Luscious Fresh Lemon Bars

When you get the chance to pick ripe lemons off a tree this is the recipe for you.  Really it can happen.  In Tuscon, Arizona at the KOA you can camp and pick a bag of lemons off the tree beside you.  Our friends met us for lunch the other day with a big bag of ripe fresh picked lemons.  Oooohhh, my mouth is puckering now.
I stole this recipe from a cookbook that I found in a lending library.  Cookbook is called "Gramdma's Favorites".   Yes this is one of my new favourites.   The lemon layer is like a custard, gooey and good.

Crust
1/2 cup very soft butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
grated lemon peel from 1 lemon
Lemon Layer
4 eggs
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
grated peel of 1 lemon
juice of 1 to 2 fresh lemons - need at least 6 tablespoons
1 teaspoon vanilla
confectioners sugar to dust before serving

Make the crust in a baking tin 13 x 9 x 2.  I used a foil pan and it worked great.
To save washing a bowl I put the ingredients all together into the baking pan and worked it together with a fork.  When evenly mixed I used a spatula to pat it down.
Bake this crust at 350F for 15 minutes.

In meantime make the lemon layer mix.  Large bowl.  Whisk the 4 eggs together till mixed, I did it with a hand whisk.  In a 2nd bowl add the flour, sugar, baking powder and blend with a fork.  Then slowly add this dry mixture to the eggs.  Beating with the hand whisk.  Next add the lemon peel, vanilla and whisk.  Last add is the lemon juice, but slowly while beating with the whisk, not all at once.
Then pour this wet mixture over the crust.  Put the pan back in the oven at 350F for 25 minutes.  After baked let it cool and cut into squares with a wet bladed knife.  Dust with icing sugar when serving.

Devilled eggs

Summertime food.  Just can't beat a plate of these anytime you have a few people over. Never one left:)

Boiled eggs -the trick is fill your pan with number if eggs and add enough cold water to cover.  Stay beside the burner till you see the water boiling.  From that point put on the timer for 4 minutes.  Leave the heat high enough to keep a constant boil.  Turn off after 4 minutes.  Leave eggs in water till cooler.   Then put what's in fridge. 

Shell the eggs by tapping and running under water.  Then peel and wash to remove any bits of egg shell. 

Cut in half and plate the whites.  Take the yolks out with spoon into a bowl.  Add sprinkle of cayenne pepper, salt, black pepper, 1 good size teaspoon of dry mustard, 2 tablespoons of Hellmans Mayo.  Mix with fork and taste.  Add mayo if needed for whip type consistency.   Spoon egg yolk mixture back into eggs and cover.  Can be made 1 day ahead.   

Green Omelet - Spinach Omelet

This was my St. Patty's Day Breakfast! 

1 tsp olive oil brushed on non-stick pan
2 eggs mixed in a bowl
2 handfuls of raw spinach
1 slice swiss cheese cut in half
1 non stick pan

1)heat pan on stove med-high with olive oil and pour eggs into it
2)while cooking cover with handfuls of spinach
3)cook about 5 minutes then using flipper separate omelet in half if you are not good at flipping all at one time - or flip in 1 piece
4)top with swiss cheese and flip over on top each other making omelet
5)shut off heat and put lid on to melt cheese

Creative Quiche

Ham, Green Pepper & Cheddar Quiche

I like to keep it simple and use only 3 ingredients added to the egg mixture; one being a flavour of cheese, 1 vegetable and 1 meat, or 2 vegetables.  When the boys moved in together last fall I took them a food care package and it had 6 different quiches.  Which is actually really easy since my pie crust recipe makes enough for six pies, so then you just do the egg mixture times six and add the toppings to each.  I baked them and froze them so all they had to do was warm up in the microwave -they loved them.  I had two types of cheese grated and ready; old cheddar and swiss.  For the meat I had old fashioned ham and bacon precooked.  Veggies were red or green peppers, green onions, broccoli, leek, and sliced tomato (right that is a fruit).  I mixed them up as I went and had one just veggie too. I made the regular old fashioned egg mixture (thanks to Betty Crocker) but there is also a low cal version that I use for us at home.  I will show them both below.  

This makes the Betty Crocker style:
Pastry for 9" pie  (homemade for 6 pies next posting) or you can purchase frozen pie crust 
200 grams meat sliced and cut into 1/2 inch pieces or strips - old fashioned ham or 6 precooked bacon or 8 oz. canned crabmeat is great too
1/2 cup cut up veggie of your choice - green pepper, red pepper, leek, green onion, broccoli, sliced roma tomato
1 cup grated cheese - choose from cheddar, swiss, or any other you like
2 large eggs
1 cup whipping cream or 20% cream
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
fresh parsley chopped 

Heat oven to 425F.  Have pie crust in pie tin.  Sprinkle the pie crust with meat, veggie and cheese.  Beat eggs, cream and spices with hand mixer till frothy (couple of minutes).  Pour into pie crust.  Bake 15 minutes at 425F, then lower to 300F and bake for another 30 minutes, remove from oven.  Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting to allow egg to set. Cut into wedges and serve with green salad for a wonderful meal.


Low Fat version from LooneySpoons
Preheat oven to 375F.
Same as above except for the egg mixture.  
No cream or whole eggs.
Use 1 cup fat-free egg substitute and 1/2 cup canned evaporated 2% Carnation Partly Skimmed Milk 
Assembly quiche as above and bake for 35 to 40 minutes in 375F oven and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Rosti - Potato Pancake

In our house breakfast is probably my favorite meal.   It's funny cause I find that many of my breakfast entrees are also good to eat for a quick dinner meal as well.  My oldest son loves eating this and I think making it too since it can be prepared in the same pan that you bake it in and ultimately he might even eat right from the pan when no one else is around!  I can see him adding some diced hot pepper in just to turn it up a notch :)
Rosti is a traditional Swiss potato pancake.

Use an oven capable no stick pan and very thick oven mitts - the pan will be extremely hot at serving.
Preheat oven to 425F.
6 slices of bacon cut into 1/2" pcs - fry on top of stove till cooked through but not too crispy
1/2 sweet bell pepper chopped + 1/2 spanish onion chopped + 2 raw grated potatoes - put these into the pan and cook until slightly softened
In a bowl beat (with a fork) 4 large eggs + a swig of milk or Egg Beaters Original  then pour over top of the mixture in the pan. Add kosher salt, pepper and parsley.  Move pan directly into the hot oven and bake for about 10 minutes.  Egg mixture will be somewhat puffy and firm.   Turn off your oven and add some grated cheese to the top of the pan.  Close oven door for a few minutes and it will be ready to serve.   If you want to make it a dinner serve it with a salad.


This is a recipe that never comes out the same since it will be very personal or whatever is in the fridge that day!   You could turn this into a straight vegetarian if you like and omit the meat.   Instead of bacon you use sausage (pork or turkey) or ham (if ham use about 1 tbsp olive oil with it).  Peppers and onions can be substituted for asparagus, scallions, leek, any colour of pepper.  Even the hot peppers if you want it spicy.  The two ingredients that must remain constant are the potatoes and the eggs.