Luscious Lemon Bars

The other night my hubby and I felt like having Lemon Bars so I rummage through my recipes and decided on the recipe in my Better Homes and Garden cookbook. I have made quite a few lemon bars recipes over the years but have never found the One until now. This will be my go to recipe for now on. They were perfect-gooey and lemony just how we like them around here and the crust was awesome!! IT is a bit thicker of a crust than other recipes and I was worried about that but it turned out great and my hubby and I both really enjoyed them!! So did the kids but lets just say my hubby and I ate half the pan in one sitting!!! If you are craving something lemony give these babies a try!!!

Luscious Lemon Bars

2 cups flour (i actually used white whole wheat)

1/2 powdered sugar

2 T Cornstarch

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup butter(no substitutions)

4 large eggs slightly beaten

1 1/2 cup sugar

3 T. flour

3/4 -1 cup lemon or lime juice (I used the juice of 3 large limes and the rest bottled lemon juice)

1/4 cup half n half, cream, or milk(don't leave out adds to the creaminess

Powdered sugar for dusting

In a large bowl, mix the flour, powdered sugar, cornstarch, and salt together. Cut in the softened butter with pastry blender or knife or until resembles coarse crumbs. Press into a 9x13 greased pan and bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes or until the edges turn golden.

Meanwhile for the filling, beat the eggs then add the sugar, 3 T. flour, lemon juice, and cream. Mix well and pour over the hot crust. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until center is set. Cool and then sift Powdered sugar over the top. Cut into bars. Cover and store in refrigerator.

Note: I baked mine for 20 minutes and they were still gooey just how a lemon bar should be but if you like them more firm then cook a tad bit longer!!!

Note: the recipe calls for 3/4 cup lemon juice but I added almost a full cup and it was perfect for us.

Chili Verde

Wow!! I made this awhile back and it was so yummy. It goes great in a tortilla with beans or is great put on a tostada or in a quesadilla. What is not to love when you can cook it in the crockpot. Makes things so much easier. You must give this a try if you love mexican food.

Chili Verde(from Mel's Kitchen Cafe)
*Serves 8-10

2 tablespoons canola oil
5 pounds boneless pork roast, trimmed of as much fat as possible
Salt and pepper for seasoning roast
2 yellow onions, chopped
5 cloves garlic, finely minced or crushed
1 (15 oz.) can green enchilada sauce
2 (4 oz.) cans diced green chiles
2 (14 oz.) cans diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 beef bouillon cube (or 1 teaspoon beef bouillon granules)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon black pepper

Cut the roast into 3-4 large chunks. Season the pork generously with salt and pepper on all sides. In a large heavy pot, the oil over medium heat until the oil is shimmering and hot. Add the pork, being careful not to crowd the pot (brown the pork in shifts, if needed). Brown the pork on all sides until golden and well-browned, about 30 seconds to a minute on each side. Leave the roast in the pot and add the onion and garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring often. Place the pork and garlic and onions in the slow cooker (read below for oven-roasting method). Stir in the rest of the ingredients to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours. After the roast has cooked for the allotted time, remove the roast. Shred it into bite-size pieces and set aside, covered with foil to keep warm. Pour the remaining liquid and ingredients from the slow cooker into a large saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil on the stove, and simmer vigoriously over medium-low or medium heat for 20-30 minutes, stirring often to prevent sticking or burning, until the mixture considerably reduced and thickened. Add the pork roast and sauce back to the slow cooker. Stir to coat the pork with the sauce. Turn the crockpot to low or high and allow the pork to heat through again. Serve with warm tortillas and desired toppings, such as sour cream, cheese, avocados, lettuce, tomatoes.

Oven-roasting Instructions: When beginning the recipe, make sure to use an oven-safe pot for the browning (such as a large enameled cast-iron pot). Follow the recipe up until the point of adding the pork to the slow cooker. Instead, keep the pork in the oven-safe pot. Add in all the other recipe ingredients plus 1/2 cup water. Stir to combine. Cover the pot and cook in the oven at 300 degrees for 3-4 hours. When finished cooking, remove the roast as directed in the above instructions. Follow the recipe to reduce the sauce.

Note: do not skip the step of reducing the sauce it is essential to the flavor of the pork

Note: freezes wonderfully. Freeze in ziploc bags. Take out the night before and thaw in fridge overnight and reheat on stovetop in saucepan.