286 - The Canary Made EASY

People who are doing THM will know and understand how delicious, the Singing Canary is. But as much as I love it - and I do love it - it can be tedious and time consuming to make. The effort involved in peeling the lemons can be off-putting - and then what do you do with the lemon peel when you're done? Because I don't know about you, but my husband loves it too, so I make double batches...

The other day my husband and I were talking and we thought, why couldn't we just peel the lemon instead of using a paring knife? So we tried it. Not only does it cut the time and effort in half, it also left me with a beautiful, almost pith-free strip of lemon peel. So... I exert less effort and leave more of the beneficial pith on the lemon to blend into my drink.

So I thought I would share some tips to make life easier and also ideas on what to do with all that lemon peel - because it seems a shame to waste it and it certainly does pile up!

Ladies, meet your new best friend. It is a soft flesh peeler. And here's what it looks like in action:

This is what it looks like when you're done.

This one has serrated edges which makes it work for things like lemons and tomatoes (yes tomatoes) so I don't know how a regular peeler would handle it, but if you try one let me know.

This is the second gadget that has made my life easier, a simple flat-bottomed mesh sink strainer that you stick in a drain. I use this one specifically for food. I have one in my sink that has a rounded bottom, and it pretty much lives there, but JUST IN CASE the two ever end up somewhere else, the one I use for food has a flat bottom. And that works better for my purposes anyway. I got this one at Walmart. Another tip: they make great sifters.

I can't believe how perfectly it fits. I bought a couple of pitchers that are slim and hold 2 quarts each and I'm actually about to buy another set now that I know I like them. I want to have drinks on the counter ready and waiting for me. So I can make the Canary, the Shrinker, some lemon water or lemonade, and my husband can make a pitcher of tea to drink throughout the day.

So basically I sit the strainer in the mouth of the pitcher and pour the blended lemon-water mix through the mesh. I stir it with my finger and tap it to get the last of the water out, then I dump the pulp into the trashcan (until I find a better way to use it). So I do that a few times as I'm pouring and then rinse it off right away so any little bits of lemon don't have time to dry and get stuck on the mesh... because nobody like a messy mesh.  :)

This is what I'm left with once I've stirred it around.

And this is a gorgeous looking double batch of Canary. It makes me happy just looking at it.

But I'd much rather drink it.

I enjoy sipping my drinks through a straw, and instead of using, and continually purchasing, flimsy plastic straws I bought stainless steel straws. I use them every day. Makes it feel fun. I don't know why, but straws just do that for me.

So that's how I do it. Makes my life easier, and the easier something is, the more likely I'm going to stick with it.

If you want to know exactly what I used, I keep a list off to the side of my posts where I put all the things I love or want (in case I have to replace them or want to buy/get them as a gifts). I know a lot of people tend to have questions because not everything is available everywhere and it just makes life easier sometimes.


And last, but not least, here are some ways you could use the lemon peel:

Blend them up with water and make lemony ice cubes (<---lots of great ideas for flavored ice)

Lemon salt or lemon pepper

Garlic-Lemon infused olive oil

Candied lemon peel (with xylitol or erythritol)

Kale salad with preserved lemon and walnuts

Other ideas I had... you could make potpourri with it... lemon infused vodka... grate it over your fish... use it in a dry rub... so there's no need to toss the peels!

If you have any tips, tricks and ideas to streamline the drink making process, other ways to use the lemon peel, or what you do with your pulp please leave a comment so we can all learn!