Livin' the Dream in Lima

Growing up, my mom made these cookies for her cookie tins every year. It's an old family recipe, passed down from my great-uncle Fran and probably even someone before him. As a child, I always turned my nose up at these... why would I bother eating the plain-looking bar cookie with nuts? There were chocolate and sprinkle-covered cookies to be eaten! However, a few years ago when I was home on break from college, I decided to give one of these a try, not expecting much. I don't know what I was thinking... because these are now one of my absolute favorites. Chock-ful of almond flavor, these bar cookies are almost like an almond-flavored version of a brownie. My Business Man couldn't keep his hands out of the container, and that's sayin' a lot, because he's not the biggest sweets person. (Unlike myself... the girl who  must  eat dessert everyday. Sometimes even twice a day.) Lesson learned... never judge a book cookie by its cover appearance. ...

So if you've been around for awhile, you might remember a challenge I did in December. I baked a different Christmas cookie every day for 25 days. (See days 1-25 here .) It was awesome. I think it's about time for another challenge. But not so crazy as the last. If you have been around me at any point during the season of autumn, you must know my love for pumpkin. I shared with you the joy of my favorite pumpkin yogurt earlier this week. I also have a deep love for pumpkin spice lattes. Oh man, pumpkin spice lattes.  Would you believe that my Business Man got his first pumpkin spice latte this week without me? Here's how it went down - Business Man starts to leave the house at 7:30am for an 8:00am meeting. I thought it was kinda early, and said something to the effect of, "Aren't you leaving kind of early?" He told me that it takes a long time to get all the way across town. Okay, that makes sense. And he likes to get places early. Whereas I'm fine...

Now you might thinking, "Lemon squares, really? A Christmas cookie?" I thought so, too, originally. Then, one year I made them. And put them in my cookie tins. And people loved them. I haven't turned back since! It might be the splash of summer flavor during the dead-cold of winter, or the sprinkling of powdered sugar on top that resembles snow. Maybe it's just the tangy contrast to the sugar overload in all the other cookies.  Either way, you should try 'em! A sweet yet tangy lemony custard sitting atop a shortbread cookie crust.  Lemon Squares Servings/Yield 13x9-inch pan Crust 2   cups   flour ½   cup   powdered sugar 1   cup   butter, softened ¼   tsp.   salt Filling 2   cups   sugar 4   eggs ¼   cup   flour 5   tbsp.   lemon juice additional powdered sugar, for sprinkling Method Preheat oven to 375*F. Line a 13x9-inch pan with foil, and spray with cooking spray. Beat ...

So, when preparing for this challenge, I made up a list of all the cookies I wanted to make. 23 cookies to be exact. (I expected I would add more as the challenge progressed.) So, tonight, when I contemplated and pondered what cookie to make, I realized that I don't have many of the ingredients for my beloved cookies on the list! (And this is after I "stocked up" on chocolate chips and nuts at Farm 'n' Fleet. Hmmm... Guess I forgot about the Hershey kisses and maraschino cherries and peppermint candies and red food coloring. Looks like I need to go to the store.) So, using the handy-dandy internet, I stumbled across this simple, yummy-looking recipe, from the Pioneer Woman . (Love her site! Can't say that enough.) She found this recipe in an old church cookbook, so of course it's practically  guaranteed to be good. Those church ladies know what they're doing in the kitchen. The best thing about the recipe is that it's a simple one. It ...

This weekend my Business Man and I are homeward-bound back to Illinois to have a nice visit with our families. Except, his family just left on vacation to DC... so that means we'll be visiting with my family only. Poor planning on our part. This is good news for several reasons...   1. My parents got a new puppy literally 3 days after my Business Man and I got married and I moved to the Bean Town. I have been seeing puppy pictures and hearing puppy talk for the last 4 weeks and I absolutely cannot wait to meet and play and cuddle with this puppy. 2. I seem to have left a lot of things that are important to me at my parent's house. Including but not limited to the following:  several of my beloved cookbooks      my new Kitchenaid mixer (Wedding gift from my parents! And I haven't even used it in the Bean Town yet!) DVD collection (our shelves are looking mighty empty... need to fill up that DVD rack!) my cupcake decorating supplies (...because we all nee...