Got Lemons? Make Lemon Loaf

The citrus trees are blooming in Arizona, the air is sweet, and most of us are sneezing with allergies. Oh but we have LEMONS. Lots and Lots of Lemons.

Very Lemon Loaf is from Tastes & Treasures cookbook, page 119. It is a delicious loaf from historic Rancho de La Osa in Sasabe, AZ.

Bread Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup butter, melted

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Lemon Glaze Ingredients

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

For the bread, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sift the flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl. Mix the sugar, butter and lemon extract in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs. Add the flour mixture and milk alternately, beating until just blended after each addition. Fold in the lemon zest and pecans. Pour into greased and floured 5 X 8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

For the glaze, blend the lemon juice and confectioners' sugar in a bowl until smooth. Drizzle over the cracks int he warm bread that form while baking.

Makes 1 loaf. Decorate with slices of fresh lemons and blueberries. Yummm.

Note: Before adding glaze, it really helps to take a fork and make deep punctures from the top of the loaf pan. Then the glaze flows down through the entire loaf.

When using fresh lemons instead of lemon extract, you need to cut back slightly on the liquid (milk) used since fresh lemons are not as concentrated. We used 1/3 cup milk.

AZ Centennial Celebration at BestFest

Who doesn't love a party? The Capital Building will be the venue for Arizona's Centennial Celebration and it's all Free.

The Historical League will have a booth and promote the AHS Museum at Papago Park as well as showcase and sell Tastes & Treasures A Storytelling Cookbook of Historic Arizona and Arizona Recollections and Reflections An Arizona Historymakers Centennial Commemoration. Our booth will be open Sat Feb 11 - Sun Feb 12 from noon - 7 pm.

Fireworks and more festivities will continue into Saturday night with concerts and speeches featuring Arizona-based mainstage headliners George Benson, Michelle Branch, Gin Blossoms, Rex Allen Jr., Dolan Ellis and Marshall Trimble.

"It's finally here and it is truly the perfect chance to Celebrate the Arizona Experience," said Karen Churchard, executive director, Arizona Centennial Commission & 2012 Foundation, citing the title of the Centennial Countdown campaign that began in 2010.

Arizona Best Fest Phoenix is the largest of Signature Events that recognize Arizona's Centennial, including a Centenarian Brunch honoring 100-year-old individuals, companies and nonprofits; a grand gala entitled Fandango! Arizona; and an Arizona Centennial Ride -- a 16-mile motorcycle tour led by Phoenix native Dierks Bentley.

The event delivers museum-like educational pavilions and villages of Hispanic, American Indian and Western cultures, presented by corporations Resolution Copper, Discount Tire, Giant, ASARCO, Shamrock Farms, Arizona Public Service and University of Arizona, and individual contributors such as Stevie and Karl Eller. Eller is the outdoor advertising wizard who's also in the Advertising Hall of Fame. The Arizona Republic is delivering an Arizona storyteller's theater; and Arizona's sports teams -- Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Cardinals and Phoenix Suns -- are presenting a history of Arizona sports pavilion highlighting all Arizona sports teams and traditions, including Cactus League Spring Training, a draw to visitors from around the country.

Whole Foods Market supports Historical League

Shop Whole Foods Market on Thursday, Feb 9 and support the Historical League and the Arizona Historical Society.

Whole Foods is helping celebrate AZ Centennial by supporting the Historical

League with 5% of all sales on Thursday, Feb 9 at the store on 8688 E. Raintree in Scottsdale donated to the League.

Our efforts to support history in

Arizona are being well received.

We are also pleased to have a table selling Arizona Recollections and Reflections and Tastes & Treasures at this Whole Foods Market that day from noon to 3 pm. Lindsay (Marilyn Parke's granddaughter) has made arrangements for the Historical League to do this.

Whole Foods report on their website-

"The Arizona Historical Society serves as the stewards of state and regional history; fulfilling its mission to collect, preserve, interpret, and disseminate the history of Arizona, the West, and northern Mexico as it pertains to Arizona.

At Whole Foods Market, we are active participants in our community. We are extremely proud of our community involvement and the relationships that we continue to make."

Make-ahead quiche

Good Morning Quiche

A delicious quiche for company and you can prepare it ahead. Also try Rancho de La Osa's Southwestern Bacon and Cheese Strata, page 118 Tastes & Treasures cookbook, for another make-ahead breakfast recipe.

Ingredients:
1 package refrigerated Pillsbury Crescent Recipe Creations Seamless Dough Sheet
6 slices center-cut bacon or ham
2 cups chopped broccoli
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 cup chopped onion (about 1 onion)
1 cup chopped red bell pepper (about 1 pepper)
2 1/2 cups fat-free liquid egg substitute
1/2 cup light plain soymilk
3 wedges The Laughing Cow Light Creamy Swiss cheese, room temperature
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray the bottom and sides of a deep 9" X 13" baking pan with nonstick spray. Place dough sheet along the bottom. Firmly press dough into the bottom and corners of the pan. Pierce dough several times with a fork.

Bake until dough just begins to puff up, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from oven and set aside to cool. Leave oven on.

If using bacon, fry in large skillet and drain.

Bring a large skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium-high heat on the stove. Add broccoli and 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook until broccoli becomes bright green, about 2 minutes. Uncover and cook until water evaporates, 1 - 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, onion, and bell pepper. Cook and stir until softened, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat, blot away excess moisture, and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine egg substitute, soymilk, and cheese wedges, breaking cheese wedges into pieces. Add garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Whisk until mostly smooth. Chop bacon or ham and add to the bowl. Add cooked veggies and stir well.

Evenly pour contents of the bowl over the dough in the pan. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake until egg mixture is cooked through, about 40 minutes.

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

Creamy Pumpkin Faux Risotto

Creamy Pumpkin Faux-sotto

This recipe is a wonderful blend of veggies and cheesy risotto tastes. Yummm.

Ingredients:

2 cups finely chopped cauliflower
1 1/2 cups fat-free chicken broth
1 cup diced onion
1 cup thinly sliced mushrooms
1 cup canned pure pumpkin
3/4 cup uncooked brown rice
1/2 cup light plain soymilk
1 tsp. chopped garlic
1/4 tsp. salt, or more to taste
1/8 tsp. black pepper, or more to taste
2 wedges The Laughing Cow Light Creamy Swiss cheese
4 tsp. reduced-fat Parmesan-style grated topping

Directions:
In a nonstick pot on the stove, combine all ingredients except cheese wedges and Parm-style topping. Stir until well mixed. Bring to a boil.

Once boiling, reduce heat to medium low and cover. Simmer for about 35 minutes, until rice is cooked and veggies are tender.

Add cheese wedges and Parm-style topping, and stir until evenly distributed.

If you like, season to taste with additional salt and pepper. Enjoy!

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

PER SERVING (1/4th of recipe, about 1 1/4 cups): 222 calories, 2.75g fat, 464mg sodium, 41.5g carbs, 5.25g fiber, 6g sugars, 8g protein

Megan Gately moving forward with education at AHS

Megan Gately, Education Program Co-ordinator at AHS, is full of ideas and energy. With the rapidly approaching Centennial celebration, she has even more activities. She has helped the Historical League many times, most recently helping me fill out forms to be a official vendor for Mesa Public Schools. We are looking forward to having them see our Centennial Legacy Project book, Arizona Recollections and Reflections, An Arizona Historymakers Centennial Commemoration.

Megan is now getting much needed support staff with Nancy York, Megan's new intern from ASU and Nikole Brasch, Educator.

Centennial book presentation to ASU Alumni and Friends

So many of our Historymakers are connected with ASU in so many ways. They either graduated from ASU, endowed the University, taught at ASU, coached at ASU or contributed to the University in some capacity.

The Historical League has been asked to talk about the Historical League's Centennial book to ASU Alumni and friends at the University Club. Arizona Recollections and Reflections - Presentation by Zona Lorig, Ruth McLeod, and Joan Robinson, Arizona Historical Society -Thursday, February 9, 12:00-1:30 p.m. - Tempe Campus, University Club- RSVP by emailing Gwyn.Goebel@asu.edu

Celebrate Arizona's Centennial at ASU's colloquium luncheon with the co-editors of Arizona Recollections and Reflections, an Arizona Centennial Historymakers Commemoration. Presenters will highlight the contributions of twenty Historymakers(tm) connected with Arizona State University including Bill Kajikawa, Eugene Grigsby, Barbara Barrett, and Eddie Basha.