First blog post, yay! Thank you so much for visiting and just in time for the weekend. It has been a dream of mine to get this site up and running. Now that we are post wedding and I have my senses about me, I have definitely made it my goal to get back to baking. I intend to have this site to share all of my baking, cooking, crafts and other wild ideas with everyone. So I decided to start with something sweet and simple.

Mmm summertime… sunshine, pool parties and vacations. What better way to celebrate than with Lemon Bars? They are just about the easiest to make and are so delicious. One thing I love about them is that they seem so faaaaaanncy. When you show up to a party with lemon bars, you are everyone’s friend. Maybe you are the one throwing the party? Well honey slap a doily under that bar as you serve it and now you are basically Julia Child.

Here’s what you will need:

For the crust:
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
For the filling:
6 large eggs
3 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup flour (sift if you can!)
Confectioners’ sugar, to decorate!

Now what do you do?

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Make the crust: With an electric mixer cream the butter and sugar until light in color. Combine the flour and salt in a separate bowl. Then, with the mixer on low, add flour mix to the butter/sugar until just mixed. Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into a 9 x13 x 2-inch baking sheet or dish. Make sure all sides are covered. Chill for 10-15 minutes.

3. Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.

4. Make the filling: whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set.

5. Let cool to room temperature.

6. Cut into squares and dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Yayyy! Now you are done, so what do you do? Grab some drinks and friends, find a patio and enjoy your creation! Can I come too? I’ll bring the wine!