LEMONRY LANE

This next recipe is a family favorite. It comes from my grandma Noni, who recently passed on. The hardest thing to deal with when you lose someone is the simple fact that they are no longer there. The night before her funeral, with many members of the family staying at the house, my cousin prepared an entire "Noni Dinner". This meal consisted of all the recipes that we associated with her. "Noni Chicken" with potatoes roasted along side, Chard and Bacon, a green salad with all the vitamins- served last with strong vinegar. The food was actually a comfort to us and did one thing that i thought was amazing, instead of allowing her to drift into the realm of a memory, distanced and intangible, making her dishes literally brought her to the table. The familiar smells and flavors of the foods she had prepared for us so many times over the years were real, heavy and absolutely delicious.

All of us have people in our lives who have passed down recipes through family and friends. It is a great thing to think that in our lifetime we can perfect one or two recipes, make them so well and regularly that we and the recipes become one. That even after we are gone, that certain blend of ingredients, made in a certain way, is repeated long after. And we are remembered thoughtfully through the process of making it.

The recipe that i would like to introduce this week is "Noni's Lemon Bars". No one could make lemon bars like hers.

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Noni's Lemon Bars

Mix & Crumble:
1 C flour
1/4 C sugar
1/2 C soft butter

Press into a 9 X 9 square baking pan (metal is best).

Bake 15-20 minutes @ 350, meanwhile...

Beat together:
2 eggs
3/4 C sugar
3 T lemon juice
2 T flour
1/2 tsp baking powder, and a pinch of salt

Pour over hot crust and bake 20-25 minutes longer.

Cool & sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Cut into 16 squares.