Citrus Flavored Summer

Summer foods just seem to call for the sweet and sour tastes of juicy citrus fruits. Citrus fruits colors - bright yellow, green, orange - even make me think of summer. We all enjoy lemonade, limeades, and orange flavored popsicles in warm weather. For a recent family gathering I choose two new twists on these citrus flavors.

We like water flavored with lemons, or with limes. Instead of dropping the fruit into the drinks, this idea layers the fruit around the edge of the clear container, creating a decorative appeal. This is easier to do than it looks! Cut fruit into ¼ inch slices and lay next to the inside edge of the container. As you build the slices up the sides of the container, fill with ice to keep the fruit in place. I did this a day ahead and put the whole container in the freezer until serving time. Then I added water (or you could add club soda or seltzer water). I used limes because they were on sale and much less expensive than lemons! This container took 11 limes to fill the sides. Oranges can also be used. The water was delicately flavored. After a few hours, and added water, however, this jug got a little tart, time to add a twig of stevia from the herb garden.

Lemon Cream Dessert

The other citrus flavor for the family gathering was an adaptation of a favorite recipe I've used many times before - Coconut Cream Dessert (blog of June 2, 2012). It has a Ritz cracker crust, pudding mixed in ice cream and Cool Whip - umm! Last spring I made this and many of the family told me they really liked it, although they usually didn't like coconut cream!  So I changed the flavor of this preparation - using the same recipe but with lemon flavored instant pudding and sprinkling crushed lemon drop candies on top. It was definitely a hit! Because I was doing a 'country' theme, it was fun to make individual servings in half-pint canning jars.