Colors - Part 5 - RED

The Book - The Red Lemon by Bob Staake
I've reviewed this book in the past, but it's worth another look. With his bold illustrations and clever rhymes, this is one of my favorites. Farmer McPhee is a successful lemon farmer whose crop is used to make pies, tarts, and lemonade. One day he discovers a RED lemon on one of his trees. Appalled, he throws it as far as he can and goes on with his life. 200 years later, Farmer McPhee and his grove are long gone, but that red lemon has produced a whole grove of delicious red lemon trees!

The Activity - Lemon Fizz and Lemon Blueberry Bars


I'm holding onto summer for just as long as I can. Not too difficult when it's in the 90's outside! Here are a couple recipes using lemons for a delicious summer snack.

Lemon Fizz
This is a tart and refreshing drink you can make with the kids. The water fizzes up when you add the sugar, hence the name. I found the recipe on My Little Hen, but I changed it to make it a little sweeter.

Fill a tall glass with chilled seltzer water. Add 1 T lemon juice and 2 t powdered sugar. Stir. If you don't happen to have red lemons on hand, add a few drops of red food coloring. :)

Lemon-Blueberry Bars
I got this recipe off my sister's blog and am going to copy it verbatim. (Hey, it's not plagarism if it's your sister, right?) I suggest making this while the kids are napping. I tried to bake it with a kitchen full of my children and ended up using baking soda instead of baking powder. When it didn't set up, I realized my mistake. Instead of throwing it away (I'm no Farmer McPhee!), I stirred the baking powder into the mess and stuck it back in the oven. Believe it or not, it turned out pretty tasty!

Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp lemon zest (or more if you're a fan of lemons)
3/4 cup butter, chilled and cut into chunks

Filling:

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
4 large eggs
1 tbsp lemon zest (again, add more if you're in love with lemons)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh and rinsed or frozen

Preheat oven to 350F. To make the crust, combine flour, sugar and lemon zest in the bowl of a food processor (or a large mixing bowl, if you prefer to work by hand). Pulse in butter until it is well distributed and the mixture resembles moist sand. Pour into a lightly greased 9×13-inch baking dish and spread evenly. Press down to create a firm, even layer.Bake for 20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

While crust is cooking, prepare the filling. Combine all filling ingredients (add blueberries last) in a large bowl and stir together until smooth When crust is done, pour filling into hot pan and return to oven.Bake for about 17-20 minutes, until filling is set. Edges may be lightly browned, depending on the pan.

Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. Use a slightly damp knife to cut through the bars. Once you have cut them into squares, dust them lightly with powdered sugar.