Luscious Lemon Supreme

Luscious Lemon Supreme

Dorcas Annette Walker

The hot and humid days of August are perfect to enjoy bright yellow lemons whose zesty tartness seems to give a respite from the heat. I was amazed to discover oodles of uses for lemons. If you are like my husband, who refuses to drink my homemade lemonade declaring that it keeps him puckered up for a week, don’t despair. Keep reading and you will find a use for lemons to suit your taste.

It is widely thought that lemons first grew in India, Burma, and China then introduced to Persia, Iraq, and Egypt around AD 700. In India lemons were called “the golden apples” and were traded for valuables. The first lemon recorded was in a tenth century Arabic treatise on farming. Wealthy Victorians grew lemon trees indoors as a sign of prestige using the scented plants to keep their large estates smelling fresh and served fresh lemon wedges with their afternoon tea dances. The ladies of Louis XIV’s court used lemons to redden their lips. Sailors used lemons to combat scurvy. Lemons were introduced to the Americas in 1493 by Christopher Columbus. Spanish conquests helped to spread the lemon seeds throughout the New World as ornament and medicine. In the 1700’s and late 1800’s lemons were planted in Florida and California and began to be used in cooking and flavoring. California and Arizona produce approximately 95% of the U.S. crop making lemons available year round.

Today lemons are used primarily for its juice, although the pulp and rind are used in cooking and baking and are a versatile element of today’s healthy diet turning ordinary food into something spectacular. The grated rind of the lemon is called lemon zest and is used to add flavor. One popular science experiment involves attaching electrodes to a lemon and using it as a battery to power light. The electricity generated can power a small motor.

Lemons are used for: lemonade, garnish for drinks, marmalade, natural breath enhancer, finger moistener for counting large sums of bills, deodorizer, bleach wooden rolling pins or cutting boards, and freshens stinky garbage disposals.

Lemon juice can: marinate meats, neutralize fish odor, substitute for buttermilk, be a short-term preservative, remove household grease, berry stains and smell of garlic or onions from hands, is a natural laxative, cleans silver, copper pans, tarnish off brass, and glass shower doors, disinfects, be an insecticide, lighten hair color, add gloss and tame frizz, is great for coughs, heals pimples, relieves itching and rash of poison ivy, freshens the air, and brightens whites that can’t be bleached.

My Luscious Lemon Supreme had my husband and son smacking their lips and asking for seconds. The Luscious Lemon Supreme is a regal cool desert with a mild light lemony taste and is very easy to make. Preparation time for my Luscious Lemon Supreme is twenty minutes (not counting baking and cooling time) and this recipe serves sixteen.

Luscious Lemon Supreme

1 lemon cake mix
2 (3.4 oz) boxes of instant lemon pudding
4 c milk
1 (8 oz) container of cool whip

Make lemon cake mix according to the directions. Divide the batter between two 9 x 13 greased baking dishes. Bake at 350º for 30 minutes. Cool for one hour. Mix together the instant pudding and milk stirring with a Wisk until thickened. Pour half of the pudding on the first layer of cake. Place second layer of cake on top of pudding. Add remaining pudding and then layer the cool whip over the top. Chill and garnish with thin slices of lemon and mint leaves!

Weekly tip: To make sugared grape or mint leaves beat one egg white until frothy. Dip small cluster of grapes or leaves in the egg white and roll in sugar. Let dry for twelve hours. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net. For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com