do what you ricotta do

When you essentially grow up on a university campus, you learn that lemonade stands are extremely profitable when there are masses of parents and moving students around.

Then you grow up and moving students just means you might find a free IKEA side table on the street.

Even so, summer still means lemon to me and in this iteration--lemon ricotta cookies.

With icing...gotta keep it cool.

And the cycle continues: sidewalk table + lemon creation, a timeless combination.

tout lemon

Two Christmases ago I was gifted an immersion blender that I had enthusiastically asked for.

It then sat untouched on the floor of my kitchen for six months.

Until I realized how great it is to blend.

This lemon bar recipe is perfect for my blending excitement as you get to pulverize a whole lemon, rind and all, for the filling.

The moral of this post--when life hands you lemons, take them down with your immersion blender.

Recipe follows.

all in flavor

Once upon quite some time ago, I took a trip to Ruby et Violette and bought a few cookies.

I was enchanted by the selection of flavors and can only recall that Carrot Cake and Lemon White Chocolate were most excellent.

Soon enough, I plan to venture back and try many more.

And I'll live happily ever after.

garden of eatin'

I have a pretty unimpressive track record with plant care. I have had a cactus die on my watch, unknowingly misted flowers with spray-on sunscreen, and given a begonia heat exhaustion by placing it atop a radiator. A green thumb I do not have, but it is fit for baking.

Thumbprints with a lemon white chocolate filling.
I'd be a far more successful gardener if cookies were plants...