slow-roasted and pulled turkey sandwiches

There was this sandwich place in Utah that I LOVED to go to. When my boss wanted me to order sandwiches for a lunch meeting, I'd always suggest this place and order one for myself. I'd get it on sourdough bread, pay the extra 75 cents for the avocado and hope whoever was slathering on the secret sauce was feeling generous that day.

Well, here's how I recreated that lovely sandwich.

Actually, the turkey is my Mom's recipe. I've only made it three times. The first time I made it it didn't turn out. (There as a period of time where I failed each and every one of my mother's "no-fail" recipes.) But it seems like every time I make it and I have to call her and ask, "Okay, so you don't add water? Just the turkey breast and lemon pepper?" And that's it! You just take a turkey breast and sprinkle a lot of lemon pepper on it and leave it in the crockpot all day on low. So simple it can't even really be called a recipe!

So then you shred the turkey. (It will be tender and moist and oh so delicious!) Here's the funny thing- I used to dream up ways of how I could persuade the cashier at the sandwich shop to divulge the secret of the secret sauce to me. Could I make up an allergy? Say my boss has an allergy and I need to know the ingredients of the sauce? Well, before I was able to work up the courage during one of my many visits to the sandwich shop, I overheard a guy ordering a sandwich and he did all the work for me. Here's how that conversation went:

Guy: "I'll have a turkey sandwich."
Cashier: "Would you like the sauce?"
Guy: "What's in it?"
Cashier: "Mustard, mayonnaise, and a little bit of sour cream."
Guy: "Uh, no thanks."

A-ha! I was embarrassed for thinking I needed to concoct some sort of secret operation, but I didn't care, I finally knew the ingredients to the secret sauce! And it's so yummy!

You must have avocado with this sandwich. And it's best on sourdough. Tomatoes are good, too. So are alfalfa sprouts, lettuce and a little red onion.

maybe not authentic Italian, but still fabulous

This is another one of my mother's recipes and I am so glad she found it. I don't know where she found it, so I can't give anyone proper credit. As far as casseroles go, this is a winner. It freezes beautifully. There aren't many dishes out there that freeze as beautifully as this one right here. She would make this a lot for us when we came to visit because she could make it before we got there, keep it in the freezer, and then she could hang out with us instead of having to spend all her time in the kitchen making dinner.

I'd honestly rather have this than homemade lasagna. It's crazy, I know, but it's true. I think it's the cheese layers. They are so delicious!

I am so bad at photography. Does it make you laugh? It makes me laugh. I have no idea what I'm doing, but I like to play around in photoshop. If this just looks like a mess of a food on a plate, that's because it is. I was half-way through devouring this before I thought to take a picture. I had to put the pan back in the fridge so I would only have one giant serving and not two giant servings. I LOVE this stuff.

Italian Dinner
(I leave the mushrooms out and use only 1/4 - 1/3 of an onion so my husband will still love me.)

2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 sweet bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 32-oz jar spaghetti sauce
3 (6 oz) cans sliced mushrooms
1/2 tsp oregano
salt and pepper
1 tsp Italian seasoning
12 oz medium egg noodles, cooked
1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1 pt sour cream
1 c Parmesan
1 16 oz pkg shredded mozzarella

In a very large skillet, brown beef, onion, bell pepper, clery, and garlic and drain well (season the meat at this point with salt and pepper). Add spaghetti sauce, mushrooms, and seasonings. Heat to boiling, reduce heat, simmer for 15 minutes. Beat cream cheese until creamy and add sour cream and cheese. Butter 11 x 14 inch or 2 smaller baking dish(es). (I use one 8x12 and one 8x8.) Layer half the noodles, half the beef mixture and half the cheeses. Repeat the layers. Bake covered at 325 for 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake another 15 minutes. (I like to reserve some of the Parmesan and sprinkle it on top. Also, I like to bake it a little longer than the recipe suggests do give the cheese a chance to brown just a little.)

Yummy!

Christmas Eve

We've been spending Christmas Eve with my Mom's brothers and sisters for as long as I can remember. It's a long-standing tradition that I really look forward to and enjoy. It's usually held at either my aunt Gayle's or aunt Cindy's house. Since Cindy and Gayle worked so hard hosting the Sant Christmas Party (a party that my Mom has been hosting since the 80's), I offered to host Christmas Eve with my Dad at his house.

It's a pretty laid-back party. A nice dinner is served and we have a gift exchange and just hang out and visit into the night. I decided to serve a roasted pork loin with my Mom's Swiss cheese potatoes, homemade rolls, and a raspberry cheesecake. Gayle brought artichoke dip and her famous creamed corn. Cindy brought one of her fabulous salads. (She really makes the greatest salads.) And my Dad made his signature Christmas dessert, rice pudding, which he whipped together in record time as the party was starting. It all came together nicely and my sister Annie and I had a fun time getting everything ready together. She basically cleaned the whole house for the party while I cooked. Here's some pictures of the food.



I was really happy with the cheesecake. Cheesecakes often give me trouble. I always end up with huge unsightly cracks in the top from baking too long- which is why I always serve it with this raspberry topping. This time I made sure that the top still jiggled just a little bit in the middle when I took it out. Worked like a charm.

Here's some more pics from Christmas Eve.
Here I am with my aunt Gayle and aunt Cindy. I love both these women so much.
Here's Julia dipping into the rice pudding. Oh yeah.
And here's the kids table. My Uncle Lauren has four small kids all very close in age and Franny was in heaven! She can't stop talking about them even now.

Roast Loin of Pork with Fennel

2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbs kosher salt
1 Tbs fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup dijon mustard
1 3 lb boneless pork loin, trimmed and tied
3 small fennel bulbs, tops removed
10 carrots, peeled and thickly sliced diagonally
10 small potatoes, quartered
2 onions, thickly sliced
4 Tbs good olive oil
4 Tbs butter, melted
salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

With a mortar and pestle or in the bowl of the food processor fitted with a steel blade, grind together the garlic, salt, and thyme leaves. Add the mustard and combine. Spread the mixture over the loin of pork and allow it to sit at room temp for at least 30 minutes.

MEanwhile, cut the fennel bulbs into thick wedges, slicing through the core. Toss the fennel, carrots, potatoes, and onions in a bowl with the olive oil, melted butter, salt, and pepper.

Tranfer the vegetables to a large roasting pan and cook for 30 minutes. Add the pork loin to the pan and continue to cook for another 30 to 50 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted in to the middle of the pork reads exactly 138 degrees. Remove the meat from the pan and return the vegetables to the oven to keep cooking. Cover the meat with aluminum foil and allow it to rest for 15 minutes. Remove the strings from the meat and slice it thickly. Arrange the meat and vegetables on a platter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

(I didn't take the time to tie up the roast and I thought it was great. I also left all the vegetables out this time.)

Cheesecake
This is my FAVORITE cheesecake recipe. Any flavored cheesecake I make is a variation on this. It tastes delicious and I wouldn't think about trying any other recipe! I took 1 1/2 baskets of fresh raspberries and tossed it with about 1 cup of heated raspberry preserves. I also made a raspberry coulis to go with it.

Crust
5 Tbs butter, melted, plus 1 Tbs melted butter for the pan
8 whole graham crackers (4 oz), broken into rough pieces and processed in a food processor to fine, even crumbs
1 Tbs sugar

Filling
2 1/2 lbs (5 8oz packages) cream cheese, cut into rough 1 inch chunks, at room temperature
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup sour cream
2 tsp juice from 1 lemon
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large egg yolks, plus 6 lare eggs, at room temp

1. For the crust: Adjust an oven rack to the lower middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Brush the bottom and sides of a 9 inch spring form pan with 1/2 Tbs of melted butter. Combine the graham cracker crumbs and sugar in a medium bowl; add 5 Tbs of the melted butter and toss with a fork until evenly moistened. Empty the crumbs into the springform pan and press evenly into the pan bottom. Bake until fragrant and beginning to brown around the edges, about 13 minutes. Cool on a wire rack while making the filling.

2. For the filling: Increase the oven temp to 500 degrees. In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat the cream cheese at medium-low speed to break up and soften it slightly, about 1 minute. Scrape the beater and the bottom and sides of the bowl well with a rubber spatula; add the salt and about half the sugarand beat at medium low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape the bowl; beat in the remaning sugar until combined; about 1 minute. Scrape the bowl; add the sour cream, lemon juice, and vainlla, and beat at low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape the bowl; add the egg yoks and beat at medium-low speed until throughly combined, about 1 minute. Scrape the bowl; add the remaining eggs, two at a time, beating until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute, scraping the bowl between additions.

3. Brush the sides of the springform pan with the remaing 1/2 Tbs of melted butter. Set the springform pan on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour the filling into the cooled crust and bake 10 minutes; without opening the oven door, reduce the oven temp to 200 degrees and continue to bake until the cheesecake registers about 150 degrees on an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center, about 1 1/2 hours. (Might take longer) Transfer the cake to a wire rack and cool until barely warm, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Run a paring knife between the cake and the pan sides. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, at least 3 hours.

4. To unmold the cheesecake, remove the sides of the pan. Slide a thin metal spatula between the crust and the bottom of the pan to loosen, then slide the cake onto a serving plate. Let the cheesecake stand at room teperature about 30 minutes, then cut into wedges.

Swiss Cheese Potatoes

This is my Mom's favorite potato recipe for Christmas dinners. I totally blame this dish alone for the eighteen pounds I gained in one month when I was pregnant with Franny. I was home for Christmas and there was plentiful amounts of this leftover in the fridge. It's good stuff.

2 c. milk
1/2 c butter
salt and pepper
3 lbs. baking potatoes
6 cloves garlic
1 c heavy cream
1 c grated Swiss cheese

Combine first four ingredients in large pan and bring to a boil. Peel potatoes and slice them really thin. Drop into hot milk. Blend in garlic and cream. Return to boil, simmer for 15 minutes. Potatoes should be 1/2 done. Pour liquid and potatoes into a buttered baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese and bake at 325 for 30 minutes.

Peppermint Dessert

This is my mother's recipe. She adapted it from a recipe called Peppermint Surprise that she found in the Pinch of Salt Lake cookbook. Here's the recipe with her changes:

Crust:
2 cups crushed chocolate wafers (I grind them up in my food processor. I couldn't find the traditional chocolate wafers that we usually use, so this time I made my sister Maggie scrape the cream filling off a bag of Oreos.)
5 Tbs butter, softened

First Layer:
1 half-gallon peppermint ice cream, softened slightly

Second Layer
2 1-ounce squares unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup butter
3 egg yolks, beaten
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 Tbs vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
3 egg whites

Combine wafer crumbs and butter in a medium-size mixing bowl; reserve 1/4 cup for topping (I skip this step and use all the crumbs for the crust.) Press into the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Spread ice cream over and freeze.

In a medium size saucepan melt chocolate and butter over low heat. Remove from heat and gradually add beaten egg yolks, stirring continuously. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla and nuts. Mix together and cool thoroughly. Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into cooled chocolate mixture. Spread over ice cream layer, sprinkle with reserved crumbs and freeze. Allow to soften slightly before cutting into squares and serving.

A couple hints with this recipe- this last time I put the crust in the freezer for 30 minutes before I spread the ice cream, that made it easier to spread. Also, heat the chocolate VERY slowly. I almost always screw the sauce up once and have to start over. This time I screwed it up TWICE. I probably should have just pulled out the double boiler. This fudge sauce can't be beat. I also always make sure to prepare this the night before I plan to serve it, so it has plenty of time to harden. I love this recipe!

To all you haters out there...

People hate rice pudding. I hear it all the time. I never make it for company because I'm afraid my guests are going to be disappointed. My Dad has been making this rice pudding since I was a little girl and I would never think of using another recipe. I've recently decided that you can't be an official rice pudding hater until you've tried this recipe and can honestly say that you don't love every last bite of it! I'm about to rock your rice pudding world. It tastes best warm with whipped cream.

This recipe comes from the Lion House Dessert Cookbook.

Rice Pudding

2 cups milk
1 small can (5 1/2 oz) evaporated milk
1/2 c plus 2 Tbs sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbs cornstarch
2 cups cooked rice
1/2 cup raisins
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla

Place 1 1/2 cups of the milk plus the can of evaporated milk and 6 Tbs sugar in the top of a double boiler. Heat together until milk is scalded. In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs together until they are broken apart. Add salt and the remaining 4 Tbs sugar to the eggs and whisk again. Slowly pour egg mixture into scalded milk, stirring constantly with a wire whisk. Allow to cook 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. In a small bowl mix reserved 1/2 cup milk and cornstarch together and slowly pour into nmilk mixture, stirring constantly until pudding begins to thicken. (Be careful to stir constantly or lumps will form.) Stir thoroughly and allow to cook 10-15 more minutes or until cornstarch flavor is gone. Add cooked rice, then allow pudding to cook 7 more minutes. Remove from the heat and add raisins, nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla. Serves 8. (Or 1 if you're me.)

I got a fever and the only prescription is more cowbell

My Thanksgiving would not be complete without this, and neither will yours. I know, I know- not exactly gourmet. But try it, I promise you'll love it. This is my Mom's recipe. I got it from her and I would be doing her and every one of my readers a disservice if I did not use this blog as a mouthpiece to share this festive holiday recipe. It's not a dessert. Its place is right in between the green bean casserole and the candied yams.

RASPBERRY PRETZEL Jell-O

2 c. crushed pretzels 1/2 c. melted butter 2 tbsp. powdered sugar 1 (8 oz.) cream cheese 8 oz. Cool Whip 1 c. powdered sugar 1 lg. box raspberry Jello 2 pkg. frozen raspberries Mix together pretzels, melted butter and the 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar. Then press in 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool. Mix cream cheese, Cool Whip and 1 cup of powdered sugar; pour over pretzel crust. Dissolve large package of raspberry Jello in 2 cups boiling water. Add 2 packages of frozen raspberries not drained. Mix well and pour over cream cheese. Chill for a couple hours.

Butterscotch-Topped Gingerbread Cake with Sauteed Apples

Several years ago my mother raved about a cake that her friend Suzy made. (Suzy is a great cook and has FABULOUS recipes.) It sounded wonderful and perfect for fall so ever since then I've been waiting for the right opportunity to test it out. Well, such an occasion presented itself to me last week in the way of cooking club with a Fall/Halloween/pumpkin theme. The recipe calls for baking in a 3-inch deep 9-inch round, but since I was making this for cooking club, I baked it in a 9 x 13. I turned it upside down and cut it into these individual triangles (per Suzy's suggestion.) Oh my goodness. I loved this cake- my mom was right! I ate it for lunch for 4 days straight! It tastes best when the cake and apples are warm and the cool whipped cream starts to melt into the cake. I will definitely be making this again soon. I'm even seriously considering making it a part of Thanksgiving dinner this year, in honor of my mother, who loved this cake.

Butterscotch-Topped Gingerbread Cake with Sauteed Apples

For the butterscotch:
6 Tbs unsalted butter
3/4 c packed brown sugar

For the cake:
2 3/4 c cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbs ground ginger
1 Tbs cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
8 Tbs unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp + 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup molasses
1 1/2 cup boiling water
2 large eggs

For the topping:
3 Tbs unsalted butter
2 Tbs sugar
1 3/4 lbs. Apples, peeled, sliced

Butter and flour sides but not bottom of 9 inch round pan. 3 inches deep.

Make butterscotch: in a small saucepan melt 6 Tbs butter and sugar together, stirring for a smooth mixture. Pour it into the cake pan and swirl it to coat the bottom. Heat the oven to 300 degrees. Put water on to start boiling. In a bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, singer, cinnamon, and cloves, and set aside. Using paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. With a fork, stir in 1 tsp of the baking soda vigorously into the molasses until the molasses has lightened somewhat and has changed in texture. This can take a minute or two. Add the molasses to the butter-sugar mixture and mix on medium until completely combined. Add the remaining 1/2 tsp of baking soda to the boiling water. On low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and the water to the butter mixture. Finally add the eggs one at a time, mixing to combine after each addition. The batter will be very thin. Bake until the center of the cake is spriny and a toothpick comes out clean, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes and invert cake onto a serving plate. Let cool an hour before serving. Just vbfore serving, saute apples in butter and sugar mixture. Top cake with warm apples and serve with whipped cream.

Lemon Drop Cookies

When Franny was only five weeks old, we flew out to visit my Mom for about eight days. My mom was in the mood to try some new recipes and just about every recipe tried has now become a part of my cooking repertoire. Once while visiting me in Utah, we stopped in Deseret Book at the mall and she bought this cookbook called "Best-Loved Recipes of Well-Known Latter-Day Saints" or something, because it had a recipe for these delicious cookies. (By the way, as far as I can remember, this is the only decent recipe in the whole book!) I LOVE these cookies. FYI- this recipe makes A LOT.

2 cups sugar
1 1/2 c butter/shortening (I used 1/2 c butter and 1 c shortening)
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon extract
4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
finely chopped zest of 1 lemon
6 oz. package crushed leomon drops
1 cup powdered sugar
juice of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream sugar and shortening in your mixer with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add eggs and flavoring and blend well. Sift dry ingredients and gradually add to wet mixture. Add lemon zest and crushed lemon dropps. Roll in balls, flatten with a fork. Bake on parchment paper for 10-12 minutes. Whisk together powdered sugar and lemon juice to make a glaze. Cool 1-2 minutes, brush with glaze.

My Mom's chicken enchiladas

It worked out nicely that while I'm featuring my Mom's recipes on my blog my sister happened to be in town. I asked her which of mom's recipes she wanted me to make and this was one of the first she suggested: Mom's green chile enchiladas. I think most households prepare some variety of this delicious dish, but there are a few ingredients that I wouldn't think of leaving out, so I thought it would be fun to post my mom's recipe (with just a few of my own personal tweaks. :)

Start with 3 or 4 thawed seasoned chicken breasts (I like to season them with Tony Cacherie's cajun seasoning) and simmer in a large pot of water until just cooked through. Shred with two forks and allow to cool a bit. Shred 1/2 pound of pepper-jack cheese. This is important, not just Monterey Jack and definitely not cheddar, but pepper-jack cheese. I wouldn't think of making these without the right kind of cheese. Scoop some sour cream (about 3/4 cup?) into the chicken with a small handful of shredded cheese and about a 1/2 cup of green chile enchilada sauce. Add 1/2 can of diced green chiles, some cumin (1/2 tsp?), some chopped fresh cilantro, and salt and pepper. Roll the chicken mixture into flour tortillas and place in a greased casserole dish. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the top of the rolled enchiladas and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Add the rest of the shredded cheese on top for the last 5 minutes.

My sister enjoyed the enchiladas. My doesn't add cumin or cilantro when she makes hers and I thought it was funny when Annie asked, "what's this green stuff?"

Me: "Cilantro, do you like it?"
Annie, with a little hesitation: "...yeah..."

She also asked for strawberry waffles. She's so cute- Annie likes them best with the fruit on top of the whipped cream. She's not really smelling her knee, she just didn't want me to take this picture. I had some leftover blackberries from some jam I made the night before so I threw those in with the strawberries and I was really happy with the results.

Chicken and Artichoke Casserole and two hours well spent

I know it seems weird to make casseroles in the summertime, but I really wanted to feature my mom's recipes and this is one of my Mom's best. I love her casserole recipes because they actually taste good and require some effort- not just cream of mushroom and lipton soup mix. (Although I have a soft spot in my heart for those, too.) She has absolutely mastered this recipe because she made a lot of changes to the original that I think are definitely for the better. She found it in some Utah cookbook she loves called the Heritage coobook or something? I want to say the Junior League put it out but I'm pretty sure that's wrong. She found this recipe when she was pregnant with my youngest sister Annie. She was looking for recipes that would freeze well so she could have dinners prepared for us and in the freezer after the baby came. Anyway, the recipe I'm going to give you here is not the original but the recipe just as she prepares it.... with a few minor changes that I made myself that don't really change the flavor of the dish.

Chicken and Artichoke Casserole

1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 T butter
2 14 oz cans chicken broth
5 chicken breasts
1 14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained
3/4 stick butter
1/3 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1/8 cup half and half
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp dried rosemary

Saute mushrooms in 2 T butter and set aside. Pour 2 cans chicken broth in large pot and add water to cover chicken breasts. Bring to a boil. When chicken is cooked through, shred with two forks. Remove from broth and save 1 1/8 cups. Cool. Arrange chicken in casserole dish. Top with artichoke hearts (I like to chop them into smaller pieces.) Set aside. Melt 3/4 stick butter, stir in flour, salt and pepper and cook until smooth, about 1 minute. Gradually stir in 1 1/8 cup reserved chicken broth and light cream. Cook and stir as mixture boils and thickens. Blend in Parmesan cheese and rosemary. Pour over artichokes. Sprinkle mushrooms over the top. Bake at 325 for 30 minutes and serve over rice. If you have more Parmesan, sprinkle it on top just before baking. This recipe freezes well- just wrap tightly in plastic wrap and freeze before you bake it.

We took a walk to the Farmer's market on Saturday and I picked up these delicious peaches. I LOVE peaches. So we enjoyed some peach pie with our casserole. (I'll post the recipes later.)

The Pace's drove out from St. Louis to visit for a few days. It's been so nice to have their company! Here we are playing Dr. Mario. Bobby is our reigning champion.

And have you ever played Hand and Foot? I have included a link to this fabulous card game that we are OBSESSED with, but it's really just to give you an idea of what the game is about- there are many different versions out there and well, we think ours is best. The game takes AT LEAST 2 hours, but we feel that it is two hours well spent. My mom thought so, too. She loved this game and we spent hours playing every time we were home visiting. I believe she just played it a couple weeks before she died with Brent and Kristy. Bobby won the game last night and beat Ashley by a measly 35 points.

Lemon Cake

When I told Bobby I was going to post this recipe on my blog, he asked me if I really thought it was "blog-worthy." I confess that normally I wouldn't, but I thought it might be fun to start blogging some of my Mom's recipes as a sort of tribute to her. She is actually a really good cook, and not all of her recipes are this easy, but this is a cake she has been making for as long as I can remember and I love it! She used to get so mad at me when I would scrape the lemon icing off the top and leave the cake.

Lemon Cake

1 box yellow cake mix
1 (3-oz.) box lemon Jello or pudding mix
3/4 cup oil
3/4 cup water
4 eggs

Mix all ingredients together and bake in greased 9x13 pan (or bundt) at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes. Remove and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes. Poke holes with a fork (or thin skewers over the cake.)

Lemon glaze

1/3 cup lemon juice
2 cups powdered sugar

Mix lemon juice and sugar and drizzle over cake.

(I've seen that some recipes call for lemon cake instead of yellow cake for this recipe. I think this is way too lemon-y.)