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

Kale-i-fy your life

In no way do I mean do be condescending by starting off with relatively simple recipes but a) I'm studying for a physics midterm which kind of makes me want to bang my head against the wall and cry, b) I want to use the tail-end of summer's bounty before it disappears in the Houdini-esque manner that defines fall, and c) these babies are good! Plus, unless you're actively trying to find ways to burn your money, there's no reason to pay upwards of $5 a box for a pathetic amount of kale chips anyways (and we both know that when you do that, essentially you're paying for the plastic box they come in). So, kale chips! Perfect for snacking on with wine, a healthy fun-to-eat snack, and good nibbles while you're studying, in the kitchen, on long drives, or anywhere else where your adventures take you.

Kale Chips

- Kale (a bunch! However much you want)

- a few tablespoons of olive oil

- seasonings (salt, lemon or lime juice, lemon salt, garlic salt, chili powder, sugar...)

Preheat oven to 375ᶱF. Wash kale and pat dry (or spin, if you have a salad spinner). De-stem kale leaves by cutting out the thick, fibrous backbone. 

Washing and spinning kale

Cutting out stem (you would have a second hand there to help you cut, but alas, I needed to take a picture!)

Kale once de-stemmed

Wet hands with olive oil and moisten each individual leaf with oil. Note: do not cut corners and douse the leaves in olive oil – they will burn in the oven at this high a temperature! 

Kale leaves in olive oil

Moistened leaf, not too oily!

Place leaves in a single layer on a baking sheet. Do not over-pack or they won't crisp properly.

Season as desired! I like a hefty amount of salt (surprise, surprise), and a squeeze of lemon is good too. One of my good friends likes the mix of sweet and salty – a touch of sugar and a bit of salt. A smidgen of chili powder is always good with salt too...feel free to mix and match! Bake for about 10 minutes or until leaves are crisp, but not brown/burnt (keep an eye on it, everyone's oven is different). Remove from oven. Let cool slightly and arrange leaves in glass.

I went upstairs and my leaves are a little on the crispy side!

Yummmm! Perfect decorative munchies.