French Lemon Bars

A traditional favorite.  I think one of the best things about lemon bars is that I always have everything I need in the pantry to make them.  No planning required!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 C flour

1/3 C powdered sugar

3/4 C butter

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3 eggs

1 1/2 C sugar

1 Tbsp flour

3 Tbsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

1.) Combine flour and powdered sugar.

2.) Cut in butter.

3.) Grease the bottom and sides of a 9"x13" pan.

4.) Press the dough into the bottom of the pan (as a crust).

5.) Bake the crust for 20 minutes at 350 F.

6.) Meanwhile, combine second set of ingredients.

7.) Pour mixture on top of the browned crust.

8.) Bake again for 20 minutes at 350 F.

9.) Allow to cool.

10.) Cut bars into squares and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Makes 2 dozen.

Bacon Wrapped Chicken

These are so simple and delicious! I assembled them the night before and just popped them in the oven the next day. I can imagine they would also freeze well (prior to baking). Chicken, bacon, and cheese - what's not to love?

Ingredients:

12 chicken breast tenders

6 oz cream cheese flavored with onion and chives

12 strips of thick, center-cut bacon

seasoned salt, as desired

Directions:

1.) Lay chicken flat on cutting board and flatten with a mallet. (This step is important, as it allows the chicken to roll up easier.)

2.) Spread a layer of cream cheese on each piece of chicken.

3.) Sprinkle seasoned salt on the cream cheese.

4.) Roll up the chicken with cream cheese on the inside.

5.) Wrap one strip of bacon around each chicken roll.

6.) Secure the bacon to the chicken with toothpicks.

7.) Place the bacon wrapped chicken in a 9x13" pan.

8.) Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until bacon is crispy.

Grasshopper Truffles

You may have tried Oreo truffles. I took that recipe and substituted Grasshopper cookies (Kebbler's version of Girl Scouts' Thin Mint cookies) for the Oreos. This made for the perfect amount of mint flavoring and still a great texture. A must try!

Ingredients:

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese

2 packages (10 oz each) Grasshopper cookies

2 C chocolate chips

Directions:

1.) Soften cream cheese in microwave (about 20 seconds).

2.) Use food processor to finely chop Grasshopper cookies (makes 4 1/2 C).

3.) Blend cream cheese and 4 C chopped cookies.

4.) Shape the dough into 1" balls.

5.) Melt chocolate chips in microwave until runny and smooth - it is very important to stir the chocolate every 10-15 seconds to prevent burning.

6.) Roll the balls in chocolate until covered.

7.) Place on cookie sheet covered with wax paper.

8.) Sprinkle remaining 1/2 C chopped cookies on top of truffles.

9.) Transfer the cookie sheet to the refrigerator.

10.) Allow the truffles to chill 1 hour before handling.

11.) When hardened, store truffles in refrigerator in an airtight container.

Makes 4 dozen truffles.