When life gives you lemons? Make dinner, dessert and cocktails!

Do you adore lemons?  I love the yellow color; they always make me feel happy and bring a smile to my face.  I also love the smell of the blossoms & fruit and cannot get enough of the flavor.

This post contains affiliate links.  If you make a purchase, I will receive a small percentage of the seller’s profit at no additional cost to you.  Please see my Privacy Policy and Terms of Use for additional information.

When we lived in our little Spanish Bungalow in Long Beach, CA, we had a lemon tree in our front yard.  I loved walking past it numerous times each day enjoying the smell and activity of the bees buzzing busily around it.  When we moved back to the Midwest, one of the things I missed most (besides milder winter weather, of course) was my little lemon tree.

Several years ago, my son gifted me with a lemon tree for Mother’s Day.  I loved this little tree, but it did not like indoor life in my home.  After about 1-year nearly all of the leaves had fallen off and it certainly wasn’t flowering or bearing fruit.  I almost threw my little lemon tree away, but decided it couldn’t hurt to place it outside on our porch for the summer.  The sunshine and fresh air breathed new life into my resilient little tree.  A couple of years later, summers outdoors and winters indoors, it is healthy and now it has two lemons ripening.

History of lemons and their use

There are approximately 50 varieties of lemons.  They range in flavor from sweet to sour and in acidity.  They are grown all around the world and are thought to have originated in northeastern India.

The ancient Egyptians are credited with ‘inventing’ lemonade around 500 AD.  However, only the Pharaoh and royal family were allowed to enjoy the beverage.  In 1630, a lemonade soda (lemon juice, honey, and sparkling water) was first sold in Paris.  Through the 1840’s demand for lemons grew as a cure for scurvy.  This debilitating disease was caused by a lack of Vitamin C and significantly impacted sailors and miners during the California Gold Rush in the mid 1800’s.  This demand for lemons resulted in the many California lemon groves, some of which still exist today.  

Even in current times, many websites suggest that increasing consumption of fruits like lemons decreases the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and overall mortality while promoting a healthy complexion, increased energy, and lower weight. 

And now that you have learned a little bit about lemons, let get to the recipes!

Dinner

Lemon Chicken

This quick and easy Lemon Chicken recipe from Creme de la Crumb is perfect for a weeknight meal.  Add a salad and rice or pasta and you will have a healthy dinner on the table in no time.

Baked Fish with a Lemon Cream Sauce

This Baked Fish recipe from Recipe Tin Eats will allow you to get dinner on the table in 15 minutes with just one pan.  The fantastic lemon sauce is a wonderful compliment to a delicate white fish.  I usually keep a giant bag of Tilapia fish filets from Costco in my freezer and at least one lemon at all times in my fruit bowl.  No time to shop?  No problem!

Greek Chicken Lemon Soup

Avgolemono (Greek Chicken Lemon Soup) is hearty enough to serve as a meal.  This recipe from The Mediterranean Dish is very popular with my family during the cooler months.  It’s easy to keep these ingredients on hand so you can whip this up in a hurry.  Way better than any take out.

Dessert

Lemon Brownies

These lemon brownies from I sing in the Kitchen are fantastic.  Every time I make them, everyone requests the recipe.  Lots of lemon flavor, but not as gooey as a traditional lemon bar.  This recipe calls for a lot of butter, so maybe not the healthiest treat.  However, they are easy to make and always enjoyed.

Lemon cupcakes with blackberry buttercream frosting

The blackberry frosting on these lemon cupcakes with blackberry buttercream frosting from Tide and Thyme adds a beautiful pop of color.  Raspberries also work well.  Great flavor and very elegant. Perfect for a bridal or baby shower.

Italian lemon pound cake

This delicious recipe for Italian lemon pound cake can be found at My Recipe Confessions.  Be sure to check out the updates below the recipe. The addition of ginger to the cake batter is a perfect compliment to the sweet, tart lemon flavor.  Great dessert to finish up a summer barbeque.

Cocktails

There is no shortage of cocktail recipes leveraging the sweet-sour flavor of lemons.  

Limoncello

Limoncello is a favorite summer sipping aperitif.  For many, it brings back wonderful memories of time spent visiting Italy.  It is super easy to make using this Authentic Italian Limoncello recipe from Snapguide by Brit+Co.

I prefer my Limoncello less sweet, so I go easy on the sugar.  It’s always easy to add a little more if needed.  It’s difficult, if not impossible to find 95% alcohol in the US, so I use vodka or ever clear. With this recipe, the hardest part is waiting for the lemon flavor to infuse into the alcohol.

Lemon-Honey Margarita

Most margaritas are prepared using limes. Lemons are a great alternative, especially when combined with a little honey. Give this recipe from Kitchen Swagger a try.

Bee’s Knees

This cocktail has an interesting history.  Back in the days of prohibition, lemon and honey were used to hide the harsh smell and burn of bathtub gin.  The inspiration for Bee’s Knees (aka the best). The combination of lemon and gin result in a very refreshing cocktail.

Cocktails are always best when prepared with just the right barware and served in just the right glass.  Here are some ideas for your bar collection.

I hope you enjoy this recipe collection.  Please leave a comment if you had a chance to try any of these recipes.