This dessert is so light you’ll want to eat the whole pie, but don’t fool yourself, it’s chock full of ice cream and whipped cream, aka two of the most fattening fabulous things in the world. But the secret is the crust. I had leftover Nilla Wafers lying around and didn’t want to waste them. Thank goodness, it sent this pie over the top! You just may find yourself eating it straight out of pie plate like I did. Ahem. I’m classy.

ingredients:
1 (9 inch) nilla wafer pie crust (see recipe)
3 cups vanilla ice cream, softened
1/2 cup lemon sugar (you can just white sugar if you don’t have lemon)
3/4 cup water
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 cup heavy whipping cream
4 tablespoons powdered sugar

Prep your pie crust, set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, water, lemon zest and lemon juice. Fold in the ice cream, make sure it’s softened, you’re job will be easier!

In a mixing bowl whip the heavy cream with the powdered sugar until soft peaks form. PAY ATTENTION: You will only use HALF of this. Fold HALF into the ice cream mixture and pour into the pie crust. Place in the freezer until set!

NOW use the other half of the whipped cream to dollop on top of the pie before you serve! And come on, serve it on a clean plate, let’s be civilized here!

This is a really refreshing take on a berry lemonade…but slushy. It doesn’t have to be summer to have this…we drank it when the weather was in the 40s!! It’s slushy time, all the time!

ingredients:
2 cups frozen strawberries
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup water

Frozen strawberries are the key, you don’t need to add ice, they do the work for you.

Blend everything together. Sure, let a small child play with an electric appliance and then take a picture. Hey, he’s just a really small sous chef, ok?

Blend until you get a mini tornado going in there, then pour into cups. This makes two large cups or 4 very small ones. I’m talking about kids here, not oompa loompahs.

This smells amazing when it’s cooking, all the ingredients come together so nicely. The kids just loved this and ate it right up, unfortunately that’s why I don’t have any good pictures – I apologize, but trust me it was delicious!

ingredients:
6-8 chicken thighs (bone in!!)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon onion powder
2 tablespoons flour
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons parsley
3 teaspoons lemon zest
3 carrots, cut into chunks
3 celery, cut into chunks
juice of one lemon
12 ounces chicken broth
1 cup water

Place chicken in the slow cooker pot. By using bone-in thighs, the chicken stays moist as compared to using filets which can really dry out, even in a crock pot.

In a small bowl combine the salt, pepper, onion powder, flour, chopped garlic, lemon zest and parsley. Rub into the chicken.

Put the cut carrots and celery on top.

Add the lemon juice over everything, then slowly add the chicken broth and water down the side (not on top of the veggies) filling the pot. This keeps the lemon and the spices intact.

Cover and cook for 6 hours on low. Skim the fat off the top.

I served it with rice, but by itself with a nice biscuit is pretty great too!

I made these up on a whim, they came out really good, then I realized I needed to write down the recipe. Oops. So I had to make them again. And again. And again…not to test the recipe…just because they were so good – YUM. Lemon-y. Moist. Soft. And muffin-y. I’m sure those aren’t words, but let me tell you, they’re delicious. The secret? Lemon sugar, of course!

ingredients:
1-3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup lemon sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup oil
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
juice of one lemon
zest of one lemon

more lemon sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prep a muffin pan with liners. (you will only get about 10 muffins out of this)

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, lemon sugar and baking powder, whisk to combine.

Add the oil, egg, milk, lemon juice and lemon zest. Oh. So. Lemony. This is the kicker here, peeps. Lemon juice, lemon sugar, lemon zest. Don’t skimp, you’ll be rewarded in the end! Stir until JUST combined. Not too much – you don’t want a tough muffin!

Fill the muffin cups about 3/4 of the way full. Top with a sprinkling of even MORE lemon sugar.

Bake for 15-18 minutes depending on your oven. Let cool on a wire rack.

These are for true lemon lovers. Flavorful, not overly sweet – just the perfect muffin for a morning snack.

Just like LAST YEAR, the Lemon Fairy left a gigantor bag of lemons on my porch. I don’t know whether to hug her or punch her because she knows my weakness. I just can’t let these things go to waste. I’ve been working my way through them like a maniac, so you know what that means…it’s Lemon Week! A new lemon recipe everyday…until I die from citrus poisoning. Is that possible? I hope not…
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Simple, right? It is – but the taste is beyond compare. It’ll make your days brighter and your life longer. Ok, maybe not, but it sure makes does give your baking that extra somethin’.

ingredients:
1 cup sugar
zest of 1/2 lemon

Zest the lemon into the sugar. Stir around so that the oils can mix into the sugar. Keep in a sealed container. I use this for baking lemon cakes and muffins, it adds a whole new dimension to your lemon-y desserts!