Tag Archives: grapefruit

Orange You Glad I Used Grapefruit

Posted by Lesley on January 14, 2010 None comments

It’s grapefruit season again.  As long as the freeze didn’t do too much damage we’ll be eating grapefruit for the next three months.  It’s a real treat to have a food source like that in your backyard.   The juice is my favorite.  When they’re really ripe, it only takes two grapefruit to squeeze out an 8-ounce glass.

But how easy it is to forget the joy of that sweet, tangy juice when it’s your two-hundredth cup.  Getting rid of so many grapefruit can actually get tedious.  This is our third season with the tree; it’s time to move beyond the basics of juice and sugared grapefruit halves.  Our first dinner of the season was Honey Orange Grapefruit Chicken served over a Grapefruit-Spinach Salad with Grapefruit Poppy Seed Dressing.

We all loved it – even John, who (gasp) doesn’t like grapefruit that much.  The dressing cut the tangy bite of the fruit, and the chicken had a tasty sweet and sour flavor from the blend of honey and grapefruit.  The original recipe was printed in Woman’s Day Magazine and is also delicious.

Honey Orange (or Grapefruit) Chicken

  • 2 Tbsp. flour
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 4 skinless, boneless chicken-breast halves
  • 2 tsp. oil
  • 1 tsp. freshly grated orange or grapefruit peel
  • 1/2 cup fresh orange or grapefruit juice
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1 Tbsp. honey
  • 1 tsp. minced garlic
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley

Mix flour and salt in a plastic food bag.  Add chicken and shake to coat.  Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add chicken and cook, turning once, 5 minutes or until golden and meat is opaque at center.  Remove to serving plate.

Put peel, juice, broth, honey, and garlic in skillet.  Boil 4 minutes or until slightly thickened.  Stir in parsley; spoon over chicken.

Poppy Seed Dressing

  • Juice from 1-2 grapefruit
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
  • 1 Tbsp. honey
  • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp. poppy seeds
  • Salt and pepper

How low can I mow?

Posted by Lesley on August 3, 2009 3 comments

I was mowing underneath the grapefruit tree and made the terrible mistake of looking up.  In one word – Halloween – is the best description I can give you.  There are webs spun from one end to the other.  Here are a couple other words – creepy and gross! 

This spider was spinning so intently that I was scared to stand still for too long; he might have spun me into the tree!  And it was the last little section of the lawn left to be mowed – time to crouch down and push through.  I was winning a backwards limbo contest until my bangs fell in my face, and I jumped so high even the mower caught air! 

Garden Spells & Grapefruit

Posted by Lesley on May 8, 2009 5 comments

Since this blog is so new, it seems fitting to continue on with the tour of my garden.  This is my grapefruit tree, the grandfather of the garden.  The house was built in 1950, and I’m not sure which came first – the house or the tree.  Every season it delivers the juiciest, most delicious pink grapefruit I’ve ever tasted.  That’s partly the reason it’s decorated – to give my thanks.  The other reason is the book, Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen.  I’ve been part of a book club for almost two years now, and I can speak for every member when I say, Garden Spells is our favorite book by far.  After reading it, this tree grew more than grapefruits; it grew a personality.  It’s my apple tree…my fiancé even threw a grapefruit at me for inspiration.  That sounds strange and maybe even borderline abusive, but read the book.  I promise you’ll laugh out loud the next time a piece of fruit is hurled at your back.