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Grandma Rose’s lemon bar recipe – yum!
In a recent post, I mentioned that baking during the holidays reminds me of my family traditions, and my Grandma’s wonderful recipes – many of which I compiled into a cookbook. I make these around Christmas time but they would be good at Easter or for a potluck – really anytime! Below is her recipe for Rich Lemon Bars. Her recipe is the perfect blend of sweet with a surprising burst of fresh lemon. Enjoy! Crust: 1 1/2 cups 1/2 cup powdered sugar 3/4 cup butter Combine 1 1/2 cups flour and powdered sugar. Cut in margarine until crumbly. Press into bottom of lightly greased 8 x 8-inch baking pan (I…
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Baking and Christmas memories
My family doesn’t have many Christmas traditions but I treasure the ones we have. Baking sweet treats during the holiday is one of my favorites. My Grandma Rose was the master baker in our family. She played bridge with ladies each week and they took turns bringing a dessert. Between her friends and Grandma’s eagle eye for yummy recipes in the newspaper, she acquired the best recipes imaginable. When I was little, I’d sometimes stay overnight with my grandparents on Friday, and Saturday morning my Grandma and I would make cookies together. This was after she served her famous Swedish pancakes (crepes) for breakfast! She knew most of the recipes…
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IWSG: How do I find time to write in my busy day?
As I write my post for September’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group, I have to admit I don’t have this one figured out. I’m having a lot of trouble finding the time to write. I’m not a morning person, so the idea of waking up an hour early and sitting down at the computer scares me. I wonder if my husband, dog and kitties would find me several hours later asleep, face plastered to the keyboard! I work eight-plus hours per day, Monday through Friday. I also periodically work some evenings and weekends. When I get home in the evening, there are only a few hours left after the pets and humans…
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CTST: Yummy new option for healthy living
Celebrate the Small Things: Market District specialty store in Carmel, Indiana I first heard about Market District from a staff person at work who discovered it when she was up in Indianapolis. A friend and I happened upon it this past Thursday and it was a delight. It’s like an amusement park for foodies! We were so excited about the choices that we bought a refrigerated sack, put a bag of ice in it and prepared our more delicate items for the two-hour transport home. Whether we wanted cheese, meat marinade or spice rub, or types of freshly baked bread, the selection was plentiful. We found old-time favorites as well…
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CTST: Summer time harvest
Celebrate the Small Things: Taking stock of life’s summer harvest It’s the end of August, which is a month that marks for many the beginning of school, the end of vacations and an end to summer, which has breezed past us in a humid fog. I ran across this photo from last year and it reminded me of summer’s progress. I’ve accomplished some of my goals (indicated by the harvested area of the field) but there is still time to water, weed and harvest healthy crops. There’s still time to celebrate what’s left of summer. And, I’m trying really hard not to rush into fall, which is my favorite time of…
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CTST: Tasty produce and the farmers who grow it
Celebrate the Small Things: The hard work of farmers to produce healthy, tasty fruits and vegetables. This time of year, the farmers start to see the fruits of their labor and we have especially tasty choices at local farmers’ markets and in grocery stores who feature locally grown produce. I can’t wait until those juicy red, yellow and orange tomatoes ripen and the tender, yellow sweetcorn matures! Until I took part in a Consumer Support Agriculture (CSA) several times, I didn’t know there could be such a difference in taste, between organic, locally grown vegetables and those found year-long in big-chain stores. There is a huge difference and I’m spoiled.…
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Short-sighted in the rain
Celebrate the Small Things: That God sees what’s up ahead, even when we can’t. And, that we can rest peacefully in that knowledge! It rains often in Indiana, even if the temperature is 95 degrees, which blows my mind. I grew up in Denver and when it rained, it resulted in cool afternoons or evenings with the humidity dissipating into the atmosphere. Not so in the muggy Midwest. This morning was a downpour, as if someone was refilling a pitcher and dumping it on the roads. It reminded me of a time when I worked for a publishing company, selling advertising space to businesses. My boss and I were making…
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Life’s moving walkways
I recently had my second knee replacement (in December) and I’ve been feeling good about my progress. Over my 20-plus year marketing/sales career, I’ve traveled often. A few weekends ago, my husband Joe, and I, traveled for the first time since my operations. We attended his niece’s wedding in Dallas, so we flew from Indianapolis. We got a good parking spot and entered the terminal. We each had a large suitcase to check, I had a purse and Joe had his mom’s birthday present. We hopped on the moving walkway and stood to one side. My suitcase had the 360-degree wheels so it was in front of me. We hear…
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Kindness Challenge (wk5) and CTST: Grateful for kindness
Celebrating the Small Things: For the first time in 43 years, I can see 20/20 without glasses, contacts or reading glasses. I had cataract and cornea reshaping surgery last week and it’s truly amazing what the doctors can accomplish! During this seven-week Kindness Challenge, I’ve become more aware of the large and small kindnesses in my life. Here are a few that I’m especially grateful for, and none of them require money. 1. Marriage My husband is one of the kindness people I know. He was a struggling college student when I met him, getting his master’s degree in Denver, and yet he always found ways to help people around…
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Kindness Challenge (wk4) and CTST: Being kind
This video inspiration was sent to me over the weekend so I had to share (and backdate this post, because I’m running behind). Be sure to watch this short film to the end. Some of the people who are interviewed, who have been positively effected by 88-year-old Bermudian Johnny Barnes, are inspirational also. Johnny devotes six hours per day to greeting passers-by at a traffic circle. One person interviewed said that if Johnny isn’t at his spot in the morning, people worry and call the radio station, asking if he is okay. Another lady (my favorite) said that she was in such a bad mood one morning, that she vowed not…
