Easy Lemon Bars

Lemon ranks right up there with chocolate

at 

Purple Chocolat Home

and these Easy Lemon Bars are ones that

will wet your appetite, and so easy to prepare.

I have been working on family histories and

after going back to Wisconsin for a family

reunion this summer, I started doing my Aunt Ionia's

history.  In 1990 we had video taped her telling

her life story.  

I came home and transcribed that.  

It wasn't that easy since it was on a VHS,

but my daughter found a VHS to DVD dubbing

machine at Wal Mart for $168 and with as

many that I needed to dub,  I decided it was 

cheaper than taking them out to have them

transferred.  Besides, I didn't know what was

on them - could have been the Knots Landing Finale

(ooh, that dates me!)

After I got that done, I began adding pictures.  I had

gathered a lot more pictures at the family reunion.  

Doing my Dad's life story (which is now at the publishers -

Lulu.com)

I realized pictures make the story, so all of our family

histories need to be redone, with pictures added, including

mine, which I wrote in 2000.

Anyway, Ionia was known as a great cook.  She

always collected recipes from others, made them

and then was willing to share the recipes with us.

She passed away in 2003 and my cousin put together

a book of memories from all of her nieces and nephews

and others, and included recipes that people submitted.

I am now in the process of adding those recipes to her

life history and want to add pictures to the recipes

(to entice people, you know), and this was one

of the first I have made to add to her history.

Easy Lemon Bars

1 pkg. lemon cake mix

1/2 C. melted butter

1 egg.

Mix the above and pat it into a 9x13 inch pan

that has been sprayed with Pam.

In a large mixing bowl, blend

1 can lemon frosting

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 eggs

Pour over the crust.  Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

Let cool.

Frosting

1/4 C. butter, melted

2 C. powdered sugar

2 T. lemon juice

1 T. water, if needed to make it spreadable

Beat the above ingredients together to form a fluffy

frosting.  Frost.  Refrigerate until the frosting

and filling are set up, then cut using a knife

that is run under hot water and then dried off

with a paper towel.  Repeat the heating and drying

of the knife as you cut to get smooth and pretty

edges.

Refrigerate as these contain cream cheese.

The response I got as everyone sampled them was

Mmmmmmmm.....!

Lemon Iced Cookies and Lemon Shortbread Truffles

This was a week of garden parties and I was asked

to make these lemon cookies from Cook's Illustrated.

I am always a little nervous about making something

I haven't made before, but these turned out beautifully.

I have never liked refrigerator cookies as they don't stay

round and beautiful so I searched the internet for ideas

and someone suggested using a paper towel roll to

refrigerate the cookies in so that they retain their

roundness.

That worked perfectly.  I shaped the cookie dough into a log

and then wrapped it in parchment paper and placed it inside

the paper towel roll which I had opened up down the center

with a scissors.  

Yes!!  Nice and round refrigerator cookies.

The garden party had been scheduled for June but was rained

out.  I had promised that I would sugar some of my flowers

to top the cookies with, to add to the garden theme.  Well,

a month later, I hadn't pulled any of the pansies in the shady

areas, and I was able to have enough flowers to sugar for

two batches of cookies.  I added a few rose petals in to get

the pretty pink flowers, and I sugared some mint leaves.

The mint leaves are so fun, they are like a piece of mint candy. 

People thought they were too pretty to eat.  I 

had no problem eating a few.  These were perfectly

 lemon and soft and wonderful!

Lemon Iced Cookies Recipe

(from Cooks Illustrated)

3/4 C. granulated sugar

2 T. grated lemon zest plus 2 T. fresh lemon juice

1 3/4 C. unbleached flour

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

12 T. cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 large egg yolk

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Glaze

1 T. cream cheese, softened

2 T. fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 C. powdered sugar

In a food processor, pulse the sugar and lemon zest until

the sugar looks moist.  Pulse in the flour, baking powder 

and salt.  Then add the butter and pulse it until it looks like

fine cornmeal.  In a small bowl, mix the lemon juice, egg yolk and vanilla.

Pour that in and pulse until mixed thoroughly and the dough forms

a ball.

Remove and roll into a log about 10 inches long.  Wrap the

log in parchment paper and place inside a paper towel roll

that has been cut lengthwise down the center.  Place in

the fridge for 2 hours or overnight.

Heat the oven to 350 and cover pans with parchment paper.

Slice the log of dough into 3/8 inch slices, turning the log a

quarter turn with every slice so the log doesn't flatten.

Place the cookies on the parchment paper and bake for 12-13

minutes.  I like a soft cookie with no brown edges.  They 

suggest baking at 375 for 14-16 minutes or until edges

are brown.  Everyone likes their cookies different, so adjust

your heat and cooking time.  I won't eat a cookie that has a

brown edge, so I chose lower heat and a lower cooking time.

Let cool on pan and then remove.

Stir the ingredients for the glaze together.

They call it a glaze, but it was more like a frosting.

Spoon a little on each cookie.  Garnish as desired.

I garnished with sugared flowers.

Refrigerate since there is cream cheese in the frosting.

Sugared Flowers

Choose fresh flowers and mint leaves that are pesticide free.

Rinse the flowers in a bowl of water.

In a small bowl, mix 2 T. water with 2 tsp. Just Whites - a powdered

egg white product that you can find in your baking aisle.

Mix it well, it will be lumpy at first, but keep mixing with

a fork or a small whisk.  When it is mostly blended,

pour it through a fine sieve.  You don't want lumps.

Dip both sides of the petal in the egg white mix, then gently blot off

any excess egg white mix.  You don't want blobs of sugar created by

too much liquid on the flower.

Hold the petals or leaves over a small bowl of sugar

and  sprinkle sugar on both sides.  Lay on parchment paper to

dry several hours or overnight.

I also brought Lemon Shortbread Truffles for

this garden party, and they were topped with

sugared violets that I had done earlier in the spring.

I had already blogged about these before, but they turned

out so much prettier with the violets on top, I had to

show them to you again.

(The table with the delicious Spa Waters made by Rache,l and my treats, before

more cookies and watermelon slices arrived.)

The party was at my friend Karen's beautiful home and yard.  Karen is a Master Gardener and taught us about Cottage Gardening.  Her yard is such a joy to be in.  She loves

to spend hours in her garden and even has an aviary.

It was such a treat to be taught about gardening by Karen,

and to share in the beauty of her home and garden. 

I hope you give these wonderful cookies a try.  You don't

have to have sugared flowers on top for them to taste fantastic.

There is just something about lemons and summer!!

I will be posting this with

Mosaic Monday

Foodie Friday

Share Your Cup Thursday