cheesecake lemon bars

Adapted from allrecipes.
Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar 3/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes* 4 eggs 1 1/2 cups white sugar 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon lemon zest 1/2 cup lemon juice 1 teaspoon lemon extract 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened 1 cup white sugar 2 eggs, beaten

Directions:

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly butter a 9x13-inch baking dish.
2. Whisk together 1 1/2 cup flour and confectioners' sugar in a mixing bowl. Cut in the cold butter with a knife or pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press the crumbs into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared baking dish to form a crust.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from oven, and set aside.
4. Whisk together 4 eggs, 1 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, lemon zest, lemon juice, and lemon extract in a bowl. Pour lemon mixture into the prepared crust. Skim off any bubbles from the surface of the filling. Mix the cream cheese and 1 cup sugar in a bowl until well blended. Whisk in 2 eggs, then spread over the lemon mixture. The mixtures will separate during baking.
5. Bake in the preheated oven until the filling is set, about 30 minutes.

Optional: serve with mixed berries on top. 

*I followed this advice from the website: “I melted my butter for the crust to save time and the crust turned out perfect shortbread texture”. 

greek lemon and feta couscous salad

Adapted from the stay for dinner blog.
serves 5-6
1 ¼ cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 box Near East Roasted Garlic and Olive Oil Couscous
1 lemon, juiced and zested
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
3 tablespoons finely chopped scallions
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 small zucchini, finely diced

Bring the chicken broth and olive oil to a boil in a medium pot. Add couscous and the roasted garlic spice pack. Stir, cover, remove from heat, and let sit for 10 minutes to allow the couscous to absorb the broth and then cool slightly.

Fluff with a fork, let stand for 5 minutes to cool, then toss the couscous with remaining ingredients. Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Side note: If you like tomatoes, I had this with fresh tomatoes on the side and they went so well together, I just combined them. You can get this brand of couscous at Costco. And MMMMM mmm.

lemon snowflakes

Meatless cookie recipes aren't hard to come by (hehe), but these were too good not to share.

From America's Test Kitchen "Christmas Cookies" magazine.

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 teaspoons grated lemon zest (from 2 lemons)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup powdered sugar

1. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Mix granulated sugar and lemon zest until well blended. Add melted butter, oil, lemon juice, egg and yolk, and vanilla and mix until pale and thickened, about 30 seconds. Transfer to bowl with flour mixture and stir until incorporated. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill until dough is firm, at least 1 hour.

2. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and place powdered sugar in a small bowl.

3. Working with 1 1/2 tablespoons dough at a time, roll into balls, roll in powdered sugar, and space 2 inches apart on prepared sheets. Bake until cookies are cracked and set on top but look moist within cracks, 10-12 minutes. Let cookies cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely, about 45 minutes.