When life gives you lemons, make lemon squares

There's no beating around the bush; bad days are inevitable. What to do with an awful day? Methodical, precise, artistic, and meditative, baking calms me down and gives me purpose. So on bad days, distract yourself with some baking. And if stuff goes wrong, no one has to know but you, since you're alone in your kitchen. And there are no lasting repercussions. And if you need an excuse to cry, well, your crust isn't going to judge you. So when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Or, if the season doesn't really lend itself well to lemonade, (five inches of snow on the ground doesn't really scream "lemonade!"), make lemon squares. And feel accomplished when you do:)

*Note: this recipe can easily be made gluten-free (as I did, this time around) by using brown rice flour. It causes the crust to be slightly more brittle, but still tastes delish.

Lemon (and Lime) Squares

Ingredients

Shortbread Crust

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature (or if using salted, omit salt below)

1/4 cup confectioner's (powdered) sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour (or brown rice flour, if making it gluten-free)

1/2 teaspoon salt

Citrus filling

1 cup white sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 cup of lemon and lime juice (I used a mixture, but you can opt to use just one)

2 tablespoons grated lemon and lime zest (grate the lemons and limes BEFORE cutting and squeezing them!)

1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/4-1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (or brown rice flour)

garnish with confectioner's sugar

** NOTE: after making this recipe I would consider doubling the citrus filling - I'm one of those people who like a 2:1 ratio filling to crust. If you're fine with a 1:1 ratio, keep it as it is! If you're like me, double the filling and let it bake a little longer (I'm guessing about 10-15 minutes, or until the filling has just set.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8x8 or 9x9 square pan (if using a 9x13 inch pan, consider doubling the recipe). With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add flour, cinnamon, and salt and beat until dough just starts to come together, but still resembles large peas (you should be able to squish the dough in your hand and it should stick together. Press into bottom of prepared pan, pierce all over with a fork. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges, pushing down bubbles with a fork periodically, if they form. Remove from oven and cool slightly (on a rack, if you have one).

Butter and powdered sugar

Creamy butter and sugar; prepped flour, cinnamon and salt

Large peas, but still sticks together when squished

Pre-baked crust

Meanwhile, beat the sugar and eggs in electric mixer until smoother. Add lemon and lime juice, lemon and lime zest, cinnamon, vanilla, and stir to combine. Fold or beat flour. Pour filling into shortbread crust and bake for about 17-20 minutes, or until the filling has just set. Remove from oven and let cool (again, on a wire rack if you have one).

Eggs and sugar

Zested lemons and lime

In the oven!

(Almost) finished product

Serve by cutting into squares and dusting with powdered sugar.

* recipe modified from www.joyofbaking.com and Martha Stewart's "Cookies"

Slightly imperfect, but delicious nonetheless

Pumpkin Pie (booziness optional...but who doesn't like a bit of extra booze?)

I love Thanksgiving dinner. I never realized how much I loved it before I went to an American school; I just didn't get the point – why celebrate a season that marks the death of (or bedtime of) most plants? Why travel across the country to be with family for just a few days? Why eat at 3 in the afternoon? (I still don't really get that one, but you know Americans and their football...). But as I said, going to Bowdoin, a liberal arts school in Maine, changed my views – I now embrace the camaraderie that Thanksgiving engenders, I appreciate the family theme, or the idea that this event should commemorate and honour not only summer's bounty, but also fall's fleeting beauty, and winter's serene hibernation.

Quintessential fall in Vermont

Ironically, my first recipe post is for something that I like, but I don't love: pumpkin pie. I always think I like it, and I enjoy making it, but I think I'm more of a pecan pie aficionado, and I KNOW I relish pear or apple exponentially more. But still, nothing says “fall” and nothing says “Thanksgiving” like pumpkin pie, so here's my doctored recipe of a good ol' classic from epicurious.com. Enjoy!

Citrus Pumpkin Pie with Candied Pecans

Butter Pie Crust

1 ¼ cups all purpose flour (or mixture of white and whole wheat flour)

1 tablespoon sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter cut into ½-inch chunks

3 tablespoons (approx) ice water

Mix flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon in processor. Add butter; pulse until coarse meal forms. Gradually blend in enough ice water to form moist clumps. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disc. Wrap in plastic and chill 2 hours or overnight (you can also put in freezer for about 20 minutes, but it won't roll out as well).

Coarse meal-like mixture

Moist clumps

Citrus Pumpkin Pie (booziness optional...but who doesn't want a bit of extra booze?)

1 (15-oz) can PURE pumpkin

¾ cup packed golden brown sugar

1 to 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 to 1 ½ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon salt

pinch of ground cloves

3 large eggs

½ teaspoon vanilla

1 ¼ heavy whipping cream

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

2 teaspoons grated orange peel

1 to 2 teaspoons scotch whisky (optional)

Position rack in centre of oven; preheat to 375°F. Spray with nonstick spray or butter 9-inch-diameter deep-dish glass pie dish. Roll out dough on floured surface to a 13-inch round (if no rolling pin, cover a wine bottle in plastic wrap – it works wonders! Also, remember to roll in all directions so the dough is of even thickness! You can roll it out on floured wax paper to make it easier to lift for the next step). Transfer dough to prepared dish. Fold edges under and crimp, forming high border (moisten hands with water or milk to crimp edges and to seal parts that won't stick). Line crust with foil; fill with dried beans or rice (this is so it doesn't slide down or puff up). Bake 15 minutes. Remove foil and beans/rice. Bake until edges are light golden, pressing crust back with a fork if bubbles form, about 7 minutes. Cool about 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.

Dough rolled out

Dough rolled, put into pie dish, and edges crimped

Puree pumpkin in processor. Min in next 6 ingredients. Add vanilla, then add eggs 1 at a time, pulsing after each addition. Gradually add cream, processing until just blended. Add lemon and orange peel, and if desired, scotch whisky. Process until blended, about 5 to 10 seconds longer.

Pureed pumpkin with spices

Adding eggs (clearly I forgot to do it one at a time...)

Adding cream

Adding zests

Pour filling into crust. Bake until edges are puffed and centre is set, about 1 hour. Cool on rack. Can be made up to 1 day ahead. Make pecans and decorate pie only several hours before serving.

Candied Pecans

½ tablespoon of unsalted butter

½ cup pecan halves

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon water

pinch of salt

Melt butter in saucepan over high heat. Add remaining ingredients. Stir about 4 minutes until a glossy coating forms on nuts. Cool on foil. WATCH OUT! Nuts will be hot. Yummmm, hot nuts...whoops!

Garnish pie with nuts once cooled (I like to make pretty designs...)

NOTE: These pecans are great for anything! Salads, snacks in a bowl, cheese plates...the possibilities are countless...