Lots Of Activity In My Kitchen

I have been spending a lot of time in my kitchen lately...I'm not complaining about it at all. I have made some pretty yummy stuff as of late and have a lot that I want to share with all of you today!

Earlier this week a site that I like on Facebook posted a picture of a Lemon Tart that they had made, and it looked delicious!!!! It had me drooling, and got me thinking....I had a large lemon in the house that I needed to use up and thought that instead of using it in my drinking water I would bake something with it...GOOD IDEA!!!! :-) Another friend of mine had commented on the Facebook picture and since I was going to be seeing her at BSF on Wednesday morning I thought it would be nice to share! She was thrilled, and I was glad to make her smile!

THE BEST LEMON BARS:

Here's what you will need:

The Lemon is larger than it appears!!!

INGREDIENTS:
CRUST:

1 C. Butter; softened

1/2 C. Sugar

2 C. Flour 

FILLING:

4 Eggs

1 1/2 C. Sugar

1/4 C. Flour

2 Medium Lemons or 1 Large Lemon; juiced (I zested half of the lemon before juicing it)

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, blend together softened butter, 2 cups flour and 1/2 cup sugar. Press into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 inch pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until firm and golden. In another bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1/4 cup flour. Whisk in the eggs and lemon juice (and zest if you so desire a little extra flavor). Pour over the baked crust. Bake for an additional 20 minutes in the preheated oven. The bars will firm up as they cool. I sifted powdered sugar over the top of mine.

***NOTE*** You could also substitute Limes for the Lemons and make Lime Bars this way as well! MMMM The crust is a bit thick in the pan when pressed in, but it does thin out during the baking with the lemon filling.

Here they are cut and ready to take to Bible Study to give to E VT:

Yummy!

Look at that Lemony goodness!

I did take some and share them with my Momma tonight, as she is in town taking care of two of the cutest girls I know! Mom loves lemon as much as I do, so I think she was pretty happy to have the treat! And since Dad had to stay home because he has to work, I will be making a special treat for Mom to take home with her to him on Saturday...Doesn't he have such a nice daughter?!?! Hahaha ;-)

This next recipe was something that we NEVER would've had at our house growing up because Dad despises this with all that is in him! Even if this were the last possible meal on earth, he would PASS in a heartbeat and starve...I'm being serious here people. Even the meer mention of this makes him visibly cringe...Wowza!!!

HOMEMADE MACARONI & CHEESE

Here's what you will need for this oh so yummy comfort food:

INGREDIENTS:
4 C. Dried Macaroni
1  Egg; beaten
¼ C. (1/2 Stick Or 4 Tablespoons) Butter
¼ C. Flour
2-½ C. 2% Milk
2 tsp. (heaping) Dry Mustard, More If Desired (I used the recommended, but would use probably only 1 tsp. next time)
1 Lb. Cheese, Grated (I used Sharp Cheddar)
½ tsp. Salt, More To Taste
½ tsp. Seasoned Salt, More To Taste (I used Lawry's)
½ tsp. Ground Black Pepper
Optional Spices: Cayenne Pepper, Paprika, Thyme (I sprinkled Paprika on the top)

Cook macaroni until very firm. Macaroni SHOULD BE too firm to eat right out of the pot. Drain.
In a small bowl, beat egg. In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for 2 minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t let it burn. Pour in milk, add mustard, and whisk until smooth. Cook for five minutes until very thick. Reduce heat to low.Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. Whisk together till smooth. Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth. Add in cheese and stir to melt. YOU MAY TURN THE STOVE OFF AT THIS POINT) Add salt and pepper. Taste sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed! Pour in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine. You may serve immediately (very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.

I chose to bake mine. Here it is ready for the oven:

All bubbly after baking:

I could almost taste this when I took this picture! YUMMY

It gets a little crunchy on the top, but that just hides the creamy, smooth goodness underneath:

This was last nights dinner.

So today I ventured on over to my friend E's house to deliver some items to her, and we also sat down and made the Menu Board for my house. I'm so excited about it, and it turned out great! We used her Cricut to cut out the letters, and it was so smooth and easy. It looks so much better than the one that I made as a template!!!

Here is the finished product:

What do you think?

Last week on Saturday E. and her husband S. had a function they needed to go to, so I went over to stay with their adorable little ones while they took their naps and then we ventured out to go see their Mommy & Daddy when they woke up. Well, E. had made some seriously DELICIOUS bars and she sent me home with some. I may have had something to do with the fact that I brought some homemade salsa over there that day....No, I think it's just because she is such a great friend! I am not a huge chocolate fan, but I will say that I could eat these ANY day, they are that good! So, when I was over there today I asked her if she would share the recipe with me and if she minded if I posted it here on the blog...she happily obliged. So this next recipe is thanks to E. and ALL of the credit goes to her.

MISSISSIPPI MUD BARS

INGREDIENTS:

1 (12 oz.) Pkg. Chocolate Chips

1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk

2 Tbsp. Butter

1/2 tsp. Salt

Melt the above ingredients together in the microwave and set aside.

1 C. Butter

2 C. Brown Sugar

2 Eggs

2 tsp. Vanilla

Cream these ingredients together. Then add:

2 1/2 C. Flour

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1 tsp. Salt

3 C. Oatmeal

Put 3/4 of the dough mixture in a jellyroll pan and then pour the chocolate mixture on top and spread it out. Then drop the rest of the dough mixture onto it. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

Here is what they should look like:

This is the last one in our house from her, glad it survived so you could see it. It won't be around much longer!

I have a special announcement coming by the beginning of next week. Keep checking back for it, it's something you won't want to miss!