Food Lush

My Favorite Lemon Bars

Editor's note: For our last week at Food Lush, I've asked the writers to share both a favorite post by another writer, from over the last three years, and a favorite post of their own. You'll see these posts linked to at the top of their new post for the week. Enjoy a stroll down Lush memory lane!

By Julie

I really wanted to do justice to Food Lush in this final post, to leave something at the finish line that not only made me and the lovely editors proud, but something that could make you happy.  I have gotten so much joy from being a part of this site, and I am thankful for every moment, every word, and every one of you out there.

In looking back, the most memorable post for me was Erica's Homemade Childhood Favorites, because, as a mom, I am always on the lookout for foods my kids will want to eat that doesn't come from a box. This one hit me square between the eyes.

And as for my posts, my favorite is probably my recollection of making my daughter's birthday cake, because of the gargantuan effort it took and the enormous number of mistakes I made along the way. But mostly because it was so fun in the end. Just like today!

***

Fun fact: I was named after the character Julie on Days of Our Lives. It should come as no surprise then that one of my guilty pleasures is watching the occasional soap opera (OK, maybe more than occasional, ahem, especially in college, but I digress), and perhaps perusing a magazine on the subject now and again. Today, I share my (minor, totally manageable, slightly embarrassing) addiction for your benefit, because, years ago, I found this fabulous recipe in Soap Opera Digest.

I present the most delicious lemon bars (or squares, depending on the shape you cut), courtesy of Suzanne Rogers, Maggie on Days. I've made these many times for my family and friends, and even some of my fellow Lush writers, and they are always a hit. This is my go-to non-chocolate dessert, a little taste of summer any time of the year.

Lemon Squares

Ingredients the First:

1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 pound salted, softened butter

Mix together and press into a 9 X 13-inch dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. (Depending on your oven, check after 20 minutes.)

Ingredients the Second:

4 eggs
4 tablespoons flour
6 tablespoons lemon juice (fresh is good, but regular ol' bottled juice works just as well)
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Mix these ingredients while the crust bakes. Remove crust from the oven.  While the crust is still hot, pour the new mixture on top and bake for 25 more minutes. (Again, depending on your oven, check after 20 minutes.) Remove from oven and let cool in dish. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. After it has cooled completely, cut into desired portions.

(Photo Credit: en.wikipedia.org)

Let's Go Out on a (sugar) High Note: Sugar Cookie Bars!

Editor's note: For our last week at Food Lush, I've asked the writers to share both a favorite post by another writer, from over the last three years, and a favorite post of their own. You'll see these posts linked to at the top of their new post for the week. Enjoy a stroll down Lush memory lane!

by Caitlin

I know plenty of others before me have already said this: but I had a hard time choosing a favorite post to share with you all. It's been such fun for me to write here, to reconnect with some of you reading, and to be part of this little community. I can hardly believe I've been doing it for almost two years. I have long wondered how Jennie does it all, and fully support her decision to step away. But, oh, I will miss it here. I will miss you. Thank you for reading along, talking about food, sharing your food memories with me, and being part of this adventure. So, until next time: the recipe I make most from this site is probably Sarah's versatile marinade. And my favorite post of mine has to be this one, about my Gram. A perfect bittersweet note to end on.

***

So! Does anyone else feel like blasting Vitamin C's classic hit Friends Forever - Graduation Song?

 

"If you got somethin' that ya need to say you better say it right now cuz you don't have another day."

Here's what I have to say.

A) I'll always have a soft spot for late 90s belly shirts and hackey sacks.

B) TODAY is Day 30. 30 days of grain-free, whole foods, no added sugar, no alcohol, no nothing? DUNZO. Fruit, vegetables, meat, seafood, nuts, seeds, oils. There was a lot of coconut. 30 days. I can't believe it.

C) I'm not sure what I'm going to eat tomorrow, other than oats for breakfast. It's a little scary, actually. They recommend you reintroduce things slowly to see how your body reacts with the clean slate it has to work with. And that's great and I totally get it, I just don't know exactly how that looks for me yet. I'm just going to take it one day at a time. At some point I plan on trying dairy, and at some point I will try gluten again, and then I shall make these delicious sugar cookie bars. 

Photo from dinnersdishesanddesserts.com

Back in December my friend Jen posted on twitter about the angels she heard singing when she made something magical called "sugar cookie bars." And the thing you need to know about me is that I LOVE sugar cookies. A nice soft, chewy, fat sugar cookie with frosting and sprinkles? GIMME. But I hate rolling out cookies and dealing with all that. It's so much work and I can never find a recipe that gives me the exact cookie I want. I'm a sucker for those horrible grocery store cookies that are round and topped with seasonally appropriate colored frosting and sprinkles (I think they're called Lofthouse?). They're full of nasty ingredients and probably dye your insides the same seasonally appropriate shade, so I don't buy them, except maybe once a year. Maybe. And then I eat one or two and throw the rest away. 

All of this is a long way of saying that while I really wanted to make sugar cookies at Christmas, I also really wanted to NOT make sugar cookies at Christmas. Enter this recipe. It was so easy, and so good, and I no longer see the point of cut-out cookies, unless someone else is making them. Sugar cookie bars! SUGAR COOKIE BARS! How had no one thought of this sooner??

I halved the recipe and made it in an 8x8 pan, and I had a hard time getting the cook time right. The first batch was way undercooked, the second was over - so far over I had to throw it away. It turns out that slightly underbaked sugar cookie bars are actually delicious, if a bit much. Next time I make them I'm going to have to be much more careful watching the cook time. I am willing to experiment and get it right though. For science.

The buttercream is the perfect consistency, the dough is soft and chewy, and the right sprinkles - I did a layer of sanding sugar, then a layer of Christmas colored jimmies - tie it together perfectly for look and crunch. They'd be fitting for any holiday (Valentine's! St. Paddy's Day, Easter! Rainbow sprinkles for summer, fall colors, Halloween! Thanksgiving and Christmas!), a shower, a birthday party, or just because HEY, sugar cookies are DELICIOUS and you just ate nothing but pure, whole foods for a month. Good luck having two bites and slipping into a diabetic coma, crazy.

Have you made sugar cookie bars? Do YOU have a favorite Food Lush post? I'll miss you!

Melt Aways: My Favorite Cookie

Editor's note: For our last week at Food Lush, I've asked the writers to share both a favorite post by another writer, from over the last three years, and a favorite post of their own. You'll see these posts linked to at the top of their new post for the week. Enjoy a stroll down Lush memory lane!

by Elsha

There are SO many posts I refer to regularly, but I especially love this cauliflower pizza crust from Carrie (even my kids like it!) From my own posts, I'll have to link to this one about cleaning your stovetop, because everyone should know this.

***

For my last post here at Food Lush I've decided to leave you with the recipe for my very favorite cookies: melt aways. I've posted many cookie recipes in my time here, but I've held out on posting this one because my mom is a little more protective of this recipe than the others. But I just can't leave you without it, because these cookies are seriously the best.

(Sorry, my only picture is from our Christmas baking extravaganza. They're the ones with the green frosting.)

Melt Aways:

Beat until well mixed:

1/2 lb butter (don't substitute)

3/4 cups cornstarch

Add:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 cup flour

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

For the frosting beat 3 oz cream cheese, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1 cup powdered sugar.

These are simple to make and they literally melt in your mouth (hence the name.) Don't leave the frosting off though, or you won't get the whole effect. The only tricky part is making sure you don't over-soften your butter. The dough should border on being crumbly. If it's really gooey or sticky you can refrigerate it to firm it up some. The recipe makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies and if I'm not careful I can eat them all by myself.

Now, who wants to come over so I can make these for you?

Brownie, salted caramel, and pretzel sundaes

by Katie

Back when my husband and I used to go out for dinner a lot more often than we do now, one of our standby places, particularly for dessert, was a great spot called Hot Chocolate. Mindy Segal, the proprietor, is a pastry chef extraordinare, so the desserts are to die for (though they also have a full, and very tasty, savory menu.) Our favorite dessert was one of the signature dishes, called "Chocolate #1," which featured a rich chocolate mousse cake, a salted caramel ice cream, and a homemade pretzel on top:

(Photo from: sweettoothchicago.wordpress.com)

Man, that was some good dessert.

We had some friends over for dinner recently and I thought hey, why not try to recreate that at home? I made a batch of Smitten Kitchen's favorite brownies, a batch of Jeni's salty caramel ice cream, and crushed up some Trader Joe's pretzel slims. I cut the brownies into small cubes and put them in a bowl, set the ice cream and a scoop alongside it, and let people assemble their own sundaes.

Was it as transcendent as the real deal? No. But it was pretty darn good, and a big hit with our guests. If you're not in the mood to make the ice cream, I bet Haagen Dazs dulce de leche would be a nice choice here, too. It's just hard to beat the combination of chocolate, caramel, and salt.

Chocolate-Covered Cherries

By Ariel

I know! No one wants to hear about more sweets, but this little gem I found floating around on Pinterest from KraftRecipes.com is too cute and delicious not to share with the world.

Last year I got all googly-eyed for Oreo Truffles. This year I stuck a cherry in them.

Traditional chocolate-covered cherries are my absolute favorite. I just used normal Oreos for these, no fancy peppermint to be found this year. I didn't use any of the food coloring or sugar. I dipped the Oreo balls in regular milk chocolate (chocolate-covered CHOCOLATE). The red icing is melted cherry morsels, which are really hard to swirl prettily over chocolates:

Yeah. Working on the pretty part. Red accent aside, these were gobbled up and feedback was great. For how easy they are to do, simply flatten an Oreo ball and wrap around the cherry, you can't go wrong when you want to impress. 

And that's it! I promise to be more health conscious for at least a week or two! Anyone still have leftover sweets hanging around?

Note: January 3rd was National Chocolate Covered Cherry Day, so you can have a belated celebration!

Bread Pudding

By Jessica

In my opinion, dessert is the one food item that shouldn't be polarizing. It's DESSERT. It's the thing that you were the most excited about ALWAYS as a kid. It's the thing you bargained for and your parents bargained with, the thing that got you through that most hated vegetable (whatever your particular flavor of vegetable might happen to be). And yet, strong opinions abound. Are you a chocolate person? Are you more of a fruit person? Do you consider anything containing raisins an abomination? This is where I contradict my own opening premise. Because, raisins are the fru-its of the de-vil, raisins are little chewy, dried bits of evil. Do you happen to be a hater of bread pudding? Because apparently there are a lot of those out there as well.

I think the thing with bread pudding is that it can go right or it can go VERY WRONG in the texture department. It should never be the texture of baby food. NEVER. You should be able to clearly make out the torn (or cut) bits of bread. It should be a bit crusty on the top and the edges. You should have some degrees in softness. 

It should be GOOD.

And if it avoids raisins? Hey, that's as it should be.

The above bread pudding is a modification I made to this recipe. Essentially, I followed it as written but removed the raisins (OBVIOUSLY) and subbed the zest of a tangerine, you could add more if you want it more heavily scented, and a handful of good quality chocolate chips. 

For the bread I used a Pane Luciane I picked up at my local Central Market. It's a really dense bread that holds up well to the custard so you don't get any of that mushy nonsense you sometimes get served under the guise of bread pudding. 

What's your take on bread pudding?

Gluten Free Corner: Late July Green Mojo, and a Bonus Snack Idea.

by Slynnro

I've waxed poetically before on my blog about my obsession with Late July chips, and Caitlin has blogged about their ranch chips on Food Lush as well (confession: I'm the only sorority girl on earth that hates Ranch things). I have quietly been inhaling bag after bag of Sea Salt by the Sea Shore chips. And, lo, they are delicious. But then....I bought a bag of Mild Green Mojo and my life totally changed.  

I've been trying to come up with a way to describe the flavor of these chips, but honestly I cannot. Except to say my obsession with them is such that I have to MEASURE OUT SERVINGS and put them in bags so that I don't accidentally eat the entire bag in one sitting. We are in serious love, Mild Green Mojo and Me, and will be personally offended if you don't go buy some of these chips posthaste. I usually get mine at Whole Foods, but I actually did see them recently at Albertson's, so hopefully they will be available at more average grocery stores at a more reasonable price. Regular price is around $4.99 for a bag, but I am having good luck spotting them on sale for $2.99. Not only are these chips perfect on their own, I have been enjoying scooping up my Chipotle salad with them lately as well.

Beyond my obsession with these chips, I have a new dirty little snacking secret. I have always loved Annie's Graham Bunnies, and there is always a box in my bag when I travel. My favorite of the lot is most definitely the Ginger Snap variety:

Now, I AM a sorority girl in that I am always trying to find myself some kind of low cal sweet snack, and I have eaten an embarrassing number of tubs of Cool Whip with a spoon. I spotted some Tru Whip at Whole Foods and decided to give it a try. This stuff is leaps and bounds better that Cool Whip -- it has a very ice-creamy consistency. And in a moment of inspiration, I combined my Annie's Bunnies with my Tru Whip and my own little low calorie McFlurry was born. After discovering the deliciousness of this combination, I took my snack ambitions a step further and stirred a (large) amount of Bunnies into a Tru Whip container and put it back in the freezer.  

OH WOW.

This snack is not something to tell your nutritionist about, but its something to enjoy on occasion without any guilt. It's addictive. Don't say I didn't warn you!

Granny's Lemon Pound Cake

By Erica H.

The lemon pound cake has been such a ubiquitous presence at family holiday meals since I was a kid that I 1) often forget that it's not a staple in every household and 2) am constantly surprised that other versions of pound cake exist. Did you know they make it in chocolate? And caramel apple? There's even a lovely-looking plain version right here in the Food Lush archives. But oh, lemon. The seasonal bounty of winter may get a bad rap, but bright citrus can turn around a gloomy day like no other. Particularly when that bright citrus is shining through an irresponsibly thick layer of butter and sugar.

This is my Granny's favorite cake, and she is 92, so you know she's not messing around.

Lemon Pound Cake

• 1 1/2 c. butter
• 3 c. sugar
• 5 eggs
• 3 c. flour
• 1 c. warm milk
• 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1 t. vanilla
• 1/2 t. lemon extract
• 1/2 t. orange extract

Bring the butter and eggs to room temperature.

Beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. ("Thoroughly" is the original wording, but I would amend it to read "to an extent that feels excessive." Really, really beat them.)

Sift flour and add alternatly with milk.

Mix in baking powder vanilla, and orange and lemon extracts.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes at 350 degrees in tube or bundt pan. DO NOT PREHEAT OVEN.

Coat warm cake with Lemon Glaze.

Lemon Glaze

• 3 T. milk
• 3 T. butter
• 2 c. sifted confectioner's sugar
• 3 T. lemon juice
• 1 T. grated lemon zest

Heat milk and butter until butter melts. Pour over sugar and stirt until smooth. Add lemon juice and zest and blend well.

Of course, you don't have to glaze it. (I definitely think you should glaze it.) And by no means do you have to confine the finished product to dessert. There have been many slices of toasted pound cake on our breakfast table throughout the years. You could even use two slices to make a fried ham and cheese sandwich like some demented Monte Cristo, though clearly you'd have to be a madman to attempt it.

(All photo credit mine, all pound cake credit my mother's.)

Baking Bucket List: Bûche de Noël

by Maura

Years and years ago (circa 2008), I didn't cook. If it didn't involve butter, flour, and sugar, I didn't make it. I baked and that was it. Ironically, I was 10lbs thinner, but that is neither here nor there. I was so into baking that I was even part of a group called the Daring Bakers. Each month, I would participate in a baking challenge with hundreds of other bakers. I made eclairs, opera cakes, Julia Child's French bread, apple strudel, and lemon meringue pie, among other recipes. You can see some of them on my now-defunct blog, MauraLessa (fka AnonymousNY).

(Image credit: bonappetit.com)

The one challenge I regret I did not tackle was the Bûche de Noël. A traditional French dessert served around Christmas, the Bûche de Noël is an impressive accomplishment. Also known as a Yule Log, the Bûche de Noël is a vanilla genoise cake with chocolate butter cream icing, rolled into a log. The outside of the cake is frosted with chocolate icing and decorated to look like a tree log. Many other types of cakes and fillings can be used, but genoise and chocolate butter cream is traditional. 

(image credit: epicurious.com)

There are very few things I have an interest in baking these days; as I get older, I prefer savory over sweet. However, I will one day make a Yule Log for Christmas.

Have you ever made a Bûche de Noël? Do you have any desserts on your baking bucket list?

Making salted caramels at home: Tips, tricks, and hard-won lessons

by Katie

So! Those of you who know me from Twitter have already heard me whine about my weekend, wherein I made FOUR BATCHES of caramels that came out hard as rocks, and it wasn't until the fifth time that I finally got it right, and even then they were still a little firmer than I like, but WHATEVER, I AM CALLING IT GOOD.

(Four! Batches! In the trash!)

The weirdest thing is, I have used this same recipe for YEARS without incident (this one from Ina Garten: it's great, try it, skip the vanilla and don't bother rolling them). So while I had been planning to write an encouraging "Caramels! So easy! Don't be intimidated!" post, this has instead morphed into a "Caramels! I still recommend making them, but perhaps let me share a little bit of the wisdom of my experience" kind of thing.

If you have no intention of ever making caramels at home, or if you cannot believe I am wasting this many words on the topic, I will understand if you click away. No hard feelings. For those of you who ARE considering caramel-making, however, and find yourselves intimidated: read on.

TIPS AND TRICKS FOR CARAMEL-MAKING

TEMPERATURE IS EVERYTHING. It is from this truth that all other advice derives. A difference of only a few degrees can be the difference between caramel sauce that never sets up and “caramels” so hard that they’ll break your teeth. This is where I’m fairly certain all my problems were this weekend, and this is the topic about which I have notes. Many, many notes. Sorry.

First, the basics: there is a two-step process to most caramel recipes: in the first, you heat sugar with some corn syrup and maybe some water to a very high heat while the sugar takes on color; and in the second, you add scalded butter and cream to the cooked sugar and cook it again, this time to a very precise temperature. The temperature does not matter nearly so much in the first  step- you’re just building flavor. Let it go a nice long time until it gets deep amber.  Really the only thing you have to watch is not to burn it- just watch it closely, no thermometer needed.

The second step, when you add the butter and cream back into the cooked sugar, is where things get precise. The exact target temperature will vary by recipe (based, in my limited understanding, on the ratio of sugar to cream/fat) but will likely fall somewhere in the range of 240-250 degrees. You'll want a candy thermometer for this. My tips:

• LOW AND SLOW. Use a medium-low flame. Seriously. The biggest risk, and the thing that kept screwing me up this weekend, is that you blow right past your target temperature. At high heat, this is harder to avoid.

• Move your thermometer around. There are likely to be hot spots on your stove and your pot. Find them, and put the thermometer THERE. You want to remove the candy as soon as the hottest part of your pot hits your target temperature. 

• Fits and starts. In my experience, sugar does not heat on an even trajectory. It will stall out, then suddenly surge up, then cool back down. I am not a scientist, I cannot explain exactly what is happening here- something about evaporation? And chemistry? But it is normal. Do not be tempted to turn up the heat if you see the temperature going down- it will come back up eventually.

• Skip the water brushing. Virtually every caramel recipe I’ve ever read insists that you should brush down the sides of the pot with water to avoid crystallizing and gritty texture. SKIP THIS. Seriously, you’ve got enough to worry about, and I’ve never seen it happen (apparently the corn syrup in most recipes is designed to prevent all that chain crystallizing reaction business anyway.)

• Be ready to work quickly. Have your pan greased and ready before you start cooking. Watch that thermometer like a hawk. And when you hit your target temperature, pull the candy off the flame immediately. The residual heat from the pan will keep things heating up.

My best guess about my failures this weekend is that my hot stove and heavy pan created enough heat that I kept blowing the target temperature: the batch that finally worked was the one where I pulled it off the flame at 240, instead of 248. In my opinion, it’s far better to serve your friends slightly-squishy caramels than inadvertent Werthers-style hard candies. When in doubt, err on the side of too soon.

After all this, though, I still say: worth it. I made caramels for YEARS with no problems, and even after this year's debacle, they're still a great, tasty, impressive gift. Happy candy making!