When life gives you lemons, find someone who has Vodka and throw a party.

Lemons are delicious. My mom reminds me often I used to love to eat lemons when I was little. Luckily, I still have enamel on my teeth :)

Once the temps begin to rise, I tend to always include these sour balls of goodness in the kitchen because they provide tons of flavor without a lot of fuss. Lemons pair perfect with seafood, chicken, potatoes and my favorite -- desserts. I included some of my favorite lemony dished below. Also, check out the size of these lemons I came across in Positano, Italy. Are these not big'uns or what?




Lemony Bake Salmon (with asparagus)
I found this recipe in Real Simple this spring, and I have been making it at least once a week for the past month. It called for bulgur, but I removed this out of my version below for a healthy, low-carb, summer dinner. If Dave is craving a carb side-dish, I usually serve with brown rice.

1 pound asparagus (about one punch) trimmed
1/2 cup of chicken stock
salt and pepper
1 1/4 lb skinless salmon fillet (cut into four pieces)
1 lemon, very thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In large, shallow baking dish, arrange asparagus in the bottom of the pan. Pour chicken stock over asparagus. Lay salmon pieces on top of asparagus and season with salt and pepper. Lastly, cover the salmon pieces with the thinly sliced lemon pieces.

Cover dish tightly with foil and bake until the asparagus are tender and the salmon is cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes. When salmon is done, sprinkle fresh dill on top before serving.

Lemony Potatoes
2 pounds of new potatoes, halved
1 lemon, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper

Heat oven to 450 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the potatoes and the lemon with the oil, add salt and pepper to your liking. Roast in oven, tossing a few times, until the potatoes are tender, around 30 to 35 minutes. Sometimes, I sprinkle any fresh herbs I have on hand before serving. Fresh dill or rosemary are good options.

Lemon Pound Cake
I have a small confession here. This recipe has been passed down from my Mom, and has quickly become a staple at Easter brunch with our friends, baby showers, tailgating and birthday parties (it is the #1 requested birthday cake among my circle of friends and my hubby). The secret here is that it is actually from a BOX. What I love about this recipe, is that is calls for little semi-homemade tricks to make it taste like I was in the kitchen for hours. PS. You can also find this recipe on the side of the Duncan Hines Lemon Cake box.

1 Duncan Hines lemon supreme cake mix
1 lemon flavor instant pudding and pie filling
4 large eggs
1 cup of water
1/3 cup oil

Preheat oven to 350°F and grease bundt pan. Combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water and oil in large bowl. Beat at medium speed with electric mixer for 2 minutes. Pour into pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 25 minutes. Invert onto heat resistant serving plate. Cool completely.

Instead of using store-bought icing, you can create your own glaze in minutes. I start with a cup or so of powdered sugar in a small bowl. I then add the juice of one freshly squeezed lemon and whisk until a thick lemony glaze forms. You can add more powdered sugar or more lemon juice, depending on how you prefer your icing. I then pour the glaze over the cake in a zig-zag fashion. Delicious and beautimous!

Lemon Bars
After trying numerous lemon bar recipes, I finally found my favorite created by the southern queen of butter, Paula Deen. You can find her recipe here on the Food Network's website.

Lemon Cocktail
1 1/2 oz lemon vodka
1 dash triple sec
1 tbsp pineapple juice

Combine and shake all ingredients with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and serve. If you want to be fancy, serve with a lemon peel on the rim of the glass.

Classic Lemonade
In small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of water. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved. Let cool completely. In a big pitcher, combine syrup with 1 cup of fresh lemon juice (around 6 lemons) and 3 cups of water. Pour over ice. Serves around 4 peeps.