Creamy Lemon Crumb Squares

Creamy Lemon Crumb Squares

A brown sugar and butter crust, with the crunch of oats - Combine this with a creamy lemon filling, and this makes an irresistible treat. I could have eaten the whole pan myself.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Bake: 30 minutes for a 9 x 9 pan (no need to grease it)

Crust and Topping

1-1/2 cup of all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 stick of butter, slightly softened
1 cup of brown sugar (lightly packed)
1 cup of oats

Filling

1 can (14 ounces) of sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lemon juice
zest of one lemon

Directions

Mix the butter and brown sugar until well combined
Stir together oats, flour, salt and baking powder
Add the oats and flour mixture to the butter & sugar mixture. Combine well.
Press half the crumb mixture into the bottom of the pan

Mix together the condensed milk, lemon juice and lemon zest. Beat until it's creamy. Pour over the bottom layer of crumb mixture. Top with the other half of the crumb mixture, but don't press down.

Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
Allow the pan to sit on the counter for 30 minutes after baking. Cut into squares, but don't remove from the pan until it's been refrigerated for at least 2 hours.
Serve cool.

This recipe was adapted from the recipe on The Pioneer Woman Cooks website. For step by step instructions, please go to her site at:
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/03/creamy-lemon-crumb-squares/

Your Momma's Best Apple Pie!

Who's Momma? I had no idea. My Mom was a great cook, but she never made this for me. (Do you feel sorry for me yet?) I've been making this since the late 80's with nary a clue where it came from. Since then I figured out, thanks to genius-level mathematical skills, that if it wasn't my Momma, it must have been yours! Tell me if I'm wrong. If I'm right, give her a big hug for me, because her genius made it possible for me to make this marvelous pie!

Pie Filling

1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
6 large, or 7 medium apples. Peeled, cored and sliced

Combined the sugars, flour, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Add sliced apples and toss well to mix.

Topping

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) of real butter

Combine the flour brown sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Scatter the topping thickly over the apple filling

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until the crust and topping are nicely browned.

First make your favorite pie shell. The recipe I used follows. Then peel 6 large or seven medium apples. Use your favorite. I used Red Delicious.

Chop up those apples!

Here's what it looks like after the chopped apples have been spiced and put in the pie shell.

The uncooked pie topping is now on.

All done. Now we just have to wait until it cools.

My easiest pie crust
This recipe was given to me by my Mom. Not yours.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup milk.


Combine ingredients, and roll out between sheets of wax paper. Take the top sheet of wax paper off. Place an empty pie pan upside down on the exposed dough. Put your hand under the bottom layer of wax paper and tip it all upside down so it ends up in the pie pan. Fit and crimp as desired.

Cashew Brittle

You'd better make friends with your dentist fast! You're not going to be able to resist this buttery, melt-in-your-mouth cashew brittle. You may find yourself popping a piece into your mouth every time you break it apart. Guilty as charged here.

You're going to need this recipe, because I can't think of a better gift you could give to your sweet-loving friends over the holidays. Keep that in mind for the holiday season, and you're sure to stay on everyone's 'Good Girl List.'

You'll need these simple pantry staples and some roasted un-salted cashew pieces

It's just started to boil and the butter has been added.

Now it's reached the thread stage.

We've just added the cashews. Now it'll be stirred until it reaches 300 degrees.

Spread out on the buttered pan.

Yummy! Let's make cashew brittle

Ingredients:
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of corn syrup
1/4 cup of water
1/2 cup real butter (1 stick)
1-1/2 cups of roasted unsalted cashew pieces.
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Cooking time will be approximately 30 minutes at medium heat. Use a thermometer for best results.

In a heavy saucepan combine sugar, corn syrup and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil. Blend in the butter. Stir frequently when it reaches the thread stage. When the temperature reaches 280 degrees on the candy thermometer add the cashews. Keep stirring. When it reaches 300 degrees remove from the heat and quickly stir in the baking soda. Pour into a buttered jelly roll pan. Spread it out fast! As the candy cools, stretch it out thinner by lifting and pulling at the edges with a fork. Loosen it from the pan as soon as possible, and turn over. Break it into pieces when hardened.

Cappucino Cheesecake Bars

For all you coffee lovers out there -- here's a creamy cheesecake bar with coffee flavor baked into the crust and the cheesecake body. Mello it out just a bit with a dollop of whipped cream, this is sure to please!

Cappuccino Cheesecake Bars

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Butter an 11 x 7 inch pan

Crust
9 whole graham crackers ground up (1-1/2 cups crumbs)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick) chilled/cubed
1-1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
Grind the graham crackers in a food processor. Add the butter, sugar and espresso powder. Pulse until the crumbs are uniformly moist. Then remove 1/2 cup of the graham cracker mixture and put aside in a pie dish. Press the remaining mixture onto the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake the crust and the separated crumbs in the pie dish for 10 minutes until golden.

Cool 10 minutes. Maintain the oven temperature.

Filling
5 teaspoons of espresso powder
1 tablespoon of cream
1 teaspoon of vanilla
2 8 ounce packages of cream cheese - room temperature.
2/3 cup of sugar
1 large egg

Stir 5 teaspoons espresso powder with 1 tablespoon of cream and 1 teaspoon of vanilla in a small bowl until coffee dissolves.
Beat cream cheese in a large bowl until smooth. Add 2/3 cup of sugar and beat to blend. Beat in coffee mixture, and then the egg.

Spread filling evenly over crust in the metal baking pan. Bake until set: 20-25 minutes. Chill uncovered until cold and firm, for at least 2 hours.

Topping (optional)
Beat 1 cup of heavy whipping cream until firm peaks form. Cut cheesecake bars and transfer bars to a platter Put a dollop of whipped cream atop each bar and sprinkle with the crisp crumb mixture from the pie dish. Another option is chocolate curls or chocolate shavings


Suggestion for cutting the bars: Cut cheesecake lengthwise into 3 strips. Cut each strip into 6 bars.

Adapted from bon appetit October 2010 issue.


"Everything I eat has been proved by some doctor or other to be a deadly poison, and everything I don't eat has been proved to be indispensable for life. But I go marching on." - George Bernard Shaw

Pineapple Cheesecake Squares

This recipe has been around for at least as long as the internet has, although I'm pretty sure I originally found it in the food section of a long defunct newspaper. A few years ago when my pile of recipes had become just a bit too messy, I sorted through them and typed up the ones I wanted to keep. This one made the cut.


Prepare: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or butter a 9 inch square pan

Crust
1 Cup flour
1/2 cup butter (softened just enough to work with)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a bowl add the flour, butter,sugar, and vanilla. Stir and mix until it's crumbly. Press into a greased 9 x 9 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

Filling
1 8 oz package of cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup of granulated sugar
2 tablespoons of milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 8 oz. can of crushed pineapple, drained

In a mixer bowl, or with lots of elbow strength, mix the cream cheese, and sugar till smooth. Then add the milk, egg, and vanilla and mix well. Turn off the mixer and gently fold in the crushed pineapple. Pour over cooled crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Take out and add the topping.

Topping
1 Cup of flaked coconut
1 tablespoon of melted butter

Combine the coconut with the melted butter and sprinkle all over the cheesecake. Put it back in the oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the coconut is lightly browned here and there.

Cool, refrigerate and cut into squares when it's cold.

Lemon Bars

I want it, I need it, I gotta have it! Ever feel that way? If I had a Genie, I would have wished for these buttery crusted lemon bars. Since I couldn't find a lamp, never mind a Genie, it took an hour or so before I could indulge in these great lemon bars. They were easy to make, and I got to try out my new microplane grater.

While I can't say that these bars are good for you, they taste darn good, and have no chemicals or preservatives in them. You'll go to your grocery and produce retailers, not an industrial chemical supply house.

Let's get to them before your diet counselor makes you chicken out.

Lemon Bars

Crust
1 cup of unbleached flour
1/2 cup of butter (1 stick)
1/4 cup of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of finely grated lemon zest

Filling
3/4 cup of sugar
2 eggs
3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
1-1/2 teaspoons of finely grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons of unbleached flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Topping
Sprinkle with powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Combine all the crust ingredients in a bowl. Beat at low speed using the paddle attachment until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press into the bottom of an ungreased 8 inch square pan. Bake for 18-20 minutes until the edges are lightly browned.

While the crust is baking combine all the filling ingredients at low speed, until well mixed. Scrape the bowl often. Pour filling over the hot baked crust. Continue baking for 20 minutes until the filling is set.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar while it's still warm, and again when cool. Cut into bars.

Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Cookies

This comes from one of those recipes my Mom and I came up with years ago in an experiment. It was in an old folder that was stashed away out of sight. I haven't made them since the early 90's, when I had settled on Chocolate Crispers as being my go-to chocolate fix. I thought they were due for another try. Cookies are a favorite thing to make around here.... so why not?! I'm happy to report that they came out absolutely great! I don't know if it's the improved quality of chocolate, or if my memory is just bad. Maybe I just didn't remember how good these are. You can be sure I won't forget them now!

Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 Sticks of butter
3/4 Cup of light brown sugar, packed
1 cup of fine granulated sugar (Sometimes called Castro Sugar or Bakers Sugar- just a finer granulation.) Regular granulated sugar can be substituted.
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 large eggs
2 cups flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon of baking soda
12 ounces (1 bag) semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 to 3/4 chopped walnuts

Cream the butter with the 2 sugars until fluffy
Add vanilla
Add both eggs and beat well
Sift together the flour, cocoa and baking soda
Add to mixture and mix until just combined
Fold in chocolate chips and nuts
Refrigerate over night, or at least a couple hours

Take a rounded tablespoon of the batter (approximately 1-1/2 tablespoons)and roll it into your hands to make a ball.

Bake at 350 degrees on a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper,
for 11-12 minutes. They'll look slightly underdone at that point but take them out of the oven and let them sit on the baking sheet a couple minutes before removing them to cool completely on a wire rack.

I used Ghirardelli 60% bittersweet chips this time. 'Back in the day' I would have used Nestles Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips because that was all that was available to me. This time I used my Kitchen Aid mixer with the paddle attachment. I didn't have that luxury before.