PUCKER UP

Winter in Arizona is citrus season.  Lemons, grapefruit, limes, oranges of all sorts. 

One of my friends just down the street has a HUGE lemon tree.  I brought home 70 pounds of lemons last week. Honestly, folks just GIVE them away. Every other yard has a lemon tree, or other citrus - wonderful!

Now what do you do with 70 pounds of lemons???  You juice them and freeze the juice!  Summer lemonade is a BIG thing around the citrus zone! So you start preparing for those tall frosty glasses of reviving juice when the citrus is in season - NOW!  By the time it's 105 degrees here, the lemons are long gone.  Freezing is fast, easy, and preserves all the good pucker power!

So here's the process:

Than helped - to the end!!!  All the guys had a turn using the squeezer! That was a LOT of lemons.

Our lemonade recipe uses

1 1/2 cups lemon juice, so we froze the juice in sandwich bags - just the right amount!

ARIZONA LEMONADE

Make a simple syrup: 1 3/4 c. sugar and 1 c. water heated to boiling, stirring to dissolve sugar.

Chill the syrup (we keep some in the fridge in a quart jar, ready to go!).  Mix the syrup with 1 1/2 c. fresh squeezed (or frozen) lemon juice and 7 cups cold water.  Add a few ice cubes to tall glasses, pour in the fresh lemonade,  lean back and enjoy!!

You don't have to come to Arizona to enjoy this lemonade.  But it really does seem to be better here! We have the patio and chairs just waiting for you!

PS:  If you try this with bottled processed lemonade, you will NOT be getting the real deal!!

Pear Pie

At age 7, Collin became famous for his Fresh Strawberry Pie.  It was memorable.  Fresh berries from our own garden, hand picked by Collin.  Perfect crust, just-right glaze - and luscious sweet ruby berries. That family reunion was crowned by Strawberry Pie.  I still get an occasional "I'll never forget Collin's pie, it was the BEST strawberry pie I ever ate" comment from Anne and Matt!
Well, he's done it again.  This time, he collaborated with friend Madeleine, who sadly cannot eat strawberries.  They opted for a fruit she CAN have - pears! 

They deemed their Pear Pie a success last year, and vowed to do it again.  During Maddie's recent visit to Arizona, they once again presented us with PEAR PIE.

Using your favorite pie crust recipe (or purchased refrigerated crust works just dandy), put bottom crust in 9" pie pan; prepare the filling:

5 firm ripe pears, peeled, cored and sliced

scant 1/2 c. sugar

1-2 T flour, depending on juiciness of pears

Gently mix, then spoon into crust; dot with butter; top with lattice crust.

Bake 15 min. at 400 degrees; lower oven temperature to 350 and bake about 40 minutes until the pears are fork-tender in center of pie with the filling bubbling.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Don't let the simplicity of the filling fool you - this pie is bursting with fresh pear flavor, unmasked by spices.  Divine!

Baby, it's COLD outside!

The Wright New Year Tradition:  POLAR DIP!!

First - you have to talk the guests into the idea.  (Maddie, visiting from Wisconsin for a few weeks, has been sadly disillusioned by the chilly Arizona winter weather - it's only been in the 50's during the day and low 30s at night. What about all that touted SUN???)

Really?  Outside?

 Pool temp:  45 CHILLY degrees.

 Jayden: "Hey, that's MY place, Max - switch."  Than:  "Oh my.  Why am I doing this??"  Maddy:  "Really?  Really?"

On the count of five.  Five - four - three - two - one - ...

 ...  SPLASH DOWN!

 Where's Jayden?  Oops - look under Collin's right hand...

Maddy adds another credential to her Life Guard resume!  She is a Life Guard at the Green Bay YMCA.  So Jayden really didn't need to panic when Collin accidently pushed him under as they scrampled for the side. Honest Jayden, she was there for you.  CPR and everything. 

 Now THIS is more like celebrating the New Year - the Tri-Stake Youth dance!  What a good looking couple!  That gorgeous girl and dress came 2000 miles for the occasion!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!