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Friday, April 15, 2011

making hay while the sun shines

Have you ever gone on and on about something that really bugs you? Like people who take two parking spaces, or parents who forget that this is red ribbon week and the kids should be in red t-shirts, or when people make up names? And then, when you are done talking, you notice that their car is parked equally between spaces? Or their son walks up in a blue t-shirt? Or they introduce you to their son Braylon?

No? That has never happened to me either.

But this did:

I mentioned to a friend the other day that I had been given a mountain of lemons, and how much fun I have been having, making lemon curd, lemon cocktails, lemon cookies, lemonade, and even lemony pasta. I happened to mention that I had gone through an entire mountain of lemons, and that I hadn't tried every recipe I was planning to try.

I didn't realize that she has a lemon tree.

The very next day, she brought me a big bag of lemons. And truthfully, I am very happy to see them. Just as I was using up the last lemon from Lemon Week, my daughter had said to me, "How many lemons do we have left? My magazine has a recipe for lemon pancakes, and I want to try them." And that made me think about the lemon squares in my grandmother's cookbook that I wanted to try out. And the lemon poppy seed scones that someone mentioned the other day. So, I think we are about to have Lemon Week Part II.

Starting with these lemon squares:



Lemon Bars (as given to my grandmother from her friend Ruth) (and you know that if your name is Ruth, you have to be good at baking.) (Is your name Ruth? Did I just do it again?)

a generous 2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
6 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup lemon juice
a generous 1/4 cup flour
zest of 1 lemon
3 cups sugar

Blend 2 1/2 cups flour, butter, and powdered sugar. Press into an ungreased 9x12 pan, and bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.
Meanwhile, mix together eggs, lemon juice, 1/4 cup flour, zest, and sugar. Spread this over the baked crust, and bake 40-42 minutes at 350. Let them cool, cut, and enjoy!