I'm zesty.

Check that... my food is zesty. Why you ask? Well, it's because I love to cook with ZEST!! Not zest as Webster describes (relish, gusto, keen enjoyment... even though that would fit). I'm talking the zest of citrus fruits - lemons, limes, and oranges. Oh my goodness, I'm way too corny.

The zest is the peel just down to the white part. You don't want to eat the white part; it's called the pith, and it's bitter, much like first round American Idol rejects. Zest is awesome to liven up the flavors in just about anything, sweet or savory. I love lemon zest in scones and pound cake and salad dressing and spanikopita. Lime zest is awesome with any sort of Tex-Mex concoction. Orange zest makes pancakes and muffins bright and smiling... because I think muffins are capable of smiling.

An easy way to make sure you always have zest around is to freeze it. Simply grate the fruit with your fabulous Microplane, seal it in a small freezer bag, and tuck it away in the freezer until you need it! Frozen zest lasts up to three months. It's not quite as flavorful as fresh, but when you have that big bag of lemons you're not going to use in time, zest them all and save yourself some time and money later down the road.