Weekend Cooking and lemon love

My mother has given me a subscription to Eating Well for the last two years.  I like it but it is much more meat oriented than I need.  I do enjoy the get healthy articles and the pictures are lovely but Vegetarian Times still rules at my house. 

When Eating Well arrived yesterday I did my normal quick perusal and found a beautiful article about lemons; it made me dreamy for warmer weather in a state other than my own.  Lemons bring forth thoughts of California, Arizona; two places I've been lucky enough to pick lemons fresh from the tree, that pungent, beautiful smell as you snap it from the tiny limb.
Melissa Pasanen has obviously  had a similar experience as she shares in her article "When Life Gives You Lemons" (Feb. 2011/p. 52). 

She writes; " I know what to do with bushels of zucchini and a cellar full of turnips, but when life gave me loads of lemons I was almost overcome by the riches."  I know what to do with overflowing baskets of tomatoes and zucchini  but when I buy one lemon from the grocery store it is a treasure-imagine if I had a tree out back-there would be fresh lemonade everday.  Melissa goes on to explain how a temporary move to New Zealand brings her to an abandoned lemon tree down the road.  She now has access to free lemons any time she wants and she comes home with a new appreciation for the yellow orb.

I share today the one recipe I may make today from the article:

Lemon-Cranberry Muffins
Makes: 1 dozen
Active Time: 25 mins./Total: 1 hour

1/2 cup plus 2 T. sugar divided
3/4 cup nonfat yogurt
1/3 cup canola oil
1 large egg
3 tsp freshly grated lemon zest
2 T. lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups white whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup cornmeal, med. or fine stone-ground
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen (thawed), coarsely chopped(food processor)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray or line with paper liners.
2. Whisk 1/2 cup sugar, yogurt, lemon, oil, egg, 2 tsp lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla in a medium bowl.
3. Whish flour, cornmeal, b. powder, b. soda,  and salt in a large bowl.  Add the yogurt mixture and fold until almost blended.  Gently fold in cranberries.  Divide the batter among the muffin cups.  Combine the remaining 2 T. sugar and 1 remaining tsp. lemon zest in a small bowl.  Sprinkle evenly over the tops of the muffins.
4. Bake muffins until golden brown and they spring back lightly to the touch, 20 to 25 minutes.  Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool for at least 5 more minutes before serving.

(187 calories per muffin, 7 grams of fat)

Can't you just taste the burst of cranberries with the zesty lemon flavor!
Yum.

Eating Well website
The article link is here:  When Life Gives You Lemons
This post is part of Beth Fish Reads Weekend Cooking meme...anybody can play along with your own food-related post.