Everybody loves these cookies! When I was a kid and went to visit my grandma, she would always have one waiting for me fresh from the bakery.

1 3/4 cups sugar
1/2 pound butter
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
2 1/2 cups cake flour
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Frosting

4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/3 to 1/2 cup boiling water
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate

In a large mixing bowl combine the sugar and butter until it becomes fluffy.
Add eggs, milk, vanilla and lemon extract and mix until smooth.
In a medium bowl, combine flours, baking powder and salt.

Add dry ingredients to the wet in batches, stirring well. Drop spoonfuls of dough about 2 inches apart on buttered baking sheets.
Bake at 375 degrees F until edges begin to brown, 20 to 30 minutes. Let cool completely.

To make frosting, put confectioners’ sugar in a bowl. Stir in enough water to make the mixture thick and spreadable. Remove half the frosting to the top half of a double boiler over simmering water. Add chocolate and warm the mixture until chocolate is melted and the frosting is smooth. Remove from heat. With brush, coat half the cookie with chocolate frosting and the other half with white frosting.

Makes 2 dozen large cookies or about 4 dozen small (mini) cookies

I have some exciting news today. Recently I was contacted by my friend Theresa Hall over at Half Hour Meals to do an interview about my blog and cooking history.

I invite you all to read the interview here:

http://www.halfhourmeals.com/food-for-thought/featured-community-member-cheftomcooks/

It is easy to make a bunch of these ahead of time and save them for later use.

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
3/4 cup water, warm

Mix together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Cut in the shortening until the mixture has a mealy appearance. Slowly add the water while mixing. Form the dough into a ball. Place the ball on a floured board and knead until firm (about 2 minutes). Divide into 12 small balls.
Cover and allow to rest for 30 minutes. Roll each ball into a thin 7 inch tortilla. Heat a heavy skillet. Cook the tortilla for 1 minute per side. Wrap in a damp towel. Serve immediately.

I was inspired to dig up this old recipe after reading this blog post. My mom used to love lemon squares and she had this old recipe that was passed down from someone who I do not remember. I found the old paper with the recipe written and figured I would share it with you all.

1 cup flour
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
2 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Blend together the flour, butter, and confectioners sugar. Press into a square baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Beat the remaining ingredients and pour over the crust. Bake for another 25 minutes.

I wanted to share a neat freebie. It is a sheet of blank recipe cards. Just print, cut and you have a nice collection of recipe cards to jot down your favorite recipes. These are also great to use when sharing a recipe with a friend. The sheet has three different full color designs. These work great when you use card stock in your printer. Let me know what you think.

Download Here

I have been using my new Panini Press for lunch everyday. It is just so easy to experiment with whatever ingredients I have on hand. Today I made a ham and cheese panini on multi-grain bread.

2 slices multi-grain bread
3-4 slices ham
1 slice Cheddar cheese or 1-2 tablespoons of shredded
fresh ground black pepper
mayonnaise, to taste
mustard, to taste

Spread mayonnaise on one piece of bread. Spread mustard on the other piece of bread. Season both sides with black pepper. Assemble the sandwich with the ham and cheese in the middle. Place on a preheated Panini Press. Close the lid and cook for about 5 minutes or until toasted nicely.

Serves 1