I adore Everything Lemon!  I even have lemon tablecloths, dishtowels and a fabulous table runner!  Not to mention the bowls, salad plates…

 

EVERYTHING LEMON – A Superstar in the Kitchen & Home

Lemons lend tons of flavor to baked goods, sauces, salad dressings, marinades, drinks, desserts, and are also a fabulous source of Vitamin C.  One large lemon can provide over 30 milligrams (mg) of vitamin C to your daily nutritional requirements.

Vitamin C is essential for health, and a deficiency can lead to various health problems.  You remember when you learned in grade school about the early explorers who packed citrus fruits for their long voyages to help prevent or treat scurvy. 

Then there’s all the ways lemons can help us clean our homes, and even make some pampering concoctions to help beautify our face and bodies too!

Who doesn’t love the fresh scent of lemons wafting through our homes?

Make sure you try making some Lemon Powder real soon.  It’s the “secret” ingredient in many of the recipes I’m sharing with you today.

Once you start drying lemon peels in your kitchen, your entire house will smell lemony fresh all day long!

Today’s post is going to show you just how many ways you can use lemons in your daily life. 

Here’s what we’ll be covering:

• Pink Limoncello (using spectacular Pink Lemons grown in California)
• Lemon Powder / Lemon Sugar / Lemon Pepper / Sparkling Lemon Sugar
• Lemon Powder Pound Cake
• Candied Lemon Slices / Candied Lemon Peels / Lemon Syrup
• Lemonburst Cookies (Sparkling Lemon Sugar and Lemon Powder)
• Lemon-Rosemary Cleaning Spritz
• Lemony Lip Gloss
• Lemon-Peppermint Foot Scrub ( Lemon Powder)
• Lemon Drop Cocktail Mixer by the Pitcher
• Lemony Marinated Olives
• Lemon Gift Hang Tag PDF

 Let’s get started with some lemon goodness! 

LEMON GIFT HANG TAGS – For All Your Lemony Gifts!

You’ll need some gift tags for your lemony gifts won’t you?

These are some seriously adorable hang tags that can be used for gift giving or when you entertain at home.

I especially love to use hang tags for my bar beverages at parties.

Guests really appreciate knowing what their choices are at a self-serve beverage station.

Here the selection of Lemon Gift Hang Tags for many of the lemony items I’m sharing with you today: 

• Pink Limoncello
• Lemon Powder Pound Cake
• Lemon Pepper
• Lemon Sugar
• Lemon Powder
• Sparkling Lemon Sugar
• Lemony Lip Gloss
• Lemon-Peppermint Foot Scrub

I’ll tell you how to get your own Lemon Gift Hang Tags a little later in this post!

PERFECTLY PINK LIMONCELLO

An extremely authentic Limoncello is made exclusively with lemons produced in Sorrento or Amalfi and requires 3 weeks of infusion time.

My Pink Limoncello recipe only requires 10-12 days steeping time. I find that much time produces a nicely infused alcohol mixture that turns into a killer aperitif when combined with a simple sugar syrup. 

Other than the patience required to wait out the steeping time, this recipe is rather uncomplicated and fast to prepare.

You’ll just want to make sure you plan far enough ahead to start a batch for your next party or get-together.

Here’s the link to this incredibly sweet and sassy libation:  Pink Limoncello

HOW TO MAKE LEMON POWDER – Dehydrator or Oven

Making lemon powder is a really simple process and doesn’t require using an electric dehydrator.  Your oven will work just fine, but you’ll need to watch your lemon peels a little more closely. 

I personally use my dehydrator on a fairly regular basis, so the purchase price is certainly worth it for me.  My Nesco machine dried 3 full racks of lemon peels in a little over 5 hours at the 135 degree setting.  

I used a thin-skinned variety of lemon, but if you use a thicker skinned lemon, they’ll take a while longer to dry completely.

Making Lemon Powder in a Dehydrator:

• Lay out the lemon rinds in a single layer, with no overlapping on your food dehydrator trays.  You want good air circulation to dry the peels fast and evenly. 
• Stack your loaded trays on the dehydrator base and turn to a  setting of 135 degrees if your unit has adjustable settings.
• Dehydrate the lemon peels until they are completely dry. The time it takes for them to fully dry will vary depending on your individual machine and the thickness of the peels. 
• You know the lemon peels are finished drying when they easily crack and snap in half, rather than bending.
• Failing to completely dry your lemon peels before grinding will result in a clumpy lemon powder with a shorter shelf-life

Making Lemon Powder in the Oven:

• This method works best for thin-skinned lemons. Spread the lemon peels out on a cookie sheet or baking pan. Preheat the oven to the lowest temperature setting possible. Because ovens don’t have super low temperature options like dehydrators do, the finished lemon rinds will be darker in color and a slightly “toasted” flavor than those dried in a dehydrator. 
• Bake the lemon rinds on low heat until they are completely dry, crisp, and easily snap in half. This may take several hours to a full day to dry in the oven. If your climate is very arid and warm, you could allow the thin lemon zest ribbons to air-dry at room temperature for a couple days.  They might not even need to be baked!

NOW IT’S TIME TO MAKE LEMON POWDER

Once your lemon peels are totally dry, it is time to turn them into my fabulous “secret” ingredient, Lemon Powder!

• Use a high-powered blender, food processor, or coffee grinder to churn the dried lemon peels into powder.  I find that using a coffee grinder that is dedicated to only spices does the fastest job and produces the finest powder. 

Store your finished Lemon Powder in an air-tight glass container, such as in a spice container or mason jar with tight-fitting lid.   A funnel really comes in handy to transfer the power into a jar without spilling.

Keep the container in a dry, cool place. When properly dried and stored, your homemade Lemon Powder will last for about a year.  I personally need to make new Lemon Powder every few months or so!

LEMON FLAVORINGS – Using Lemons to Spice Up Your Life

Now that you’ve made your Lemon Powder, it’s time to get creative with it!

Lemons bring lots of flavor to salad dressings, marinades, baked goods, meat and vegetables. 

Whether you’re adding lemon juice, zest or a Lemon Powder seasoning blend to a recipe, lemon heightens the flavor profile of everything it touches.

INSTRUCTIONS:  Combine ingredients and store in a airtight container.

LEMON PEPPER SEASONING

Ingredients:  

• 2 Tbs. Lemon Powder
• 3 Tbs. fresh ground peppercorns (I like to use colored peppercorns)
• 1 Tbs. kosher salt

LEMON SUGAR 

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup granulated white sugar
• 1/3 cup confectioner’s sugar
• 2 Tbs. Lemon Powder

SPARKLING LEMON SUGAR

You’ll find sparkling sugar granules in the baking section of craft stores or online.  I always order mine from Amazon Prime when I’m placing an order for other items too.

I paid $8.99 for a 12 ounce bag on Amazon with free shipping.  I know the price is expensive compared to plain white sugar, but a little goes a long way.  Plus, it’s just so darn pretty on top of my muffins, cookies and cakes!

The Lemonburst Cookie recipe included in this post uses not only Lemon Powder, but this fabulous Sparkling Lemon Sugar too!

Ingredients:  

• 1/2 cup sparkling sugar (large grained specialty sugar)
• 2 Tbs. Lemon Powder

LEMONBURST COOKIES & LEMON POWDER POUND CAKE

Who doesn’t love a sweet, but tangy lemon dessert?  That’s exactly what both of these lovely recipes produce!

My Lemon Powder Pound Cake recipe makes a rich, less-dense cake, with an incredibly smooth taste and larger “crumb”. 

In cake baking, “crumb” refers to the interior texture and tenderness of a cake. Lemon Powder Pound Cake is not typical, in that most pound cake recipes bake into a densely textured loaf.   

Part of the reason is that the recipe has instructions that are similar to muffin-making.

Over-mixing the batter when adding the dry ingredients is the enemy!  Just follow the directions, and you’ll have an incredible Lemon Powder Pound Cake for dessert tonight!

The cake itself gets plenty of lemon flavor from the addition of Lemon Powder.

But the real magic of “tang” comes from the intense lemon flavor of the glaze and Candied Lemon Slice garnish. 

Don’t worry, a little later I’ll be showing you how to make your own Candied Lemon Slices and Peels!

Lemonburst Cookies are just as pretty as they are delicious!  This recipe too, uses the magic that is Lemon Powder, to make a cookie bursting with lemon flavor.  

The prettiness comes from adding the “finishing touches” of Sparkling Lemon Sugar and sliced almonds.  It’s kind of a double-whammy of lemony flavor.  Sometimes it’s nice to gild the lily!

CANDIED LEMON SLICES, PEELS & LEMON SYRUP

Making Candied Lemon Slices is so simple, but gives a lot of “bang for the buck” when used as a garnish.

That’s how I used them for my Lemon Powder Pound Cake recipe.  After glazing the top of the cake, I laid Candied Lemon Slices in a row down the center, domino style.  It really gives the cake a little “wow” factor, doesn’t it?

The process is identical for making Candied Lemon Peels, except that you will slice the peels into strips before adding them to the boiling simple sugar syrup.

The fabulous “extra” to this process is the Lemon Syrup you’ll end up with after the lemons are finished. 

It’s full of lemon flavor from the essential oils released from the lemon slices and peels as they give up their water content and absorb the sugar syrup.

HERE’S THE SIMPLE PROCESS TO MAKE CANDIED LEMON SLICES AND PEELS:

• Wash 2 lemons and cut fruit into thin slices, approximately 1/8″ thick. 
• Place 1 1/2 cups water and 1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until all the sugar is dissolved.
• Once the mixture has begun to boil, add lemon slices, bring back to a simmer and reduce the heat to medium-low.
• Simmer sugar syrup and lemon slices for 15-20 minutes, or until translucent.
• Remove lemon slices from syrup with a fork, gently lifting onto a wire rack placed over a parchment covered baking sheet.
• Let lemons “dry” for several hours before using. 
• Store lemon slices in an airtight container at room temperature. Use within 3 days.

LEMONS MAKE FABULOUS BEAUTY TREATMENTS TOO

Both these lemony beauty treatments are perfect for gift giving too!  Pamper your BFF’s with two fabulous “spa day” treats as a special way to show then how much you care!

Don’t forget to download and print out your Lemon Gift Hang Tags for Lemon-Peppermint Foot Scrub and Lemony Lip Gloss for the perfect “finish” to your gifts!

LEMON-PEPPERMINT FOOT SCRUB

Ingredients:

• 1 cup coarse sea salt 
• 1/2 cup sweet almond oil 
• 2 Tbs. Lemon Powder
• 2 tsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 2 drops yellow food coloring
• 7 drops peppermint essential oil

Instructions:

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl and store in a sterilized 8 ounce glass or plastic jar with a tight fitting lid.  Mixture will last about 2 weeks, or longer if kept in the refrigerator between uses.

To Use Lemon-Peppermint Foot Scrub:

Rub mixture into your wet feet with your hands or a pumice stone, spending some extra times around your heels.  Rinse off with clean, warm water, dry, apply foot cream and don a clean pair of cotton socks to lock in the moisture.

LEMONY LIP GLOSS

Ingredients:

• 4 Tbs. coconut oil
• 2 Tbs. beeswax beads (health food stores, Amazon)
• 2 tsp. honey
• 1 tsp. sweet almond oil
• 15 drops lemon essential oil

Instructions:

Place the coconut oil, beeswax and honey in a small saucepan over low heat.  Once the beeswax has completely melted, remove pan from heat and  stir in the sweet almond oil.

Place the pan in an ice bath (large bowl with ice and water in bottom).  Whisk the mixture until the lip gloss has emulsified and “sets up”. (1-2 minutes)

Put the finished Lemony Lip Gloss in a clean, sterile container with a tight-fitting lid for up to 6 months.   

CLEANING WITH LEMONS – Lemon-Rosemary Cleaning Spritz

If you’re making lemon desserts, spice blends or beauty treatments, you’ll find yourself with lots of leftover lemon “stuff”.  No doubt you’ll have accumulated a pile of lemon halves, peels and flesh that you don’t really want to toss in the trash bin.

Here’s a fabulous way to use them and end up with a “green” cleaning solution that works even better than chemicals and detergents.

Lemon-Rosemary Cleaning Spritz is so simple to make and incredibly effective, you’ll never throw away a lemon rind again! 

It’s safe to use in the kitchen, bathroom and I especially love to use it when cleaning my refrigerator!  It really gets rid of any odors and crud that’s accumulated since the last cleaning.  (and with me, that could be months)

SUPPLIES –

• Large glass container with lid
• Lemon rinds, peels, flesh
• Fresh Rosemary 
• White vinegar (do not use apple cider vinegar)
• Distilled water (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS –

• Place lemon “stuff” and a rosemary “branch” in the glass container
• Don’t fuss about the quantities, it doesn’t really matter too much
• Pour white vinegar into the container until it completely covers the lemons by 1 inch
• Cover the container and shake well
•  Leave on the counter at room temperature, out of direct sunlight
• Let mixture steep for 10-12 days; shaking mixture every other day
• Strain Lemon-Rosemary Cleaning Spritz through fine cheesecloth to remove all the solids (repeat if necessary)
• If the mixture is too strong smelling for your senses, you can add a little distilled water to dilute the mixture (the addition of water will also reduce its disinfectant capability)
• Pour into spray-cleaner bottles (will keep, like forever!)

MORE LEMONY GOODNESS COMING YOUR WAY

If you want even more lemony goodness, I’ve got two more recipes to share with you! Both are perfect for entertaining at home any time of year.

The first is a fabulous and handy hostess hack that makes throwing a party a little easier.  The second is a great snack to have with cocktails (or even add them to your martinis!).

Lemon Drop Cocktail Mixer by the Pitcher with Recipe PDF makes up a big batch of the mixer to easily prepare Lemon Drops by the Pitcher to serve a crowd.

But if the gang loves their martini’s, then having this delicious snack hanging around your refrigerator will always be a hit.

Easy Lemony Marinated Olives are so simple and fast to prepare, I try to always have a batch in the refrigerator.  They’re especially nice to have handy around the holidays and for Summer entertaining!  They keep like a dream and taste even better after they’ve had some time to “sit around”.

IS YOUR HEAD SPINNING WITH LEMONS?

If you weren’t convinced that lemons are one of the most versatile foods in the world, I bet you are now!

I’ve shared with you some incredible lemon desserts, spice blends, beauty treatments and even an herby-lemon cleaner.  How much harder can one little lemon work?

I hope you’ll try some or maybe all of the uses for the incredible fruit that are LEMONS!

LEMONY GIFT HANG TAGS – Download the PDF

I want you to be able to give lots of lemony gifts this season! So I’ve created these fabulous hang tags for all the recipes I’ve given in this post!  How fun is that?

Want some Lemon Gift Hang Tags, but you’re not on our list yet?  Join the IFAFL Email Subscriber List and get instant access to the IFAFL Resource Library and receive our twice-weekly emails.  We’re waiting for you!

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