Lemon Bars

I had some leftover lemons from a punch I made and as I saw them sitting on the counter for 2 days I began to get an immense craving for lemon bars. So I did a little research online and most of the hits I got said that Ina Garten's (Barefoot Contessa) were the best. So I got busy right away. And I must say I have been taking "bites" every half hour since last night. Ridiculous! What have I gotten myself into!

Lemon Bars

For the crust:

1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

For the filling:

6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (4 to 6 lemons)
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup flour
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine the flour and salt and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter until just mixed. Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking sheet, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides. Chill.
Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.
For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.
Cut into triangles and dust with confectioners' sugar.

Samoas Bars

I am a huge fan of Samoas Girl Scout Cookies so when I saw this recipe at Baking Bites I just couldn't resist trying them. They are yummy and so fun to make. Spreading the coconut and carmel can be tricky, use your hands, greased, it is the only way.

Homemade Samoas Bars

Cookie Base:

1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

First, make the crust. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter, until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Working at a low speed, gradually beat in flour and salt until mixture is crumbly, like wet sand. The dough does not need to come together. Pour crumbly dough into prepared pan and press into an even layer. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until base is set and edges are lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack before topping.

Topping

3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
14-oz good-quality chewy caramels
1/4 tsp salt
3 1/2 T milk
10 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips are ok)

Preheat oven to 300. Spread coconut evenly on a baking sheet and toast, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside. Unwrap the caramels and melt with milk and salt either in a sauce pan over low heat or in the microwave. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula. Put dollops of the topping all over the shortbread base. Spread into an even layer. I found that greasing my hands and pressing it down was the easiest. Let topping set until cooled. When cooled, cut into 30 bars with a large knife or a pizza cutter (it’s easy to get it through the topping). Once bars are cut, melt chocolate in a small bowl or saucepan stirring often to avoid scorching. Dip the base of each bar into the chocolate and place on wax paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle bars with chocolate to finish. Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.
Makes 30 bar cookies.

Chicken Chimichangas

I am a sucker for Mexican food, especially chimichangas. So when my sister said she had a recipe that was great and as close to Cafe D (our favorite Mexican place in California where we grew up) as she has had, I knew I was in for a treat. She was right, these are fantastic!

Chicken Chimichangas

2-3 skinless boneless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 1/2 t garlic
1 T + 1/2 t chili powder
1/4 t oregano
1/2 t cumin
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
4 1/2 oz can green chilies
1 cup jack cheese, shredded

Saute onions and add seasonings. Add chicken and chilies. Put about 1/4 of the chicken mixture and some cheese in a tortilla and roll with the ends tucked in. Cook in hot oil until light brown. Serve with guacamole, salsa, sour cream, etc.

This makes 4 chimichangas

Grandma Twinkle's Zucchini Bread

This bread takes me back to my childhood every time I bite into a piece. My Grandma Twinkle used to make it for us and then my mom, now it is my turn. I love recipes that get passed down from one generation to the next. There is something so fulfilling for me to make something that has been made for years.

Grandma Twinkle's Zucchini Bread

3 eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
3 t vanilla
2 cups zucchini, grated
3 cups flour
1 t salt
1 t baking soda
1/4 t baking powder
3 t cinnamon

Beat together eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla. Add zucchini then dry ingredients. Mix well. Divide into 2 greased, loaf pans. Bake at 325 for 1 hour.

Broccoli Salad

I love this to go with anything BBQ or just when I need some veggies with dinner. This salad is so fresh and I love the sweetness of the grapes with the crunch of the fresh broccoli.

Broccoli Salad

2 bunches fresh broccoli
red grapes, cut in half
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/2 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
3 oz sunflower seeds

mix together and set aside
then mix...

1 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sugar
2 T red wine vinegar

Put the dressing over the broccoli mixture right before serving and toss until coated.

Magic Cookie Bars

Also known as the death of me! I can literally eat half of the 9x13 pan ALONE, especially when they are right out of the oven. I love that these are so easy to throw together and I always have everything on hand.

Magic Cookie Bars

1 stick of butter, melted
1 package of graham crackers completely crushed (about 2 cups)

mix these together and press into the bottom of 9x13 pan
then top with...

1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups chocolate chips or half butterscotch chips
1 cup coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

layer in the above order and press lightly into graham cracker crust. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until edges are brown and the coconut looks a little toasted. Cool until set.

Chicken Tikka Masala and Naan Bread

We are HUGE Indian food fans. It all started when we lived in Provo and first experienced the Bombay House. It is this amazing little restaurant where even the servers wear turbans and barely speak english, but the food is heaven. Every Indian restaurant we have visited since is compared to this. Nothing ever compares. I have tried and failed many times to find a recipe that is even remotely close to how good their food is. But I think I have finally found the best and I could kiss the person who's recipe it is. Although I really have no idea who they are. I got these recipes off of the Sister's Cafe, who got the Chicken Tikka Masala recipe off of The Pioneer Woman ... blah, blah, blah... What is important here is that these recipes are outstanding. So thank you to whoever came up with these!

Chicken Tikka Masala

3-4 chicken breasts

1/2 c plain yogurt

6 Tb butter (divided)

cumin

coriander

kosher salt
1 T sugar

1 1/2 c heavy cream

28 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 large onion

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 in. chunk fresh ginger, peeled and minced

Garam Masala
sugar
2 c Basmati rice

optional:

fresh cilantro

chili peppers

turmeric

frozen peas

Start by seasoning the chicken breasts with Kosher salt. Next sprinkle them on both sides with coriander and cumin. Then coat the chicken with the plain yogurt. Set the chicken on a metal cooling rack over a foil-lined cookie sheet and place it about 10-12 inches below a broiler for 5-7 minutes on each side. It should have slightly blackened edges. Remove from oven.

Next dice the onion and saute with 2 Tb butter over med-high heat until slightly browned. As the onions cook, mince your garlic and ginger (1x2 inch peeled chunk). Add to onions with 1 tsp. salt.

At this point add 3 Tb Garam Masala spice (you can look at your grocery store but we had to go to a specialty food store). If you like it hot, add a chili pepper or two. (We did about 1/2 a Serrano pepper and it tasted great. Our 18 month old even loved it!) Add the tomatoes and continue cooking and stirring, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze it. Add about 1 Tb sugar and allow this mixture to simmer on medium for 5 minutes.

To a rice cooker add 2 cups Basmati rice, 4 Tb butter, 1 tsp salt, 1 Tb ground turmeric and 4 c water. Cover, turn on your rice cooker and walk away. If you do not have a rice cooker, cook your rice as usual but make sure you use Basmati. (The turmeric adds a very subtle flavor - it's more about the vibrant yellow color it creates.)

After the Tikka Masala sauce has had a chance to simmer for a bit, puree it in a blender or with an immersion blender or just leave it chunky. Next, add in the 1 1/2 c heavy cream. Now chop up your chicken breasts into chunks and add them into the sauce. A handful of chopped cilantro is a nice addition if you like cilantro. You can also throw some frozen peas into the cooked rice, give them a stir and allow the heat of the rice to cook the peas. It tastes great and gives another nice dash of color. Serve the rice with the Chicken Masala over the top. The Naan bread is a must, it just finishes the meal perfectly!

Naan Bread

14 ounces (about 2 3/4 cups) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons instant yeast

1 egg

1/2 cup plain lowfat yogurt

1/2 cup milk

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl by hand), stir together the flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, and yeast.

In a small bowl, mix together the egg, yogurt, and milk. Pour the egg mixture into the dry ingredients and stir for about 1 minute, until the dry ingredients are completely incorporated into the wet ingredients.Increase machine speed to 2 (or by hand) and knead the dough until it is smooth and shiny.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and cover with a towel. Leave in a warm place to rise until the dough doubles in size, about an hour.

Put a baking stone or heavy baking sheet on the lowest rack of your oven. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees for at least 30 minutes prior to baking.

Divide the dough into eight pieces and form into teardrop shapes with your hands, about 6 to 8 inches across.

Cook two or three pieces at a time. Drop the dough onto the hot stone and shut the oven door, watching until they are just starting to turn brown in places, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Remove the naan and lay on a board. You can lightly brush with melted butter or garlic butter, or just enjoy them plain. We put some garlic powder and chopped fresh parsley in the melted butter.