One Teaspoon From Disaster

When I think summer treats, I think ice cream. But because I'm not going to make that, I also think lemon. Light, sweet and a little tangy, lemony desserts seem perfect for hot weather.

Here are two very easy recipes for iced lemon cookie and glazed lemon poppy seed pound cake. Both start with store-bought mixes; each recipe comes together in no time and will get rave reviews.

Iced lemon cookies
Ingredients:
cookies:
1 package lemon cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 C. vegetable oil
icing:
1 ½ C. powdered sugar
¼ tsp. lemon extract
1 Tbsp. milk

Directions:
Mix cookies ingredients together, blending well. Drop balls of dough onto lined cookie sheets (not greased!). Bake at 350 degrees for no more than 10 minutes. Cookies will still appear gooey or cake-ish. Meanwhile, mix icing. Once cookies have cooled completely, spread icing on flat side of cookies and press together to make cookie sandwiches. Chill before serving.

Glazed lemon poppy seed pound cake
Ingredients:
bunt cake:
1 package pound cake mix
1, 8-ounce container low-fat sour cream
2 Tbsp. poppy seeds
5 tsp. lemon extract
3/4 C. low-fat sour cream
1/4 C. water
icing:
1 C. powdered sugar
1 tsp. lemon extract
1 Tbsp. milk

Directions:
Mix cake ingredients together, blending well. Pour into a well-greased bunt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until cooked through, being mindful not to over-bake. Meanwhile, mix icing. Once cake is cooled, ease it out of bunt pan. Drizzle icing on top, allowing it to run down the cake's sides.

For the next several installments (I'm committing to more than three, but nothing definite beyond that), "One Teaspoon from Disaster" is featuring summer-time cooking. Whether it's an easy dinner on the grill, a bbq with friends or a packable picnic, you'll find recipes for an entrée, side dishes, treats and drinks right here.

Here are some quickie sides: Potato salad that's not icky, corn bread that's not dry and corn on the cob that's not butter-soaked.

All three are done in no time and work well with whatever is coming off the grill as an entrée.

Next up: Desserts...

Potato salad
Ingredients:
1/2 pound red potatoes, quartered
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 1/2 Tbsp. dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. rosemary
1/2 tsp. black pepper
Directions:
Boil potatoes until softened slightly. Quarter potatoes and place in large bowl with onions. In a separate bowl, mix mustard, vinegar, oil, rosemary and pepper. Pour over potatoes and coat evenly. Serve chilled.

Corn bread
Ingredients:
1, 15-ounce can whole corn
1, 15-ounce cream-style corn
1, 8-ounce container low-fat sour cream
1, 8.5-ounce package corn bread mix
2 eggs
Directions:
Combine all ingredients and stir well. Pour into a lightly greased 9- by 13-inch baking dish; bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or so, or until cooked through and top is light brown.

Corn on the cob
Lightly brush peeled corn cobs with olive oil. Mix ¼ tsp. black pepper and ½ tsp. garlic salt. Sprinkle on top. Place corn cobs in an aluminum foil pouch and grill for 20 minutes.