when life hands you lemons...

...make lemon pasta!

Lemon Pasta
Serves: 5-6
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Prep time: 0 minutes

You'll need:

• 1 lb. spaghetti
• 4 lemons
• 1 C. parmesan
• 1/2 C. olive oil
• 1/2 C. chopped basil or arugula
• Salt and pepper

1. Boil a large pot of salted water.

2. While the water is boiling, juice the lemons, and whisk in 1/2 C. oilve oil with the juice. Add ground black pepper (~2 t.).

3. Boil the pasta for 8-10 minutes, or until al dente. Reserve 1 C. of the water the pasta boiled in.

4. Toss the pasta, lemon juice/olive oil mixture, and gradually add parmesan. Add pasta water if the pasta is too dry.

5. Toss in the basil or arugula.

Top with shaved parmesan and lemon zest. Enjoy!

Side dish ideas:
Caprese salad
Prosecco
A nice piece of good dark chocolate for dessert

irish times

Guinness Burgers & Homemade Fries

You'll Need (for 4 people):

Guinness Burgers

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 2 Vidalia Onions
• 1 packet Lipton's Onion Soup (dry)
• Breadcrumbs
• 2 T. Butter
• 1 T. Olive Oil
• 1 Can Guinness Draught (& more for drinking!)
• Salt & Pepper
• Dash of Tobasco
• 4 Kaiser Rolls (I like whole wheat, from the deli).
• Irish Aged Cheddar

Homemade Fries

• 4 Yukon Gold Potatoes
• 2 T. Olive Oil
• 2 T. Salt
• 1 T. Black Pepper
• 1 T. Cayenne

For the burgers:
1) Grate 1/2 of 1 Vidalia Onion. Set the other 1.5 onions aside.

2) With your hands, blend together:

• Grated Onion
• Ground Beef
• Salt & Pepper
• 1/2 Can Guiness
• 1/2 Cup Breadcrumbs (or more, if needed)
• Dash of Tobasco
• Lipton's Onion Soup Mix (whole packet, dry)

Then set it aside...

3) Slice the remaining 1.5 onions. Place in skillet on medium heat with 1 T. Olive Oil, 2 T. Butter. Do not add salt! Stir the onions with a wooden spoon often, until they begin to get caramelized.

4) When the onions start to stick to the bottom of the pan, pour some Guinness in to deglaze the pan. Continue to cook the onions until they are a deep golden color.

5) When the onions are beginning to look done, form the meat into patties (should make 4 burgers).

6) In a skillet over Medium/High heat, sautee the burgers until they are done to your liking. Melt slices of the Irish aged cheddar over the burgers while they are still in the pan.

7) Slice the Kaiser Rolls (I like to warm them first, then slice them)...Place burgers on top of rolls, top with caramelized onions.

For the Homemade Fries:

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2)Wash the potatoes.

3) Slice the potatoes as you would like them.

4) When they are sliced, toss them with 2 T. olive oil, then add pepper, salt, and cayenne.

5) Bake for 40 minutes (or until golden), turning once.

eggs benedict

Eggs Benedict

For two people, you'll need:
7 eggs
1 stick of butter, melted
2 English Muffins
1 lemon
1 T. Salt
1 T. White Vinegar
1 t. cayenne
1 t. black pepper
4 oz. Prosciutto di Parma
1 small tomato (4 slices)

1) Bring 4 inches of water to a simmer, add 1 T. white vinegar.

2) In a double boiler on low heat, whisk together 3 egg yolks + 2 T. lemon juice, plus 1 t. cayenne and 1 t. black pepper. Add the whole stick of melted butter. Whisk for 2 minutes.
*If you don't have a double boiler, make one by filling a saucepan with 2-3 inches of water, then placing a glass bowl over/in the saucepan.

3) When the water/vinegar is simmering, add eggs very gently, one at a time.
*It may help to crack the eggs into a small bowl first to slide them into the water more gently. For 4 eggs, it is ideal to cook them for 4-5 minutes, taking care that they do not stick to the bottom of the pan.

4) Toast the English Muffin halves in a broiler along with the prosciutto and the tomatoes (lay them all separately-the goal is to toast each component on its own, then assemble them later).

6) Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon, drain them on a paper towel.

7) Assemble 4 of these: English muffin, prosciutto, tomato, poached egg, dollop of hollandaise.

Enjoy with fresh fruit and a mimosa!