Thank You Anita: Lemon Bars for Dinner (you're going to want this recipe)!

I've been wanting to blog and blog for ages it seems and am now dedicating my lovely summer vacation (three more school days!!!) to catching up and documenting our lives.  Finally, some real mom time.  For those of you who blog, don't you love it!  Don't you love that your posts are labeled by category and your pictures are dated and your journal is archived?  I do!  And I'm so sad to have lost so many potential posts to the crazy that has been this Spring.

So for today:  I miss Anita.  That's Quinn's sister.  I should call her, but I am not one for calling.  Actually, I have clinical phone phobia. Is there anything worse than talking on the phone?  Maybe natural childbirth... but that's just me.  So, in lou of my missing Anita, I am going to make her lemon bars!  They were fabulous when last she whipped these up and I don't even like lemon desserts.  Hopefully this works without lemon zest.  Here goes.  You should try them too!

Lemon Bars

Crust:
1/2 pound unsalted butter at room temp
1/2 cup granulate sugar
2 cups flour
1/8 tsp kosher salt

Filling:
6 extra large eggs at room temp
3 cups granulate sugar
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest(4 to 6 lemons)
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup flour
Confectioner's Sugar

Preheat the oven to 350
For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light. Combine the flour and salt and with the mixer low add to the butter until just mixed. Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press into a 9 x 13 baking sheet. Chill. Bake for 15-20 mins, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack.
For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the filling is set. Let cool completely. Cut and dust with confectioners sugar.

Enjoy!!!!

fresh365

RECIPE OVERLOAD:

HOLY OH MY GOODNESS!
Thank you ALANA for just now introducing me to this killer blog.
I WILL be making these carrot quinoa muffins as soon as possible.

http://www.fresh365online.com/recipes/2011/9/27/carrot-quinoa-muffins.html

Carrot & Quinoa Muffins
makes 1 dozen

1 c cooked quinoa
1 c demerara sugar, plus 1 T for sprinkling
3/4 c whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 c all-purpose flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 c butter (1 stick), melted
1/2 c greek yogurt
1 t vanilla
2 eggs, beaten
1 c loosely packed grated carrots
1/4 c toasted walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a muffin tin, and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together quinoa, sugar, flours, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, mix together butter (allow to cool), yogurt, vanilla and eggs. Stir into flour bowl, mixing well. Gently fold in carrots and walnuts, until just mixed.

Divide batter evenly among muffin tin, and transfer to the oven. Bake 20-25 minutes, sprinkling 1 T demerara sugar over top during the last 5 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Also trying the black bean soup this week. Where has this blog been all my life!!!

http://www.fresh365online.com/recipes/2010/12/2/20-minute-black-bean-soup.html



20-Minute Black Bean Soup
serves 4

2 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 t ground cumin
1 t chili powder
2 15.5-oz cans black beans, drained & rinsed
15-oz can diced tomatoes in juice
1 1/2 c vegetable broth
1 t salt
1 handful chopped, cilantro
1/4 c feta cheese
10 chives, chopped

In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium. Add onion and garlic, and cook 6-8 minutes, until beginning to brown. Stir in cumin and chili powder. Add black beans, diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, salt and cilantro. Bring to a boil, and allow to cook for 2 minutes. Transfer 1 c to a blender, and process until smooth. Stir back into soup. Remove from heat, and serve topped with feta and chives.

P.S. I WANT A BOON HIGH CHAIR SO BAD! Wish I could afford it.

May I Remember May

Meg was on Institute Council.

She is the only one in our family to graduate from Institute. A fact our parents hadn't realized until I pointed it out. Should have let that one slide a few more years. At least they don't know about the wrecked van of '01 yet.

Ydnic and Nor get a surprise visit from Annie as they teach square dancing to the youth at their...our church. It's still weird that we are going to go to the same ward as them.

Matthew & Meg graduated from college on the same day,
so we had to split up. Nor flew to SLC for Matt's Architecture graduation (awesome)
and Annie & I dashed to DSC after work to see Meg get her associate degree.

Meg Says Goodbye to Her Teens:
We rented an old skating rink for Meg's birthday. How fun is that?!

The House The House The House.
---------------------------------
Slowly- ever so slowly we are seeing it take shape. I've even made 3 big & bright purchases for the upstairs that I thrill to think of when I'm falling asleep. The latest is a new central vac sweeper and unit [hooray- our warranty that our ninja agent got the bank to pay for will cover most of a brand new unit!]- plus, I couldn't help it, there may not be floors, there may not be plumbing hooked up- but there are BOOKS! I couldn't resist stacking a few beloved books amidst the dust on my new library shelves. They are the first thing to move in. How completely and totally satisfying it is to have a husband who can turn my wall drawings and diagrams into perfect library shelves that have been drifting in and out of my head for over a decade. Pure joy!

While the interior renovation is nearing a livable light-at-the-end state, the exterior is another story entirely. We estimate several years before the yard is respectable and even longer before the outside look of the house becomes what we are imagining.

We've got several beautiful mature trees to enjoy but are losing the prettiest one (this oak-looking one above) because we can't figure out the existing sprinkler system for the irrigation water. Panic!

Cousin Richard visited G. Polly and after a clogging dress rehearsal
for Disneyland, we went to a BBQ @ Dave and Bea's.

Don't forget about this FANTASTIC recipe.
I added pecans & walnuts to make it even better!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 cups flaked coconut

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the creamed mixture. Fold in chocolate chips and coconut. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.