Lemon Squares | Cookin' It with Kix

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I think I have a thing for lemon bars. OK, I KNOW I have a thing for lemon bars.  As soon as I've discovered THE BEST recipe around, another comes along, and I love it just as much!  

If you think perhaps you do as well, try this recipe. You won't be disappointed!

Maybe it's the universal appeal of lemony lusciousness. Rarely, and I do mean rarely, does anyone turn away a lemon bar, when offered. Maybe it's the universal "season" of lemons  - yes, I know they ripen in the summer in climes where they are grown, but generally you can find them in abundance on your grocers aisle 12 months out of the year.

An’ maybe it's just cuz lemon bars are sooo darn good!

This recipe comes from Cookin' It with Kix my a book club pick from waaaay back in 2016. Of course, I tried it. Of course I loved them! I found the filling to be a perrrrfect consistency, probably because of the 4 eggs. (Any excuse I have to use more eggs around here!) 

Perfect for an Easter table or any early spring gathering!

Ingredients:

CRUST

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 cup powdered sugar

• pinch of salt

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp.

FILLING

• 4 eggs

• 2 cups white sugar

• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

• powdered sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Butter a 9x13 inch baking pan

2. To prepare crust: Combine flour, powdered sugar and salt in large bowl. Cut in butter to make a crumbly mixture. Press teh mix into the buttered pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Do not over cook!

3. To prepare filling: Mix eggs, sugar, flour, and lemon joice. Pour over baked crust, bake for another 25 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar when done. Cool.

4. Cut into squares and serve.

Bacon & Cheddar Doggie Biscuits

In the midst of all this holiday cooking and gathering around our friends and family, let’s not forget about our furry friends!

When it comes to doggies biscuits, I tend to stick to simple and whole food recipes to ensure my pals are getting tasty and nutritious treats!

And when one of my lovely friends sent me photos of the treats she just made her pups I HAD to share them, (with permission of course!) Luckily, she loves to document her recipes through photos and agreed to send them my way! She also confirmed that they were DEVOURED, because they were so yummy!

Here’s the recipe and instructions so you have something to share with your four-legged “fur babies.” No pets of your own? Your friends and neighbors will be touched if you were to gift some to theirs!

Ingredients:

• Oat Flour - 3 Cups

• Bacon (cooked and crumbled) - 8 Strips

• Shredded Cheddar Cheese - 2 Cups

• Eggs - 4

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

2. Add oat flour, bacon, and cheese to a food processor and combine until the ingredients reach a crumble like texture.

3. Then add your eggs

4. Mix

5. Sprinkle flour out onto flat surface and roll the dough out until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Using the cookie cutter of your choice (I used little stars) begin to cut dough into desired shape.

6. Transfer treats onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper

7. Bake for 20 minutes

8. Let cool and then store in your favorite container!

Depending on the size of your cookie cutter this recipe can make 3-4 dozen treats!

“I hope your fur babies enjoy these yummy treats as much as mine did!”
- Angelina

Pasta with Gorgonzola Cheese and Roasted Cauliflower

My nephew, Dalton (sister’s son), and niece, Laurel, (brother’s daughter), got together on Christmas eve and cooked up this “boujee” (their description!) version of my favorite dish - mac’n cheese.

Tender roasted cauliflower florets, Gorgonzola cheese, and the organic pasta they used, sets this apart from my typical elbow macaroni and cheddar dish, and make it special enough to serve at any dinner party of distinction. It’s versatile enough to use as a vegetarian main, or a side. (Perhaps to a halibut filet?)

Dalton and Laurel, a very Cousin Christmas!

Ingredients:

• 1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets (less than an inch)

• ¼ cup olive oil

• ¾ teaspoon

• freshly ground black pepper

• 1 large leeks, halved and thinly sliced

• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

• 8 ounces pasta like farfalle, bowtie, or fusilli

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed

• 6 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

• chives for serving

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, toss cauliflower, leeks, and garlic with olive oil, salt and 3-4 twists of freshly ground black pepper. Spread in a single layer onto a baking sheet or roulade pan and bake for about 35-40 minutes until cauliflower is tender and all veggies are caramelized.

3. Cook pasta in large stock pot of salted boiling water - remove from heat just BEFORE it is al dente. Remove about 1 cup of the water - set aside, then drain the pot.

4. Return the pasta to the pot, add the butter, Gorgonzola, a few more twists of the black pepper and 1/2 cup pasta water. Stir thoroughly until cheese is melted and evenly distributed.

5. Add the roasted florets. leeks, and garlic to the pasta, then season with additional salt and pepper (if desired). If it is too dry, add more of the reserved pasta water.

6. Dish into shallow serving bowls and garnish with chopped chives. Serve it up warm and delicious!

After carefully taste-testing and much discussion, our two burgeoning chefs decided it could be made even a little more extra by adding crab or lobster to the mix. I have to agree.