Lemon Bars

WARNING - THIS IS NOT A HEALTHY RECIPE!  It's just the best darn lemon bars I've ever had so I had to share it with you.  This recipe is adapted from a recipe I found on Mel's Kitchen Cafe.  Jessica's favorite recipe site.

I made these yesterday.  I still had a few lemons left that my sister-in-law brought me from California and I wanted to use them well.  In a way they could really be enjoyed and appreciated for all their yellow sunshiny glory.  I think this did the trick.  I like this recipe more than others because of the bottom stuff that the lemon stuff sits on (these are technical culinary terms).  Usually that's my least favorite part of a lemon bar.  It still was, but it was the best one I've had yet.  I like my lemon pastries very very lemony.  If you do not like yours quite so lemony, change the tablespoons of lemon zest to teaspoons.  Still lemony, just not as lemony.  The zest is what gives you the majority of the lemon flavor, not the juice, so leave the juice alone.  Seriously, don't mess with it.

Again I apologize for the lack of a poorly lit photo.  Someday I will be technology savvy.  It will happen if I keep saying it will happen.

Ingredients:
Bottom stuff:
1 3/4 cups flour
2/3 cup powdered sugar (plus extra to dust on top)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon table salt (I used coarse sea salt. Don't do that.  Just use regular table salt)
3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks), at cool room temperature, cut into 1-inch pieces

lemon part:
4 large eggs
1 1/3 cups sugar
3 tablespoons flour
2 Tablespoons fresh grated lemon zest
2/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 4 large lemons worth)
1/3 cup milk
1/8 teaspoon salt

1. Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with foil and lightly grease the foil.
2. Stir together the flour, powdered sugar, cornstarch, and salt.  Add the pieces of butter and cut the butter into the dry ingredients using a pastry blender or fork until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Alternately you could do this in a food processor.  Just process 8 to 10 seconds then pulse until you get the texture you want.
3. Sprinkle the mixture into the prepared pan and press into an even layer on the bottom.  Refrigerate for 15-30 minutes.  While it is refrigerating.  Place your oven rack in the middle of your oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
4.  Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes
5.  For the lemony goodness.  Whisk together the eggs, sugar, salt and flour in a medium bowl and then stir in the lemon zest, juice and milk to combine.
6.  Poor the lemony goodness onto the crust (it's important that it's still warm!) and reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees.  Bake for about 18-20 minutes until the filling feels slightly firm to the touch.
7.  Cool the bars to room temperature and lift foil out of pan.  Sift some powdered sugar over the top and cut using a bench scraper.  You can obviously cut using anything you want, but the bench scraper makes them hold a nice clean shape and you know how I like my food to be pretty.

healthy blueberry donuts

Yay for Blueberry season!  I can't get enough of these juicy little bombs of deliciousness.  The kids and I have gone out, every week (sometimes twice) since blueberries came on and I still can't get enough of them.  I feel like I need about twice as much as I've already gotten and then I will have enough.

Today I gave a regular donut recipe a tweak to make it healthy and if you are expecting them to taste not healthy, you will be a tad disapointed.  They are delicious, but it's fairly obvious they are not packed with sugar and butter.  I'm not posting a poorly staged photo today because my computer hates me.  Rest assured that I took a poorly staged photo, I just can't post it.

I used fresh blueberries and they are really best as they don't bleed and they hold their shape well.  You can also use frozen though.  I like to thaw them in the fridge overnight.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup honey
2 large eggs
1/2 cup almond milk (regular milk will work fine too)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup fresh blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Grease 2-6 well donut pans.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside
3. In another bowl, whisk together eggs, honey, milk, oil, vanilla and almond extracts.  Add the flour mixture and mix with a rubber spatula until just combined.
4.  There's a couple ways you can do this next step.  You can then gently fold in the blueberries and spoon them into the donut wells, or you can do what I did.  I spooned the batter into a ziplock bag and snipped off the corner, then I piped a small amount into each well.  Pressed 5-10 blueberries (depending on how big they are) into each donut and piped some more batter on top.  The wells should be about 2/3 full when done.
5. Bake in preheated oven until donut springs back when lightly touched.  10-12 minutes
6.  Let donuts cool in pan for a few minutes before turning out onto cooling rack.

Happy baking!

Favorite CLEAN Foods

I have kind of fallen off the "clean eating" wagon. I am happy to say that I have retained some of the good habits that I got into last summer but things could still be better. I find myself going to "prepared" foods more often and eating out has become more of a norm than I would like. Granted my prepared foods now tend to be of the all-natural or organic variety but they are rather lacking in the "fresh" department. Eating out does not include fast food very often but, let's be honest, it is never the healthiest choice and my budget would sure appreciate a little less resaraunt patronage. So, I would like to get back to where I was last summer and hopefully make it stick this time. What is it about summer that is so motivating? In an effort to get back on the wagon I am going to make a list of my favorite clean foods and I would like all of you to do the same! Let's motivate each other, eh?!? homemade granola chia pudding steel cut oats with beriies and peaches dried apples quinoa spanish rice hummus popcorn Wow, that is kind of a sad little list. HELP!!!!

Soy sauce and brown sugar salmon

Here's my plauguerized picture of the day.  I feel like my spelling of that word gets more creative every time.

I'm not a huge fan of the flavor of salmon, and I really like it cooked this way, so if you are a huge fan of that salmon flavor, this recipe might ruin it for you.  That was my little disclaimer.

My whole family loves this recipe.  My 16 month old in particular can't get enough.  On top of all that, it's super duper easy to make.

Soy Sauce and Brown Sugar Marinade

Ingredients

• 1½ pounds salmon fillets
• lemon pepper to taste
• garlic powder to taste
• salt to taste
• ⅓ cup soy sauce
• ⅓ cup brown sugar
• ⅓ cup water
• ¼ cup oil of your choice (I used olive oil, but you could also use vegetable, or canola or whatever you prefer)

Instructions

1. Season salmon fillets with lemon pepper, garlic powder, and salt.
2. Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and oil until sugar is dissolved. Place fish in a large resealable plastic bag, pour soy sauce mixture over fish, seal, and turn to coat.Marinate for at least 2 hours.  
3. Wrap it in foil and bake at 425° for approx. 15 minutes.

summertime

Every summer (well, the last three at least) I vow to make it the best summer ever.  I have a billion things I want to fit in before school starts again, and it always goes so fast and I never get half of them in.  Last summer I got a fair amount in, and I'd say it was a good summer.  However, in order to do all I did, I neglected a great deal and things got a little crazy on the homefront.  So, in preperation for the up and coming summer I'm trying to get things all lined up and priorities straightened out and written down and what not.  One thing that has fallen by the wayside recently is my personal scripture study.  I have it scheduled for the morning, but inevitably I fall behind and I just can't fit it in, so I say I'll do it after the kids are down in the evening, but I just forget.  I know if I make it a priority my days will go better and my home will run smoother, so why is it so hard to fit in?  Anyone?  Yes, I also am baffled.  With all this in mind, I'm sure you know what's coming.  A chart.  There are a ton of reading charts out there and I haven't the patience to go through them all and pick the one I like best, that's a thing I usually delegate (and I'm still going to), but I just grabbed the first one that caught my eye and printed it out.  I'm attaching the link.  I like it because it's also a bookmark, which makes me want to laminate it, but then I wouldn't be able to color it in, so...

I hereby pledge that I will be more diligent in my scripture study.  I need your support, so post your encouragment and helpful ideas in the comments and someone please print me out a better chart when you find one.  

http://robandmichelleharris.blogspot.com/2012/01/book-of-mormon-reading-chart-printable.html?m=1

why didn't that link work?  Just copy and paste it.  

Also, I boiled a whole pot of water down and burned the pan while I was writing this post.  It's yet another reason I shouldn't blog.  And yet I do.  I do it for you, all for you.  And some for me.

P.S.  This is not a recipe, but scriputer reading is a healthy habit.  As is trash can cleaning. 

Apple Pie Oatmeal cookies

Here is a lovely plaguerized picture for you.  Trust me, it more accurately depicts the deliciousness of the finished product.  You're welcome.

These were really good and healthy enough that I thought them an appropriate breakfast food. In fact, they turned out a little more cakey than chewy and I thought about altering them a little and making them into a muffin.  More on that if I ever get around to it.

I've realized that I hardly ever make the recipe as I find it and always alter it a little here and there, so instead of copying and pasting and then telling you I did this different and I did that different, I've decided to just take the time to write the recipe I followed.  As always, you can substitute flours and sugars and butter for whatever flour I have and oil and agave, but then you may not feel as good about eating it for breakfast.

Ingrediants:
1 cup rolled oats (or instant works too)
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large egg, room temp
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup agave
1 cup finely diced apple of your choice

1. Whilsk together the oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl.  In a seperate bowl, whisk together the olive oil, egg and vanilla.  Stir in the agave.  Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated.  Fold in the apple.  Chill for 30 minutes (don't skip that step, it's important).
2.  Preheat the oven to 325 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat (don't skip this one either, you will regret it).
3.  Drop the cookie dough into 15 rounded scoops onto the prepared sheet and flatten slightly.  bake at 325 for 13-15 minutes.  Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.

I hope you enjoy these as much as I did.

starting again

Hello dear friends.  At the urging of my dear sister--in-law, I am going to again attempt to take up the blogging.  Confession.  I hate blogging.  It's nice to get that off my chest.  I blog because I want to eat better and it's helpful for me to have the support of my friends and family, and it's also an easier way to share recipes when I find a good one. I also happen to be at a place where I hate cooking, so this should be a lot of fun.

Today, to get back into the blogging spirit, I'm going to share a story with you.  A story of shame and triumph.  It is the story of my trash can.  Some of you will be able to relate, others will shake their heads in disgust, but I hope you will not think less of me when this story is done.

I have a trash can in my kitchen.  It is white.  It's the kind where you step on the pedal at the bottom and it lifts the lid for you.  No need to touch anything.  So, how does it get so dirty?  Over the years the bottom of this trash can has developed a... slime (my shame is so deep).  A green sticky nastiness that captures forever anything you should happen to drop in when there is no bag. This has been the source of much contention in my house.  There is a brief period known as the changing of the bag.  This is the time when there is no bag in the trash can.  It is brief to be sure, but inevitably someone will drop something in, to be forever lost in the sticky smelly void that is the bottom of the trash can.  No one dares retrieve anything that falls down there.  I will put the new bag over the top, turn it upside-down and give it an almighty shake, but most of the time, the slime will prevail, and I will give up.  The slime wins...again, and inevitably whoever was foolish enough to drop something in, gets a tongue lashing.  Much of the time it's me. There have been many occasions where I vow to buy a new trash can rather than clean the slime.  Somehow, I hope the slime will retreat on it's own, but no....that has never happened.  I have actually gone to the store, looked at the trash cans, and thought, this is ridiculous, I will go home and clean my trash can, I don't need to spend money on this right now (trash cans are pricier than you think).  It's been a cycle.  A cycle that has lasted over several years (oh the shame!).  Part of the problem is that the offending part of the trash can, can be and is so easily covered by a garbage bag, so I only see it once or twice a week when I change the bag.  Though please don't assume the slime is odorless.  I've frequently sprinkled baking soda down there (thus adding to the mass of the slime) trying to absorb those odors.  OK, I think you understand where I'm coming from.

Today, I tackled the slime and emerged triumphant!  Let me tell you how this was done in case you too (heaven forbid) have anything like the shameful slime in the bottom of your trash can.  This was much less painless than I anticipated and it made me sad at the years I had put it off for.  So I share this story in the hopes that I may save someone else from the shame of living with the slime, or the expense of an unnecessary new trash can.

First, don some latex gloves and remove any solid items that have become trapped in slime (try to refrain from gagging and wondering how your life got to this point).  Second sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda over the bottom of the trash can.  After that, pour in enough vinegar to cover the bottom.  The vinegar and baking soda will give you a very satisfying reaction and you will feel that you already have accomplished so much.  Now, walk away.  Leave it be for ten minutes or more.  After it has had some time to sit, spray in some warm water, swish it around and dump it down the drain.  If it still has a fair amount of gunk in there, repeat this whole process (I did).  Then look in and see that the battle is more than halfway done and you didn't even have to do any scrubbing yet.  That part is coming, in fact, it's the next step.  Put in a little dish soap and warm water and scrub.  This should be fast and easy and everything should come off fairly effortlessly.  Next, rinse with water, and dry and you are done.  Hooray!  You will have a beautiful new looking trash can.

If you are still intimidated by your trash can, call me.  I will come over and do this for you.  No one should have to live with the slime at the bottom of their trash can.