It’s May!
It feels like a long time since I’ve sat and wrote.
How’s it going? How are the kids? What’s new?
April came and went like CRAZY, I feel so much has happened since my last full-length post.
What’s new?
Well, I got a tattoo.
I LOVE IT!
Six-ish months ago, my sister and I decided we wanted to get matching tattoos. We had jumped around a few ideas, and one of us landed on the idea of a lemon branch.
We finally did it towards the last bit of April and frankly, I’m obsessed.
Don’t worry kids, it’s got sentimental value.
Siti and Gido had this beautiful lemon tree in their backyard. Brooke and I (but mostly Brooke), would help Siti pick lemons every spring/summer.
We’d get on this small foot ladder, and use a broom to knock them down! Looking back, it probably wasn’t the safest choice, especially since we were still pretty young, but we both turned out fine!
Lemons are a major player in most of our family recipes!
Other reasons were we just both love lemons! They’re aesthetic, vibrant, cute, and funnily enough trending right now in the fashion and kitchen scene?!
I swear I’ve seen SO MANY lemon products recently!
Bonus: it’s simple and cute!
Sometimes in life, you just want cute things, sue me.
Lemons are a great citrus all year round, but are especially delicious in the warmer months coming up! Here are some things I’ll be making with the mounds of lemons I will be buying.
Tabbouleh
Tabbouleh is a love letter to lemons, herbs, and all things bright and delicious.
I’ve talked about tabbouleh a handful of times on this blog, but let’s break it down if this is your first time hearing about it. Tabbouleh is a herbaceous salad primarily containing parsley, mint, cucumber, wheat bulger, tomatoes, and a lot of lemon! It’s light, refreshing, with lots of zing.
She’s perfect in any weather; cooling in the summertime and the brightness you need in the winter.
Lemon Ginger Water?!
Listen, this is not an original idea. The majority of the foods/drinks I mention aren’t!
But there’s something about adding lemon and chunks of ginger to an ice glass is SO GOOD. This has slowly become more of a staple in my everyday drinking routine (at least trying to be). Again, it’s not original, but it’s something to try if you’ve never had ginger in water before.
Bonus: I slice all my ginger and store it in the freezer, so it keeps every nice and cold for longer.
Literally….almost on anything.
As I sit here trying to think of more specific “lemon”y foods….nothing specific comes to mind. Add it to anything.
I recently read Priya Krishna’s Indian-ish this past weekend, where Priya’s mom, Ritu, states something profound.
She says when cooking, always taste for lime and salt.
In other words, if her dish is missing something, add lime and salt. While this is a small culinary revelation, my brain immediately goes to switching limes with lemons, which always makes my meals better.
Side note: Indian-ish shifted my perspective on cookbook writing, Indian food, and the definition of “authentic” cuisine.
It’s a deliciously fun read about the amalgamation of heritage, adaptation, and Priya finding her own in the culinary world, along with being a beautiful partnership and dedication to her parents.
To wrap it up, I love lemons and what they mean to me and my family. Tattoos are fun. Matching tattoos with your sister is even more fun. I can’t wait to get another quirky food-related masterpiece tatted on me forever.
(A JOKE. THIS IS A JOKE. unless….)
With Love,
Cara