Time for an old favorite.....Lemon bars

I had a spare lemon. I don't buy them often which is hard on a girl who grew up with a lemon tree outside her bedroom. I just can't pay the price they demand, so I was not going to let this one go un-used. I brought out an old favorite and maybe you have it and have forgotten it but this recipe will bring a smiles of sunshine into your kitchen.

My recipe can barely be read but I got it from the Swains in 1970 so it desires it's faded ways!

Lemon Lovelies

1 cup sifter flour (yes sift!)

1/2 cup butter a little bit soft

1/4 cup powdered sugar

Blend together well (you can use your fingers!)

Press into the bottom of a 8 or 9" square pan

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes or until just golden brown.

While the above is baking mix together:

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 tablespoons lemon juice

all the grated lemon rind you can get from 1 lemon

2 eggs slightly beaten

Pour this mixture over the finished baked crust and RETURN to the oven

Bake 25 minutes or until nice and golden brown and dull looking

Sprinkle with powdered sugar while warm

Cool before cutting into bars.

I NEED an Ocean view....please

Today is feel the beach day!

Oh a hard week for sure. Pain that was nearly unmanageable and then some wonderful distractions. The talk of the ocean, surfing and our Southern California up bringing has me longing for the beach, a view of the ocean, the crash and draw back of the waves, the smell of sea weed & salt & fishy things, the call of a gull, a seal bark, I am home sick for the ocean.

Youngest daughter said in her blog that her i-pod and cleaning with Clorox wipes makes her feel better. We've talked of this before I know and I hope every one is finding things to lift them above hardship. Life will be hard but we can be strong and enjoy so much of this life we live.

I just had to put an ocean on this brief but needful posting. I wanted something of my own. The best I could find is this calendar photo from 2003. (You don't want to see my odd bell bottoms and me with surf board! he he) I journal life on my calendars. It's amazing what I've found from years long gone that I needed off those calendars . So here is the ocean. I am picturing myself there with a glass of strawberry lemon aide or mango something. Oh my heart be still.

Below is a nice calendar message I think will help too. Your day may seem lost in the hardship, it may not have a list of crossed off chores. It may be lonely, long or glorious! I hope. But this calendar reminds me that we plant little things. We have great rewards later after it grows. You don't have to do something big to plant a seed in your child, in yourself, in a friend, a spouse. A tiny seed grows a redwood tree. I know.....Tiny seeds exposed to the heat of fire. One day you have a giant, breath taking redwood. I know because I've grown the real redwoods and I need to tell my kids, they are also redwoods. They make me so proud, their good choices, the love they show trying to understand each other. I must have planted some seeds and it grew 5 amazing people!

So today is plant a seed day!

I just can't stop!

I think I will be trying every recipe in the article "5 minute bread" find the recipe on Mother Earth News web site.

So for lunch today it was Nann. I am a long time maker of really good Nann. I seriously had my doubts this dough in my fridge for the last two weeks could make really good Nann.

I WAS WRONG!

It was really good

Let me repeat

It was really good.

Make it and see.

I brushed the finished Nann with garlic butter and tossed crushed dried parsley over it. It took only moments and made a great addition to lunch. yes the one in the photo was little over cooked but bleach boy loves things crisp and the one for me was soft and good!

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/Artisan-Bread-In-Five-Minutes-A-Day.aspx

Now for the surprises, the Digital age has begun

If you've read my postings on the Green thing happening then you know about the digital change over for the TV.

The govt made it mandatory that all stations must convert to Digital TV no later than Feb 17Th today. Now they have changed that to some date in June.

Now for the surprise.

Over 400 stations changed over and dropped their analog today.

No one said they couldn't do it as soon as they were ready, only that they could do it no later than June. I turned on my analog TV and only one station was working, took a little bit to figure out why.

So the test begins, will we be watching any TV during wind? Will the TV give relief and information during storms? Most likely not and we will slowly pass from even using the TV for anything but DVDs at all. Cable goes up in price too often and with draws stations making you pay for stations you'll never watch. Dish TV has the same snow and weather problems the digital has.

Check back to see what happens in the ever moving world of technology! I watch with curiosity.

Using the bread recipe for pizza

If you have made the Mother Earth 5 minute a day bread dough then you can make this pizza!

Dinner was forgotten, everyone was tired and coming down with colds. We needed food fast. My sister had tackled pizza over the week-end and it came to me to do the same.

I took a piece of dough and laid it on my flour infused pastry cloth. I just flattened it easily with my hands, no need to use a rolling pin as they suggest. I like the bubbling up dough. Then I folded the edges over once to make them a bit more sturdy to deal with.

As the recipe in the link below warns, keep the toppings light so the dough can show a bit and cook up through the cheese etc. I used olives, a bit of garlic chicken, some saute' onions and a tiny bit of spaghetti sauce. I don't have a pizza peel so I made my dough ( remember how moist and soft it is, hard to move it when it is only 1/4" deep) on the pastry cloth. When my baking stone was good and hot I took the pastry cloth down to the oven and coaxed the dough off and onto the stone. This method must be improved upon! Then I spooned on a touch of sauce, sprinkled on my ingredients and slipped the oven closed.

You don't need to put the water in the oven for the pizza but do turn your oven to it's top temperature. It took 25 minutes to heat the stone, 5 minutes to push out the dough, 15 minutes to cut up the ingredients and about 15 minutes to cook. Now that's fast food!

Wow this was the best ever pizza. The dough is chewy and my dough is a week old so it was a bit sour doughish and wonderful. Bleach Boy can't remember any better other than my cracker crust pizza.

Oh! I feel a pizza attach coming on......Good thing I saved a piece from last night.

I have a rectangle shaped baking stone. It's perfect for making triangle shaped piece slices. Cut the pizza the long way down the center. Then starting at the end make angle cuts to produce nice triangle pizza wedges! So easy and you can make them big and little.

Happy Valentines Day

You bring a bit of sunshine into my life

You let me express myself and share what I love

Yes I love families, and women who lovingly care for others.

I Hope you feel the love back that you so much deserve.

Let Cupids arrow catch your heart!

Smiles Grammie

The cupid in the photo is my dear mother in law.

We miss her so much and I love that she grew up in the 20's so we can use her lovely photo.

Now you can see where bleach boy gets his light hair

You have to try this easy bread

I was at Mildred's home last week and she was making this easy bread, she gave me the recipe and I've now done three batches. It takes about 8 minutes to make enough dough for 4 loafs or 8 if you like, let it sit out for a couple of hours, pop into the fridge and bake the loafs as needed. You will need to warm the dough at least and hour when it comes from the fridge. The dough lasts a couple of weeks in the fridge. It's wonderful and fast. Give it a try.

Thank you Mother Earth News we can always count on great stuff!

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/Artisan-Bread-In-Five-Minutes-A-Day.aspx

One note, I know you need the salt in it for a reason but it's too salty for us so we cut it down by a third.

2nd note, I have added 1/2 cup whole wheat flour to this recipe without any change.

I've added another photo below. This was today's loaf. It only set out for an hour and went into a really hot oven on a very hot stone. I know some of you are having problems with the loafs raising but I think we will find the key to that soon. Don't worry if the dough is not raising, just cook after an hour and see what happens. Keep me posted and we will keep testing this out.

Now who couldn't love this face?

Raising five kids wasn't the easiest of jobs and sometimes I just needed my space. I saved a magazine advertisement from the early 1980's that had a nice Cabin in the woods, chimney smoking on it. It said something like this "some times a get away is just another home"

So with that idea I find my self at my other home. My get away!

Made a visit to youngest daughter and her sweet babies.

Now who couldn't love this face?

Awe home sweet home!

Noodle Doodles

Today it is raining, the clouds are low. Time to make goodies. I open up that old yellow high school folder once again. Today it's Hopscotch crunchies if you have good peanut butter, or Noodle Doodles if you don't. Takes but a moment to make these. You only get about 9 goodies from each recipe so double if you wish!

Hopscotch crunchies

1/2 C. butterscotch chips

1/4 C. peanut butter

1 cup chow Mien Noodles

1/2 cup miniature marshmallows

Melt chips and peanut butter over hot water (double boiler) Or do it in the microwave uncovered, stirring after every 30 seconds.

When melted remove from heat and stir in noodles and marshmallows.

Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper. chill to set quickly. Here in Washington I can chill on my counter!

Noodle Doodles

1 (6 ounce pkg) chocolate chips

1 (6 ounce pkg) caramel chips or butterscotch what ever you can find

1 (3 ounce pkg) Chinese dry noodles

1 small can of salted peanuts (I used a mix of almonds and pecans)

Melt chocolate and Caramel chips over hot water

When melted stir in noodles and nuts.

Drop by spoonfuls on wax paper.

chill

hints from the fashions of the 1920's

Where is everyone? I used to get up to 80 visitors a day on my postings and now 3 of you join me. Are you all worn from the holidays, has the weather got you without power, hope you are not down and worried? Just know that you are missed. Maybe my fashion posts just don't cut it. So I'll hold part two for later and put in this fun look back in time, something to make you just smile. Do let me know if there is something you need to hear about!

I collect sewing and fashion magazines from as far back as they go and from every country that shared good fashion. The pages tonight are from a 1921 and 1927 Coats and Clark sewing booklets. Not very big and very fragile you are lucky to get a peek into some of their pages. The fashions of the 20's were simple hip waisted dresses with tons of embellishments!

They loved their short hair and cute hats. If you love this time period you must see the PBS series "The House of Elliot" They won big awards for their costumes of this time period and it is a really fun program you can often get at your local library.

So enjoy clicking on these pages and reading a bit of the past. Forget your worries for a moment and just be a girl of the 20's! Pretend with me.

(As I write this I have some fun Italian music on traveling daughter brought home, I'm swaying and just smiling!)

Oh I'm ready for a night of dancing!