Lemon Bars and more...

Since I haven't blogged since July I am not even going to try to catch up on everything! Let me just say that I had an absolute blast with my dearest friend on earth and was able to stay for NINETEEN DAYS!!!! It was amazing, relaxing, busy (being involved with all they do), and a time for re-evaluating. My kids could not have given me a better gift for my birthday! Thank you to Victoria, Susanna, Alyssa, Franklin, Olivia, Julia, Nina and Ryan!

For Christmas they did it again! A wonderful gift in the form of MAGNIFICENT portraits by the unparalleled Sam Hassas. I don't have any of these images to share online, but here is the link to Sam's post: Beth's Christmas Pictures You have to scroll down the page a bit to find them! While this project was Victoria's brain child, everyone contributed. Ryan, however, put the wheels in motion. He got the shoot with Sam, got everyone safely to and from San Jose, fed all my kids pizza and more.

My friend, Christa was also a co-conspirator. I did think it was odd that she wanted to go to breakfast and spend the day together EARLY one Thursday morning. The funniest thing was that a few minutes after I left with Christa I got a text: "Ok, guys...she's gone. EVERYONE UP!" Hmmm...confirmed suspicions! Something WAS up! Obviously, I was not supposed to be on the receiving end of that text!

A public thanks to EVERYONE involved in this fabulous surprise...I will treasure these photos all my life.

One more thing about the pictures...most of you know that we have a disabled daughter. Julia is six years old and we have thousands of pictures of her, but we have NO PICTURES as beautiful as the ones that Sam took. It is amazing the way he captured her personality and the relationships she has with her siblings. THANK YOU, SAM HASSAS! Getting great pictures is a challenge, but getting great pictures of Julia is next to impossible. YOU ARE AMAZING!

SO...on to the lemon bars:

These are truly the most fabulous lemon bars on the planet! Two things are very important: USE REAL BUTTER and FRESH LEMONS! Don't try to cheat and use bottled lemon juice or margarine. The lemon zest is part of the unbelievable lemon flavor. These are sweet, tart, tangy, buttery...in a word: delicious!

CRUST:
1/2 cup (1 stick) (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup (25 grams) confectioner's (powdered or icing) sugar
1 cup (140 grams) all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt

FILLING:
1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 cup (80 ml) fresh lemon juice (approximately two large lemons)
1 tablespoons (5 grams) grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
2 tablespoons (25 grams) all purpose flour

TOPPING:
Confectioner's (powdered or icing) sugar
Lemon Zest- The yellow outer rind of the lemon that contains the fruit's flavor and perfume.

TIP: Always remove the zest first before halving and squeezing the lemon. Use a fine strainer to remove the seeds and pulp from the juice.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter the sides and bottom of an 8X8 pan.

FOR CRUST: In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the flour and salt and beat until the dough just comes together. Press into the bottom of your greased pan and bake for about 20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool while you make the filling.

FOR FILLING: In your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the sugar and eggs until nice and smooth. Add the lemon juice and zest and stir to combine. Fold in the flour. Pour the filling over the shortbread crust and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the filling is set. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
To serve: Cut into squares or triangles and dust with powdered sugar. These are best eaten the day they are made but can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for a few days.
Yield: 16 - 2 inch (5 cm) squares or 32 triangles.

Enjoy!