Remedy: Lemon Crinkle Cookies

"We are living in a world today where lemonade is made from artificial flavors,

 and furniture polish is made from real lemons."
Alfred Newman

Scary thought huh?  But unfortunately it's true.  Well, I'm going to use my super-baking powers to fight against the evil of artificial flavors.  Real and fresh is just the way it should be! And that's exactly how I bake.  Fresh and natural ingredients. Like...

...REAL LEMONS!

 

I'm always surprised when my students only know how to make Easy Mac, or believe that food can only be made from a box.  Yes, it does take more time to make from scratch, but the taste...there's no comparison.  I know that people are busy, but there is something relaxing about standing in the kitchen with fresh produce around you, that makes the troubles of the world drift away. 

 

The last couple weeks have been, well, challenging...physically, mentally, and emotionally.  Teaching has been secondary to reassuring my students that they are cared for...that these events are rare and that schools are one of the safest places for them to be.  Like I said...challenging, but so very important.

 

For me, the chaos of the world drifts to the back of my mind, at least for a little bit, as I zest and juice fresh lemons.  Yummmmm....the freshness sweeps the stress away and fills my house with hope.  Even if that hope is in the simple form of a crinkle cookie.

 

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

Adapted from Lauren Brennan

Makes 2-3 dozen

 

Ingredients:

½ cups butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 whole egg
1.5 teaspoon lemon zest
2 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoons baking powder
⅛ teaspoons baking soda
1-½ cup all-purpose flour
1 cups powdered sugar

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease light colored baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whip in vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and juice. The dough should smell amazing at this point! Scrape sides and mix again. Stir in all dry ingredients slowly until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly. Pour powdered sugar onto a bowl. Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.

 

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look puffy.  Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

 Hmmm...these smell and taste so wonderful and definitely help ease the world away. 

 

And if you need a little extra joy, watch this video and try not to smile. 

Seriously, good luck trying not to smile with this joyous pup! 

I found a new video link, just for you mom!

I love, love, love this! My smile is super big now.

Lessons from Buffy

Ugh! I really can't stand wimpy female characters and they're everywhere!!

As an English teacher it's a struggle to find strong female characters in novels targeted toward young adults- teens, up until more recently. Thank goodness for the Hunger Games...because if I had to read one more love-sick, solely dependent on her boyfriend, girl, I might just lose it! Strength in you, to save you...not some rich vamp- though I do enjoy a good movie, but that's far from reality.

Now, I too have a dream of a independently rich man coming into my life and whisking me away to a tropical island...but seriously, if he started bossing me around, I'd have to take his money and go Buffy and Veronica(Mars) on him.

Strong women, aren't portrayed in society as much as I would like.
Strong, does not imply cruel or manipulative...

Strong is believing in yourself.

Strong, is trusting that you are enough to fill your world with joy. When we expect someone else to fill our lives, it will never be truly filled. It might feel that way for awhile, but it's YOU that can actually change it.

All of the things that YOU ARE, makes you...the person you need.
To me, I am love.
I am a believer in God.
I am a caretaker.
I am a daughter, aunt, friend, teacher, crafter, baker, reader, writer, thinker, and dreamer.
I am, me.

I really love me. :0)
Shouldn't you love all that you are?

As we dive head first into the holidays, between the beautiful religious services, time with family and friends, remember to thank all of them for making you the strong, healthy, person that you are today.

And if those events are really rough times for you...I recommend watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer before the evening. If she can take on a gang of vamps, you can probably make it through dinner.

Loves,
Lori

P.S.- Thanks Kim for the inspiration!

Always Bring Dessert

Whenever I'm asked to bring something to an event,
I'm always the first one to chime in that I'm bring dessert. 
Not only do I LOVE making dessert,
but I'm going to tell you a not-so-big secret. 
Ready?!?

I hate cooking.
No really...I hate it.
Plus, I really don't know what to bring to an event.
I love to eat fabulous cooking
and can really appreciate the light or bold flavors,
but as for me...cooking stinks!
Yes...I can cook, but I do not find joy in it.
Yes...I can make specific dishes that are delicious, but I don't like to do it.
It's a necessity, because no one can just eat baked goods.

I'd rather be mixing beautiful berries,
or luscious chocolate over low heat until it's creamy
and thick enough to pour into a cream pie.
Yummm....
To me, all of that work is worth the beauty that is.....
DESSERT!

Plus, when I think of making dessert, the possibilities are endless!
This time, I'm going to bring a little summer into the cold winter nights.

Marionberry Lemonade Bars

Adapted from IMPROV Kitchen

Ingredients:

For the Crust:

• 9 T. (1 stick + 1 T.) butter
• ¼ c. sugar
• 1 c. flour
• 1 t. vanilla extract

For the Filling:

• 2 cups Marionberries frozen from the summer- thawed
• ¾ c. sugar
• ⅔ c. lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
• 3 egg whites
• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 c. flour
• pinch of salt

powdered sugar for dusting on top

Preheat oven to 350º F. Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper so you can easily lift the bars out once they've cooled. I generally grease and flour the pan liberally and have an easy time popping the bars out.

To Make the Crust:

This is super simple. Cream the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer, then add in vanilla. Add flour until just incorporated. Make a ball with the dough and place it in the baking pan.  Press the dough with your hands until it evenly covers the bottom of the dish. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until slightly golden brown.

To make the filling:

Thaw the marionberries, I just place them in the microwave for about 2 minutes.  Using your mixer again, place your berries, sugar, egg whites, egg, lemon juice, flour, and salt into the bowl and combine. Pour the mixture into the crust.   It will be a bit runny, but will thicken up...but these are not as firm as other types of bars. Bake for 30-40 minutes depending on the sized baking dish and the thickness of the berry portion.  

Let the bars cool to room temperature and then place in the refrigerator for 4 hours. You can place them in the freezer if you need them sooner but refrigerator is best. Cut into bars or as I did, into bite-sized pieces.  Dig in!

 For many fun variations of this recipe and other great ideas,

head over the IMPROV Kitchen