5 years of recipes shared

Published 1:30 am Thursday, May 14, 2026

The first week of May marks five years since I began writing this column. A recipe and a little piece of my life presented to you every week for five whole years.

While others in this publication report on local politics and important issues, I have reported on nothing more than my inconsequential life with sometimes shocking honesty.

You all have been with me from the time I was a stranger to this community and a new stay-at-home mom with a baby, through my journey back into society and my quest of self-discovery, and now right into the next step of my transition from a seed in the wind to a firmly rooted tree.

Over the years I have met many of you out in the community. It is not often that I am recognized by my face alone, but one such meeting happened recently at a checkout counter when I was having a day I wasn’t proud of. You asked me what I had planned for the next article, and I confessed I didn’t know.

Didn’t know what I would write about, didn’t know what I would cook, didn’t know when I was going to do it all in the midst of that hard week. I laughed when I told you how I have never once in my life turned in a paper, project, or article that wasn’t completed the night before (or the morning of) its due date, and it’s the truth. I often am too tired to write after bedtime, so I go to sleep early and save my work for when I am sharp, which often ends up being around 3 a.m. on the due date, like it is as I’m writing this now.

Thank you all for being with me through this time of my life. In the past five years, we have all changed and grown together in the time and place we share.

I have a request for you before our next chance encounter: think of a dish you would like to see me do and tell me what it is the next time we meet.

These days I must search my message history to see if I have done a dish before, because I honestly can’t remember anymore, and I don’t want another chicken pot pie incident. I was shocked to find when I checked this time that I have not yet made lemon bars for you all! This dessert is bright, sweet and straightforward, like I try to be.

Ingredients:

For the crust:

1 cup butter

½ cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

½ teaspoon salt

2 cups all-purpose flour

For the filling:

2 cups sugar

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

6 whole eggs

1 cup fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons lemon zest

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.

Combine the cold butter and flour. You can use the biscuit method to cut the cold butter into the flour, but for this recipe I think a food processor works better. Either way, cut the butter in until the mixture is crumbly

Add the sugar, vanilla and salt to the mixture and combine until a very stiff dough forms.

Press the crust down into the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and press flat with a spatula.

Bake for 20-22 minutes, until the flour is mostly cooked, but the top hasn’t started to brown yet.

Use a fork to poke some holes all over the crust.

Let cool while you make the filling.

Whisk together the eggs, flour, sugar and lemon juice then pass it through a fine meshed strainer to catch any lumps.

Add in the lemon zest and pour over the still warm crust.

Return to the oven for about 25 minutes, until the center no longer jiggles.

Cool on the counter until room temperature then transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least 3 hours before cutting.

Cut with a sharp knife to prevent sticking. You can try wiping the knife with a hot damp towel in between cuts for the best chance at clean lines.

Dust the top with powdered sugar and serve with an honest smile.