Lemon Bars

The weekend rolls around and all I can think about is dessert....wait....who am I kidding? I always think about dessert. I made these lemony gems for my sweet friend Logan's birthday lunch because they are her favorite. She swears they are the best :)

1 cup butter, softened

½ cup powdered sugar

2 cup flour

½ tsp salt

4 eggs, well beaten

2 cup sugar

2/3 cup fresh lemon juice

2 T plus 1 t lemon zest, divided

extra powdered sugar for dusting on top, approximately 1/2 cup 

In a large bowl, cream together butter and powdered sugar; blend in flour, salt and 1 tsp of the lemon zest. Press into a greased 9 x 13. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes until golden.

While crust is baking, blend together the eggs, sugar, juice and zest. Pour over crust and bake an additional 20 minutes or until set. Cool completely. Cut into bars or triangles. Dust with powdered sugar right before serving.

Theoretically, these should work just as well with orange and orange zest, as well as lime with lime zest.

Pick up a microplane grater/zester at your grocery store if you don't have one, so you can get fresh zest from the fruit you choose to use.

Mini Lattice Pies by guest blogger Lindsey Lett

Hi Grab a Fork friends. My name is Lindsey and I am a stay home mom with a love for food. Unlike Kristen, I am not a chef and take no claim to having expertise in the kitchen... only lots of practice and an honest taste tester panel, my family! :) I currently live in South Korea where I have learned to get extremely creative with techniques and ingredients since a lot of Texas "staples" are not available. I also lived without an oven for a year and in turn, shared my food successes via a blog entitle Ovenless Chef. (It was one of the only names I could think of that was still available, so not to falsely advertise with the chef bit, but I am hopeful to take some culinary classes in the future!)

Okay, enough about me, let's move on to what is important... PIE!

I am a lover of pie. If given the choice between pie and cake, pie wins, forks down, every time! My favorite is rhubarb pie, but since I can't get that here, apple won out this time! Now... if you love pie, then you know that crust to filling ratio is crucial. Hence the mini lattice pies. Plenty of crust and just the right amount of filling... plus, portion control (if you are into that sort of thing). All you need are two pie crusts (pre-made or homemade), your choice of pie filling (canned if in a pinch), and a muffin pan. I'll share my recipe with you to get you inspired, but if you have a favorite crust recipe or filling, by all means use those! 

For the double crust:

1 C shortening, butter flavor or original

3 C flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 C ice cold water (I float a few ice cubes in mine for about 5 minutes before use)

1. Mix dry ingredients together.

2. Cut in the shortening using a pasty blender or sturdy fork... I also tend to use the end of my whisk after cutting the shortening into small cubes.

3. Slowly add water and mix until you get a firm dough.

4. Cut in two equal portions and roll gently on floured wax paper or parchment paper (this helps get it off the counter easier!). (They don't have to be circles since you will be cutting shapes from the sheets)

5. You can make your dough ahead of time and freeze up to three months (in seran wrap and ziplock) or keep in the fridge up to three days.

For the filling:

1/2 C butter

3 T flour

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 C water

1/2 C white sugar

1/2 C packed brown sugar

8 apples- cored and sliced... peeled if you prefer, but I like the peel on. (bear in mind you need smaller pieces for the mini pies)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 C).

2. Using a cup or biscuit cutter that is larger than the muffin cup on you pan by about 3/4 an inch on each side ( so about 1 1/2 inches more in diameter), cut 12 circles from rolled dough... I used a small salsa type bowl for this. Then press the dough into the muffin pan. 

3. Poke each crust a couple times with a fork to keep from bubbling up when baking and pre-bake in oven for about 8-10 minutes. 

4. Cut the rest of pie crust dough into strips about 1/2 inch in width and just slightly longer than diameter of muffin tins. Set aside.

5. Meanwhile, melt butter in saucepan. Stir in flour to form paste.

6. Add water, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon,  and nutmeg and bring to boil. Then reduce to low simmer and add vanilla. Stir occasionally. 

7. Remove crusts from oven and fill with apples... mounded just slightly. 

8. Pour warm filling over apples to just below rim of crust.

9. Using four strips of dough, weave lattice design on top of each pie and place in oven. 

10. Bake 15 minutes in pre-heated oven (set timer or you will forget like me!), then reduce to 350 degrees F (175 C) and continue to bake for 30-35 minutes. If crusts begin to brown, simply cover with aluminum foil and continue baking. 

Enjoy with a scoop of ice cream! 

These are great for entertaining and you can make ahead and freeze them! (They work best if you freeze them just after assembly. Once they are frozen, you can remove them from muffin tin and store in air tight ziplock. Then simply remove from freezer about an hour before you are ready to bake them and place them back in the muffin tin and bake as directed above.) 

If you happen to be oven-less or just need some quick oven-less desserts in that summer heat, head over to ovenlesschef.blogspot.com for some no-bake and stove-top options! You could even make the above into fried pies! :) 

And thanks, Kristen, for letting me impose on your blog... it's an honor! :) 

Summer Crockpot Recipes

Stop using that oven in this heat and grab one of my favorite cooking pieces...the crock pot!

Crockpot Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 2.5 hours
2 lbs precooked frozen meatballs
1 cup apricot or apple jelly
2 cups cocktail sauce or chili sauce

1. Pour the jelly and cocktail sauce into crockpot. Stir well.
2. Stir in the meatballs. Cover with lid and cook 2.5 hours on high.

Serve as meatball subs on hot dog buns or hoagie rolls for dinner or with toothpicks for a party appetizer.

Tangy Crockpot Ribs
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup vinegar
2 Tbs soy sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 lbs meaty pork spareribs, cut into 2-3 rib sections

1. Mix brown sugar and flour in medium saucepan. Add water, vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup, ginger and garlic powder. Cook and stir over medium heat until boiled and thickened.
2. Layer ribs in crockpot, spooning sauce over each layer. Cover and cook on low 10-12 hours or on high 5-6 hours until ribs are very tender.

Crockpot Chocolate Fondue
18 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
6 oz milk chocolate, chopped
13 oz can evaporated milk
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
pound cake pieces, cut up fruit, marshmallows, graham crackers, cookies (try nutter butters) for dipping

1. Combine all ingredients and cook on low for 45 minutes. Stir in vanilla.
2. Cook 15 minutes more if needed to melt all the chocolate. This can be held for another hour on low before serving.

Crockpot Chicken Taco Filling
4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
18 oz jar salsa of your choice. Red or Green
1 Tbs chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp onion powder

1. Place all ingredients in crockpot and stir. Cover and cook on low heat 8 hours.
2. Take chicken out and dice or shred. Stir back into crockpot to coat with sauce.

Use to make tacos, burritos, or tostadas. The only other things you need are shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes and grated cheese!

If Chili Dogs are a hit with your family, check out this recipe here.

If Chicken and Noodles is something your family likes, check out this recipe here.

Check out the Dinner Recipe #3 of BBQ Chicken previously posted on my blog here. Sub in pork loin or pork butt for BBQ pulled pork sandwiches too!

Recipes found on about.com with some tweaking of my own :)

Disappointment to Oh So Delicious

A few posts ago, I had researched replacing some of the sugar in baking recipes with honey or agave nectar. I was very anxious to try honey in my chocolate chip cookie recipe, so Saturday I tried it. Major disappointment. Major. Instead of the sumptuously soft inside with a slightly crisp outside, the texture turned out cakey, almost mushy. Okay for cake, but not what I'm craving when I want a good cookie. For 2 days I looked at those cookies wondering what on Earth I was going to do with them. Israel wouldn't even take them to the office! He said, "do you want people to think your cookies are like that?" HA! He was right.

So, I thought about a cookbook at Target I came across that was entirely about making cake pops. You mix together cake crumbs and icing, form into balls, dip them in chocolate or thinned icing and stab with a stick. Viola! Cake pops. I didn't have cake, but the cookies were so cakey, I thought it might work. What do you know...it did...and was delicious.

I didn't have sticks, so I'm calling them truffles :)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Truffles
1 lb chocolate chip cookies
3 oz softened cream cheese
1 cup semi-sweet, dark or milk chocolate chips (I buy Guittard brand)
3/4 Tbs canola oil
1/3 cup powdered sugar (optional for coating)
1/3 cup cocoa powder (optional for coating)

1. In a food processor, process cookies until crumbs form. You could also throw them in a large Ziploc and mash with a rolling pin. Transfer crumbs to a medium size mixing bowl.
2. Using a paddle attachment or hand held mixer, mix crumbs and cream cheese on medium speed until incorporated together. Mixture should hold together when you pinch it between your fingers.
3. Using your hands, form crumb mixture into 1 inch balls. I use a small ice cream scoop to make them all the same size and then roll in my palms to smooth the surface. Place on a wax covered cookie sheet or pan and refrigerate 1 hour.
4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine chocolate chips and canola oil. Microwave 1:30 minutes on 50% power. Stir. Microwave in 30 seconds spurts on 50% power until all chips are melted. Get out cookie balls.
5. Using a fork, dip each ball, one at a time, in chocolate until coated. Lift out with the fork and place back on wax paper. Dip until your done. For variation, leave some undipped. Roll them in powdered sugar or cocoa powder instead.

I'm thinking this would work well with all cookies; Peanut Butter, Sugar, Chocolate with White Chips, White Chocolate Macadamia Nut, store bought chocolate chip cookies and even Oreos. Experiment and leave me a comment on what you tried!

Baking with Honey

Last night I went to a girls night that focused on health and wellness. It was very informative and fun to learn what we should eat and why. I take a lot of pride in raising my children and a husband ;) and I want them to eat well. My next calling in life will probably be a nutritionist or dietitian and having a chef background will give me an extra edge because I know what I'm talking about when it comes to food.


This being said, I LOVE dessert. Those that know me, know that I am truly in love with it. BUT those that know me also know I am very much into health, fitness and healthy eating. I have always known that sugar is bad for you, but it's a must in baking! My 2 professional jobs were baking and dessert making and I was surrounded by the white stuff. After really learning about what sugar does to my body though, it has got me thinking this morning.

Because I cannot give up dessert entirely, I have been researching how to replace sugar in baking recipes with better alternatives like honey or agave nectar. This is what I have learned...

·    When baking with honey or agave, you use a 1 to 0.75 ratio. Meaning, if a recipe calls for 1 cup sugar, you would use 3/4 cup honey or agave.

·    Because honey and agave are part water, you must reduce the liquid in the recipe by 1/4 cup. For example, when making banana bread that calls for 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk, you would use 3/4 cup honey or agave and 3/4 cup milk. Or if banana bread calls for oil, reduce oil by 1/4 cup.

·    In baking cookies for instance, because there is no liquid besides eggs, you need to increase the flour. For every 1 cup of honey used, increase flour by 2 tablespoons. Also, when baking cookies, add 1/2 tsp extra of baking soda for every cup of honey used.

·    Honey causes baked goods to brown faster, so you need to reduce the oven temperature by 25 degrees.

I am famous for chocolate chip cookies and am anxious to try making them with honey the next time around. When I do, I'll let you know how they turn out. If you know of any other tips or recipes with using honey or agave as sweeteners to replace sugar, leave a comment and let me know! Happy baking :)

Summer Sips

Lemonade or Limeade Base
2 1/2 cups water
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 tsp finely shredded lemon or lime zest
1 1/4 cup fresh lemon or lime juice
ice cubes


1. In a medium saucepan heat and stir water and sugar over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat; cool 20 minutes. Add citrus peel and juice to sugar mixture. Pour into a jar; cover and chill up to 3 days.
2. For each glass of lemonade, combine equal parts base and water in ice-filled glasses; stir.
Makes 8 cups lemonade or 4 cups lemonade base. For a refreshing variation, put fresh mint leaves in each glass.

• Strawberry-Lemonade Slush

For each serving in a blender combine 1/2 cup fresh or frozen strawberries, 1/3 cup lemonade base from above, and 1 Tbs sugar. Blend until smooth. With blender running, add 1/2 cup ice cubes, 1 at a time through opening in lid until beverage is slushy.


Banana Berry Smoothies
2 cups plain or vanilla low fat or fat free yogurt
2 ripe bananas
1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries
1 cup mixed fresh or frozen berries


In a blender combine yogurt and fruit. Cover and blend until pureed. If desired, add a few ice cubes.
Serves 3 or 4

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Milk Shake courtesy of Passion for Desserts

Reese's peanut butter cups in liquid form. To take it up a notch, stir in a chopped or crumbled peanut butter cup on top just before serving.

4 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

3/4 cup sugar

7 1/2 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

3 Tbs smooth peanut butter

1 1/2 cups milk

1. Warm the cream and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, or until hot and bubbling around the edges, about 5 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the chocolate.

2. Transfer the chocolate cream to a stainless-steel bowl and whisk in the peanut butter. Place the bowl on the counter, stirring occasionally. Let cool 20 minutes. Refrigerate until very cold, several hours or overnight.

3. Freeze the chocolate-peanut butter cream in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer's directions.

4. Place the finished ice cream in a blender, add the milk, and blend until smooth. Pour into tall glasses and serve immediately. Serves 4.

• Lazy Day Chocolate-Peanut Butter Milk Shake

4 1/2 cups store-bought milk chocolate ice cream

3 Tbs peanut butter

3/4 cup milk or half and half

1. Put all ingredients in a blender and blend well. Pour into glasses immediately. Serves 4.

Watermelon Blaster courtesy of Martha Stewart

3 cups cubed, seeded watermelon

1 1/2 cups strawberries

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 cup ice cubes

Sugar, to taste

1. Put watermelon, strawberries, lime juice, ice, and sugar if desired into the pitcher of a blender, and blend for 15 seconds on high speed. (Always put the top on the container before processing.) Stop machine, and stir ingredients. Blend for 15 seconds more on high speed. Serves 3 or 4.

Honeydew Granita Spritzer courtesy of Martha Stewart

6 cups cubed honeydew melon (about half of a medium melon)

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

3 cups seltzer

Lime peels, for garnishing

1. Working in batches, puree 6 cups cubed honeydew melon in a blender. Pour puree through a fine sieve into an 8-inch square nonreactive dish.

2. Put 1/2 cup water and sugar into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Stir into puree. Add fresh lime juice; stir to combine. Freeze, covered, at least 6 hours (up to 3 days).

3. Scrape granita with a fork; spoon about 1 cup granita into each of 6 glasses. Pour 1/2 cup seltzer into each glass; garnish with lime peels. Serves 6.

Lemon Lush

Lemon Lush

2 cups flour
1 cup butter, cut into small pieces
2 8 oz pkg cream cheese, room temp
1 cup sugar
2- 3.4 oz boxes instant lemon pudding mix
3 1/2 cups cold milk (not skim)
1 12 oz container of Cool Whip or whipped cream

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, combine the flour and butter using a pastry blender/cutter (or check out this link if you don't know what I'm talking about) until small balls form and crumbly. Press into the bottom on a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Bake 25 minutes or until lightly golden. Cool completely.
In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar together until smooth. Spread evenly over the cooled crust.
In another bowl, whisk together the pudding mix and milk for 3-5 minutes until thickened. Spread over the cream cheese layer. Chill until set about 4 hours, then top with whipped topping or whipped cream.

Variations

• use any flavor pudding that you'd like. My other favorites are chocolate, butterscotch and pistachio.
• use vanilla flavored pudding but add a few sliced bananas on top of the baked and cooled crust. I cannot stand the "artificialness" of banana flavored pudding hence the vanilla flavor with sliced bananas.
• if you decide on vanilla or lemon, top the whole dessert with fresh raspberries or sliced strawberries
• use real whipped cream to make it that much better instead of Cool Whip.
• add 1 cup finely chopped nuts : 1/2 cup in the crust and 1/2 cup sprinkled on top. I've used pecans, but walnuts and almonds would be great too.
• to make this over the top DELISH, make your own pudding :)

Caramel from Sweentened Condensed Milk

Hello out there to all sweetened condensed milk lovers...and who doesn't love the stuff??!!
I had a can of it in the pantry and really needed caramel sauce for a cheesecake dip I wanted to make. Lo and behold, I googled it, and there are 4 different ways you can make caramel sauce or Dulce de Leche with just 1 can of the sweet gooey yummy stuff. Some people boil an unopened can for about 2 hours, but the can can explode and it isn't very safe, so here are the safe alternatives.

Caramel Sauce
OVEN METHOD: Pour 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk into 9-inch pie plate. Cover with aluminum foil; place in larger shallow pan. Fill larger pan with hot water. Bake at 425 degrees for 1 hour or until thick and caramel-colored. Beat until smooth.
STOVE TOP METHOD: Pour sweetened condensed milk into top of double boiler; place over boiling water. Simmer over low heat for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until thick and caramel-colored, stirring occasionally. Beat until smooth.
MICROWAVE METHOD: Pour sweetened condensed milk into a 2-quart glass measuring cup. Cook on 50-percent power (medium) 4 minutes, stirring briskly every 2 minutes until smooth. Cook on 30-percent power (medium-low) 20 to 25 minutes or until very thick and caramel-colored, stirring briskly every 4 minutes during the first 16 minutes and every 2 minutes during the last 4 to 10 minutes.
SLOW COOKER METHOD: Pour a can of sweetened condensed milk into slow cooker, set to low, stir every 45 minutes or so. Takes about 7 hours to turn into rich, brown caramel.

Quick and Easy Caramel Cheesecake Dip
2 (8 oz) blocks cream cheese, room temperature
1 can caramel made from sweetened condensed milk (see above)
1 box graham cracker sticks

In a medium size mixing bowl beat the cream cheese and caramel until smooth. Pour into a bowl and serve with graham cracker sticks. It's like a cheater cheesecake!

what to do with...leftover French Bread

We all have been there. You bought a loaf of French bread or a baguette, ate half and then just let the other half sit on the counter until it was a rock. Bread is so versatile, it can be used in so many recipes. Here are some ways to use up the rest of that loaf, or buy a loaf just so you can make these yummy recipes :)

Spread a toasted slice with peanut butter or Nutella.
Spread a toasted slice with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
Try this Grilled Bread Salad. Great for summer.
Or this one...Panzanella Bread Salad
You can even use a few chunks or slices to thicken up soups, stews or gravy. Just blend some bread with some liquid from whatever your making.

Make your own croutons by trying this recipe here. You can freeze what you don't use immediately in a Ziploc freezer bag. Use on salad, of course, or top your favorite soup.
Make your own breadcrumbs by cutting the leftover bread into chunks and pulsing them in the blender or food processor. I like to leave them unseasoned. Freeze them in a glass mason jar. When you need some for meatballs, breading, or meatloaf, just measure out what you need.

Always a favorite in my house...
Classic French Toast
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk, half and half, or cream
1 T sugar
2 Tbs orange juice
1 tsp orange zest (optional)
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbs cinnamon
pinch of salt
melted butter
8 slices thickly sliced bread

Beat the eggs lightly in a mixing bowl. Add the milk, sugar, orange juice and zest, vanilla, cinnamon and salt and mix well. Heat a griddle or large non-stick skillet over medium heat and brush with melted butter.
Dip the bread in the egg mixture and place on the griddle. Cook until golden brown on the bottom. Turn the bread over and cook until golden brown. Serve with syrup and/or dust with powdered sugar.

If you're in need of a major sugar rush, try Baked French Toast Casserole with Maple Syrup by Paula Deen.
Or a simpler, less sweet Frech toast casserole from allrecipes to get the flavor and feel of French Toast without all the fuss.

One of my favorite things is Apple Bread Pudding. If you don't think bread pudding is your thing, try this recipe to make you a convert. It is delicious!

Apple Caramel Bread Pudding courtesy of Passion for Desserts by Emily Luchetti
4 Golden delicious apples (about 1 3/4 pounds) or whatever apple you prefer
2 Tbs butter
1/3 cup apple juice
2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
scant 1 cup sugar (divided)
8 oz french bread or baguette, cut into 3/4 inch pieces (about 4 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3 cups milk
4 large eggs
5 large egg yolks
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger

Preheat oven to 350. Peel, core and slice the apples 1/4 inch thick.
Cook the apple slices, butter, apple and lemon juices, and 1/4 cup of the sugar in a large saute pan over medium-high heat until the apples are soft, about 15 minutes.

Evenly spread the apple slices in the bottom of a 2 1/2 or 3 quart ovenproof baking dish (I use an 9x13 glass pan). Place the bread pieces on top of the apples.

Stir together 2/3 cup of the sugar and the water in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved, about 3 minutes. Increase to high heat and cook, without stirring, until the sugar is amber colored, 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat. Wearing oven mitts, carefully stir about 1/2 cup of the cream into the caramel. Be careful, as the caramel will sputter when the cream is added. If it sputters violently, stop stirring. Let the bubbles subside and then stir again. Carefully stir in remaining cream. Stir in the milk.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, and salt. Whisk  quarter of the caramel cream into the eggs. Add the remaining caramel cream and whisk until incorporated. Pour the caramel cream into the pan over the apples and bread pieces. Using a metal spatula, gently press the bread pieces into the liquid, coating them.

Bake the bread pudding 30 minutes. While it is baking, stir together the cinnamon, ginger and remaining 1 1/2 Tablespoons sugar in a small bowl. After 30 minutes, sprinkle the sugar over the top of the bread pudding. Continue baking until the tips of the bread pieces are golden brown and a small knife inserted in the middle comes out coated with a thickened custard, about 10-15 minutes. Serve warm with a dollop of whipped cream or scoop of ice cream.

Thanks Leticia for the question and post idea :)