Italian Lemon Ice

School has only been out a week for us and yet it feels like it's been a month already.  Somehow my children are under the impression that I am the entertainment.  What happened to the good ole days when children just magically appeared home just in time for dinner?  Mine are constantly underfoot, I don't mind but it sure does create havoc with the schedule.  

I figured a great way to keep the girls busy was to have them cook some stuff.  They got out a couple of old cookbooks and went to work.  My younger daughter made Italian Lemon Ice; she styled them herself and even told me the recipe was hers since she changed it from mine.

Italian Lemon Ice

3 1/2 cups water

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup lemon juice

2 tbsp. lemon zest

Boil the water, stir in the sugar until dissolved, add lemon juice and zest and freeze in a bowl.  Remove from freezer after 2-3 hours and scrape with a fork until fluffy, fill lemons and refreeze until ready to serve.

She used 4 lemons, because that was all I had on hand.  The recipe makes quite a bit and you could easily fill up eight.  

The old recipe called for using a spoon to hollow out the lemons.  My daughter said, "Hollowing out the lemons is much easier if you use your hands".  

While I was still cleaning the cabinets and sticky floor from this creation, the girls started making an orange cake with orange pineapple curd and icing.  That cake went so fast I didn't even get a chance to photo it.

Then for dinner my younger daughter decided she wanted to shape the pizza dough, she formed it into a heart shape and then told me, "It's because it was made with love".  

She made sure and put on her favorite toppings; cheese and sauce, that's it.

I would have gotten a shot of it cooked but the girls grabbed it straight out of the oven and poof it was gone!

Also wanted to thank:  Manu - Manu's Menu for a recent blog award.

I'm supposed to tell you a few things about myself, but since you probably know everything about me except the color underwear I have on at the moment, hmmm.

Let's see, Rusty is all better now and back to his old self; see his big smile.

Teddy was extremely jealous of all the extra attention Rusty got; so here is his opportunity to shine.

I've been crazy busy but I did get a grasp finally on all the house stuff.  Leaving me a little extra time to whip up something special that I think you all will go nuts over.  

Just to make sure I wasn't bored; I've been refinishing a dresser I bought for my daughter's room.  I love going to thrift or antique stores and finding a piece with interesting details, stripping it down and giving it a new life.  Hey a girl has to have something to keep her busy when she isn't in the kitchen.

I always wanted to be a teacher.  I was in the teaching credential program when my youngest was two, but she was chronically ill and I just couldn't keep up and decided I would go back at a later date, life got in the way and that didn't happen.  Maybe now you know why I have such a soft spot for all my teacher friends.

I would tease you with a photo of my next post, but that would just be cruel.  You will just have to try my daughter's Lemon Ice in the meantime.

Enjoy,

Gina