New venture

I am horrible at posting regularly because some days I get the urge and others I don't. My friend schedules her posts for this exact reason. I'm not that cool. I do want to help people expand their recipe boxes though. So, I have decided that I shall write a cookbook. In order to get some buzz started I WILL post more recipes here. Please do me a favor and like and share the heck out of the posts I share on Facebook to help me out a bit. Thanks!

Grilled greek chicken

*Warning* This post contains no food porn. Nothing drool worthy to stare at and no fancy angles or lighting. However, if I always wait until I have a pic, I may never post anything. I am often too busy actually cooking to stop and photograph. I'll work on that.

I like this chicken because it can be served a few different ways; like along side some pilaf, or on top of salad, or wrapped in pita with some tzatziki. Delish! You can choose to bake it too, but it was 95 degrees outside when I made this so I grilled it.

Grilled Greek Chicken

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
juice and zest of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons of red or white wine vinegar
3 cloves of minced garlic
1 tablespoon of dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast*

*Feel free to use any part of the chicken that your family likes. Breasts were on sale this week, so I used them. You can even use bone-in and skin on, but add a few minutes to your cooking time if you do.

 Mix all but the chicken in a big measuring cup or bowl, reserving half for later. Then place chicken and the reaming marinade into a 9x13 baking pan, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, turning the chicken over after 1 hour so that all sides get marinated.

Remove chicken from the marinade and discard the liquid. Pat the surface of chicken dry with a paper towel, but don't wipe all of the garlic and oregano off. Just pat. Then season the chicken liberally with salt and pepper. Grill over hot white coals or preheated gas grill for about 20 minutes or until any juices run clear, turning halfway through. Never press down on proteins while grilling. This will release the juices and resulting in a drier finished product. Just so ya know.

If baking, preheat the oven to 350. Drain the liquid out of the pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the juices run clear.

Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes then cut into slices or cubes as desired for your family. Toss with reserved marinade for a delicious Greek inspired dinner.

For salad, toss with lettuce, olives, bell pepper, onion, and feta. The sauces can serve as a warm dressing.

I love you ground turkey!

I almost always buy ground turkey instead of ground beef, and I have for years. 9 times out of 10, it is cheaper and that was my main reason for the switch. It isn't healthier for you unless you are supposed to cut out red meat, or  you buy the fat-free 100% ground turkey breast. If you buy the same fat content of beef (ie, 80/20) that you do turkey, you are getting a similar amount of fat, cholesterol, and protein.

In the past few months, I have had a few people (cashiers included) ask me what I do with ground turkey. This is where I lose them, because I say, the same things you do with ground beef. I get a blank stare here and feel the need to elaborate. People shouldn't ask questions if they don't want an answer. Just sayin.

Now I can tell you what I make with ground turkey. Here goes:

• meatballs
• meatloaf
• tacos
• skillet meals
• burgers
• any recipe that calls for ground beef can be substituted with ground turkey

Your family may whine and complain about making the switch. You may not like the idea. Then don't do it. It's just what I do. I am all about saving money and I can get ground turkey at my local discount club for $2.59/lb regular price. The regular price for a quality ground beef locally is at minimum $3.99/lb. If I catch a sale on beef, I stock up. I still love beef.

Fluffy marshmallow buttercream

What do you think I am talking about here? You know you want to frost that chocolate cake with some marshmallow frosting, then drizzle it melty chocolate and possibly even some graham cracker crumbs. Can you say s'mores? Well, you don't have to, I just did.

Of course, you can use marshmallow buttercream to ice any cake or top any cupcake you wish. It is an easy frosting and it changes things up a bit. So give it go!

S'more cupcakes

 Marshmallow Buttercream

1 cup of softened butter (2 sticks)

1-13 oz jar marshmallow creme

1 lb bag/box of powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

It is literally as easy as dumping everything into a mixer and whipping it until it is light and fluffy. For less of a mess, I would beat together the butter and vanilla. Then SLOWLY add the powdered sugar. Next goes the fluff. Then turn up the mixer to high and let it go until super light and fluffy. Sometimes I add a sprinkle of water to get a consistency I desire. 

Why water and not something to add more flavor you ask? Well, I always use plain old water, even in my traditional buttercream. It keeps it shelf stable (not forever, but a day or so on the counter won't kill anyone). If I used milk, the finished product would have to stay in the fridge and cakes tastes way better at room temp. Think about all that butter and how hard it gets in the fridge, but remains supple and soft on the counter. There is also a delicate balance of flavor adding more extract would change the flavor and I want my frosting to taste the same  yesterday, today, and tomorrow. If you keep adding a little more, that can't happen. Also, the water helps to dissolve the grainy particles in the sugar into soft, velvety goodness and leaves no trace.

Here I have added all of the sugar and am starting to incorporate the fluff.

Whipped and ready to rock!

Healthier Zucchini Bread

I love a good quick bread on a cold day. Soda bread, lemon bread, apple cider bread, pumpkin bread, zucchini bread....I'm not picky. Nothing says snow day more to me than turning on my oven. I love the way baking a simple quick bread can warm my house, consume the hallways, and fill my belly. Something I am trying to change is how much white flour and sugar I eat and feed to my family. For us, it simply doesn't process well. It is a step by step process though. Mostly because all of the alternative ingredients cost more and I have a budget people!

My recipe for zucchini bread has a few changes to a standard recipe. I wouldn't call it the healthiest option, but it is better than your local coffee shop loaf. It contains coconut oil, which is a superfood and also is good for your cholesterol. It is better for baking than say olive oil because of the flavor and a healthier fat than vegetable and/or canola oil.

Healthier Zucchini Bread

First gather your ingredients

2 cups shredded zucchini
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unrefined coconut oil at room temp
2 large eggs
5 tablespoons plain yogurt
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon each baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and allspice
1/2 teaspooon salt

Cream together coconut oil and sugar. It won't be creamy like butter and sugar. I promise that's ok.

Add eggs one at a time to keep everything smooth and well distributed. 

See how it comes together?

Next stir in the yogurt.

Then add in the remaining ingredients. Before I stir everything I give the dry ingredients a mix so that it distributes evenly.

 

 

Now stir it up, but only until you see no streaks of zucchini or flour. Over mixing makes quick breads tough.

 

Now dump everything into a greased (I use an oil spray) loaf pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes and finish cooling on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container. As prepared and sliced into 12 slices, each slices contains 245 calories, 11 grams of healthy fats, and 17 grams of sugar.  It also has 5 grams of protein, vitamins A and C, iron, and calcium. Feel free to change up the flour and sugar options and let me know how it turns out! You can also cut your slices smaller than we do. But a thick slice with a cup of coffee....mmmmmmm.

Healthier food from a foodie's point of view

*I want to preface this post by stating that I am not a healthcare professional. I am not advising you on how you should eat. I am posting based on personal experience and research. Please do your own research and use your melon to decide what is right for you.*

Paleo, low-carb, Mediterranean, Whole 30, Gluten-free, Vegan, Shred, Weight Watchers, and a host of other diets show up in my Facebook feed everyday. My friends are posting diet changes, menus, and results almost daily. I am all for healthy eating. I know my body feels better when I eat better. I also know a host of ailments that can be treated through diet alone. However, I am generally not a fan of diet recipes. I find them flavorless, full of artificial ingredients, or have hard to find ingredients.

It is my opinion that if you cook with natural, unprocessed ingredients, you can't go wrong that often. Using minimally processed ingredients sparingly is ok too. Having a good quality, whole-wheat pasta on occasion isn't going to kill most people. On the other hand, it has been shown that white sugar and flour raise your cholesterol. Stop blaming eggs people and look in your pantry. Anyway, it's true, look it up.

For my dear followers, I want to post a series of recipes that will help your body in some way and taste good too. You don't have to be on a diet to eat healthier. Our bodies were designed to use food as fuel and not just eat for the sake of eating. Although sometimes, the second bowl of ice cream is good too. Don't ever beat yourself up for your food choices because they are yours to make.

My first post is dedicated to fermented foods that you can make at home for pennies. Fermented foods include natural probiotics which aid in digestion, balance your gut bacteria, improve your immune system, and help you absorb nutrients from other foods more effectively. So here's to fermenting cabbage and milk.

Homemade yogurt

• 1/2 gallon milk, whole milk will make the yogurt thicker, but any milk will work
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt, any kind with live active cultures will work, you'll have to buy it the first time, but just save a 1/2 cup from each batch to start the next
  

Pour the milk into a crock pot and set it on low. Cook it for 2-3 hours, or until the milk reaches 180 degrees.This helps to kill off all bacteria because you only want the lactobacillus bulgaricus and streptococcus thermophyllus to survive. Turn off and unplug your crock pot. Then let the milk cool to 110 degrees, this may take an hour or more, depending on how warm your kitchen is.

Next, spoon a 1 cup of the milk into a small bowl and add the half cup of yogurt to it, mixing thoroughly. Then, dump this mixture back into the milk in the crock pot and mix it around well.

Put the lid back on your crock pot and wrap the crock pot with a towel or blanket. Then place the whole package in the oven for 8-12 hours or overnight. This will help insulate the yogurt so that is cools at the appropriate rate and for the cultures to inoculate the whole batch.

At this point you have yogurt. There will be a watery substance know as whey floating on top. I like to to strain my yogurt by dumping into a cheesecloth lined colander over a pot for a few hours. Then I transfer it into glass jars and refrigerate. I also save my whey. You can use it for baking, lacto-fermentation, or in your garden. 

Sauerkraut

This isn't a real recipe so much as an idea. Take a head of green cabbage and shred it. In a large glass bowl, metal will cause an interaction with the fermentation, mix the cabbage with about 2 tablespoons of sea or kosher salt. If you still use iodized table salt, stop. It has a high sodium content and most people don't need the extra iodide.

Anyway, use a wooden or plastic spoon (the whole metal thing) or just your hands. Swish, squash, and mash until you start to release the juices. Now keep going and if there isn't enough liquid to cover the cabbage, then add a bit of water. 

Place a small plate on top to weigh everything down and keep the kraut submerged. Then place a clean towel over top of the bowl to minimize fruit flies and place on the counter for 3-10 days. It just depends on how sour you like it. Give it a taste after day 3. Once it is ready and to your liking, you can put it in jars and refrigerate.

 If you prefer kimchi, it is the same idea,just use napa cabbage instead of green cabbage and add 1/3 cup Korean red pepper powder, 1/4 cup fish sauce, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, and 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar

Please stay tuned for some healthy and tasty recipes.

Wedding cakes

My passion in all things cakery are wedding cakes and fancy cakes. I don't mind other celebration cakes. My forte is just not in animals and character. I specialize in flowers and fuffiness. Perhaps that is because I was raised in flower shop.

I never get to see the faces of brides light up as they enter their reception. Or hear the kind compliments about the decorations or flavor. That is the only downside. When you deliver, or someone picks up, a birthday cake for example, you can tell by the way their faces light up just how much they enjoy the cake.

Cake decorating falls under the same category as painting or music. It is an art. We each dedicate our time and heart into a piece we can only hope you will love. So please, thank your baker/decorator! In the mean time, enjoy these pics of wedding cakes that I have had the pleasure of decorating.

Aunt B and Uncle Jeff's cake summer 2014

Professional shot; vanilla cake with strawberry mousse and vanilla buttercream

Amanda's cake December 2014

red velvet, chocolate salted caramel, and vanilla with strawberry mousse all covered in vanilla buttercream

Biscuits and gravy

For my family, biscuits and gravy are a BLD food. We can eat them for breakfast, lunch, or dinner and we do. I am fairly traditional, making fluffy baking powder biscuits with white flour and top them with a milk gravy. Sometimes, I add meat, but not always. When it comes to comfort food I like it the old fashioned way...unhealthy. Feel free to use whole wheat flour, coconut oil, and tofu sausage, just know that it won't be as delicious as mine no matter how hard you try. :-p

For the biscuits

3 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 cup cold butter (I have used shortening, lard, and cold rendered bacon fat all with great success)
1 cup milk

Stir together flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and cream of tartar. Cut in butter using a pastry blender or fork until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs (a few chunks are ok).

Then stir in milk just until it comes together. Stirring too much at this point will give you hockey pucks, not biscuits. Dump everything on the counter and knead 5 times only. Again, because too much is no bueno.

Roll dough, or pat out with your hands until 3/4 of an inch thick. Cut biscuits, reshaping dough carefully, so as not to over work the dough and continue cutting until all the dough is used. Most likely there will be one ugly biscuit that is all scraps smushed together. I feed this one to the youngest person at the table. Place on a cookie sheet, brush the tops with melted butter, and bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned.

For the gravy

1/2 lb browned breakfast sausage or 4-5 slices crispy bacon crumbled or 1/2 lb browned ground beef
1 stick butter
1/2 cup flour
3 cups milk
salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter over medium heat in the same pan you used to cook your breakfast meat of choice. Once bubbling has stopped, whisk in flour until there are no lumps and cook 4 minutes so that the raw flour taste cooks out. Gradually add the milk whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Continue cooking over medium heat until thickened, then add meat...or not and salt and pepper to taste. If the gravy is too thick for your liking add more milk a few tablespoons at a time.  (if you make a larger batch the basic recipe is to use equal amount of flour and fat and keep adding milk until you reach the desired consistency)

Biscuit topped with bacon gravy

Cookies

As I sat at the computer searching my brain for a title to this post, I realized nothing fit. There is no name for this cookie because I just made them up. So I am asking your help to name these delicious bites. It is essentially my chocolate chip cookie recipe, but with a very important twist.

Cookie Recipe

 2 sticks of butter
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp peppermint extract
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chopped chocolate candies
1 cup mini peppermint marshmallows
rainbow jimmies


Directions

1. Cream butter and sugars.
2. Add in eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Then stir in extract.

3. Stir in flour, salt, and baking soda. Then your choice of chocolate and marshmallows.

4. Scoop 2 TBS of dough onto a parchment lined cookie sheet (use the parchment, the marshmallows will stick to your cookie sheet.) If you choose, you may sprinkle a few jimmies on top for color. Then bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Then remove from the oven, but leave the cookies on the sheet for 5 minutes to cool. They will look slightly doughy, but will continue to cook with the heat retained in the pan.


There you have it. What shall I name these cookies? Help me decide by posting your idea in the comments below.

Frozen Party on a budget

Every parent wants to give their child lasting, happy, childhood memories. Creating the perfect birthday party is unattainable, yet something most of us try every year. It always goes the same way. You scour over a guest listed and hope that at least half will RSVP (but in this day no one does and it's irritating), then you shop, decorate, and create party foods that all tie in to your little ones theme perfectly. You may spend days, or weeks on something that is over in the blink of eye. You may stay up late making every little detail count or spend countless dollars on catered food or elaborate cakes. While I'm in the business of selling cakes, I'm also the first to limit how much I spend. I say pick one thing you can't live without and invest. For everything else, go to the Dollar Tree.

I have always kept my girls' guest lists to a minimum. My family tends to enjoy themselves better when they can concentrate their attention. Plus, I hate crowds :-P This also helps the pocketbook. A good rule of thumb is to invite as many guest as your child is in years. 5 years old  = 5 guests.

When it comes to decorations, I always look around the house to see what I can transform to fit our theme. If I have to buy something, I try and make it something that I can re-purpose.  For my daughter's Frozen party, we used Christmas decorations. The few I did buy, were from the Dollar Tree.

The food is all stuff that is quick, easy, and inexpensive. Most kids aren't going to go for fancy hors de oeuvres and you certainly don't need to feed them a meal....they have parents for that.  Pretzel rods and marshmallow pops dipped in white chocolate, carrots, candy in our theme colors, popcorn, and the cake. Done. Minus the cake, that was all $5. The real trick is to see what's on sale and how you can make it work. I just renamed all the snacks.

 

Believe it or not, this cake was simple. It was frosted in blue icing. I just used a round tip to make icicles around the top. The snowflakes are white chocolate. I simply taped a piece of parchment over a template I printed off of the internet and used my piping bag to pipe the melted chocolate over the lines. Then I topped it with mini dolls and an inverted glass bowl to give it a snow globe effect. The dolls were also a gift, so I wouldn't include that in the cost. I found the bowl at the Dollar Tree. If you can't afford to hire someone like me to make you a cake, this is a viable option. There are a ton of ideas on the web. When all else fails, just Google it.

I had to include the black and white because it made the snowflakes on top stand out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are a ton of games that you can look up online and modify to fit your theme too. Think outside the box. I took a few well known games and gave them a wintery makeover. Instead of pin the tail on the donkey, we played pin the nose on the Olaf. And instead of making TP wedding dresses, we built snowmen.We even guessed how many jelly beans were in the jar with candy that I had already purchased for the party.

A bit blurry, but you get the idea.

Sometimes, having a great AND inexpensive party takes a little time. Sometimes, it takes a lot of time between researching ideas and trying to execute them properly. In the end, it doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to be fun. No matter what, it will be a special day for your little one. Do you have other tips and tricks for a great party? Please post some below!

Homemade wheat thins

I have had this recipe in my file for years, so I have no idea where it came from. I have made them and I can honestly say they do taste like wheat thins. So next time you are having people over, forget running to the store for a quick appetizer. These take only minutes to assemble and bake. Serve with fruit and a cheese tray and impress your guests! You could even cut them out in cute shapes or with fluted edges for that extra wow factor.

 

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus extra for topping
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup water
 1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
2. Add the flour, sugar, salt and paprika to a medium bowl and whisk to combine.  Cut the butter into small pieces and add it to the bowl.  Using a pastry blender, mix the butter into the dry ingredients thoroughly.  Combine the water and vanilla in a small measuring cup or bowl.  Add to the butter/flour mixture and mix until a smooth dough forms. If the dough is still dry, add a little more water.
3. Divide the dough into 4 pieces.  Work with one piece at a time, keeping the others covered with a towel so they don't dry out.  Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin and roll the dough into a large rectangle.  Lift the dough and turn it as you roll to ensure it's not sticking.  You want to roll the dough as thin as possible, try to make sure it's 1/16-inch thick at most.  If you want all of your crackers to be perfect, trim the edges of the dough so you have a rectangle with even sides.  Use a pizza cutter to cut the rectangle into squares about 1 to 1 1/2 inches wide.
4. Transfer the dough squares to the prepared baking sheets. You can place them close together because they will not spread.  Sprinkle the squares lightly with salt.  Repeat the rolling and cutting process with the remaining 3 pieces of dough.  Save all of your scraps under the towel to keep the dough from drying out; re-roll them all at once to create a final batch of crackers.
5. Bake the crackers, one sheet at a time, until crisp and browned, about 5-10 minutes.  Check the crackers at 5 minutes, and if some of the thinner ones are browning too quickly, remove them from the oven.  The crackers can burn quickly so you want to keep an eye on them

Meatball Soup

I love fall and winter in Colorado. I hate hot weather so temperatures under 70 degrees are just right for me. I especially love making soups regularly. A bowl of soup, a fresh, hot hunk of bread, and a cool evening sound heavenly to me.

During the cooler months, I like to send my kids to school with soup in their thermos' to warm their bellies. It can be surprisingly quick to send a hot meal to school with your kids. It takes very little prep work to make soup in about 10 minutes.

My girls' favorite soup, which they call meatball soup, is basically Italian Wedding Soup. Chicken broth, short cut pasta, mini meatballs, and spinach (or other greens). I make the meatballs ahead of time and freeze them. So all I am doing in the morning is bringing stock to a boil and tossing in pasta, meatballs, and a veggie. I'll give you one of my recipes. I have several meatball recipes, but this is a good soup meatball and, if you make them bigger, they go well with spaghetti.

1 lb ground turkey
1 lb mild Italian sausage
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 TBS milk
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp Italian seasoning (sometimes I do fresh herbs if I have them)
salt and pepper, just a spidge (that's an actual cooking term)



Start by soaking the bread crumbs in milk, until it is all absorbed. Moisture is key in meatballs. You can see by the photo that I used panko style bread crumbs. They can create a super crunchy crust if you are making a breading. In this case, they swell up like big fluffy snowflakes. You can certainly use regular bread crumbs, or make your own by grinding up a few slices of bread in a food processor.

Next, mix everything together in a big bowl. Much like a quick bread, mix just until combined. More is not better here. The more you mix, the tougher your meatballs will be.

Then I use a small ice cream scooper to portion the meatballs. This one holds about 1 tablespoon. For the soup I actually cut this portion in half so that my girls don't have a huge mouthful at school. For spaghetti, I make them twice this size.

I scoop all of them out first. Then, with wet hands (so the meat doesn't stick) I roll them into itty bitty meatball perfection. Then place them on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes, or until they are browned. That is for the tiny size. For a whole scoop, I go about 18 minutes, and the large size take about 30 minutes.

At this point, I let them cool. Then freeze them individually and put them into a big ziplock bag for storage.

The day I want to make soup I bring 2 cups of chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Then add a handful, literally not figuratively, of a short pasta, like stars, letters, bowties... to the pot. Cook it per the package directions which is probably 8-10 minutes. Halfway through. I had 8-10 meatballs and some chopped spinach or kale. This makes 2 servings for a tiny thermos.

I like keeping meatballs in the freezer for just such an occasion, or making a quicker meal out of spaghetti and meatballs. There are a million meatball recipes and even more things you can do with them. You can change the meat to whatever is on sale. The spices can be changed to get a different flavor profile...think Asian, or Mexican. You can even just heat them and eat them as is! So make them soon. Then some morning when you just don't know what to send the kids for lunch...while the toast is toasting, make soup!

Cakes and Bakes

I have not been a faithful blogger. I get busy, just like you, taking care of my home and my family. I typically forget about myself. Two things I really love doing for Tiffany are being in the kitchen and writing. In an attempt to do just a few things for myself once in a while I am converting Tiffany's Cakes to Cakes and Bakes. I want to tell you about more than just cake.

Previously I had two blogs, neither of which got my full attention. My hope is that by combining the two, I can post more frequently. Sometimes about cakes, sometimes recipes. I may even throw in some home keeping ideas, and frugal living tips too. Cause that's how I roll.

For my first new post I want to talk about getting your kitchen ready for Fall and Winter by not canning. Something I don't make from scratch is peanut butter. I tend to buy the 16 oz jars. When they go on sale, ounce for ounce they are cheaper than buying it bulk...seriously, look into it. Needless to say, we have plenty of plastic PB jars lying around.

After I clean them out, I use them to store homemade stock, jams and jellies, sauces, and leftover whey from making cheese (which I sub for buttermilk in my biscuits). Then I freeze them since plastic cannot be canned. If I didn't use these item up quickly, I might can them. However, I use stock almost daily and my family plows through PB&J sandwiches as if they had lifesaving powers. The jars stack easily in my freezer, already have lids, and are basically free. In case some of you didn't think of this: let your food cool a bit before putting them in plastic jars. I have melted a few personally.

*You can make freezer jam, but I prefer the taste and texture of regular jam. It is a matter of preference.

My peanut butter jar filled with apple jelly next to a glass canning jar.

Stay tuned for fun recipes, tips and tricks, and cakes!

Lemon Bars

I tend not to share dessert recipes. It's just my thing. If you have my recipe then you have no reason to buy my goodies. I probably wouldn't care as much if I didn't rely on selling at least a few treats a month to help feed my family.

However, no one local seems to order lemon bars. I used to sell my semi-famous, slightly tart and sweet, squares of deliciousness on very regular basis when I lived in Oregon. There is something about Coloradans making them impervious to the power of my lemon bars.

In light of this revelation, I have decided to post my recipe. It was adapted from an Ina Garten recipe that I found some time ago. I truly only made one change, but for me, it makes all the difference. I use some, not all, bottled lemon juice. I prefer it because the acidity level is constant and gives that tartness that I dig. Fresh lemons vary on the sour scale. I have also found that using a different sized pan, doesn't work. You'll end up thin, gummy bars. These are supposed to be thick, rich, and have a creamy lemon layer. Enjoy!

For the crust:
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
For the lemon layer:
6 large eggs

 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (3 or 4 lemons)
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (just juice the ones you used for zest and fill in the rest with bottled lemon juice)
1 cup flour
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

For the crust, cream the butter and sugar.

 Then dump in the flour and salt and mix just until combined.

Press into the bottom of a 9x13 pan. I like to line mine foil so that I can pull the whole thing out of the pan, it makes for easier cutting once it is fully baked and cooled. It bakes for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees, or until the top is lightly browned.

In the meantime, ready the lemon layer.

See, I really do put some in.

Beat the eggs and sugar, until it gets light yellow and fluffy. Then mix in the lemon juice, and then the flour.

Last, I don't turn the mixer on, but still use the beat to gently mix in the zest. Turning the mixer on will create too much force and entangle the zest around the beaters. Then you'll spend a bunch of time picking it off. TRUST ME!

The original recipe says to let the crust cool before pouring in the lemon, but I never do. You'll bake the whole thing again, for another 30 minutes, or until the middle is no longer jiggly. Just to clarify, I mean the middle of the lemon layer. Baking this will not make your middle un-jiggle.

When it's done, the top will have a crust. Let it cool completely. Then dust with powdered sugar and cut into squares. I go for 16, but feel free to make them larger or smaller.