I like lemons and put them in my water all the time. But I’ve never met anyone who liked lemons more than my Aunt Wanda. Through the years she put lemons in everything she made from cookies, cakes, frosting, candies, puddings and tarts. She served lemonade and lemon sherbet. She was a great cook and prepared many meals for everyone she knew and if you took the time while eating you’d probably taste a hint of lemon in most things she made. She said the secret ingredient in most things was lemon. Added to spaghetti sauce or chili brought out the flavors of all the other vegetables It makes me sad to think that my sweet aunt passed away on August 31, 2016. But I can’t dwell on that for long because she was so ready to see her Living God as she would say and point to heaven while in her hospital bed. Still she fought hard to get rid of the pneumonia in her lungs. She would try to eat even when she wasn’t hungry. She’d sit up and cough and take small steps around the room. But in the end she was really sick and very weak and she told me we have to trust God because He knows what’s best for us. 🙏
I have made lemon squares in her honor and I’m asking any of you to fix your favorite lemon recipe and send it to me and I will add it to this blog. She would have liked this. Happy cooking! 🍋🍋🍋
Mix crust with 1/2 c butter, 1 cup flour and 1/4 cup powdered sugar. Place in the bottom of an 8×8 pan or tart pan like I did here. Bake 335 degrees for 20 minutes.
While the crust is baking mix 2eggs, 1 cup sugar, 2 T flour, 2 T fresh lemon juice and the jest of I lemon.
When the crust is done pour the mixture on the hot crust. Put in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving.
PS A special note of thanks to Lindsay’s Bakery for the delicious lemon coffee cake I took to Aunt Wanda at the hospital to help her and Uncle Bob celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary. She liked it so much she ate two pieces and we still had plenty to pass out to all the nurses on her floor. 💕
Less than 3 hours away from Merida is Seville, Spain, famous for its flamenco dancers and bull fighting. It’s filled with old buildings that ooze history and charm. It has beautiful cathedrals and museums. The Seville University is close to the train tracks and bus stops which give it easy access for students. As David, Rebecca and I searched for parking we quickly found out the “P” signs everywhere did not mean parking! Instead they are a rating for hostels, “P” meaning cheaper ones, where an “H” meant more expensive. Both are clean and governed by the government, so either is fine to stay in. Now, this was nice to know, but back to finding parking. As we drove around and around David finally stopped right in the middle of one of the courtyards where a wedding was about to take place, got out, and talked with a policeman. Because David can speak and understand Spanish, he easily followed the directions. Turning right here and left there, our streets were getting more and more narrow with people and bicycles still coming toward us. We felt like Chevy Chase in his famous “European Vacation” movie. Honestly, we were all getting so nervous at this point because as the cobblestone streets became more and more narrow we were worried we might have to back out!! Eventually we found a road to take us out and it didn’t matter how far away we had to walk, we weren’t going down that path again. Time for lunch and sangria!
My sister and I love to fix French recipes. Maybe it’s because on our Dad’s side of the family from all we’ve been told through the years, his grandparents came from Niece, France and met on the ship. The ship’s name was Louis and that’s where our dad got his middle name, Paul Lewis Brevard. They changed the “o” to “e” to make it more Americanized. So needlessly to say my sister and I both love French food and cook it whenever we can. Here’s a recipe for you that’s ” delicieux ” and so easy even my husband could make it. It is called Pork Normande. My sister says to flatten the pork medallions with a rolling pin and then sauté them in olive oil and a little bacon grease about 4 minutes on each side. Remove the pork and put them on a plate or pan with a lid. Turn the heat off and add about 1/2 cup of apple brandy. Turn the heat on and scrape up all the pork bits and bring to a boil. Add 1 cup cream and any juice on the plate from the pork. Boil again. Buy Stouffers wonderful baked apples and cook it in the microwave or canned apples work as well and then add it to the cream sauce. You can cook your own apples of course and sweeten with brown sugar and cinnamon. Serve the pork on everyone’s plate and pour the sauce over it. If you can’t find medallions, thin boneless pork chops work well too.
This cabin in the woods has brought the best part of us out. We can head up at a moments notice now that we keep coffee and extra clothes here. We find the time to read sitting by the fire and playing board games we haven’t done in years. Our grandchildren will find us a challenge next time they play with us! With winter coming to an end we may find ourselves hiking more and taking advantage of all the things there are to do up here but for now we just enjoy the fireplace and the porch view. So since I usually have potatoes on hand and ham in the freezer, I fry them up and we eat and just relax. Of course we go out to eat anytime we want and have all the choices you can imagine. This weekend we brought my brother and since he’s such an outdoors person we decided we should get up early and watch the sunrise. We set the alarm for 6:30, made the coffee and out to the porch we went. Back in for more blankets and refills on coffee and still no sun! Growing up in Ohio and now living in a flat area of Georgia I now understand what mom always talked about when she mentioned the twilight you have with mountains. She grew up the West Virginia surrounded by mountains. The sun slowly creeps up and you have light way before you see the sun. We could have slept in another hour, but then we would have missed drinking hot coffee bundled up with blankets hearing the mountains awake.
After twenty years of managing properties and traveling to other states to train other managers, a new company bought the property I managed and I was asked to leave. Well, it was unexpected because I had gone through many other changes like this during my twenty years and was always able to keep my position. This meant we had to move! It was time to buy a house. We had never done this before because we had to live on the property I mangaged. This was exciting and scary all at the same time. We looked around and finally settled on a two story, three if you count the finished basement with its own entryway, white brick house on historical Missionary Ridge, Chattanooga, Tennessee. My Dad noticed right off the bat that the address 1732 South Clayton totaled our family’s lucky number “13”. So it had to be the right move for us. So we moved in on a weekend with all tha family and friends we could mustard up. When Monday came and I didn’t have a job to go to I thought I’d watch morning TV. My coworker called since she didn’t have a job either and came right over. We fixed a big breakfast with no interrupting phone calls! We watched all the morning shows we thought we had missed through the years and just kept looking at each other. When we checked the time, it was still morning!! We weren’t hungry!! Now what?? We knew we would come up with something. And we did. Bea Chadburn is the one in an earlier blog that went with me on many of my craft fairs.
Here’s “THE CALIFORNIA CHEFS” with another good idea. This time a great topping for steak.
Food Tells Its Own Story 