Tuna and I Make Amends

I've had a love-hate relationship with tuna. As a kid, I loved tuna - pure, unadulterated tuna. I remember being in a restaurant with my family on a road trip. I was probably 6 or 7, and looking at my options on the children's menu. Among the bland, kid-friendly options, I saw a tuna sandwich. But, I knew it would be tainted with dreaded mayonnaise. So, when the waitress came, I ordered "a tuna sandwich, without the mayo and bread, please". Now, I should point out that I was a very shy child, and to this day, am considered the "strong, silent type" by some of my more boisterous friends. So, the fact that I ordered for myself, and made a special request, no less, was kind of a big deal. I'm sure my sister appreciated the fact that she didn't have to order for me. But, the waitress didn't have these details about my personality. If she did, she probably wouldn't have looked at me like I was a weird kid, and said, "So, hon, what you're askin' for is just a can of tuna?" She took one look at my now bright red face, and then turned to my mom for confirmation. I got my small bowl of flaky tuna, and enjoyed every bite as the heat in my flaming red cheeks subsided. And yes, I made my sister order my next meal for me.

Somewhere along the way, I began to hate tuna. The smell and the taste both fell somewhere between very fishy and very metallic. I could barely stand to be in the same room as a can of opened tuna. And don't get me started on the mushy and unappetizing texture. There seems to have been a gradual and steady decline of the quality of tuna in my lifetime. Sure, we are all concerned about the rising mercury levels, and the serious problem of overfishing in certain areas of the world. There are plenty of morally sound reasons for avoiding tuna. Who needs the guilt? But, no one talks about the aesthetic problems. Tuna is no longer a thing of simple beauty. Most commercially available tuna looks, smells, and (though I can't necessarily attest to this one), probably tastes like cat food.

I had pretty much given up on tuna when I ran across a woman selling cans of tuna at the Saturday Market in the quaint seaside town of Astoria, OR. Her husband runs a local fishing vessel, the F/V Sonja. They have a small, family run business packing and selling their tuna, which, by the way, has been tested and found to have low levels of mercury. I had to give tuna another chance. Guess what? It is the BEST TUNA I HAVE EVER HAD! It is firm, and meaty, and flaky, and it tastes like the sea, not like a fishy metal can. It is, as the British would say, gorgeous. I raved about it to family and friends when I got back into town with my treasured cans of tuna. I've since ordered a case. If you live in the Pacific Northwest area, you should give it a try. It's not cheap, but it is well worth the price for such high quality tuna. Need more convincing? You are supporting a local business with good fishing practices, buying a product that doesn't have to be shipped 2,000 miles before reaching your doorstep, and due to the low mercury levels, you can enjoy it more often without feeling guilty. If you still aren't convinced, invite yourself over to my house on Tuna Casserole night, and you might change your mind.

This recipe for Tuna Casserole was originally published in Bon Appetit. It's a bit more work than the usual version made with canned cream of mushroom, but you can taste the difference. I've modified the recipe to my liking, with the addition of cheese and peas. I also use a lot of pepper.

Tuna Casserole

• 9 T butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 3 cups whole milk (no low fat or non-fat)
• 1 cup sliced, stemmed fresh shitake mushrooms (opt)
• 1 cup sliced, trimmed button mushrooms (up to 2 cups if not using shitake mushrooms)
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 1 T chopped fresh rosemary, or 1 tsp dried
• 1 T chopped fresh thyme, or 1 tsp dried
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup grated gouda or smoked gouda, (or white cheddar cheese, or whatever favorite cheese you have on hand)
• 8 oz egg noodles
• 2 7-oz cans tuna, packed in water, and drained well
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 3 cups fresh white breadcrumbs (I usually make small bread crumbs in my food processor. The ones pictured were an experiment with large crumbs. I prefer the smaller size).

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x13 in glass or ceramic dish. Cook noodles, drain and rinse in cold water. Drain well, and set aside.


2. Melt 4 T butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and stir 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk. Stir over medium heat until sauce thickens a little, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
   
3. Melt 1 T butter in medium skillet over med-high heat. Add mushrooms, green onions and celery. Saute until mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in rosemary and thyme. Add thawed peas. Stir mushroom mixture into milk sauce. Add grated cheeses to sauce and stir until well combined.
   
4. Return noodles to pot they were cooked in. Add tuna, breaking into flakes, and toss to distribute. Add cheese mixture and stir to evenly coat noodle mixture. Season with salt and (lots of!) pepper. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish.


5. Melt remaining 4 T butter in medium skillet over medium heat. Add breadcrumbs and stir continuously while browning, approximately 10 minutes. Sprinkle over casserole.
   
6. Bake casserole for about 30 minutes, until bubbly around the edges and nicely browned on top. Let sit for about 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

If you are like me, you might have a hard time resisting seconds, and thirds, of this comforting meal. I think next time I'm going to divide and cook the casserole in individual serving sized dishes.

Enjoy!
Heather

The Making of a Baker

Some of you already know this, but once upon a time, I was married. As far as marriages go, this one was pretty short indeed. Okay, not as short as the marriages of Britney Spears and Jennifer Lopez...but not that long either. I think they're what people are now referring to as "starter" marriages, which seems like a strange term to me. What does this mean exactly? I'm thinking that in food terms, it would be like I made an unlucky selection from the appetizer menu, got food poisoning and never made it to the entree course... Hmm... that does sound about right... Anyway, this man that I married had actually gone to culinary school and worked as a chef. When I met him, he had worked in some really nice restaurants in Seattle, where we were both living at the time. Yes, I know what some of you are thinking... this sounds like a match made in heaven! How perfect that a person who loves food as much as I do, would find and marry someone who had a culinary background. And on the surface, you'd be right. We were a pretty good match in some respects. He loved to cook and I loved to eat. He was one of those people who could whip up a fabulous gourmet meal with only those ingredients that are left behind in your cupboard. Those ingredients that never seem to go together and that you can never figure out what to do with. Dinners like salmon with a coconut milk sauce, or chicken over a mushroom risotto... But alas, our love of food did not a good marriage make.

The man I am with now...my sweetheart, my love... is not a food lover. In fact, he will proudly tell you that if it were possible to get his nutritional quota from a daily pill, he would take it, and dispense with meals altogether. Every meal we have ever eaten out, comes with specific instructions to the waiter about what to add, or more likely remove, from his carefully selected menu choice. His idea of a gourmet meal is a burger with a fried egg on top. Our first date was at Red Robin... I think you get the idea. But I do have to give him a little credit... he can make some killer barbeque chicken! So, some of you may be thinking that I went from one extreme to the other. Where's the happy medium here, between the guy who loves food and the guy who eats only to survive?

I'll tell you what... It's me. I'm the happy medium... because now I get to be the star of my own kitchen. My ex-husband had a rather large ego when it came to cooking, and the result of this was that there was no room for me in the kitchen, literally and figuratively. I know that if we had stayed together, my culinary skills and dreams would have gone untapped. With him around, there was only room for one chef in the house, and unfortunately, it wasn't me. But now... I can putter around my kitchen, experimenting and creating to my heart's content! And my sweetheart, my AJ, is my number one supporter. Though he is most certainly not a foodie, he does love a good dessert every now and then, and willingly tastes all of my creations.

When I bring desserts in to work to test out on my co-workers, he brags about my dishes as if he were my paid marketing director... which I'm guessing is how I got "volunteered" to bring dessert to a party this past Saturday night. He is currently in school working on a Masters degree, and he and his program cohort were celebrating their last day of classes on Saturday. When AJ first mentioned the party to me, he sheepishly said that he hoped it was okay, but that he had volunteered me to make the dessert for the party... thought it was a good venue to test out some of my recipes. And of course, he was right. Part of me wanted to jump for joy that he thought I was up to the challenge, and part of me wanted to run and hide and tell him that I wasn't ready yet. So after some last minute panic and second thoughts, I did it. And it was a success! I got wonderful compliments from the guests and I left there on Cloud Nine. Oh yeah, and did I mention that the husband of the woman hosting the party is a trained chef? And not just any old chef, but a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, the most prestigious culinary school in the U.S....ummm... AJ forgot to mention those details when he signed me up for this gig... But Chef John was a great guy, totally supportive of my culinary attempts, and I thoroughly enjoyed talking with him and perusing his extensive culinary book collection... all in all, a magical evening.

One of the desserts I brought on Saturday was a new one for me. While it's not usually a good idea to bring a "never-been-tried" recipe to a party, this one turned out to be a hit. It is a Pumpkin Spice Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting. The recipe was one I found in the "Art and Soul of Baking" book by Cindy Mushet. This first time I made it, I followed the recipe exactly, though when I make it again, I will most likely tweak the frosting a bit. It came out too runny and kept wanting to slide off the cake (it didn't help that I ran out of time and didn't actually level the cake!). The recipe calls for using maple syrup, which has a nice flavor, but I plan to cut back on the amount used. I would start out with half the amount, so a quarter cup, and then add more if needed. The other thing I might try is a little bit of maple extract to bring out a stronger maple flavor. I will list the recipe as it is originally written, and you can modify it as I've suggested or not. Without further ado, here it is...

Pumpkin Spice Cake
with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Cake:

• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temp
• 1 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temp.
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 2 cups sifted cake flour*
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temp.

Frosting:

• 12 oz cream cheese, room temp.
• 3/4 stick unsalted butter, room temp.
• 1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup, preferably grade C
• 1 3/4 cups sifted confectioners sugar
• 1 cup pecan pieces, toasted and finely chopped**

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and position rack in center of oven. Butter 9 inch round cake pan, and fit with a round of parchment paper. (Note: If you are using a dark or non-stick coated pan, you will need to turn the heat down by 25 degrees, otherwise your cake will cook too quickly on the outer edges but will not get done in the middle.)

2. Beat the butter and brown sugar with mixer on med-high until very light in color, 4 to 5 minutes. Scrape down bowl with spatula.

3. Beat the eggs and vanilla in a small bowl to blend. With the mixer on medium, add the eggs to the butter mixture about 1 Tbsp at a time, allowing each addition to blend before adding the next. Halfway through, scrape down the bowl, then continue adding eggs as before. Add the pumpkin and blend well.

4. With a fine-mesh strainer, sift the cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and cloves into the bowl and whisk to blend. With the mixer on the lowest speed, add the flour mixture and the buttermilk alternately. Begin with 1/3 of the flour mixture, then half the buttermilk, then another 1/3 of flour, then the rest of the buttermilk, then the final amount of flour. Scrape the bowl and finish blending by hand.

5. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for about 1 hour, or until the top is firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to rack to cool completely.

6. Make the frosting: Place the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl and blend with a mixer until smooth. Add the maple syrup and confectioner's sugar and mix thoroughly. Scrape bowl down and blend again briefly.

7. Once cake has cooled, run a thin flexible knife or spatula around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake. Place a cake cardboard or large plate on top of pan and flip over so that the cake is on the plate. Lift the cake pan off, leaving the parchment paper on the cake. Flip again so the cake is right side up. Level the cake if necessary. Using a serrated knife slice the cake horizontally into two layers. (Note: Or you can do what I did, and make two batches of the cake recipe so that you have two 9" layers, for a larger, taller cake.)

8. Place the top half of the cut cake on a serving plate, with the cut side up. With an icing spatula or thin flexible knife, spread a generous 1/2 cup of frosting evenly over the surface. Flip over the bottom half of the cake on top of the frosting with the parchment side up. Remove the parchment and use the remainder of the frosting to cover the top and sides of the cake. Press the toasted pecan pieces into the sides of the cake. Serve immediately or refrigerate until needed.

Storing: The cake will keep refrigerated for 3 days. It is best served at cool room temp. and should be taken out of the fridge 30 to 45 minutes before serving.

* The cake flour should be sifted first, then measured. An easier way to do this is to use a small kitchen scale if you have one, and sift out 7 ounces of flour (which equals 2 cups of sifted flour). You could also sift the flour directly over a large glass measuring cup until you get to the 2 cup line.

** The pecans should be toasted first before chopping them into small pieces. You can toast the pecans on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for 7 to 9 minutes.


I hope you enjoy this recipe. And as always, let me know what you think!

- Colleen

Maggie's Buns

My sister and I have had entrepreneurial aspirations for as long as I can remember. As children, much of our playtime centered around creating a "business" and then acting it out. Sort of like dress-up, but with a business plot line. One of our first creations was a circus, but without the animals, so really more like a fair. We "employed" the two younger kids who lived next door to us. (They served a dual purpose, in that they were our customers and our free child labor!) We spent most of our time creating carnival games, like a ring toss, a spin-the-wheel game, and a bean bag toss. As I remember it, many of our mother's cooking beans went to making homemade bean bags, and a good number of those beans ended up all over the backyard, when we didn't quite sew those little bags closed all the way. As you've probably noted, this early business dream does not translate well to an actual paying occupation. I'm guessing my parents are relieved that we didn't grow up to be carnies...

We also had a real estate firm, where we spent most of our time sitting at desks talking on old rotary dial phones, and setting up appointments to show people houses for sale. Oh, and most importantly, planning our dates for when we got off work! Then I went through a Nancy Drew phase, and we posted signs hiring ourselves out as detectives to anyone in the neighborhood who might need our services. Surprisingly, no one ever took us up on this! I can't begin to imagine why... I mean when you've read every Nancy Drew book ever written, you're bound to have better than average detective skills, right?

The business I remember being most "successful" was the C&H Diner. Heather and I would make our parents sit at the dining room table, while we whipped out our tablets and scribbled down their orders. We then spent an enormous amount of time in the kitchen totaling up how much this wonderful meal would cost before presenting them with the bill. We were some pretty tough waitresses and our customers weren't allowed to leave the dining room until they had paid up! Luckily for them, my sister and I had no concept of the cost of food, so they usually escaped having lost only the change in their pockets. I'm thinking this little diner game had more to do with making some quick cash for some toy we wanted to buy, and less to do with starting our own food-related business. But I'm pretty sure I saw an Oprah show once where she asked her guests what they remember enjoying most as a child and encouraging these people to turn this childhood passion into a dream. I'm on it, Oprah!

So then, it appears that we were always destined to work in the food business. Thank goodness, we have finally grasped the concept that to be successful in the food business, you actually have to serve some food! Which is exactly what the mother daughter team do at Maggie's Buns, a bakery and cafe, in Forest Grove, OR. A real-life, grown-up version of the "diner", where not only do they take your order and give you a bill, they actually feed you too. My friend Amanda introduced my sister and I to this lovely little spot this past week for lunch, and I'm so glad that she did. The place is very bright and cozy, and is decorated in a Bohemian, eclectic style, with multicolored chandeliers, mismatched tables and chairs, and a plastic set of Maggie's "buns" right at the front counter. Oh, and did I mention the fake deer head wearing a hat on a side wall? I think you get the idea....

But what this cafe lacks in polish, they more than make up for in friendliness and charm. And though the decorations might be a little "out there", the food is not. Think homey, comfort food, just like mom or grandma would make. (Well, if they were good home cooks, that is.) They have a whole display case of wonderful things to choose from, such as buttermilk baked chicken, turkey bacon wraps, Greek gyros, pasta dishes, and at least 6 different salads. And the prices won't break the bank. I chose the Sante Fe Quiche...



Heather got the Portabella Feta Crepes...



And Amanda got the Homemade Macaroni and Cheese...



And don't even get me started on the pastry display case... There was so much to choose from... cookies, muffin tops (exactly what the name says!), several different kinds of brownies, lemon bars, and fruit cobblers. I got a rasberry shortbread bar for the road. Mmmm.... a little piece of summer in the middle of winter... delightful!

If you're ever in the area, you should definitely give this place a try. I don't think you'll be disappointed...

- Colleen

Cloudy with a Chance of Sun Breaks

This is Heather, the savory half of the dynamic sister duo! Don't get me wrong, I love to bake and will choose to eat chocolate over most things any day of the week. But, when it comes to experimenting in the kitchen, I tend to play around with savory foods. I can spend hours perusing cookbooks and food magazines, collecting recipe ideas and savoring the glossy photos of artfully prepared foods. And I like to try small twists on recipes that I already love, just to see if I can improve them or make them a little more memorable.

Today was a typical cloudy January day in the Northwest, but on a hike this morning, my boyfriend and I spotted some sun breaks. What's a sun break, you say? Well, those who live in the Pacific Northwest know the term well. For the rest of you, that's what we call a hole in the never ending cloud layer that might, just might, let a ray of sunshine through. It sounds better than "mostly cloudy", doesn't it? The weather man thinks so, too, and is always thrilled to inform us when we might get even a spot of sun. So, today we cherished a few sun breaks amidst an otherwise gray day. It was the perfect day for one of my favorite winter recipes- Citrus-Scented Lamb Stew. It's not a heavy, stick-to-your-ribs kind of stew. It has body to it, for sure, but is also has a lightness from the citrus, and a comforting warmth from the mixture of spices. It's just like a cloudy day with a spot of sunshine.

I've slightly modified the original recipe from Food & Wine- adding a few more spices and making the stew a bit "soupier", because I love a good broth. Feel free to adjust any of the spices or herbs to your liking- that's what I did.

Citrus-Scented Lamb Stew

• 4 Tbsp butter
• 1 1/4 pounds lamb shoulder, trimmed and cut into 1" pieces
• Salt and pepper
• 1 med. onion, chopped
• 3 medium carrots, sliced
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme (or 1/2 tsp fresh)
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and lightly smashed with the side of a knife
• 4 whole cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 3" strip lemon zest (I prefer Meyer lemons), plus 1 Tbsp juice
• 3" strip orange zest, plus 2 Tbsp juice
• One 28-oz can dices tomatoes, drained (If Italian seasoned, you can modify above herbs)
• 3+ cups low sodium beef or chicken broth, plus more as needed during cooking (If your stock is strong, consider cutting it 50/50 with water)
• 1 10-oz. pkg frozen sweet peas (about 2 cups)

Melt the butter in a large pot- I prefer my enameled cast iron pot. Dry the lamb pieces, season liberally with salt and pepper, and add to the pot with melted butter. Try to get a good sear on all sides of the meat, which will take about 10 minutes. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon, leaving juices in the pot.

Add the onions, carrots, and thyme through bay leaf to the juices in the pot. Saute over medium heat until onions are translucent and carrots are just starting to become tender, about 10 minutes. Add meat back to the pot, and add the cinnamon, allspice, citrus zests and juice, plus additional pinch pepper. Stir the mixture until the spices are well distributed and you can smell the spices- about 3 minutes.

Add the drained tomatoes and stock. If you like a heartier, less brothy stew, start with just two cups of stock. If you like it soupier, start with three cups. Bring the stew to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, for at least 45 minutes. If your lamb meat is on the tough side, feel free to simmer longer, until the lamb becomes tender. (After bringing your stew to a boil, you can also put your pot, covered, in a 300 degree oven for 60 minutes or more. This can help particularly tough meat get very tender). Check your liquid levels periodically and add stock as necessary to keep meat covered. Once the meat is tender, you can remove the lid and simmer the stew to desired thickness or brothy-ness. About 10 minutes prior to serving, add frozen peas and simmer to heat through. Also, remove zest, garlic clove, cloves (if you can find them, otherwise, keep an eye out for them while you eat), and bay leaf.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!




This stew will keep well in the refrigerator for 4 days.

Also in the photo is my favorite compliment to this stew- Crusty Irish Soda Muffins. I used to make these when I was a kid, and I still love them to sop up the final juices of a tasty stew. As the name implies, they are a crumbly, not overly-moist, muffin. They are meant to be sliced in half and bathed in a pat of butter! (The recipe makes about 18 muffins. I usually halve the recipe).

Crusty Irish Soda Muffins

• 4 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 to 1/4 cup sugar, to taste*
• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon or 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 4 Tbsp butter, cold
• 1 egg
• 1 3/4 cup buttermilk**
  

*sugar is optional- I like to add about 1/8 cup for a whole recipe. The sweetness is a nice counterbalance to the salty, soda flavor. If I'm making these muffins for breakfast, I may add up to 1/4 cup sugar for the whole recipe, and add about 1 cup of raisins. Some people prefer this sweeter muffin.

** I never have buttermilk on hand, and don't like to buy it for one recipe. You can make your own "buttermilk" or sour milk, using about 1 Tbsp of mild vinegar (cider vinegar or rice vinegar) per 1 cup of milk.

In a large bowl, combine flour through spice. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture forms even crumbs. (If making a sweet version of this muffin with the raisins, as mention above, add the raisins after the butter, being sure to coat well with the flour mixture).

Beat egg lightly and add to buttermilk. Add wet mixture to dry mixture and stir until well blended. Batter will be very thick and lumpy.

Spoon into 18 well-greased 2" muffin cups. Each cup will be pretty full. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes, until golden. An inserted toothpick should come out clean.

Serve hot from the oven, and don't forget to serve with butter... Yum!

-H

Lemon Sunshine

Today I am craving the sweet and tangy taste of lemons. More specifically Lemon Bars. I know this is seasonally inappropriate and I apologize for that. All of the locavores out there are probably shaking there heads at me, the girl who is craving lemon bars in January in the Pacific Northwest. But sometimes when you have a craving for something, no seasonally appropriate food item, such as pumpkins or pecans, will do. Sometimes you just have to give in to that craving.

I'm pretty sure I know why I'm dreaming of lemons today. Because today was an unusual mid-winter day in Portland. It was sunny! Pretty much the whole day. I have to admit that it was a rather timid, wan sun. But as someone who is all too familiar with winters in the Northwest, I'll certainly take any sun I can get. Trust me, I am not complaining. In fact, I saw a lot of people today who looked like they wanted to do a happy little sun dance. (Or maybe that was just me). Don't worry, I didn't actually do one.

You see, my sister and I grew up in Southern California in a suburb of L.A., where it was sunny like 90% of the time. Every Christmas picture that I can remember seeing in my family's pictures albums, had Heather and I posing on the front lawn in our Christmas dresses in bright, sunshiny weather. And in the backyard of our childhood home, were two lemon trees. Lemon trees that produced lots, and lots of lemons. Trees that seemed to produce lemons all year round. Of course, that could just be my memory playing tricks on me. I mean, when you're a kid, 2 months seems like forever. But I do remember having so many lemons that we really couldn't use them all. Some of them actually fell on the ground and rotted. What a shame, I know. Oh, to have one of those lemon trees now, where I could pick fresh lemons for my lemon bars...

So the recipe that I'm sharing with you tonight is my mother's lemon bar recipe. It is the same recipe she used when we were kids and she sent us out back to gather up lemons for her. I know I am probably biased, as it's hard to be objective when talking about childhood memories and favorite foods, but her recipe, as simple as it is, is really one of the best I've ever had. Many of the lemon bars I've sampled in cafes and bakeries over the years, haven't been quite right. Usually not lemony enough and sometimes too firm. I prefer my lemon bars to be slightly soft, maybe even a little gooey, in the middle. It is definitely important not to overcook them.

Lemon Bars

• 1 cup salted butter, at room temp
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted if it's lumpy
• 2 cups + 1/2 cup flour
• 4 eggs
• 2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp grated lemon peel
• 6 T fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp baking powder

1. Cream butter and powdered sugar until smooth.
   
2. Add in 2 cups flour and beat until well-blended. Dough will be stiff but should start to come together.
3. Press firmly and evenly into 9x13 in pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20 min. Edges will be lightly browned.
4. Allow to cool on baking rack for at least 30 min before adding filling.
5. Beat eggs, sugar and 1/2 cup floor together.
6. Combine lemon peel, lemon juice and baking powder in small bowl and stir together. (It will fizz like a grade school science project!).
7. Add to sugar mixture and beat until combined. Pour over baked crust and bake for approximately 25-30 minutes more at 350 degrees. (Make sure to check on them in the last five minutes of baking, as all ovens vary a bit. It should still be a little jiggly in the center, but will firm up as they cool).
   

After bars have cooled, you can sift powdered sugar on the top before slicing.

I hope this recipe brings a little sunshine your way. Enjoy! And if you try it, don't forget to let us know what you think...

- Colleen

P.S. When I posted the first blog, I didn't realize that people couldn't post comments unless they have a Google account. I think I have fixed this now, so that anyone should be able to post a comment if they choose to.

Sweet Dreams

So, I had a heart attack a couple of weeks ago and it got me to thinking, like these kinds of events usually do for people. Well, okay, not an actual, real heart attack, but a fake one. I had just had a lovely four day Christmas weekend and I was getting ready to go back to work on a Monday morning. I stepped out of the shower to dry myself off and there it was, "it" being an excruciating pain that rippled through my chest and back, up my neck and down my right arm. Sounds like a heart attack, right? I'm pretty sure you would have gone to the Emergency Room too.

I guess my first clue that it wasn't actually a heart attack was the fact that I am only in my mid-thirties. And ironically enough, due to the fact that the ER was fast filling up with more troublesome emergencies, I was actually seen in the children's section of the ER that day. Although, I don't mind saying that if I ever have to go to the ER again, and let's hope it's not anytime soon, I much prefer going to the children's ER. I think the staff on that side are nicer, not to mention the decor is a little more soothing. Anyway, as it turns out, I merely tore a muscle in my back and inflamed a bunch of nerves that travel down your arm. So the good news is that I'm going to live. Yippee! The bad news is that I'm obviously 30-something going on 80. I mean, who tears a muscle in their back just from toweling off after a shower? Clearly a woman who needs to start that exercise program she's been saying she was going to start soon. Hmm....but that's a topic for another blog. This blog is going to be about food, and trust me, I am getting there, though in a somewhat roundabout way....

So, as I was saying, this "heart attack" got me thinking about some important stuff. Let's just say that it did not escape my attention that it happended on a Monday morning as I was getting ready to go back to work, to a rather stressful job, where I am a counselor, and not just a regular counselor, but a counselor who works in a residential alcohol and drug treatment program within a correctional facility. That's right, I work with criminals. Which, on its good days, can provide some really amusing anecdotes. It can be quite entertaining to have me around the dinner table when I'm in the mood to share work stories. But on its bad days, this job can really stress a girl out. So my first thought, okay my second thought after musing about how out-of-shape I am, was that I need to find a new job. I know the importance of paying attention to the signs. I don't think I need a real heart attack to figure this one out. So I am working on finding a new job....actually I have a job interview this week. Can I get a second yippee?

My next thought, really the most depressing of all, was that I was not going to get to spend my upcoming four day New Year's weekend baking up a storm like I had planned to. Instead, I was going to be moping around, babying my right arm, and feeling rather useless. I'm one of those right-handed people, that when their right hand becomes injured for some reason, really just need to be taken out to pasture. I mean really, I can do almost nothing useful with my left hand. Sometimes, I wonder why I even have a left arm. Oh yeah, I can type with it. Whew! That's a relief. So anyway, as I lay around thinking of all the cool new recipes I wasn't getting to try, I had one of those light bulb moments.... I realized that life is really too short, and that one of the few things in life that really makes me happy (besides family and friends) is food. It's as simple as that. I LOVE FOOD. I love eating food, and smelling food, looking at food, talking about food, trying new restaurants, trying new recipes, researching recipes, reading food magazines, watching the Food Network on TV. ( I mean who doesn't love watching a true food nerd, like Alton Brown, create homemade rose water for baklava?!)

So here's my confession....are you ready? It hasn't always been my dream to be a counselor in the corrections field. I know some of you are probably astonished at this. (Yes, there was a wee bit of sarcasm there). But the fact is, my sister Heather and I have this dream of one day opening a bakery or cafe. We have been dreaming about this for quite some time now. Really, this dream helps me to make it through some of those really heinous days at work, those days when I just want to crawl under my desk and hide, like George did in that hilarious Seinfeld episode. (I think he was actually taking a nap under there, but you get the idea). As it turns out, we are the dynamic duo, my sis and I, since I am into the sweet stuff and she is into the savory. Though, neither of us likes to be pigeon-holed, and we each cross over from time to time. She has a killer chocolate souffle cake recipe and I have a pretty stellar butternut squash soup recipe....but we'll get to those in future posts.

So the idea with this blog is to take the first steps towards making that bakery dream a reality! We need to start by perfecting our collection of recipes. We are going to be posting some of our favorite recipes, both sweet and savory, for you to enjoy. And our hope is that you will try them out and then write to us, letting us know what you honestly think about them. Basically, we want you to critque us and give us honest feedback. Don't hold back either. Trust us, we can handle it. I'm also hoping that people will share some of their favorite recipes with us. Or, maybe some of those recipes that you are intrigued by, but can't seem to get to come out quite right. We'll give them a try for you and see if we can tweak them into perfection. So, does that sound like a plan? Oh, and in case you're wondering about the blog name, we live in Portland, OR, which is a great place to live if you're a foodie. "Stumptown" is one of the nicknames for this city, and it made a nice alliteration with Sisters, so there you have it....

-Colleen