Cooking Capers - Session Two

It’s that time of year…baking season. God, I love to bake. Sugar! SUGAR!! When I know I am about to eat some delicious sugary treat, my mouth starts watering and I get all wiggly in my skin. Yes, I have a sugar addiction. It’s powerful, delicious and all consuming. As soon as fall hits, I am ready to turn the oven on.

Growing up we had a tiny little cookbook that I treasured dearly. It was the "Peanuts Cookbook". Perfect recipes for little hands. I loved to bake with my mom and my sister. When we baked, as I remember, there was always a lot of laughter. We cooked that Peanuts Cookbook into the ground. I don’t know what happened to that cookbook. Things changed. Parents divorced, sister moved out, mom and I moved many times. My memories of being 8 years old are held in that book with the stains of melted butter, smudges of chocolate, ripped binding, torn pages. Sometimes I thought if I could get my hands on another copy of that cookbook I could recreate those fond memories I had as a family.

Well, I have my own family now. 6 months ago Kallie blessed our lives. When she was born my husband gave me a present. It was a small book wrapped up. I had no idea what it was. He was beaming from ear to ear as I opened it. It was a tiny cookbook, “Winnie-the-Pooh Cookie Book”. I said, “Oh!!! I love it!” He replied, “Just like the one you had as a kid, right?” Oh dear. “No, honey, it’s not.” Sadly he said, “I got the wrong book.”

NO! You got the right book. The perfect book. A new book for new memories for Kallie and I. I am sad to admit I haven’t made a single thing from that book. But, it’s fall and the holiday’s are upon us. I believe that as I bake the first recipe, Kallie will be in her highchair playing with god knows what smiling at me and ”Gaaa”-ing at me.

But, just for old time sake, my favorite recipe from the Peanuts Cookbook was “Lucy’s Lemon Squares”. Oh, the lemony filling, the buttery crust, the powdered sugar!! BRING IT ON!

It was Sunday morning, just mom and me. She was reading the Sunday paper drinking coffee and I was reading the comic strips. She asked if I would get her some more coffee. I went into the kitchen and saw those lemon squares winking at me. I, as quite as a mouse, cut a huge square and shoved it in my mouth ate it as fast as I could while I poured her coffee. I returned to the living room and gave mom her coffee. She looked at me and said, “Did you have any Lucy’s Lemon Squares?” “Nope.” “Then why do you have powdered sugar all over your face?”

Gotta be smarter than the sugar.

LUCY'S LEMON SQUARES quoted from "Peanuts Cook Book" (with comments by Heather)

1 cup flour

1/2 cup butter (cold butter makes this job suck. so room temperature is the way)

1/4 cup powdered sugar

Sift flour and sugar into bowl. Blend in butter with clean fingertips until well mixed. (do not clean fingertips with mouth. you will get a good swat for that.) Pat evenly into the bottom of an 8x8 inch baking pan. ( EVENLY! DO IT EVENLY! Bake for 20 minutes at 350. (20 minutes is FOREVER...but at least it smells good)

Meanwhile, beat together:

2 eggs (refrain from leaving egg shells in batter. Crunchy squares are bad squares)

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (or if you are like me and like a good pucker...add as much as you can take)

dash of salt

Pour over baked crust and return to oven for 20 - 25 minutes at same temperature. (seriously, ANOTHER 20 minutes!?!)

Cool on rack. Cut in squares. (big squares, please) Sprinkle with sifted, powdered sugar.

(Warning, choking hazard. Do not inhale as you bite square. Powdered sugar will choke you!)