Lemon tree very pretty

Right after we moved in back in 2001, I planted my infamous peach stick ,which is now a healthy, gorgeous mature peach tree and a small dwarf lemon tree. The lemon tree took years to fully establish, but in the past few years, it's finally taken off and we have all the fresh lemons we can eat.

When I first moved here there was another woman close to my age I worked with who once said she complained to the grocers about the prices of lemons. "You're in Ventura County and you're charging 50 cents a lemon? are you crazy?" She was right. There are lemons all over the place.

I'm often reminded of Steinbeck when I walk around here, with the abundance of fruit trees we have that you can just pluck food off of, if you so desire, as long as it's hanging over a public thoroughfare, and plenty fruit trees are. But there is fruit lying in the gutters around here. It's kind of amazing, really.

So this year I also planted an avocado, tangerine, Valencia orange and fig tree. I planed a banana tree a couple of years ago, and it's finally starting to take off. I figure that with the economy being as volatile as it is and us not getting any younger, it's probably a good idea to grow as much food as we can, and if need be, we can sell the leftovers or give them away. I always have a Steinbeck-ean existence in the back of my mind.

In the meantime, our little lemon tree keeps us in more lemons than we can eat, so lately I've been trying to incorporate them into more recipes. Rob said he wanted some lemon piccata, so the other day I threw one together using the lemons from our tree. It came out quite well. the first time I made this recipe, I made it with chicken. the second time I made it I uses pork. I like the chicken better, but the pork wasn't bad. This is a good recipe to put the Steinbeck fears to rest, as the delicious smell makes the house feel safe and secure.

I didn't use any agent for adhering the flours to the chicken because I wanted a very light, light crust. I find too much flouring and breading can be overpowering in some cases.

Chicken Piccata

3 chicken thighs
3/4 cup flour (I like King Arthur flour's white whole wheat)
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
A few pinches of salt
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 large lemon
1 cup dry white wine
4 tablespoons butter
Capers

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Pound the thighs between two pieces of plastic wrap until they are about 1/4 inch thick. Cut in half and dredge in flour, garlic powder, onion powder, salt mixture, making sure the entire piece is covered with flour. Fry in hot oil.Using microplane grater peel lemon directly over the pieces of cooking chicken, making sure to just get peel, not pith (the white part). Make sure each piece of chicken gets some grated lemon peel. Pepper the pieces. Flip them and grate more lemon peel and pepper them on the second side. When all of the chicken has cooked until golden brown and cooked through, remove it and drain on paper towels. Wipe the pan clean and add butter and wine. reduce the wine by at least half and add the juice of the lemon cook for just a minute or two more, or until the sauce has reduced a bit more. Pour sauce over the chicken and top with capers.

In a separate pan cook 1/2 pound spaghetti noodles until al dente. Drain. Add two tablespoons butter to the noodles and about a half cup or more of grated Parmesan cheese. Squeeze half a lemon over the noodles and add freshly ground pepper and toss. Serve with the chicken.

My eggplant in my garden has also started to ripen, so I've been playing with eggplant recipes. This is a super easy one that makes a great side dish, especially with grilled steak.

Grilled eggplant and tomato with basil and cheese

Slice the unpeeled eggplant about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick lengthwise, after cutting off stem. Brush with olive oil and salt on each side. Slice some Roma tomatoes (I used my San Marzanos and they were fantastic) and place on top of eggplant slices. Shred basil by hand into large pieces and place on top of tomatoes. top with a good Italian cheese blend, or use your favorite. I used provolone slices and they were great. Place the eggplant slices on a piece of foil and grill on top rack, away from the heat for about 5 minutes. Take the foil and eggplant and let cool before serving.