10 fantastic of lemon juice

Ah! Lemon juice. I would put on my iced tea, pressing on my salad and sprinkle fried fish to help reduce fat. Lemon juice has many uses besides being a tasty food and drink additive that can not know. Here are 10 fantastic uses for lemon juice, probably he never thought!

 

1. Give your hair a beautiful shine

You probably know that spritzing the hair lemon juice, and then go out in the sunlight will give natural-looking reflections. But did you rinse your hair with lemon juice will know too bright? You've probably never thought of that! The acidic juice will remove the residue built from shampoo and hair care products. To give your hair a healthy shine, mix a quarter cup of lemon juice in a glass of water.

2. removing copper spots and brass

Mix one cup of table salt and juice just enough to make a quarter lemon pulp. Then apply a layer of the same throughout tarnished copper or brass pots, pans and other items you may have. Let the necklace / lemon juice salt provides for five to ten minutes. Then wash clothes in warm water and rinse well. Use a soft, clean cloth to dry polish. If any stain remains, repeat the process.

3. Use lemon juice to get you going

Every time someone in your home is constipated, it can reach a laxative store bought. But did you know that lemon juice is a natural laxative that has no side effects? You've probably never thought of that! Just pour two tablespoons of fresh lemon juice in a glass of eight ounces of warm water. Drinking in the morning when you wake up. Citrus juice will help regulate your digestive system.

In one of his previous books, fitness guru Richard Simmons recommend doing this as a way to lose weight!

4. Fat Naturally Home Cleaning

Mix a difficult solution of lemon juice and tap water, and stove, countertops and appliances will shine like new. it's fantastic! Pour ¼ cup lemon juice in a spray bottle and fill it with tap water. Stir a few times to mix the solution and use it to remove stubborn fat.

5. Disinfect the kitchen cutting board

You a little diced onion and some birds for dinner tonight at the cutting board. Once you have done, you washed with hot water and soap, but his own cup truth table? If you spray lightly with pure lemon juice, then rinse thoroughly. Leave the cutting board dry completely before storing, bacterial and onion odors- should disappear.

6. Remove pine tar sticky hands

A friend of mine was made decorative wreaths using fresh pine branches. The work was fun, but complained that the disaster was pine tar on his hands. I suggested he rubs his hands with a mixture of lemon juice and table salt. Voila! Pine tar came right!

7. Silence cure a dry cough and sore throat

This fantastic lemon juice use to soothe a dry cough and soothe throat raw. Simply mix two tablespoons of lemon juice and half a teaspoon of honey together. Swallow the tasty mix and you should feel better soon. Repeat the process if necessary, in thirty minutes

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Chocolate Cherry Hazelnut Bars

Chocolate Cherry Hazelnut Bars

 

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Serves: 16 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried cherries
• 1 cup dates, pits removed
• ½ cup toasted hazelnuts
• ½ cup almonds (or, you can use all hazelnuts)
• ¼ cup chocolate chips, optional (can substitute 1-2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder or carob chips)

Instructions

1. Place cherries, dates, hazelnuts, and almonds in a food processor. Pulse and puree until the mixture comes together, 2-4 minutes. Add chocolate chips and pulse a few more times to combine.
2. Press mixture into an 8x8" baking dish (lined with parchment, if desired) or roll into 1" balls.

3.3.2998

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Almond Pound Cake with Orange Glaze

If you are looking for a special pound cake to prepare for a holiday gathering, consider this one! It is both dense and light, as all pound cakes should be; it’s rich with the aroma of almonds from the almond paste in the batter, and speckled with orange zest throughout. We’ve included a simple orange glaze though the cake stands perfectly well enough on its own without it.

One of the things I love about pound cake is that you can slice it ever so thin. I’m one of those people who asks for a small slice of whatever treat is being offered, and then proceeds to go back for 2nds, 3rds, and 4ths. (“Why don’t you just take a bigger piece to begin with???” “Sweetheart, I do it just to annoy you.”)

Whether you take your first slice thick or thin, enjoy it elegant and unadorned, or top it with berries and whipped cream for an impromptu shortcake. If you are feeling especially adventurous, drizzle it with some amaretto for even more heady almond flavor.

Almond Pound Cake with Orange Glaze Recipe

• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
• Yield: Makes one loaf

Whenever baking with eggs, you'll get more rise if you start with eggs that are at room temperature. If you want to quickly bring chilled eggs up to room temp, place them in a bowl of warm (not hot) water for 10 minutes.

Tip on using Odense almond paste—grate it using the large holes of a box grater.

This recipe makes enough batter for one 5x9x3 inch loaf pan, which is a rather large loaf pan. If you have a 4x8x2 1/2 inch loaf pan, either make two loaves, or cut the recipe in half.

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Ingredients

Cake:

• 5 ounces (140 g) almond paste (we recommend Odense almond paste), grated
• 1 1/2 cups (300 g) white granulated sugar
• 4 ounces (1/2 cup or 1 stick) butter, room temperature
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup (120 g) plain (full fat) Greek yogurt (or sour cream)
• 1 1/2 cups (200 g) all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (if using unsalted butter)

Glaze:

• 1/3 cup (43 g) powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons orange juice
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon orange zest

Method

1 Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease the inside of a 5x9x3-inch loaf pan with butter or with non-stick spray.

2 Using a stand mixer, beat the almond paste, starting at a low speed. Slowly add the sugar to the almond paste while beating, gradually increasing the speed, until incorporated. Add the butter, and beat until fluffy, smooth, and almost white, about 5-6 minutes, on high speed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating a minute after each addition. Beat in the orange zest, vanilla, and Greek yogurt.

3 In a medium bowl, vigorously whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir the flour mixture into the butter, almond paste, egg mixture, a third at a time, until well blended.

4 Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Place on lower middle rack of your oven. Bake for 50-55 minutes, until golden brown, and if you press down lightly on the top it springs back at you, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. While it's baking, if you notice it getting too browned, tent it lightly with aluminum foil.

5 Remove from oven and let cool on a rack for 5 to 10 minutes. Then carefully remove from the pan to cool completely on a rack.

6 While the cake is cooling, make the glaze. Sift the powdered sugar through a sieve to remove any lumps and place in a medium bowl. Whisk in the orange juice and lemon juice. Stir in the the zest. Add more sugar if the glaze is too runny, add more juice if it is too thick for your taste.

7 When the cake has cooled, place it on a serving plate and use a spoon to drizzle the glaze all over it.

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Apple Upside Down Cake

Last year my father got it in his head to make an apple upside down cake. Every fall our trees are loaded with apples and dad is always looking for excuses to bake with them. Well, he tried three different recipes, and each one turned out with the same problem—they appeared to be cooked, had cooked the proper amount of time as called for by the recipe, the tester came out clean, but when he went to cut into the cake, the inside was gooey. The last time this happened, dad swore like a sailor, threw the whole cake in the sink, and vowed to never attempt an apple upside down cake again. (Ever have days like that?)

I don’t know what possessed him to try his hand at it again. Perhaps the intervening year softened the pain of the memory of three failed cakes? Or perhaps he is just easily seduced by cake recipes, and the combination of this recipe he found in an old issue of Bon Appetit and apples on sale at Whole Foods for 99 cents a pound was just too tempting to ignore. Or perhaps it had finally dawned on him (us) that the Granny Smiths we had been using to attempt similar cakes gave off too much liquid to work properly in the recipes. In any case, his perseverance has paid off with this cake. It’s terrific! We can’t wait to make it again.

Apple Upside Down Cake Recipe

• Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings.

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Ingredients

• 8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups white, granulate sugar divided (1/2 cup and 3/4 cup)
• 1 1/2 pounds Braeburn, Jonagold, or Golden Delicious apples (about 4 medium), peeled, quartered, cored, each quarter cut into 2 wedges
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/3 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 1-9-inch cake pan with 1 1/2-inch high sides

Method

1 Preheat your oven to 350°F. Butter the sides of the cake pan. Line the pan with a 10-inch round of parchment paper. The paper will come up 1/2-inch up the sides of the pan. Butter the parchment paper.

2 Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a non-stick skillet on medium heat. Add 1/2 cup sugar and cook until sugar dissolves and mixture turns golden brown, stirring occasionally (use a wooden spoon), about 6 minutes. Add apple wedges to the pan and gently stir to distribute the caramel evenly across the apples. Cover the pan and cook until apples release their juices, about 5 minutes. Uncover and cook until apples are tender and caramel thickens and coats the apples, stirring occasionally, about 13 minutes more. Remove apples and caramel sauce and place in the prepared cake pan.

3 Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder in a small bowl and set aside. Place cornmeal in a large mixing bowl. Pour 1/2 cup boiling water over the cornmeal and stir to blend. Add 3/4 cup sugar and 6 Tbsps (3/4 stick) butter to the cornmeal mixture. Beat until well blended. Beat in vanilla and eggs. Beat in the flour, salt, baking powder mixture alternating with the milk. Pour the batter over the apples in the cake pan.

4 Bake until top is golden and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool cake in the pan for 5 minutes. Then run a knife around the edges of the cake to loosen it from the sides of the pan. Carefully invert the cake onto a serving plate or dish, and remove the parchment paper. Cool for 15 minutes.

Serve with vanilla ice cream.

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Blackberry Muffins

Recipe updated July 26, 2010

“I have the best blackberry muffin recipe!” my friend Suzanne announced to me a few weeks ago as I was musing out loud that I was looking for a good muffin recipe. Suzanne and I have been friends since we were teenagers, but lost track with each other after college. It was only through a Sacramento Bee article about Simply Recipes that we found each other again – after 18 years – and discovered we live only 10 minutes apart! Last weekend, Suzanne, her two daughters Clara and Audrey, and I baked up a batch of these delicious muffins, which are rich, moist (of course, with a cup of sour cream and a stick of butter in the ingredients), and not too sweet, just the way I like them. Thank you Suzanne, Audrey, and Clara for a great afternoon and truly the “best blackberry muffins.”

Blackberry Muffins Recipe

• Yield: Makes about 18 muffins.

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Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 8 Tbsp warm melted butter (1 stick)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups (about 5-6 oz) of fresh blackberries, cut in half (often available at Trader Joe's, you can use frozen blackberries if fresh are not available, defrost and drain them first.)

Method

1 Position rack in center of oven. Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a standard 12 muffin pan or line with paper muffin cups. (Actually, with the berries you'll have more batter than just for 12 muffins. This batch made 18 muffins.)

2 Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl.

3 In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream, milk, sugar, butter and vanilla.

4 Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and mix together with a few light strokes, just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Add the berries. (If you are using frozen berries, defrost them first, then drain the excess liquid, then coat them lightly in flour.) Do not overmix! Overmixing will cause the muffins to be dense, not fluffy. The batter should not be smooth.

5 Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle of 1 or 2 of the muffins comes out clean, 17-20 minutes (or longer). Let cool for 2 to 3 minutes before removing from the pan. If not serving hot, let cool on a rack.

Serve as soon as possible, preferably within a few hours of baking.

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Apricot Berry Cobbler

My friend Suzanne has been coming over a lot recently, helping my mother and me raid my next door neighbor Pat’s Blenheim apricot tree (with Pat’s blessing of course). Suzanne has 3 growing teenagers to feed, so she can put those apricots to work! This week she walked me through her steps of making a fruit cobbler, using blackberries and Pat’s apricots. What I love about cobbler recipes is that they are so forgiving. If they end up runny, that’s okay because you aren’t trying to contain them in a pie shell. If they’re a little too tart, just serve them with some vanilla ice cream. Cobblers travel well for potlucks and you just serve them with a spoon. Best of all, they’re a wonderful way to enjoy the fruit of the season.

Apricot Berry Cobbler Recipe

• Yield: Serves 8-10.

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Ingredients

Cobbler Topping:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tbsp white granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick or 4 ounces) butter softened plus 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar

Cobbler Filling:

• 5 cups pitted, quartered apricots (Blenheims if you can get a hold of some)
• 3 cups blackberries (or boysenberries or blueberries)
• 1 cup white granulated sugar
• 2 Tbsp flour (for thickening)

Method

1 In medium bowl toss the apricots, berries, 1 cup white sugar, and 2 Tbsp flour together. Place filling into baking dish (one 9x13x2 baking dish, or two smaller baking dishes).

2 Whisk together the 2 cups of flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, 1 Tbsp white sugar in a medium bowl. Cut the butter into small cubes and toss into the flour mixture. Work the butter with your fingers to smear it and crumble it into the flour, until the mixture resembles a coarse cornmeal.

Tip: at this point, if you briefly heat the apricot berry mixture in the microwave or oven, until it is warm, it will help the biscuit topping to rise.

3 Add almond extract to the buttermilk, then form a well in the middle of the flour mixture and pour in the buttermilk. Gently mix (with wooden spoon or your hands) until the dough just comes together. Do not over-mix.

4 Form "cobblestone" shapes of the dough and arrange on the top of the apricot berry mixture. (You can also just crumble the dough over the top.) Sprinkle brown sugar over the top of the dough. Drizzle melted butter over the top (aim for the fruit more than the biscuits). Preheat oven to 425°F. Let the cobbler sit and rise for 10-20 minutes before baking.

5 Bake at 425°F for 10-15 minutes or until the top is just beginning to brown, then reduce the heat to 350°F. Cook for an additional 30 to 40 more minutes, until the center fruit is thickened and bubbly. Check during cooking, if the topping is getting too brown, cover it with foil and turn the heat down to 325°F.

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Blackberry Pie

Yes my friends, it’s time for blackberries. The season is here, the berries are ripe and ready for picking. Blackberries grow wild here along the American River, and pretty much around all of the creeks and streams in California. Heck, they even grow wild in empty lots and neglected back yards in San Francisco. Hank, I, and our friend and fellow food blogger Amber went berry picking at the river this week and brought home a couple pounds of fresh, ripe, juicy berries, perfect for a pie. And a perfect pie it is, or was. It didn’t last long. Honestly I think it was one of the best pies I’ve ever made, and that’s saying something, because I like to make pie. The filling held together (instant tapioca is a great thickener), the additions of lemon, cinnamon, and almond extract just intensified and enhanced the blackberry flavor. And the crust? Well, in my opinion, homemade pie is just an excuse to eat homemade butter crust.

Not everyone has access to wild blackberries. If that’s you, you can easily use market berries or frozen berries. Trader Joe’s carries a good quality bag of frozen mixed berries that would work perfectly well with this pie. If you do have a blackberry bush nearby, pick only the berries that are all black, or deeply purple. If the berry still has red in it, it’s not ripe and will be unpleasantly tart. A truly ripe berry should be easy to pick. You shouldn’t have to tug on it too much to get it off of the vine. Wear long pants and a long sleeved shirt for picking, the thicker the cloth the better, as you’ll need protection from the berry plant’s many many (ouch) thorns. Put the berries in a bucket or thick plastic bag. The juice from the berries will go through any paper bag.

Blackberry Pie Recipe

• Yield: Makes 8 servings.

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Ingredients

• 1 pie dough recipe for top and bottom crust
• 5-6 cups blackberries, rinsed, picked clean, patted dry (if you use frozen berries, defrost and drain them)
• 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup sugar (depending on how sweet your berries are)
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 3 Tbsp quick cooking instant tapioca (can usually find in the baking aisle of your local supermarket)

Method

1 Place blackberries, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, cinnamon, almond extract, and quick cooking instant tapioca in a large bowl. Gently fold the berries until they are all well coated with sugar. Let sit for 30 minutes.

2 Preheat oven to 400°F. You should have two balls of pie dough, one for the bottom crust, one for the top crust. Roll out one of the balls of pie dough on a lightly floured surface to 12-inch diameter if you are using a 9-inch pie pan, or 13-inch diameter if you are using a 10-inch pan. Line the bottom of your pie pan with the dough. Chill in refrigerator while you roll out the bottom crust.

3 Roll out the second ball of pie dough for the top crust. If you would like to do a lattice top, weave the dough strips as described in How to Make a Lattice Top for a Pie Crust.

4 Spoon the berry mixture into the dough-lined pie dish. For a lattice top, weave strips of pie dough over the top of the fruit-filled pie dish. For a solid top, place the second rolled-out pie dough crust on top of the pie. Press ends of strips into the rim of the bottom crust. Use scissors to trim the edges to 1/2-inch from the outer edge of the pie pan. Fold the edges back over themselves and use your fingers to crimp to seal the edges. If you are using a solid top crust, score the top with a sharp knife to create air vents for the steam to escape.

5 Place the pie on the middle rack of the oven. Put a baking sheet on the lower rack to catch any juices that might bubble out of the pie while it's cooking. Bake the pie in two stages. First bake it at 400°F for 30 minutes. Then place a sheet of aluminum foil over the pie to protect the edges and tops from getting too burnt. (A pie protector is quite useful here.) Reduce the heat to 350°F and bake for an additional 30 minutes, until crust has browned and filling is bubbly.

Remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Cool completely before serving.

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