Lemon bars

Part cookie, part lemon custard, these little beauties are the undersung heroes of the dessert world. Often passed over for the ever-popular chocolate chip cookie, they should be more appreciated than they are. The thing is, I love lemon bars, yet I still don’t think of them as a go-to dessert. I should. They are light and gooey all at the same time—like a squishy version of a Jelly Belly jelly bean.

I’ve seen a number of different recipes with varying quantities of flour, sugar, eggs, and lemon juice. But the one thing I think is key to making really lemony lemon bars is the zest, which many recipes don’t bother to include. In fact, it’s actually the zest of citrus fruits that carries the biggest punch. The juice is really just a runner-up. Plus, the more juice you add in order to get that lemony flavor, the runnier the filling.   

Lemon bars are also a quick and easy housewarming gift. Not everyone likes chocolate desserts and some may even be allergic. Unless you’re gluten-free, these babies are a crowd pleaser. You can cut them into squares or triangles making them great finger food.

Here’s the recipe:

For the crust:

1/2 pound unsalted butter

1/2 c. granulated sugar

2 c. flour

1/8 tsp. kosher salt

For the filling:

5 large eggs, room temperature

3 c. granulated sugar

2 Tb. lemon zest (about 4 large lemons)

1 c. lemon juice

1 c. flour

Powdered sugar for dusting

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream the butter and sugar, pulsing together in a food processor. Gradually add the flour and salt. On a floured surface, gather dough into a ball and then press out into a 9X13 pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Let cool.

Whisk together eggs, sugar, zest, and juice. Gradually add flour. Pour over cooled crust and bake until set, about 30-35 minutes. Let cool on wire rack and dust with powdered sugar before serving. Can be cut into squares or triangles. 

Htipiti Spread

Pronounced “chee-tee-pee-tee,” it’s Greek and oh so delicious. Also known as “tyrokafteri,” it is a spread made with red peppers—either sweet or hot—mixed with crumbled feta. There’s no mayonnaise or sour cream in this recipe. With a vegetable base, it’s a much healthier option. 

Dip pita bread, crackers, or crudité. Use it on a sandwich as a condiment. Pair it with meats like lamb or chicken. It’s quick and easy to pull together and a nice change from the usual dips and dressings.

Here’s the recipe:

4 bell peppers 

1/4 c. + 1 TB olive oil

1/2 medium shallot

1 garlic clove, minced

3 TB red wine vinegar

1 c. crumbled feta

4 tsp. fresh thyme

Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Roast peppers. Cool and then finely chop. Whisk garlic, shallot, vinegar, and pepper. Add the feta with salt and pepper. Cover and chill. Drizzle olive oil on top before serving.

*Note: for a smoother consistency, run ingredients through a food processor. Or, if you prefer, you can leave the recipe a little chunkier depending on how you want to use it.

Pork Chops in a Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Pork. The other white meat. While that’s a true statement, it also presents the same blessings and curses of the first white meat. Just like chicken, pork can be versatile but also feel like the same old, same old when looking for dinner options. 

My go-to recipes for pork usually involve some sort of homemade Carolina barbecue sauce for a shoulder, grainy mustard sauce for a tenderloin, and stuffing it with just about anything for a thick chop. I came across a couple of different recipes with the same idea for chops that I hadn’t thought of: make a cream sauce without the cream. 

In this recipe, the creaminess comes from making a roux of butter and flour. Deglaze with chicken broth and add a teaspoon of Dijon mustard. Adding the sliced mushrooms with a little garlic rounds it out. But you could easily improvise with shallots and a little thyme, parsley, or oregano as well. 

The paprika in the recipe called for dusting it on the chop before browning it in the pan. I found it a little difficult to tell if the chop was properly seared or that was just the seasoning. So here, I call for you to use it in the sauce rather than on the meat. 

Here’s the recipe:

2 lbs. boneless pork chops

2 TB butter

1 TB olive oil

1/2 c. mushrooms, sliced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp Dijon mustard

2 TB all-purpose flour

1 c. chicken broth

1 tsp. paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

Generously salt and pepper the chops. Place skillet over heat on medium-high and add the butter and olive oil. Once butter becomes melted and foamy, add the chops. Brown on both sides, about 4-5 minutes or less if they are not as thick a chop. Set aside. Turn heat down a little to medium. Add mushrooms and cook down. Add the garlic, paprika, and Dijon. When garlic is fragrant, add the flour and whisk into a roux. Gradually pour in the broth to make a sauce. Stir until thickened a bit by the heat and then add the pork chops to further cook. Serve immediately.