Food Network Lemon Squares

Sometimes, even though it is 90 degrees outside and 80 inside, a girl has to turn on her oven. When I saw the recipe for Lemon Squares (they call them Lemon Bars) in Food Network's March issue I knew I was going to have to make them.



I've been making the same lemon squares recipe for years and years, but I'm always up for trying something new! Ultimately, my old recipe is still my favorite. These squares came out with more of a custardy texture and I like my lemon squares a bit lighter. But, if you were to walk into a bakery and buy a lemon square you would get something more like this new recipe. These are definitely more gourmet and less bake sale. :)

You will need:

For the crust:
1 1/2 sticks cold, diced butter (Smart Balance)
2 cups flour (calls for all-purpose, but I used white whole wheat)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup powdered sugar (you'll need more for dusting later)
1/4 tsp salt
***************************
For the filling:
4 large eggs
2 egg yolks
2 cups sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 tsp lemon zest
1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 8 lemons)





Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 9x13 pan with foil. Grease with vegetable oil, butter, or cooking spray. Food Network suggests veg oil, but I used cooking spray.


Pulse the butter, flour, sugars, and salt in a food processor or use to knives to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until mixture comes together.



Press mixture into the bottom of your greased, foil-lined pan.



Bake for 25 minutes or until the crust is golden.



Meanwhile, the filling! Whisk together the whole eggs and yolks, sugar, and flour in a large bowl.



Then add the lemon juice and zest and whisk until frothy, about one minute.



When the crust is done, remove from oven and reduce the heat to 300 degrees. Pour the filling onto the hot crust and return to oven.



Bake for 30-35 minutes and the filling is set.



Let the bars cool in the pan on a wire rack and then refrigerate them until they are firm. When they are firm, lift them out of the pan using the foil. Dust with powdered sugar.



Then cut into squares.



Now feast!!



You are going to want at least two more. :) These won't last long!! Thick, rich, with an amazing blend of sweet and lemon. YUM!



Enjoy!!

Surprise Mashed "Potatoes"

The girls and I were watching Food Network Challenge Sesame Street Cakes on tv the other night. The bakers got to meet the characters and even got to visit Sesame Street. (!!!) While one baker was interviewing Elmo about the cake she was making with his image Elmo said, "cake is a sometimes food." And so it has become in this household, sadly. (It didn't used to be this way.) Potatoes have joined cake, cupcakes, cookies, and brownies on the "sometimes" list. Oh, how we love potatoes in this family. Hash browns, mashed, sauteed, baked, in pot pies, in stews and soups, and (my personal favorite) sliced and layered with cheese, flour, and milk in my Pampered chef pan. I'm drooling! Steaks, roasts, everything just tastes better with a side of potatoes. So I had to find a substitute. I dug out my old South Beach Diet cookbook to find the recipe for Surprise Mashed "Potatoes." I've heard many, many good things about the recipe, but was always skeptical. But I was in the throws of major potato withdrawal, desperation fueled my every step. I tried it, I compared it to potatoes, and...I loved it. Really! A bit sweeter than regular mashed potatoes, but otherwise very little difference. Maybe a little less dense, but I wouldn't lie to you. This recipe is very good and will satisfy your potato cravings! Especially with a side of steak.

So here's what you will need:

1 bag frozen cauliflower (not thawed)
1 T butter
2T half and half (or milk)
garlic salt to taste (or regular salt)
pepper to taste
food processor (or blender)
*****************
optional:
rice cooker/vegetable steamer





I have a vegetable steamer so I will give you the directions using one, but if you don't have one, steam your cauliflower any way you like. Just make sure that the cauliflower is softer (more well done) than you would cook it if you were just going to eat it. Your fork should just slide right through with no resistance.

Assemble your steamer with full water on the bottom and the cauliflower in the tray/bowl with the holes. (It probably has a name, but I lost my booklet on my steamer a loooong time ago.) You don't need the rice bowl. Put the whole bag of frozen cauliflower in the steamer.



Set the timer for 30 minutes.



When it is ready, remove the cauliflower in its little tray and pour it into the food processor or blender. Do not add any of the water from the steamer. A note of caution: never try to open your steamer without hot pads or the Ove Glove on each hand. The very first time I used my steamer I steamed my fingers and had to go to the hospital and get a tetanus shot. To this day when it rains they cramp up... :) :)



Add your butter, milk or cream, salt, and pepper. I really like the little bit of flavor that garlic salt adds to these "potatoes."



Now pulse, pulse, pulse until it's all smooth.



Very creamy, super yummy.



Did I mention incredibly cheap?? Less than $2 for the bag of cauliflower and you probably already have the milk and butter on hand. This recipe will feed a family of four with a couple of second helpings. Your little kids may not be able to tell the difference at all. Slap a little fat free gravy on top and I bet they will lap it up. Big kids won't be fooled, my two weren't. But they did like it. Not as much as mashed potatoes, though.


*note: Sadly, Elmo's cake didn't win the Challenge.

Food Network Copycat Breadsticks

I was so excited to get a new issue of Food Network Magazine this month! They have the most amazing recipes and photographs of food. True food porn and I am addicted. My favorite part of the magazine may be the Recipe Index. Instead of descriptions of articles with page numbers, they list every piece of food with a thumbnail image and page number. Brilliant. It also has a section called Weeknight Cooking, which details a number of entrees (including a budget-friendly one), sides, salads, tips, and a dessert. Then there is Fun Cooking. For the June/July issue they made a copycat recipe of Olive Garden's breadsticks and let me tell you, it is spot on.

For the dough:
1 package active dry yeast
4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (I used bread flour)
2 T butter, softened
2 T sugar
1 T salt (I used 1 tsp kosher salt)

For the topping:
3 T butter, melted
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/8 to 1/4 tsp garlic powder
Pinch of dried oregano



Why I used bread flour...I was running low on all-purpose, true, but I always prefer to use bread flour. It is higher in gluten, which gives you more rise and a chewiness that I love in bread. Also, bread flour has a small amount of barley, which helps the yeast retain its gas. (I can hear my kids laughing at that explanation.)



Place 1/4 cup very warm water in the mixer bowl with the yeast and leave it alone for 5 minutes or until it looks like this:



Add the flour, butter, sugar, salt, and 1 1/4 cups plus 2 T warm water and mix with the paddle attachment until a slightly sticky dough forms, about 5 minutes.




This dough is a beautiful, wonderful thing. I wanted to name it (Pierre?) and keep it as a pet. Perfect texture. (It kind of looks like a Thanksgiving turkey in the picture, though, doesn't it?)

The recipe suggests kneading the dough on a floured surface for about 3 minutes, until it is very soft and smooth. I didn't want to stop kneading.



Ah, Pierre. You are so beautiful...to me.

Roll the dough into a 2-foot-long log. I spread out some wax paper, floured it, and then made small marks to delineate the 2-foot length.



Cut into 16 1 1/2 inch-long pieces. Despite using a measuring tape, I did not have perfectly even pieces. I do not blame Pierre.



Knead each piece into a 7-inch-long breadstick and place them 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. I used two sheets.



Cover with a lightweight dish towel in a warm spot until almost doubled, about 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 400. After they have doubled, brush them with 1 1/2 T butter and 1/4 tsp salt. The recipe calls for sprinkling on the salt, but I mixed it with the butter.



Bake for 15 minutes then brush with remaining butter and sprinkle with the salt, garlic powder, and oregano. (Again, I mixed it all together and brushed it on.)