Huckleberry Life: When Life Gives You Lemons {And Oranges!}

One of the things I love most about living in Texas are the (usually) mild winters. We're lucky enough to have many days in December and January where the sky is the blue, the sun is shining and we're able to enjoy time outside. It's definitely a luxury, especially considering how hot it gets down here in summer. (Although today is an exception. The kids school was cancelled due to a possible ice/snowstorm. Crazy!)

Another great advantage to living in a sub-tropical climate, is the addition of fruit trees to your landscaping. When we first moved into our home, we were a bit overwhelmed by the number of plants in our backyard. They included: 1 fig tree, 1 persimmon tree, 1 lemon tree, 1 orange tree, 3 papaya trees, 4 plantain trees, 1 GIANT rosemary bush and atleast 15 aloe plants. Talk about plant overload!

Most of the plants died in a freeze during our first winter in the house and the rest were removed when we realized that we had black thumbs and just weren't able to care for them properly. The only survivors were the orange and lemon trees. And boy am I glad that we have them! A few times a week during the winter, once the fruit is ripe, my boys and I have "picking days". They love running back and forth between the trees and picking the fruit themselves. They're great helpers! :)



There's nothing quite like walking out into your backyard and picking a ripe orange off the tree for your afternoon snack. Or simply plucking a few lemons off the tree to use in your favorite lemon bar recipe.

Oh yes, I said lemon bars. I'm a lemon addict and they are hands down my favorite lemon-y treat. In fact, since I just love y'all SOOO MUCH, I'm going to share with you my recipe for the greatest lemon bars ever! They're sure to please any lemon lovers in your life. :)

Ingredients-

Crust:

* 1 cup butter, softened

* 1/2 cup sugar

* 2 cups flour

* 1/4 t salt

Lemon Filling:

* 4 eggs

* 1 1/2 cups sugar

* 1/4 cup flour

* 2-3 lemons juiced, plus grated rind

* powdered sugar to dust top

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix together your crust ingredients. Spread into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake for 18 minutes, or until lightly browned.

3. Combine filling ingredients. Stir until well mixed. Pour on top of baked crust. Bake for 20 minutes.

4. Dust hot lemon bars with powdered sugar. Spread with a knife or spatula to evenly distribute. Let them cool completely (atleast 45 minutes), then cut into squares.

{For a more detailed tutorial, complete with pictures, you can check out the original post on my personal blog here.}

Do you have any fruit trees in your yard? What's your favorite lemon recipe? We'd love for you to share it in the comments!

 

Linking up with these fantastic parties:

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