Lemon Squares

My family celebrates Easter like many other families do... with lots of food.  My favorite part of special meals is dessert.  I love baking, but I love eating baked goods even more.  In recent years, I have been assigned the task of bringing dessert for our family gatherings.

This year, I brought Caramel Banana Cheesecake and Lemon Squares.  My sister and I used our grandmother's recipe for Lemon Squares.  Grandma's recipes are often not very specific, so they never turn out just like Grandma used to make.  This recipe said to put the lemon squares into an oblong pan.  We used a 13 x 9 inch pan, and it seemed too large.  So the recipe here is doubling the amount of filling.  I'm not sure how that will affect the baking time / temperature.  The ones we made seemed slightly overdone.

We also made a batch of these using gluten free flour, and they turned out well too.

I'll try baking these again soon and let you know how they turned out.

LEMON SQUARES:

Shell-
1/2 cup butter, salt free
1 cup flour, sifted
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Mix above ingredients in a small bowl and press into 13 x 9 inch pan. 

Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

Filling:
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon sodium free baking soda
4 eggs, slightly beaten
Juice of 2 large lemons or 1/4 cup lemon juice

Combine above ingredients in bowl. 

Pour over baked crust. 

Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes. 

Let cool.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar.  Cut into squares and serve.

Lemon Dill Chicken

What is better than chicken with lemon?  IMO... chicken with lemon AND dill is even better.  I like Lemon Dill Chicken because it's absolutely delicious and it's quick and easy to prepare.  The flavors seem to be more suited to summer time dining, but I like it year round.  There is no baking involved, so that's another reason to serve this during the warmer months.

You may serve this with rice or pasta and a green salad for a complete meal.

I used 1 cup of chicken broth instead of the recommended 1/3 cup, and the chicken turned out extra juicy.  Also, I didn't have any green onions, so I left them out of the recipe this time.  It was still delicious.

LEMON DILL CHICKEN

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup low sodium chicken broth (I used 1 cup)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons sliced green onion
1/4 teaspoon dill weed

Preparation:
Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook chicken about 6 minutes, turning once.  Mix broth, lemon juice, and dill; pour over chicken.  Heat to boiling.  Cover and simmer 10 minutes.  Add green onion and heat through.

Greek Lemon Rice Soup

Often times, while I'm dining at a restaurant, I will find a dish that I love.  When I return home, I search online or through my cookbooks to see if I have a recipe for that very dish.  I think that I was in my thirties before I tried Lemon Rice Soup.  I never thought that lemon in soup sounded good to me.  I still don't remember what inspired me to try it, but I did and LOVED it.  Once I had returned home, I discovered a recipe online that looked easy to make and I could adjust to my dietary needs.  I made it and thought that it tasted almost as good as the restaurant soup.  It could never be the same without the salt and fat that surely must have been in their soup.

My theory on food is that you need to try every dish at least on 3 separate occasions (made by 3 different cooks) to say that you don't like it.  That is what I tell my nephews and niece when they refuse to try some new food. I also tell them that they should try it because it might be their favorite food of all time, but they'll never know because they wouldn't try it.

The lemon rice soup is easy to make and doesn't take too long either.  It was fairly simple to reduce the sodium, and it's naturally low fat.  I should make it more often.  Perhaps I will add that to the list of my new year's resolutions.

I like to add cooked, diced chicken breast for a heartier soup.  You can save leftovers in the refrigerator and reheat; be sure not to boil the soup.  It does not freeze well.

GREEK LEMON RICE SOUP

Ingredients:
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 to 1-1/2 cups brown minute rice*
2 eggs
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons sugar or 1 packet Equal
Dash of white pepper
Cooked, diced chicken breast, if desired

Preparation:
In 2 quart saucepan, bring broth to a boil. Reduce heat, add rice, cover and simmer until rice is tender, about 10 minutes.  In small bowl, beat eggs and lemon juice.  Stirring constantly, add 1 cup hot soup a little at time.  Stir mixture into soup and heat through.  Do not boil!  If you like, add cooked, diced chicken breast.  Add sugar and pepper.  Serves 4.

*Note: 1 cup rice makes thinner soup, 1-1/2 cups makes thicker soup.