my cupboard love |
Last weekend we went in search of summer Dear Reader. Please understand that we were desperate and could not even settle for Spring....we needed something summer-like to ease our end of winter - where is spring depression. More heavy wet snow fell. Granted, it was only a few centimetres, but come on already!!! This is the winter that JUST WILL NOT LET GO. Being Canadian, you would think we would be used to snow, snow and more snow but in our pathetic defence, usually by now things are looking up, temperatures are on the plus side, birds are singing and the grass is taunting us, playing peek-a-boo through the last of the snow that is stubbornly holding on. We were feeling sorry for ourselves. I got it in my head that I really, really wanted souvlaki which meant digging a path through the snow in our backyard to the bbq. I cut pork tenderloin into cubes and marinated it in a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary and oregano. The boys went out with a shovel and dug their way only to discover the grills were in bad shape. I was not going to be denied. We spent an entire afternoon driving from one store to another and then.....success! We had been in and out of five home improvement stores on the hunt for these elusive, must have grills! From there, we drove to Kosta's Meat Market in Scarborough and picked up a tub of tzatziki to have with our summer feast. Mission accomplished! I roasted some potatoes, sliced up onions and tomatoes and warmed the pita bread. Squeezed fresh lemon juice over the souvaki skewers and just like that - we had our taste of summer. I woke up Sunday morning thinking about lemons and sunshine. I had quite a few in the fridge, calling out to me....I decided the only thing for it was a pan of lemon squares. They are sunshiney bright, sweet and tangy all at the same time. They are easy to make as long as your remember to line the pan with parchment paper. Don't forget otherwise disaster will ensue. Take my word for it. This recipe makes as many as 48, depending how large you cut your squares.
Luscious Lemon Squares 3/4 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 tsp salt 2 cups all purpose flour For the curd: 4 eggs 1 1/2 cups sugar 2 tbsp finely grated lemon zest 1/2 cup lemon juice (from about 5 lemons) 1/4 cup all purpose flour 1 tsp baking powder 2 tsp icing sugar Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Beat together butter, sugar and salt in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add flour in two additions. Stir until just combined. Press into parchment paper lined 13 x 9 baking pan. Bake until golden, about 35 to 40 minutes. Allow to cool on rack. To make the lemon curd: In large bowl, beat sugar with eggs until thickened and pale yellow. Beat in lemon juice and lemon zest. Add the flour and baking powder. Stir until well combined. Spread evenly over pastry base. Bake at 325 degrees until centre is set but still has a bit of jiggle. Allow to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar. Cut into squares. Enjoy!
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It's a big day here in the Cupboard Dear Reader. We have been hanging out together for a year now, making today my blog's first birthday. We've come a long way in a short time. For the past few days, I have been thinking about the road travelled and realized I have never told you how it came about that we found one another. Back in 2008, I came across Molly Wizenberg`s column "Cooking Life" in Bon Appétit magazine. It was there that I discovered her blog Orangette and became an avid reader. She began her blog in July 2004, so I had some catching up to do! She has a lovely, easy style that drew me in. Over the years, following her column and blog, I started to dream about having my own blog. I had studied journalism for a couple of years before life's road took a detour and led me down a new path. My dream of writing had lived on the back burner while I married and raised a family. Reading her blog rekindled my dream and made me believe that I could. I had finally figured out what it was that I wanted to write about. And so began my journey. My husband has been my biggest fan and cheerleader in all of this....he surprised me with a new laptop to get the ball rolling on this dream of mine. My son helped me with the technical IT stuff. My other son bought me my own domain name. It really has been a family affair. It was all up to me now...no more procrastinating, no more excuses. So here we are....a year later. I have learned a lot in this, our first year together. I have learned that it takes commitment and discipline to find my way to this space regularly while raising a family and working a full time job. I've learned that the best laid plans can go awry...just visit my 12 Days of Christmas page and you will understand. I've learned that life gets in the way and that is ok too. That has been the hardest lesson. It's easy to find excuses not to write, it really is. The truth is it is harder for me not to write now than it is to write. I am always thinking about this space, what you might like, what I am going to cook, what I am going to share with you. It has become a huge part of not only my life, but of my family's too. Yesterday, we went out with no real destination in mind. Over a late breakfast my husband and I talked about our day, how we were going to spend it together and of course, about this weekend's blog post. I had originally planned on cooking a festive meal to celebrate the blog's milestone. The cold I have been fighting for the last few days has left me feeling tired and worn out so that was off the board. I mentioned in passing that I had hoped to have built my blog office for this big day. I have been planning it for a while and just had the furniture left to buy. He asked me why we weren't doing that??....and with that we were off to Ikea. For the record, my husband hates Ikea, especially on a Saturday. An hour later, we arrived home and the assembly began. There was no cursing either! It didn't take too long before I was moving in and organizing my new little office nook. Here it is...so far. Still arranging things and getting organized. I am thinking about making one of those ribbon memo boards for over the desk....another thing I can share with you! I am grateful for this space, and you Dear Reader. Thanks for reading, reaching out, and coming back for more. I 'm so happy we're in this together. We still have so much to do! Easter is coming. A tea party! I really want to do that. I still owe you six more "Days of Christmas." We really do have lots to talk about. I can't wait.
P.S. Thanks Molly :) |