brand.

Love and peace,

~ Simply Tammi