Lemon Squares

As a kid, I remember my mom being in the kitchen 90% of the time. She was always cooking something. She made (and still makes) her own pasta, tomato sauce, bread (of all kinds), pretzels, pickles, jams/jellies, cookies, cakes, pies, you name it and she's probably made it. She has always loved cooking. My father's job had us moving around quite a bit when I was a kid. I attended 8 schools between 1st grade and high school graduation. Through all of our moves and all of the different towns and cultures, my mom's food was always a constant in our lives. It was the ultimate in comfort food.

When we moved to Southern Illinois, we found that people ate all sorts of stuff that we had never heard of. So naturally, my mom tried to make some of them. Being Italian, she wanted to try Italian Beef and Italian Cream Cake (neither of which is actually Italian). She hated both and decided to leave the new foods to the "natives".

During our stay in Marion, we soon found that a staple dessert brought to everything from church potlucks to PTA meetings, Girl Scout meetings to work BBQs, was lemon bars. They were always there and always went fast. As kids we learned to covet this potluck delicacy and yearned for our mom to make them at home. Alas, she refused. So, we would anxiously await the next gathering, hoping that someone would remember the lemon bars.

My obsession with this lemony confection died down once we moved to the Chicagoland area, where they are not as readily made. I went years without eating or even thinking about making lemon bars. That was until I moved to Virgina. Southerners love their lemon bars! So, I went on a quest for a tried and true recipe, and then I made it better.

This recipe has been a staple in recipe book for about 8 years now. It is always the first thing requested for me to bring to a party and is usually the first thing to run out. It is a really easy and quick recipe, making it the perfect choice for any party when you need a quick dish to bring. The crust holds up really well to the moist ultra-lemony custard topping. The powdered sugar topping is the perfect compliment to the tartness from the lemons. It is a crowd pleaser!

Lemon Squares

Adapted from All Recipes

Ingredients

3 Cups + 6 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour
1 1/3 Cups Powdered Sugar
1 1/2 Cups Butter or Margarine, softened
6 Large Eggs
1 3/4 Cups Sugar
1 Cup Lemon Juice

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Liberally grease a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray.
3. In a bowl, combine 3 C of flour, powdered sugar, and margarine.
4. Mix well to combine.
5. Pat the dough into the bottom of the baking pan.
6. Bake for 15 minutes, until puffed and slightly browned.
7. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, 6 Tbsp of flour, and lemon juice.
8. Carefully pour over the hot crust.
9. Bake for 20 minutes.
10. Cool completely in the pan.
11. Once cool, dust the top with powdered sugar.
12. Using a sharp knife, cut into squares.

Yields: 24 squares

Butterscotch Carmelitas

I made these for one of our Friday night martini nights. It is one of the many "non-chocolate" recipes that I'm trying out for Vince, since he gave up chocolate for Lent this year. The original recipe used chocolate chips, which I think would be awesome but I substituted butterscotch chips instead. The result was really good.

What is a Carmelita, you might ask? I really didn't know either but the picture sure did look good. I wasn't able to find any info on where these treat got their name from or where the recipe originated. It is basically a layer bar with caramel. Yum! This particular bar has caramel, pecans, chocolate (or other flavor) chips, and an oat crumble crust/topping. The slightly salty crust along with the creamy butterscotch went really well with the gooey caramel center. Everyone went back for seconds on this one.

They were really easy to make. I was able to whip them up with Max running around the kitchen with me. I would, however, caution that they are in no way, shape, or form WW friendly. These babies pack 9 points per square! These are definitely a once in a while treat that you need to save up some points to have. But they are oh so worth it.

Butterscotch Carmelitas

Adapted from Just Baked

Ingredients
2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Margarine, softened
1 1/2 Cups Brown Sugar
2 Cups Quick Cooking Oats
1 14 oz Bag Kraft Caramel Candies
1/2 Cup Evaporated Milk
1 Cup Butterscotch Chips
1 Cup Chopped Pecans

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Grease a 9 x 13 baking pan with cooking spray.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat the margarine and brown sugar until creamy.
4. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt.
5. Mix until well incorporated.
6. Fold in the oats. The mixture will be very crumbly.
7. Put half of the mixture (about 3 cups) into the prepared baking dish.
8. Gently press and spread the mixture over the bottom of the dish.
9. Bake for 10 minutes to set.
10. In a small saucepan, heat the caramels and milk.
11. Stirring constantly, heat until the caramels are melted.
12. Remove from heat and let cool slighly.
13. Sprinkle the butterscotch chips over the still warm crust.
14. Use a spatula to spread the chips.
15. Top the butterscotch with the chopped pecans.
16. Carefully pour the caramel mixture over the nuts.
17. Put the rest of the oatmeal topping over the caramel and gently press it down.
18. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until lightly browned.
19. Let cool to room temperature and then refrigerate for 2 hours, until the caramel is set.
20. Once the caramel is set, cut into squares.
    

Yields: 24 squares

Bailey's Irish Cream Brownies

I came across this brownie recipe as I was looking for something new to make for St. Patrick's Day. I knew that my Friday Night group would appreciate something festive and you can never go wrong with alcohol when it comes to this group.

I made two pans of brownies. One was for our martini group and the other was to take to my grandma's house over the weekend. The brownies come out delicious. They were a wonderful fudgey, chewy brownie with just the right amount of Irish Cream to not make the entire thing taste like a mixed drink. I botched the frosting a little bit but I think if I had actually followed the directions it would have turned out fine. I accidentally melted my butter instead of just letting it soften. I also put in too much Bailey's because I wasn't paying attention to how many tablespoons I had added. This made the frosting turn out more like a glaze and boy was it potent! I tried to rectify it by adding more sugar but that just made it sickenly sweet. I scrapped the whole thing and started over. My second attemp came out much better and I was able to pipe it onto the brownies just fine.

So just a word of caution, follow the instructions when making something new! I learned my lesson this time but I can't say it will stick with me. I have a tendency to just wing it most of the time.

Bailey's Irish Cream Brownies

Adapted from Alida's Kitchen

Ingredients
1 Cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/3 Cup Chocolate Chips
1/4 Cup Butter or Margarine
1 Cup Sugar
4 Large Eggs
1/4 Cup Bailey's Irish Cream
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Frosting:
2 Tablespoons Butter, softened
1 Cup Powdered Sugar
2 Tablespoons Bailey's Irish Cream
Green Food Coloring

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Grease a 9 inch square baking pan with cooking spray.
3. Put the chocolate chips and butter into a large microwave safe bowl and microwave on high in 30 second increments, mixing in between, until the chocolate is smooth and glossy.
4. Let the chocolate cool slighly.
5. Add the sugar, eggs, Irish Cream, and vanilla.
6. Mix well and then microwave on high for 1 minute.
7. Add the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
8. Fold gently to combine.
9. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.
10. Bake for 15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out almost clean.
11. Cool on a wire rack.
12. To make the frosting, beat the butter until fluffy.
13. Add the sugar and Irish Cream.
14. Beat until well blended
15. Add milk or powdered sugar a teaspoon at a time to reach the desired buttercream consistency.
16. Add 3-6 drops of green food coloring and mix into the frosting.
17. Spread or pipe over cooled brownies.
18. Decorate with sprinkles.

Yields: 16 Brownies

Peanut Butter Bars

I think I've mentioned before that we have a group of friends in our building that get together for Friday night dinner and cocktails in one of the penthouse condos. We lovingly call it Martini Night on the Roof. Over the years, each of us has fallen into the habit of being in charge of one aspect of the night. Our hostess, Nelda, graciously provides cocktails and appetizers for everyone. One couple will bring a main dish such as chicken or pizza. Another couple brings wine for dinner. One couple does all of the dishes and clean up. My role is to bring dessert.

That being said, I'm constantly looking for new recipes to try out. Everyone in our group has different preferences when it comes to dessert so I try to vary the flavors from week to week. I had bookmarked this recipe for peanut butter bars some time ago. They looked easy and fast, and really who doesn't like a good peanut butter bar? These did not disappoint. The entire pan was consumed on Friday night and Vince asked me to make another pan just for us to have at home. The peanut butter icing is killer and really makes this more decadent than it already is. The middle stays soft and chewy and the mini chocolate chips add that "Reese's" taste to it. You really can't tell that there's oatmeal in it at all, for anyone that might be skeptical on that count. I'm sure I'll be getting some requests to bring these to Martini Night again.

Peanut Butter Bars

Adapted from Lolly's Sweet Treats

Ingredients
1/2 Cup Margarine, softened
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar, packed
1/2 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter
1 Large Egg
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 Cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 Cup Quick Cooking Oats
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Mini Chocolate Chips

Icing:
1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar
2 Tablespoons Creamy Peanut Butter
2 Tablespoons Milk


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Grease a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.
3. Cream margarine, sugars, and peanut butter in a mixing bowl.
4. Add the egg and vanilla.
5. Mix well.
6. Mix in the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt.
7. Spread the batter into the baking pan.
8. Sprinkle the top with chocolate chips.
9. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown.
10. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
11. Once cool, mix the icing ingredients together and drizzle over the top.
12. Cut into squares or bars.

Yields: 24 servings