Meyer Lemons

We were fortunate to be able to spend Thanksgiving in Los Angeles with my son Justin, his girlfriend Lily, Lily's mom and sister. Not only did we celebrate Thanksgiving, we celebrated Lily's birthday. Justin surprised her with this cake. Isn't it amazing? That's their dog Ducky who was such a good dog while we snapped the photos!



Justin and Lily have a Meyer lemon tree in their backyard. It was covered with lemons. Fortunately, I had a little extra room in my suitcase and was able to bring 12 home with me. I've never seen Meyer lemons in the store here. Maybe Whole Foods has them this time of year.


I wanted to be able to savor the flavor of these lemons, so I decided to make Preserved Lemons.
These were so beautiful sitting on the counter for five days. I haven't tried them but plan to use them in a chicken recipe real soon.



Preserved Lemons
Recipe Courtesey of Epicurious

• 2 1/2 to 3 pounds Meyer lemons (10 to 12)
• 2/3 cup coarse salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil

• Special equipment: 6-cup jar with tight-fitting lid

Preparation

Blanch 6 lemons in boiling water 5 minutes. When cool enough to handle, cut lemons into 8 wedges each and discard seeds. Toss with salt in a bowl and pack into jar.

Squeeze enough juice from remaining lemons to measure 1 cup. Add enough juice to cover lemons and cover jar with lid. Let stand at room temperature, shaking gently once a day, 5 days. Add oil and chill.

Cooks' note: • Preserved lemons keep, chilled, up to 1 year.

Orange Marmalade was always in the fridge when I was a kid. Not really remembering whether or not I liked it, I decided to try making marmalade. I halved this recipe. After reading a few of the reviews, I added 1 tsp. vanilla. Also, I let it sit a week before tasting it. It has a nice tang but it's still sweet. Delicious on an English Muffin or Crumpet.

Meyer Lemon Marmalade
Recipe Courtesy of Epicurious
6 Meyer lemons (1 1/2 pounds)
4 cups water
4 cups sugar

Special equipment:

Cheesecloth
Kitchen string
6 (1/2-pint) Mason-type jars, sterilized

Preparation

Halve lemons crosswise and remove seeds. Tie seeds in a cheesecloth bag. Quarter each lemon half and thinly slice. Combine with bag of seeds and water in a 5-quart nonreactive heavy pot and let mixture stand, covered, at room temperature 24 hours.

Bring lemon mixture to a boil over moderate heat. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until reduced to 4 cups, about 45 minutes. Stir in sugar and boil over moderate heat, stirring occasionally and skimming off any foam, until a teaspoon of mixture dropped on a cold plate gels, about 15 minutes.

Ladle hot marmalade into jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of top. Wipe rims with dampened cloth and seal jars with lids.

Put jars in a water-bath canner or on a rack set in a deep pot. Add enough hot water to cover jars by 1 inch and bring to a boil. Boil jars, covered, 5 minutes and transfer with tongs to a rack. Cool jars completely.

I am linking this to Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday and Foodie Friday.

From The Good Life

After a two week hiatius, From The Good Life is back! I'd intended to post this sooner but just didn't get it done!

Thanksgiving Day, as most of you were basting the bird and baking pies, we were heading west. We met my son Justin and his girlfriend Lily in Las Vegas for Thanksgiving. It was a wonderful, albeit chilly day. Southwest gave us a free cocktail because it was turkey day. The airport wasn't crowded and getting our luggage and rental car was a breeze!! Justin took us to a delicious Thanksgiving dinner at First Food and Bar in the Palazzo.

We stayed at The Signature Suites at the MGM. I would highly recommend staying there. It's a quiet, non casino hotel. We stayed in a junior suite. They're roomy, with a microwave, fridge and even a small stove. Does anyone cook while they're in Vegas? There's a small balcony with a view of the strip. It's not the kind of balcony you can sit on but great for checking out the lights of Las Vegas.

Lily and I had pedicures on Friday. We chose the Hot Stone Pedicure at Vdara. (You know the hotel with the death ray?) The chairs were amazing. You could recline them and adjust the whirlpool in the tub with the remote. Seriously, the best pedicure I've ever had. Thank You, Lily!!!


Friday night we went to see Penn and Teller at the Rio. Lily treated us to the show. (Thanks Lily!) Our tickets were in the fourth or fifth row. You know how the performers come out into the audience and pick people to go up on stage? Yes, you guessed it. Teller chose me to go up on stage. I was horified but what do you do? It was a magic act where he was pulling money out of a large tank of water and dumping it into a fish bowl in my lap. The coins came from everywhere, my ears, my glasses and my arm. When it finally ended, Teller handed me the fishbowl and a few pennies. After the show, I had Teller autograph the bowl. It's a great conversation piece on the bar in the basement. (Photo courtesy of Tim's iPhone.)


Saturday we watched the Missouri/Kansas game at Lagasee's Stadium in the Palazzo. Tim and I went and checked out the Pawn Stars shop, Gold and Silver Pawn. We were hoping to see Chumley or The Old Man but neither were there! We celebrated Justin and Lily's birthday with dinner at The Firefly. I chose the location in the Plaza hotel because they took reservations. Little did I know the Plaza hotel was closed for renovation. As we took the elevator to the second floor, I think we were all a little skeptical about my choice. Once we were seated and ordered white sangria, I felt much better about my decision. The Firefly overlooks the Freemont Street Experience light show. If you're in Vegas and have the chance to go there, it's worth it just for the Bacon Wrapped Dates. They were fabulous!


Monday, Justin and Lily flew back to Los Angeles. Tim and I drove up to Zion National Park. Although we only saw Zion, from the roads, it's beautiful. The night before Zion received a few inches of snow. I was a little leary of the roads in our non four wheel drive Mercury. I should have known there was no need to be nervous, afterall Tim grew up in Minnesota and knows how to drive in snow!

Vegas is always fun but sharing it with Justin and Lily created great memories!!!

New Addition - Mosaic Monday

Today I am sharing the newest addition to our family! My son Justin and his girlfriend Lily, just got a new puppy. Meet Ducky!



I am submitting this to Mosaic Monday at Little Red House.