Luscious Lemon Bars

while ago my husband came come with a load of fresh off the tree lemons for me. I was excited but there were a lot of lemons. One of the things I did with them was to make lemon bars. We love almost anything and everything lemony in my house so this was perfect. The crust turned out so buttery and the filling was firm but not overly so. The filling melted in your mouth leaving a most pleasant tart lemon after taste. It really was a hit! The recipe makes a 9×13 pan. Other than the two pieces I got out of it…my husband ate it all in maybe a week. And I think I’m being generous with the week. LOL And yes it is already on the to make list again.


Now onto the the recipe!

Crust:
2 Cups Flour
1/2 cup Powder Sugar
1 Cup Butter (2 sticks cut into cubes)
1 Teaspoon Lemon Zest
Add flour and powder sugar into a bowl give it a quick stir with a fork. Now add in cubed butter and zest. Mix well. I used my hands as it was easier and quicker. Press into a 9×13 baking dish, making sure to keep it as even as possible and go up the sides as well. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. You want the crust to be lightly golden as it will cook more with the filling. Let cool for 5 minutes.

Filling:
4 eggs
2 Cups Sugar
1/2 cup Lemon Juice
1/4 cup Flour
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Lemon Zest

Beat the eggs, sugar and lemon juice until light and slightly fluffy. Sift in the flower and baking powder. Mix lightly just to get rid of any lumps. Pour over crust and let bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes. You want the filling to set but not be overly firm. Cool and dust with powder sugar.

Enjoy!

Sausage and Veggie Soup

1 package of mild Italian sausage
1 stick of butter
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
4 mini bell peppers, diced (or one medium bell pepper)
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 can of corn, drained
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 box of chicken or veggie stock
2 cups of water
8 oz of dry pasta
2 tablespoons minced garlic
salt & pepper to taste

In a dutch oven pot saute the onion, carrots and bell pepper in the butter. Add the rest of the vegetables, the stock and water. Bring to a boil and turn down to medium low heat. Add the pasta and let simmer for 30 minutes. While that’s going in a separate pan sear the sausages on all sides. Take off heat and slice. Add back to pan to cook all the way through. Add to the soup while it’s simmering. Top with a little Parmesan Romano cheese and there ya go.

It’s very chunky and filling. I went with the sausages instead of ground pork/sausage because I wanted it to be meatier. It would be just as good without the sausage though.