Lemons

We planted a little Meyer Improved lemon tree 2 years ago in our Borrego Springs yard.  An inexpensive Home Depot purchase, it is LOADED with big, juicy lemons this year! 

Leaves:  Lush and glossy

Flowers:  Small, white and intensely fragrant

Fruit:  Thin-skinned, slightly orange in color

Flesh:  Light orange-yellow and sweeter than most other lemons (e.g. Eureka or Lisbon that you probably find in your grocery store)

The Meyer Lemon Tree was named for Frank Meyer, who worked for the USDA and brought the tree to the US from China in 1908.

I've been thinking about ways to use all of our lemons. 

There was a time in my life when I used lemons to lighten my hair while sunbathing.  



 Now I'm more inclined to use them to make limonchello (lemon zest, vodka and simple sugar syrup), lemon curd, lemon bars, lemon meringue pie, lemon drops...  You get the idea.

I'm including a yummy lemon pound cake recipe in this blog that you will like from my favorite cookbook author... the Barefoot Contessa.  It's from her 2001 first cookbook - PARTIES!

The Barefoot Contessa's most recent book is   "FOOLPROOF" and includes a selection of great recipes that you'll find yourself making over and over. 

Like her other cookbooks, FOOLPROOF recipes aren't for fancy food, just tasty, homemade appetizers, salads, main dishes and deserts perfect for company but easy enough to make on weeknights.  Ina Garten's main take-away is to use the highest quality, freshest ingredients you can afford.

 

 

Lemon Cake (makes two 8-inch loaves)

Hands-On Time: 30 minutes, Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Ingredients

For the cake

• 1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup grated lemon zest (6 to 8 large lemons)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the glaze

• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 3 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions

For the cake:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-by-2 1/2-inch loaf pans.
• Cream the butter and 2 cups granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, one at a time, and the lemon zest.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, combine 1/4 cup lemon juice, the buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour. Divide the batter evenly between the pans, smooth the tops, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean.
• Combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar with 1/2 cup lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves and makes a syrup. When the cakes are done, let them cool for 10 minutes, then invert them onto a rack set over a tray. Turn the cakes right-side up and spoon the lemon syrup generously over the mounded tops, allowing the syrup to dribble down the sides. Let the cakes sit to cool completely.

For the glaze:

•  Combine the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice in a bowl, mixing with a wire whisk until smooth. Pour over the top of the cakes and allow the glaze to drizzle down the sides.

These little pound cakes are equally good using fresh orange juice and orange zest in place of the lemon juice and zest.

 

de Anza Country Club - A Hidden Gem!

 

Our Borrego Springs home is in the de Anza neighborhood of Borrego Springs and situated on the de Anza Golf Course.

It's a beautiful desert course built in the 1950's.  6,778-yard par 72 layout.

Challenging but perfect for golfers of all levels, I appreciate that rounds can be played at your own pace. My husband loves being able to hop on without a tee time most of the year.

After his first rounds at de Anza, my brother-in-law proclaimed that he could play the course the rest of his life and be happy.  There are many Borrego Springs residents that do just that.

There are other fine golf course options in Borrego Springs, including the Springs at Borrego 9 hole course and Borrego Springs Resort's 18.

I've had a couple of productive, fun lessons with our de Anza neighbor - Martha Mitchell, LPGA Golf Professional and Len Collett is also available for lessons through de Anza Country Club.

The club pro, Tom Rogers, gives lessons too.  Tom splits his time between Borrego Springs' de Anza Golf Course (for the Winter season) and Park City’s Private Golf Club and Residential Community Promontory, where he is Director of Golf during the Spring/Summer.


Tom Rogers

Check out this short video by Tom on youtube:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBENVxVnLJo

OUR "BACKYARD" VIEW OF THE COURSE

Those of us that have fairway homes reap the benefit of having expansive green turf, towering palms and eucalyptus trees as our backyard!  de Anza homeowners do not pay homeowners dues, one of several reasons de Anza homes are sought after and a good value in the current real estate market.

The club has several membership offers, starting with a reasonably priced social membership that allows access to a beautiful main clubhouse dining room, lounges and facilities for up to 300.

The de Anza Golf Course is private, but non-members can play the course for $65 as of December 2012 (includes access to the dining facilities). 

Check out all golf and membership specials at: www.deanzacountryclub.com


If you're looking for a peaceful, relaxed get-away or golfing experience, de Anza Country Club and its neighborhood private home rentals should be on the top of your list!

Fun fact: It's not unusual to see a dozen or more bighorn sheep on the course mid-morning munching the green stuff.

Fun fact: The club allows well-behaved dogs with responsible owners to walk along the sides of the course before and after the course is open. Doggie heaven and VERY Borrego Springs!

A Return to Simpler Times / Big Brother Turns 60!

We celebrated my brother's 60th birthday with family in Borrego Springs - enjoying the sun, a little golf and our huge, warm swimming pool!  Our time together in Borrego, a place that seems at least 30 years "removed", brought back memories of my brother and my childhood vacations together.  

We grew up in the 60's in the average American family of four with a Teamster Union dad, a stay-at-home mom, one car, a collie named Bingo and a "party" line. 

We didn't have much, but each year we went on a road trip in my dad's big Buick from Seattle to Reno, Nevada.  It was Mom and Dad's pilgrimage to play Keno, but more importantly, an opportunity for my Dad to fill the trunk of the car with cases and cases of cheap Nevada bourbon. 

In fact, my dad bought his cars based on trunk size and the first thing he would do when showing off a new car was pop the trunk.  I can picture my dad studying the trunk dimensions to come up with an arrangement that would allow him to bring home 11 cases of Ten High bourbon rather than 10 cases.

The Reno Motel 6 was our home away from home.  And yes, it cost $6 a night to stay in a Motel 6 in those days.  

To hold costs down further, mom brought the electric fry pan and most of our dinners were prepared and eaten in our room.  Did you know you can prepare a pork chop, baked potato and green bean dinner for four in an electric fry pan?

As soon as we checked in, my brother would dive under the coin operated vibrating Magic Fingers beds to rig a bypass of the coin slots so we received unlimited free vibration during our entire stay.

Spending hours in a Motel 6 swimming pool with mom and dad lounging on the patio was our little piece of heaven.

Spending time in Borrego Springs takes me back to those simpler times.  I love it!

We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have. -  Frederick Keonig

Beep Beep - I'm a Roadrunner, Baby!

Money, who needs it?
Just to live my life free and easy
Put the toothbrush in my hand
And let me be travelin', man
'Cause I'm a roadrunner, baby

Roadrunners are a part of the Borrego Springs experience.  They're interesting creatures and great neighbors!

Length: 20-24 inches

Height: 10-12 inches

Sexual Maturity: 2-3 yrs

Mating Season: Spring

Incubation: 18-20 days

Number of eggs in a hatch: 2-12

Birth Interval: 1 year

Lifespan: 7 to 8 years

They feed almost exclusively on other animals - insects, scorpions, lizards, snakes, rodents and other birds. Up to 10% of the roadrunner's winter diet might consist of plants due to scarcity of its normal food source.

The roadrunner is one of the few animals that preys upon rattlesnakes. Using its wings like a matador's cape, it snaps up a coiled rattlesnake by the tail and cracks it like a whip.  After the snake is dead, it swallows it whole, but is often unable to swallow the entire length at one time.

This does not stop the roadrunner from its normal routine. It will continue to meander about with its prey dangling from its mouth, consuming another inch or two as the catch slowly digests.

Breeding

In Spring, the male roadrunner, offers food to a female as an inducement to mating. He usually dances around her while she begs for food, then gives her the morsel after breeding briefly.

Both parents collect small sticks used for building a shallow, saucer-like nest, but the female actually constructs the nest in a bush, cactus or small tree.

The female lays 2 to 12 white eggs over a period of three days, so hatching is staggered slightly.  Either parent sits on the eggs.

The first to hatch often crowd out the late-arriving runts, which are sometimes eaten by the parents. Only 3 or 4 young are usually fledged from the nest after about 18 days. These remain near the adults for up to 2 more weeks before venturing out on their own in the surrounding desert.

Full Moon Artichoke Dip - Glorietta Canyon Potluck!





A couple of weeks ago on the day of a a full moon, my husband and I were invited to a potluck at the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Glorietta Canyon trailhead.

 

We arrived around 5:00 p.m.  Our hosts had set up a couple of tables for food and beverage, put out the folding chairs and started the campfire, all in anticipation of having an al fresco meal while watching the golden moon rise above our quiet desert.

Another first for us in Borrego Springs.  This is a very special way to spend an evening!

  



Glorietta Meadows is a dependable area to see desert wildflowers.  Here's a map, but the folks at the Anza-Borrego Desert Park headquarters will help point you in the right direction too.



 

We brought warm artichoke dip and tortilla chips to share.  Tweeking a common recipe results in a less gooey, very flavorful "dip" that is full of tangy artichoke hearts. 

Full Moon Artichoke Dip

Ingredients
Two cans water packed artichokes hearts - drained and chopped
One small can chopped mild green chilis
One cup good parmesian cheese
3/4 cup mayonaise (more if you'd like)
Salt and freshly ground pepper 
A squeeze of fresh lemon juice (1 to 2 tsp.) 

Mix all ingredients.
Place in a baking dish with dip no more than 1-1/2 to 2 inches deep.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until top is golden brown.

Serve warm with tortilla chips or toasted baguette slices.