Southerners love this pie and when I found this recipe on  Cook's Country, I knew I had to make it.  Their recipes never fail and this was no exception,.  This is an easy to make, light, bright lemon pie that has a perfect balance of sweet, salty, and sour. And, because it's easy to make that's a bonus, but I would make this even if it was difficult, it's THAT good.  I did just a couple of adjustments to the original recipe, because that's just the way I roll.  And, okay, I admit it, I used Cool Whip for the topping.  I've aways been a fan of Cool Whip, it's a lot lower in calories and you don't have to whip the cream. 

FOR THE CRUST

6 ounces saltine crackers (about 1 sleeve or 36 crackers)
⅛ teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
¼ cup light corn syrup

FOR THE FILLING:

1 can sweetened condensed milk (14-ounce)
4 large egg yolks
¼ cup heavy cream ~ I use Half and Half
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest plus ½ cup juice ( 3 lemons)

FOR THE TOPPING

½ cup heavy cream, chilled
2 teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

~ or forget whipping the cream and just use Cool Whip ~

Steps

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Add the saltines and salt to the food processor and pulse until you have coarse crumbs (about 15 pulses). Add the melted butter and corn syrup and pulse until the crumbs are about the size of oatmeal (another 15 pulses).

Add the cracker mixture to a greased 9-inch pie plate. Use the bottom of a dry measuring cup or glass and press the crumbs into an even layer on the bottom and up the sides of the dish.

Place the pie plate on a baking sheet and bake until light golden brown, 17 to 19 minutes.

To make the filling – whisk the sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, cream, and lemon zest together in a bowl, add the lemon juice and whisk until well combined.

With the pie plate on the baking sheet still, remove it from the oven and pour in the filling (the crust does not need to be cooled) and place it back in the hot oven. Bake until the edges of the pie are set but the center still jiggles, 15 to 17 minutes. Place the pie on a wire rack and let it cool completely. Refrigerate the pie until completely chilled.

For the topping, use a stand mixer fitted with a whisk and whipped the cream, sugar, and vanilla on medium low until foamy (about a minute). Increase the mixer speed to high and whip until stiff peaks form, 1 to 3 minutes. Spread the whipped cream over the top of the pie and serve cold.

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#lemonpie #cracker #crackerpie #northcarolina #northcarolinacrackerpie #yummy #yummyfood #foodie #jancooksrealfood #jancancook #janspicx 

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You won't believe how simple this is to prepare and it's really special.  And since I'm all about easy, this is as easy as it gets.  I could give y'all a recipe, prepping the pancake batter, cooking the lemon filling, and if you want to do that, go for it.  But I have a quick alternative and it's so yummy, and it's a show stopper, nobody will realize it isn't all made from scratch.

It's not even much of a recipe, it's just a process, an easy process with amazing results.

Pick up a tub of lemon curd and a box of pancake mix at the grocery store, grab some berries and that's all you need.

Here's The Process

Make pancakes using your favorite mix, Krusteaz, Bisquick, Hungry Jack, whatever floats your boat.  If you're really short on time you could thaw frozen pancakes, but that's taking it a bit far, even for me.  Freshly made is always better.  Notice I didn't say "homemade" because that would entail measuring, mixing, folding, all time consuming things that you may not have time for or want to do.

Before you make your pancakes, warm the lemon curd in the microwave, stir it, then make your pancakes and start to assemble, spreading the pancake with lemon curd, then rolling with the seam tucked underneath.  As you build them,  you can put them in a very low temp oven, 225 degrees, on a baking sheet covered with a slightly damp towel to keep warm while filling and rolling the rest of them.  

Now how easy was that. Scatter around a few blueberries and raspberries, sift a bit of powdered sugar on top and if you feel really ambitious and want to knock it out of the ballpark, make a quick raspberry sauce for the top.  Don't forget the ice cream, that's the best part.

Again, this all about easy, just take a big scoop of raspberry jam, thin it out with some hot water until you get the consistency of syrup, put it in a pretty little serving pitcher,  your guests will never know how easy this was and think you went to a lot of trouble to make them a really special breakfast.

Well, it is really special, it just happens to be really easy.  

And shhhhhhh, it's our secret, I'll never tell. 🤫

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 #pancakes #brunch #lemon #lemoncurd #yummy #yummyfood #delicious #foodie #jancooksrealfood #jancancook #janspicx #weekendrecipe

This is my favorite dessert of all time.  This recipe dates back to the 60's and it's positively scrumptious.  Sometimes. you just can't beat old school and nothing compares to this in our family, it's one of those recipes that spans the generations and we will make forever.  It's timeless and it's just sinfully delicious.

Graham Cracker Crust

I make this in the food processor, it's so easy.  No food processor, no worries.  Just put the crumbs in a large baggie and crush with a rolling pin or a glass, then combine with the sugar and melted butter.

1 sleeve of graham crackers broken into pieces
1/3 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of melted butter

Combine all and pulse until combined.  Spray pie pan with cooking spray, and pat in the graham cracker crumbs, using a measuring cup to smooth and get close to the edges.  Homemade crumbs are so good, they are more coarse and gives you more graham cracker flavor.

Bake at 375 degrees for 7-8 minutes until it starts to brown.  

Cool before adding filling

Lemon Cream Cheese Filling

8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1 can of Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk, don't get the low fat, go for it with fully leaded original, it's so much better
1/3 cup lemon juice - can substitute ReaLemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling, chilled

Steps

Beat the cream cheese with a mixer on high until fluffy. Fold in the condensed milk, lemon juice and vanilla by hand, until blended. Pour the filling into the crust and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Top with the pie filling, chill thoroughly before serving in pan covered with aluminum foil.  I always place toothpicks vertically in the pie so that the foil doesn't smash the cherries. 

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#cherry #cherrypie #cherrycheesecake #cheesecake #food #foodie #yummy #yummyfood #jancooksrealfood #jancancook #janspicx #foodporn #fruit #dessert #delicious #sweets #pioneerwoman

It's so fresh, so delightful,  and SO positively yummy and fast to prepare.  This Chicken Piccata is simply a chicken breast, dredged in flour, browned and topped with a buttery lemon sauce.  It's not complicated to make, but it's always special to serve.

Ingredients

2 large Skinless Boneless Chicken Breasts – sliced horizontally into 1/2″ thick cutlets
1 cup All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 tbsp Olive Oil
2 large Lemons – 1/2 sliced thin and 1 1/2 juiced
1 clove Garlic – Chopped fine
1 1/2 cups Chicken Broth
3 tbsp Capers – Drained and Rinsed
4 tbsp Butter divided – 2 tbsp for sauce, 2 tbsp for pasta
1 lbs Linguine Noodles

Steps

Pre-heat oven to 225 degrees  and put water on stove to boil for pasta

Slice chicken breasts horizontally or butterly them and flatten to about 1/2″ thickness and slice into cutlets. I've found an easy way to do this is to place them between parchment paper and pound with a cast iron skillet. This is very fast, I usually do this on the concrete patio or garage floor.  Why?  So I don't break the countertop.  Try it, it works great.  

Salt and pepper the chicken on each side and allow to sit for a few minutes. While the chicken is resting, heat a large saute pan to medium heat and add the olive oil.

Dredge the chicken in flour then pan fry for about 3-4 minutes on each side. When fully cooked, place chicken on a dish and place in the warm 225 degree oven on until ready to serve.

Slice 1/2 lemon into then slices removing any seeds. Juice the remaining 1 1/2 lemons, you should have 1/4 – 1/3 cup of juice.

Leave the bits from the chicken in the pan and add the chopped garlic to the over medium heat stirring occasionally for about 1 min until fragrant. Add chicken broth and bring to a slow boil, then add lemon slices. Allow to slow boil on medium to medium-low for about 5 mins stirring occasionally. The sauce will reduce and slightly thicken.

At this point, add the pasta to the boiling water.  Linguine will take about 10 mins  If using a different pasta, follow the directions adding to the water in order to time the pasta being al dente just after you complete the sauce.

After the sauce has cooked down add lemon juice and capers and allow to cook another 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Add 3 tbsp of butter and stir until fully melted and mixed in. Remove from heat and set aside.

Remove pasta pot from heat, drain pasta, return to the pot and add 2 tbsp of butter. Mix throughly.

To serve, add pasta to each plate with 2 cutlets then cover with sauce and a slice or two of lemon (for garnish)

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#lemon #chickenbreast #foodie #food #yummy #yummyfood #chickenpiccata #lemonsauce #jancooksrealfood #jancancook #janspicx #lemonchicken #schnitzel #chickenschnitzel #giada #inagarten #pasquale

Every time I go to a bakery, a donut shop, or out to breakfast or a weekend brunch, I'm always searching for blueberry muffins.  There is nothing better than a moist, tender, blueberry muffin, and nothing worse than the disappointment when they are dry and flavorless.  This recipe for lemon blueberry muffins has it all, the tartness of lemon, the sweetness of a moist muffin and the pop of blueberries. Lemon and blueberries, they're a match made in heaven. 👼

This recipe has oil and sour cream, so they are very moist muffins and the combination of lemon and blueberries give them that special zing.  

Ingredients

⅔ cup sugar
1 large egg
1/3 cup sour cream, can substitute yogurt
½ cup vegetable oil
⅓ cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

Turbinado sugar, optional but I like to dust the tops of the muffins with this coarse sugar before putting them in the oven to bake.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375° (190°C) and line 8 muffin cups with paper liners or spray with cooking spray.

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl, and in a separate bowl mix together the wet ingredients.

Mix the wet and dry ingredients togetheruntil just combined. Gently fold in the blueberries, Don't overmix and don't use a mixer, do this by hand.  If you are using frozen blueberries, shake them with just a bit of flour, about a tablespoon, so they won't sink to the bottom of the muffins.

Spoon batter into the muffin cups until 3/4 full.

Bake for 25-30 minutes on middle rack in your oven, until a knife inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Let cool 10-15 minutes before removing.   I love warm muffins, so I usually reheat for a few seconds in the microwave.

I love huge, oversized bakery style muffins and I'm also a fan of what I call fancy muffins, the kind you see in muffin shops with the muffin tucked into a parchment paper tulip cup.  You can take 5x5" parchment paper squares, put them in your muffin tins, then use a measuring cup to press them evenly into the muffin tins, or... you can just buy them on Amazon already formed in the tulip shape.  They're inexpensive, and easy peasy.  

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#muffin #muffins #lemonmuffin #blueberrymuffin #lemonblueberrymuffin #foodie #yummy #yummyfood #foodporn #jancooksrealfood #jancancook #janspicx

 

It's Taco Tuesday and how fresh are these fish tacos.  You don't need to go to a restaurant when you can make these at home, they're fast, easy and delicious and the price is right.  You can have these on the table, start to finish, in less than thirty minutes.

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
1/2 pound cod fillets

leaf lettuce leaves
3 cups coleslaw mix
1/2 cup cilantro leaves

8 flour soft shell or hard corn taco shells, warmed

DIRECTIONS

Melt butter in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-low heat until sizzling. Stir in lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Add fish; cook 7-10 minutes or until golden brown on both sides and flaky. Remove from skillet.

Add coleslaw and cilantro to skillet; stir until coated and heated through.

Break fish into bite-sized pieces.

Fill each taco shell with coleslaw mixture and fish. Add toppings, if desired.

TOPPINGS

Pico de gallo
Avocado chunks or Guacamole
Sour cream
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#tacotuesday #taco #tacos #fishtacos #cilantro #avocado #guacamole #yummy #yummyfood #foodporn #jancooksrealfood #janspicx #jancancook #foodie #food

It's Monday, and we always start the week eating lower calories, so I wanted a healthy lemon cake recipe to share and there are a plethora of Weight Watcher ones to choose from that are low in calories and maximum in flavor.  I have a confession, I haven't made this.  I make the two ingredient Weight Watcher cake with a box of lemon cake mix and a can of diet lemon soda, which is very good and I think with WW they consider it to be 0 points for one piece.

However, my mother had the best recipe from the 70's for a lemon pound cake made with a cake mix and lemon pudding, everybody loved her cake and I've made it countless times, so when I found this recipe, I was intrigued because it's basically the same asmother's recipe, except you are swapping out greek yogurt for the 3/4 cup of oil she used.  I'm betting that this cake is a winner, that greek yogurt is going to make it really moist.  So, this is on my short list to make this week, because it just is...

1 box of lemon cαke mix
1 smαll box of Instant sugαr free lemon pudding mix
4 eggs
¾ cup nonfαt plain Greek yogurt, or if you want this really lemony, use lemon Greek yogurt
¾ cup of lemon juice
¼ cup of wαter

This would be good with just a dusting of powdered sugar, but if you don't mind the calories in a glaze, here you go....

Vanilla Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

Preheαt oven to 350 degrees

Sprαy the inside of α cαke pαn or Bundt pαn with α no point non-stick sprαy

Combine the pudding mix, cαke mix, yogurt, wαter, αnd ¾ cup of lemon juice in α lαrge bowl

Whisk until combined but don’t overbeαt the mix

Pour into your pαn αnd bαke αccording to cαke mix box instructions.  Typically a Bundt cake takes about 50-60 minutes for a toothpick to come out clean, but I would check it at 40-45 minutes.  I've baked so much, my nose always alerts me when a cake is done, but don't do what I do, check your cake!

To mαke the glaze, combine the powdered sugar, milk, lemon juice and vanilla extract and whisk until combined and the right consistency to drizzle.

Drizzle icing over the cαke αfter it hαs cooled completely.

I don't have the nutritional information for this, maybe someone can put it through WW nutritional app and let us know the points.

#weightwatchers #weightwatcherscake #lemoncake #lemonbundtcake #bundtcake #yummy #yummyfood #foodporn #jancooksrealfood #janspicx #jancancook #itspiday

This is the perfect Easter dessert, the kind of cake you pay a fortune for in an upscale bakery, yes, it's that good.  This cake is delicious, I mean seriously, decadently, wonderful, too marvelous for words!  I've baked cakes for years, and this one is in the top five of the best ever.  I adapted it from a recipe from Sugar & Spice by Celeste, it's a "must try" if you are a lemon lover.

This cake is a project, done in steps.  It's the kind of cake you make a day or so ahead and let it age.   This is definitely a labor of love and the results are so worth it.

Originally Adapted From: Foster, Sara. 'The Foster's Market Cookbook'. Random House. New York: 2002.

Ingredients:

Lemon Curd:

3 large eggs
1/3 cup (80 ml) fresh lemon juice (2-3 lemons) (do not use the bottled lemon juice)
1 tablespoon (4 grams) finely shredded lemon zest (outer yellow skin of lemon)
3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar
4 tablespoons (56 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into small pieces

Coconut Cake Recipe:

6 large eggs
2 1/2 cups (325 grams) all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup (170 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups (350 grams) granulated white sugar, divided
1 tsp coconut extract
1 3/4 cups (420 ml) buttermilk
1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Frosting:

2 large (60 grams) egg whites
1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated white sugar
1/4 cup (60 ml) cold water
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Garnish:

2 cups (150 grams) sweetened shredded or flaked coconut (can use unsweetened dried coconut)

Directions:

Lemon Curd: 

In a stainless steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and lemon juice until blended. Cook, stirring constantly (to prevent it from curdling), until the mixture becomes thick (like sour cream or a hollandaise sauce) (160 degrees F or 71 degrees C). This will take approximately 10 minutes. Remove from heat and immediately pour through a fine strainer to remove any lumps.

Cut the butter into small pieces and whisk into the mixture until the butter has melted. Add the lemon zest and let cool. The lemon curd will continue to thicken as it cools. Cover immediately (so a skin doesn't form) and refrigerate until cold. The lemon curd can be made several days (up to a week) in advance.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Butter and flour two - 9 inch x 1 1/2 inch (23 x 3.75 cm) cake pans, and then line the bottoms with parchment paper (or spray with Bakers Joy).

Coconut Cake: 

While the eggs are still cold separate the eggs, placing the yolks in one bowl and the whites in another bowl. Cover the two bowls with plastic wrap and allow the eggs to come to room temperature before using (about 30 minutes).

In a mixing bowl sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In bowl of electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until soft (about 1-2 minutes). Gradually add 1 1/2 cups (300 grams) of the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.

In a clean bowl of your electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, (or with a hand mixer) beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue beating until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup (50 grams) of sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. With a rubber spatula gently fold a little of the whites into the batter to lighten it, and then fold in the remaining whites until combined. Do not over mix the batter or it will deflate.

Divide the batter and pour into the prepared pans, smoothing the surface with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly in center. 

Place the cakes on a wire rack to cool, in their pans, for about 10 minutes. Then invert the cakes onto a greased rack. To prevent splitting, reinvert cakes so that tops are right side up. Cool completely before filling and frosting.

Frosting: 

In a stainless steel bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, place the egg whites, sugar, water, and corn syrup. With a handheld electric mixer beat the mixture for 3 to 4 minutes on low speed. Increase the speed to high and continue to beat for another 3 to 4 minutes or until the icing is shiny and satiny with soft peaks.

Remove from heat, add the vanilla extract, and continue to beat on high speed for another 1 to 2 minutes or until the frosting is thick. Use immediately.

To Assemble: 

With a serrated knife, cut each cake layer in half, horizontally. Place one cake layer on your serving plate and spread with about 1/3 of the lemon curd and sprinkle with about 2 tablespoons of coconut. Continue with the next layers, stacking and filling with the lemon curd and coconut. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the 7-Minute Frosting and then sprinkle with about 1 cup of coconut. Cover and refrigerate the cake until serving time.

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My Tweaks:

Lemon Curd - I make this a couple of days ahead, just like her recipe, except I used 1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice, because we love tart lemon curd, and added extra lemon zest.

Cake Batter:  I omitted the coconut extract, and added an extra splash of vanilla, because I didn't want the coconut flavor, I would rather have the lemon favor with just the coconut on the top.  

Frosting:  This was time consuming, but worth it.  I beat the mixture for four minutes on low, then four minutes on high, to get the soft peaks, then additional two minutes.  Very time consuming over a hot pan of water, but totally worth it.  

Assembly:  I totally dropped the ball on this the first time I made it, but made notes so the next time I wouldn't have issues.  I took a shortcut and instead of splitting the layers and putting lemon curd between each layer, I just put lemon curd on top of the first layer, then icing, then put the other layer on top, and it wanted to slide off the bottom layer.  I then put on more lemon curd and iced it.  

Next time I made it like Celese says, and split the layers, and add the lemon curd and it worked so much better.   I still won't put coconut between the layers, just on top, as not everyone in our family is a fan of coconut.

However, if you don't care about presentation, you could always bake this in a 9x13 pan, with lemon curd on top, and then the frosting.  

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There’s something about the blend of a graham cracker crust, lemon filling, and fresh whipped cream that makes for a perfect dessert. Plus, it’s really beautiful! —Jo

When I read this on Magnolia's webpage, I knew it was something I would love.  Her recipes never fail, and this was one of the best I've tried.

 I adapted it just a bit, I use Cool Whip instead of heavy cream, because...  it's a pain to whip the cream, and the calories are out the wazoo.  Sometimes I also make it with Fat Free Eagle Brand Milk, it's not as rich as the original, it's just your choice if you're trying to trim some calories off the recipe

Ingredients

Crust:

1 ½ cups crushed graham crackers
6 tablespoons butter , melted
⅓ cup sugar

Pie Filling:

2 (14 ounce) cans Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
3 egg yolks
⅔ cup lemon juice
Dash of salt

Whipped Cream:

1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Steps

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

For the Crust: Spray a pie dish with non-stick spray. Combine crushed graham crackers, butter, and sugar. Press into prepared pie plate. Bake for 8 minutes.

Note:  I like to make my own graham cracker crumbs, they are just so much better.  I just break up a pack of graham crackers and put them in the food processor, add the sugar and the butter and pulse until combined.  Easy peasy and so much better than the premade box of crumbs you buy in the store.  Why?  Because they are coarser if you crush them yourself and have a better texture. Just my opinion.  Of course you could just buy a premade graham cracker crust, but don't do that, those things are skimpy and not fresh like they are when you make them yourself.  

For the Pie Filling: Using a mixer, mix the condensed milk, egg yolks, lemon juice ans salt together. Beat on medium speed for 4-5 minutes. Pour into pie crust and bake for 10 minutes at 350. Little bubbles will start to surface. Cover the crust if it starts to brown too much towards the end.

Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving.

For the Whipped Cream: Mix the cream, sugar, and vanilla. Whip until fluffy, and add to cooled lemon pie.

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If you've never experienced Limoncello before, you're in for a treat.  Limoncello is an Italian Liqueur with seriously delicious, intense lemon flavor.

So make a pitcher of this fun drink, pucker up and whew,  your lemon loving friends will love this.  It takes old school Tom Collins to a whole new leve1 😋

½ cups good vodka, such as Grey Goose
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (6 lemons) Minute Maid Frozen Lemon Juice works well for this, not frozen lemonade, lemon juice
6 tablespoons sugar syrup 
¼ cup Italian Limoncello liqueur
1½ cups cold club soda
Ice cubes
Sliced lemon, for serving 

Combine the vodka, lemon juice, sugar syrup, and Limoncello in a large pitcher. Just before serving, pour in the club soda and stir. Fill highball glasses with ice and pour the mixture over the ice. Garnish each drink with a slice of lemon and serve cold.

You can make your own Limoncello, The Kitchn has an excellent recipe, I'll link it below

      Limoncello Recipe

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