Lemon Bars

Tart, decadent, easy perfection!  Made with eight ingredients most people have on hand, these Lemon Bars are such a treat!

Two lemons will provide enough zest (optional) and juice for this recipe if using fresh juice.

Lemon Bars

1 cup flour

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup powdered sugar plus additional for dusting

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

2 eggs

2 tsp. lemon zest (optional)

3 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice (fresh or bottled)

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix flour, butter, and powdered sugar well.  Mixture will be very crumbly and will not hold together in the bowl.  Press into an ungreased 8x8 baker building up 1/2-inch high edges.  Bake 20 minutes.  Combine the granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl or in a stand mixer's bowl.  Add the eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice and mix with a hand mixer at medium speed for about 3 minutes.  If using a stand mixer like a Kitchenaid, mix on speed 4 for 3 minutes.  Pour over hot crust.  Bake until no indentation remains when touched lightly in the center, about 25-30 minutes.  Cool for 1 1/2 hours.  Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

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Perfect Sweet and Sour Sauce

This sweet and sour sauce recipe could have no other word in its title but perfect, because that's what it is!  It's thick with the ideal ratio of sweet to sour, which makes it a great sauce for anything Asian.🥢

Perfect Sweet and Sour Sauce

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup pineapple juice

3 1/2 tbsp. natural rice vinegar

1 tbsp. low sodium soy sauce

2 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch

1/3 cup water

red food coloring (optional)

pineapple tidbits, drained (optional)

In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, garlic powder, and salt.  Stir in the pineapple juice, natural rice vinegar, and soy sauce.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.  Mix the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl.  Add the cornstarch mixture to the boiling sauce stirring constantly.  Mixture will thicken quickly.  Stir in desired amount of red food coloring. (I use 2 drops.)  Add desired amount of pineapple tidbits.  Cool slightly before serving.

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I used to purchase sweet and sour sauce.  When my favorite sauce suddenly changed their recipe, I tried a different sauce only to be disappointed.  I decided right then that I would figure out how to make my own.  After several attempts, I finally came up with the perfect sauce...sweet, sour, and thick.

Sloppy Joe Pasta

Sloppy Joe Pasta is not the prettiest dish, but how can you go wrong with the combination of shell pasta, sloppy joe ingredients, and three kinds of cheese?

Sloppy Joe Pasta

1 pound ground beef

1 envelope sloppy joe seasoning mix

1 cup water

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste

2 cups dry small shell pasta, cooked and drained

1 1/2 cups 4% cottage cheese

Shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a 5 qt. saute pan, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.  Stir in the sloppy joe mix, water, tomato sauce and paste; heat through.  Remove from heat; stir in cooked pasta.  Spoon half into a 2.5 qt. baking dish (I use a 7x11 baker) sprayed with cooking spray.  Top with cottage cheese and then the remaining pasta mixture.  Liberally sprinkle desired amounts of cheddar cheese and parmesan cheese on top. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes until bubbly and cheese is melted.  Serve with additional grated parmesan cheese.

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Pressure Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage

I adapted my favorite oven-baked corned beef and cabbage recipe to the pressure cooker.  The result?  One hour shaved off the total time, less shrinkage of the corned beef, no heating up of the kitchen...but yet still immensely delicious!

Pressure Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage

Yield:  4-6 servings

Approximate Total Time:  3 hours

Electric Pressure Cooker Size:  6 quarts

1 (around 4 lbs.) flat cut corned beef brisket

1 1/2 cups beef broth, beer, or dry white wine

1 medium yellow onion, sliced

Red potatoes (slightly less than 1/2 of a 5 lb. bag--about 2 pounds)

Small head of cabbage

2-3 cups baby carrots 

Butter, melted

Freshly ground black pepper

Unwrap the brisket, set spice packet aside, and rinse the brisket with cool water.  Pat dry.  Trim as much fat as you can from the brisket, and rub the seasonings from the spice packet all over the meat.  Set aside.  Pour the beef broth or other liquid into the pressure cooker pot and add the onion.  Place the trivet on top of the onions, and put the corned beef on the trivet.  The brisket may curve up along the inside of the pot.  (See photos below.)

Lock the pressure cooker lid in place and set steam vent to Sealing.  Select PRESSURE COOK (Manual) and cook for 90 minutes on High pressure. When the cook time ends, let the pressure release naturally. During this time, prepare the vegetables. Cut the potatoes in fourths (or sixths if large).  Cut the head of cabbage into quarters.  Then cut each fourth in half to create 8 thin wedges.  Leave the core intact as it helps hold the wedges together.  When the valve drops, remove lid.

Remove the corned beef by using the trivet's handles. Place it in a covered Dutch oven, covered saute pan, or large, lidded casserole. Ladle some of the broth on top of the brisket and cover to keep warm. Pour broth out of pressure cooker pot into a 4-cup measuring cup or bowl. Put 1 1/2 cups of broth back into the pressure cooker pot reserving the rest of the broth.

Place the potatoes, carrots, and cabbage wedges into the pot in that order. Your pot will be very full and possibly above the max fill line, but that is fine. Lock pressure cooker lid in place, and set steam vent to Sealing. Select CANCEL and then select PRESSURE COOK (Manual) for 4 minutes on High pressure. It will take several minutes for it to come to pressure again. After the 4 minutes have passed, open the steam vent to release any remaining pressure (Quick Release), and carefully remove the lid.

Melt butter. Remove cabbage wedges with tongs and place on a tray or platter. Drizzle the wedges with melted butter and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper.

Slice the corned beef brisket against the grain and plate along with the vegetables. Serve the brisket, potatoes, and carrots with the reserved broth.

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This recipe was shared with me by my friend Gayle who is a personal chef.  My friend Kate has cooked many a corned beef brisket and gave me a lot of good advice, as well! ♥  Recipe instructions are my own.

Pressure Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage 101:

Trim as much fat as you can from the brisket:

Pour the beef broth or other liquid into the pressure cooker pot and add the onion.  Place the trivet on top of the onions, and put the corned beef on the trivet.  The brisket may curve up along the inside of the pot:

This is the corned beef after cooking:

Enjoy!