Bakerella's Lemon Bars

adapted slightly from Bakerella's site

FOR THE CRUST:
1 cup Butter
1¾ cup Flour
⅔ cups Confectionary Sugar (plus More For Dusting)
zest of half a lemon

FOR THE TOPPING:
1½ cup Sugar
¼ cups Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
juice and zest of 2 large lemons (or a bit more than ½ cup Lemon Juice)
4 whole Eggs, Slightly Beaten


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 X 13 pan.

To make crust:
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, zest and confectioner’s sugar.
Cut in butter until combined and crumbly.
Press crust mixture into bottom of pan.
Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

To make topping:
While crust is baking, prepare topping.
In a larger bowl, add sugar, flour, and baking powder.
Then add slightly beaten eggs and lemon zest & juice.
Mix well and pour on top of warm baked crust.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.

When cool, dust with confectioner’s sugar and refrigerate.
Cut into bars and enjoy them cold!

(Or eat them warm - they're too yummy to wait!)

Cheesecake Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted slightly from Tasty Kitchen. A HUGE hit today at church!

1 cup butter, softened (no substitutes)
¾ cups sugar
¾ cups brown sugar
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
2¼ cups plus 2 Tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1¼ cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Cream butter and sugars by hand until nice and creamy.

Add cream cheese and continue to mix until all lumps are gone and it is nice and smooth.

Add vanilla and egg and mix.

Slowly add flour, a little at a time. Add baking soda and salt and mix well, but not too much!

Add the chocolate chips.

Scoop cookie dough by the rounded tablespoon onto a cookie sheet; make sure they aren’t too close though!

Bake for 9-11 minutes.

Cool on a rack and once they are all the way cool, put into a plastic bag or container and keep in the fridge. (Be careful they don't spoil since they have cream cheese in them.)

Makes approximately 4 dozen cookies

Mango Chicken Black Bean Salad

1 pound mango, cut into chunks
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 red pepper, seeded and cut into chunks
1-2 cups frozen corn, thawed
1/4 - 1/2 cup lime juice
1/2 packet Italian dressing mix, dry
3-4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Serve with tortilla chips.

Blueberry Lemon Buttermilk Muffins

adapted from a recipe found on Tasty Kitchen

1 cup butter, softened
2½ cups sugar
3 Tablespoons lemon zest
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs, at room temperature
3½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 cup milk, mixed with 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
3 cups blueberries, tossed with ½ cup flour
½-1 cup white decorator sugar, mixed with 2 Tablespoons lemon zest


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Spray the top of a muffin pan with non-stick coating, and line with paper liners. If you make large muffins the batter will come up over the sides and stick if you don’t grease the top, if your muffins are smaller feel free to skip this step.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, lemon zest and salt until light and fluffy.

Beat in the eggs one at a time. Mix together the flour and baking powder.

Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk, mixing just until incorporated. Mix blueberries in the remaining flour and fold into the batter.
Divide batter into muffin tins and bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle tops with the lemon sugar. Return to oven and bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 3 dozen regular-sized muffins.

Fudge Revel Bars

adapted slightly (notes at the bottom) from recipe found on Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen.

1 cup Butter, plus 1 Tablespoon, divided
2 cups brown sugar
2 whole eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1½ teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon baking soda
2½ cups flour
3 cups quick oats
1 can (14 Oz. can) sweetened condensed milk
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips


Cream together butter, brown sugar and eggs. Add the vanilla. Add 1 teaspoon salt, baking soda, and flour. Mix. Add oats and mix well. Press 2/3 of the dough into a greased cookie sheet.

Put sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, the remaining 1 Tablespoon of butter, and 1/2 teaspoon salt into a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute and stir. Keep cooking at 30-second increments and stirring until melted. Pour over the dough and spread out. Sprinkle the rest of the dough over the fudge. (You may think you won't have enough, but you will.)

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Note: I couldn't fill a large Texas sheet cake cookie sheet with the amount of dough here. I was short about 2 inches, and just barely had enough to sprinkle on top. Next time I do it I will multiply the dough ingredients by 1.5 in order to get the best ratio. I also forgot the Tablespoon butter in the chocolate filling and didn't miss it... in case you're counting calories and all!

Sweet Cornbread

Got this recipe from my friend Jamie when we lived at BYU. Our favorite!

2 cubed butter, softened
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
3 cups Bisquick
1/2 cup cornmeal
3/4 teaspoon baking powder

Mix all ingredients together and pour into a greased 9x13-inch pan. Bake at 350F for 35 minutes or until set.

Layered Chocolate Brownies

adapted from Nestle.

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup dark cocoa
1/2 cup cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 large eggs, divided
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup caramel bits (by Kraft - or use 1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping)
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil, leaving extra over the handles. Spray foil with cooking spray.

Sift flour, cocoas and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar by hand in large bowl until creamy. Add 2 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla extract; mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Reserve 3/4 cup batter. Spread remaining batter into prepared baking pan. (It will be THICK and STICKY. Spray your spatula with cooking spray before smoothing in pan for ease.) Sprinkle white chips and caramel bits over batter. Beat remaining egg and reserved batter in same large bowl until combined. Stir in semi-sweet chips. Spread evenly over top.

BAKE for 30 to 35 minutes or until center is set. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Lift out of pan using foil handles; cut into bars.

2-ingredient guacamole

Well, 3 if you count the salt.

2 ripe (soft) avocados
1 diced tomato (or more)
salt

Slice avocado length-wise, then use spoon to scoop out of shell. Discard pit. Mash in bowl with fork. Add chopped tomatoes and mix to combine. Add salt to taste. Eat with chips or tortillas or on egg burritos...

Soft & Chewy Chocolate Drops

adapted from Baker's

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
3/4 cups butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-1/2 cups flour
8 ounces Cool Whip, frozen
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

Cookies:
Preheat oven to 350F. Microwave chocolate and butter in large bowl on High for 2 minutes or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in sugar. Blend in eggs and vanilla by hand. Add flour; mix well by hand. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour or until easy to handle.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls; place 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets.

Bake 8 minutes or just until set. Do not overbake. Let stand on baking sheet 1 minute; transfer to wire racks. Cool completely.

Glaze topping:
Place Cool Whip and chocolate in bowl. Microwave on High 1 minute. Stir. Microwave 30 seconds or until chocolate is melted and mixture is shiny and smooth. Let stand 15 minutes to thicken. Spread over cookies. Let stand until glaze is set.

Makes approximately 60 cookies.

Grilled Salmon

1 large salmon fillet.
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup sliced almonds
2 Tablespoons butter
1 small clove garlic
lemon pepper
seasoning salt

Place salmon fillet in foil. Pour lemon juice over top. Lightly toast almonds in butter and pour over salmon. Thinly slice the garlic clove and tuck each slice into the salmon spaced out evenly (make a little cut with the tip of a knife to make it easier to tuck in the slices). Sprinkle with lemon pepper and seasoning salt. Wrap tightly in foil, sealing all edges, and place directly on grill for about 20 minutes. Serve with rice.

Poppyseed Salad

Spinach
Romaine lettuce
(enough of the two to fill a large salad bowl)
1 bag sliced almonds
2 cans mandarin oranges
2 cups sliced strawberries
1 bag oriental ramen noodles, broken into pieces
1 bottle poppyseed dressing

Toss all ingredients; serve.

Hash Brown Quiche

24 ounces frozen shredded hash browns, thawed
5-1/3 Tablespoons butter, melted
2 large eggs, beaten
½ cup half and half or milk
½ teaspoon seasoned salt
8 ounces (2 cups) shredded cheese, your favorite
1 cup cooked crumbled bacon

Preheat oven to 425ºF. Press hash browns into quiche or pie pan. Blot with paper towels to remove all moisture. Brush with melted butter. Bake 25 minutes. Remove from over; reduce heat to 350ºF. Combine eggs, milk and salt. Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until set.

Serves 6-8.

Bruschetta Chicken Bake

1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 package (6 ounces) stuffing mix for chicken
½ cup water
1½ pounds chicken breasts, shredded
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Place tomatoes with liquid in medium bowl. Add garlic and dry stuffing mix with ½ cup water; stir just until stuffing mix is moistened. Set aside. Place chicken in 9x13-inch baking dish; sprinkle with basil and cheese. Top with stuffing mix. Bake 30 minutes or until hot.

Serves 6.

Pesto Pasta with Chicken

I think this came from Campbell's a loooong time ago.

3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
3 cups shaped pasts
½ cup pesto
½ cup milk
1 can cream of mushroom soup

Cook pasta according to package directions. In large skillet, combine pesto, milk and soup - heat until boiling. Add pasta and chicken; stir to coat. Serve.

Toasted Balsamic Chicken Bruschetta Sandwiches

adapted slightly from Picky Palate

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, thawed and pounded
pinch of salt
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

4 Roma tomatoes, diced
8 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

8 thin slices fresh Mozzarella
4 ciabatta rolls (or similar)

Preheat a grill pan over medium heat (or use a panini maker). Spray with cooking spray.

Combine balsamic and olive oil in a bowl. Season both sides of chicken with pinches of salt and place on grill. Brush top sides of chicken with balsamic mixture. Cook for 4-5 minutes and flip chicken. Brush with additional balsamic mixture and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes or until cooked through.

In a large bowl combine tomatoes, basil, garlic, salt and vinegar. Toss gently to combine. Set aside.

Preheat same grill pan over medium heat and spray with additional cooking spray. Place 2 slices of cheese on bottom rolls then layer with chicken breasts, spoonfuls of tomato mixture and 2 more slices of cheese. Place top rolls to close sandwich and grill both sides on grill pan (or just close in panini maker) until toasty and warm.

Serve warm.

Serves 4.

Burrito Skillet

1 pound ground beef
1¼ ounces taco seasoning
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 small can green chiles
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 can refried beans, combined with ¼ cup milk
1 cup salsa
1 cup water
4 flour tortillas, torn into 1½-inch squares
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup sour cream

Brown meat in large skillet; drain. Add seasoning mix, all beans, chiles, tomatoes, salsa and water; stir. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer 5 minutes. Stir in torn tortillas; top with cheese. Cover; let stand 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Top with sour cream.

Serves 4.

Classic Oatmeal Butterscotch Chip Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
2 3/4 cups oatmeal
2 cups butterscotch chips (or 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate and 1 cup butterscotch)

In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugars BY HAND. Add eggs and vanilla and stir until combined. Add baking soda, powder, cinnamon and salt and mix. Add flour, oatmeal, and chips. Mix until combined. Roll into balls and bake at 350ºF for 10-12 minutes.

Chinese Takeout Lemon Chicken

altered from Kraft

½ Tablespoon oil
1 pound chicken breasts, cooked and cut into strips
2 cups snow peas, trimmed
1 large red pepper, cut into strips
1 large green pepper, cut into strips
4-serving size package lemon jell-o
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
½ cup cup chicken broth
1 Tablespoon Italian dressing
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon grated ginger

Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat; add chicken, snow peas and peppers. Cook and stir two minutes.

Mix dry jell-o and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add broth, dressing, garlic and ginger; stir until jell-o is dissolved. Add to skillet; reduce heat to medium and cook three minutes or until sauce is thickened, stirring frequently.

Serve over hot cooked rice, if desired.

Serves 4.

Thick and Chewy Gingerbread Cookies

found on My Kitchen Cafe. These are wonderful! Just like the name says - thick and chewy.

3 cups (15 ounces) flour
¾ cup packed (5 ¼ ounces) dark brown sugar
¾ teaspoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 Tablespoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons butter softened to room temperature (but not warm!), cut into 12 pieces
¾ cup light or dark molasses
2 Tablespoons milk

With an electric mixer, stir together the flour, brown sugar, soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt at low speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Stop the mixer and add the butter pieces. Mix at medium-low speed until the mixture is sandy and resembles fine meal, 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and with the mixer running, gradually add the molasses and milk; mix until the dough is evenly moistened about 20 seconds. Increase the speed to medium and mix until thoroughly combined, about 10 seconds.

Scrape the dough onto a work surface and divide it in half. Working with one portion at a time, roll the dough ¼ inch thick between 2 large sheets of parchment or wax paper. Leaving the dough sandwiched between the parchment or wax paper, stack the dough on a baking sheet and freeze until firm, 15 to 20 minutes. (Alternatively, refrigerate the dough for 2 hours or overnight.)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat liners.

Remove one dough sheet from the freezer and place on the counter. Peel off the top parchment or wax paper sheet. Gently cut the dough into 5-inch gingerbread people or 3-inch gingerbread cookies, transferring the shapes to the prepared baking sheets with a wide metal spatula and spacing them ¾ inch apart. Set the scraps aside. Repeat with the remaining dough until the baking sheets are full. Because flour is not added during rolling, dough scraps can be rolled and cut as many times as necessary.

Bake the cookies until set in the centers and the dough barely retains and imprint when touched very gently with fingertip, 8 to 9 minutes. Do not overbake!! Cool the cookies on the sheets 2 minutes, then remove the cookies with a wide metal spatula to a wire rack; cool to room temperature. Gather the scraps; repeat the rolling, cutting and baking. Frost as desired (I used a ziploc bag filled with simple white icing).

Store soft gingerbread in a wide, shallow airtight container or tin with a sheet of parchment paper between the cookie layers. These cookies are best eaten within one week.

Pasta Salad with Lemon & Asparagus

This is delicious! Got it from Darcy. Thanks!

16 ounces penne pasta
2 pounds asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese pieces
4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon zest
Salt & Pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions and add asparagus during the last 3-1/2 minutes of cooking. Drain pasta and asparagus and rinse under cold water. Transfer to a large bowl.

Add the Parmesan, oil, lemon juice and zest, plus salt and pepper to taste. Toss to combine.

Serves 8.