one amazing garden plus mia's lemon bars

Ahhh...sweet childhood memories of Spring and Summer. We had a garden. A big garden. We planted, watered, weeded, picked, washed, and canned until it was Fall. Now that I'm a big girl, I realize how much work it was for my parents to make all of this happen. And the garden was just the beginning! We had a pig farm, a milk cow, horses, rabbits, chickens, dogs, cats and a bird! We learned how to work, and I certainly appreciate it now. I have 5 siblings and we all honestly love to dig in and see a job well done. Thanks Mom and Dad for all the years you dedicated to teaching us!

back to the garden.....

Now that I live in the "country" and actually like vegetables, (my mother couldn't be prouder) I'm getting much more serious about planting a garden. When I saw Brooke Gianetti's garden from {Velvet and Linen} I was sold. As productive as it is beautiful, she and her family have done a marvelous job with their little bit of earth. If this doesn't make you want to go plant some tomatoes and eat organic, I can be of no more help!

There is little more satisfying than cutting fresh herbs for homemade flat bread, or whipping up fresh salsa without making a trip to the store. I love everything about a garden. From the way it looks, to the way it makes me feel...all earthy and close to nature. The memories I have of planting with my dad, weeding and picking alongside my four brothers little sister, and canning for hours on end with my mom in the kitchen are priceless to me. I plan on creating the same experiences for my own kids. I hope they are ready to work!

I'm not the only one who learned how to garden and bottle fresh produce. Mia reluctantly missed the first day of third grade because there were 50 lbs of peaches to be canned. This year her tree finally produced more than 1 lemon and she celebrated by making her signature lemon bars.

They're just the right amount of sweet and tangy and if you ask her, she'll tell you they're the best around. If you ask me I'll tell you I've never met a lemon bar I didn't fall in love with.



Mia's Lemon Bars

2 c flour
1/2 c powdered sugar
3/4 c butter, chilled, cut into pats
3 c sugar
6 eggs
1 c plus 2 T fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine 1 1/2 c of the flour and 1/2 c powdered sugar in a med mixing bowl. Cut in the butter until crumbly. Press over the bottom of a 9 x 13 dish. Bake for 20 minutes (do not over bake, it doesn't really brown). Reduce the oven temp to 300. Whisk the sugar and eggs in a med bowl until blended. Stir in the remaining 1/2 c flour and lemon juice. Spread evenly over the baked layer. Bake for 40 minutes longer or until set. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 min. Sprinkle the top with a generous amount of powdered sugar and enjoy!