Busy Brunette Bakerista

Growing up in Orange County, my parents had several fruit trees in their backyard. We would pick lemons and oranges that would fill bags we would share with our neighbors. One of my first memories of my mom baking in the kitchen was making these melt-in-your-mouth lemon squares. Here is her recipe... Lemon Tree Lemon Squares Crust: 1 cup butter (2 sticks) at room temperature ½ cup powdered sugar 2 cups flour Filling: 4 eggs 1 / 3 cup lemon juice (about 3 to 4 lemons) ¼ cup flour 2 cups granulated sugar Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together butter, powdered sugar, and flour in a large bowl until mixture is crumbly.  Press into a 9” x 13” baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 25 minutes. While the crust is cooling a bit, whisk together eggs and lemon juice and slowly m ix in the flour and sugar until it’s a gorgeous lemon yellow color.  Pour over the cooked crust and return to oven to bake for 25 m...

Every recipe I've tried in The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook has been so delicious! You need to try these tangy, sweet, and delightful lemon pie bars and they will disappear from the pan. I did add a little lemon zest to the crust and oh, canned whipped cream (don't judge me). Lemon Pie Bars Yield: one 13" x 9" pan   For the crust: 3 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 24 crackers) 12 Tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted 2 Tbsp sugar (and 2 tsp of grated lemon zest) For the filling: 1 cup heavy cream 2 tsp grated lemon zest 1 cup fresh lemon juice Two 14 oz cans sweetened condensed milk 6 large egg yolks canned whipped cream (optional) Position a rack in the middle of  the oven and preheat the oven  to 350° F.  Grease a 9" x 13" inch baking pan and line with parchment, allowing the ends of the paper to hand over two opposite edges of the pan.   To make the crust:   In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker cr...

This simple recipe will have your guests thinking they’ve walked into a formal affair! You can make these delicious, fancy ice cubes for your Mother's Day brunch, bridal shower, or tea party. Add in water, juice, sparkling water, champagne, lemonade, and other cocktails.  Fancy Party Ice Cubes 3 cups water 4 teaspoons pure lemon extract 2 plastic ice cube trays Fresh raspberries Fresh strawberries       {sliced in half} Combine water and lemon extract in a  4-cup liquid measuring cup.  Using two plastic ice cube trays, place one or two sliced berries in each ice cube compartment.  Carefully pour the lemon mixture into the  compartments until  almost  full to the top.  Freeze until firm. Remove ice cubes by  slightly twisting ends of each tray.  Serve in your favorite beverage.

When you tell people your Greek the first question they ask you is "what part of Greece is your family from?" Very true. Being half-Greek I would always answer that my father's family is from the Peloponese part of Greece in a small town called Astros (meaning "star"). Then they know I'm legit. This is a simple dish with great lemon flavor. Yasou! Greek Chicken with Lemon Sauce (Kotopoulo me Avgolemono) 2 – 3 pounds of chicken breasts, cut up into serving sizes 4 Tablespoons butter salt and pepper to taste 1 cup of hot water 1 bunch of scallions/green onions 3 eggs 3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 3 to 4 lemons) dried dill (for garnish) In a Dutch oven, or large pot, melt butter and brown chicken pieces until golden brown on all sides. Sprinkle with salt and pepper as you turn the pieces.  Add hot water and scallions. Stir slightly. Cover with a lid and cook over low heat for 40 minutes.  Meanwhile, i...