because there's no tequila involved (a pity - hmm, recipe development anyone?) A margarita conjures up summer and wide-mouthed glass globes crusted with salt, a cocktail umbrella or two, and let's add in a hunky pool boy walking towards you and your friends bearing additional drinks. Truth is, I don't drink much, but these cookies intrigued me in the middle of a frozen Michigan winter.
Take your average lemon bar cookie sprinkled with powdered sugar, substitute lime for lemon, add some salt, and you've got margarita bars. They're easy to make and utilize a boxed yellow cake mix
for the base. I placed the cake mix in a glass bowl and added melted butter. | |
| Cake mix and butter |
I patted the mixture into the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan and baked as directed. The crust looked gorgeous coming out of the oven.
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| Crust just out of the oven |
There are five eggs in the recipe - a load of eggs for me. A dozen eggs can last me several weeks, so five in one recipe feels extravagent. And ten in one posting? Outrageous! I mixed up the eggs with mandarin oranges, lime juice, and powdered sugar and poured it over the crust.
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| Eggs, mandarin oranges and powdered sugar resting on top of the crust. |
The recipe also called for powdered sugar, which I'd forgotten to get at the grocery store. Thanks to powerful Google-fu, I made my own powdered sugar in a snap. You can too. Just put 1 cup granulated white sugar in your blender or food processor. Add 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch and whir/pulse until the mixture is powdery. I used my red Kitchen Aid
stick blender and created a mini powdered sugar dust storm in the kitchen; I haven't noticed a difference in the recipe at all. |
| Margarita Bar |
I do like the contrast between the sweet, tarty lime flavor and the optional salt sprinkled on at the end of preparation. I'm sharing the recipe with friends, for sure, because this is a great cookie for cold winter days spent dreaming of sultry summer nights.
After a night of noshin' on Margarita Bars (or a night of drinking Margaritas) you probably need a good breakfast. For Sunday brunch I fixed the Ham & Cheese Bake on page 261. This was easy to prepare, but called for another five eggs. I didn't have time to let it rest overnight in the refrigerator, but gave it a good hour's rest to allow the day-old baguette to absorb a lot of liquid. This was a hearty Midwestern breakfast bake completed only by a squirt of catsup/ketchup. Hot sauce or salsa optional if you're living somewhere else in the U.S. And if you've got a sombrero or pair of stillettos, bring them along!
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| Ham and Cheese Bake |
The Stocked Kitchen - Summary
I had a rough start to my week spent cooking with The Stocked Kitchen
. And I have to say that I'd cooked with it before, and had mixed results. This time was the same, though I believe I fared better this time around. It's still not going to be a "go to" book for me - it's no Joy of Cooking
, that's for sure. But I love the concept of maintaining a pantry and cooking from it. Now can someone do this for home cooks who love fresh, organic, local food who have gourmet tendencies? It's probably already out there. I'll find it. And I'll buy a copy. I think I'll give my copy of The Stocked Kitchen to my sister to see how she does with it, a hubby, three kids, a barn full of horses, dogs, cats, and a full-time job.
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