Summer Desserts

Happy summer everyone! I offered to bring dessert to a summer barbecue this past weekend and here was my dessert menu: chocolate pecan pie from True Confections, homemade creamy lemon crumb squares and flower shaped stained glass JELL-O.

The dessert restaurant offered to add a message on the pie so I requested the wording "Summer BBQ" which turned out beautifully. Did I happen to mention that this is my husband's all time favorite dessert?

I often treat myself to a lemon square at least every season from my local bakery. This is certainly a reason to covet a recipe of my own so I did a quick search and found a handful of recipes. I ultimately decided on this recipe from The Pioneer Woman.

Ingredients

• 1-⅓ cup
 All-purpose Flour

• ½ teaspoons
 Salt

• 1 teaspoon
 Baking Powder

• 1 stick
 (1/2 Cup) Butter, Slightly Softened

• 1 cup
 Brown Sugar (lightly Packed)

• 1 cup
 Oats

• 1 can
 (14 Ounce) Sweetened Condensed Milk

• ½ cups
 Lemon Juice

• Zest Of 1 Lemon

Preparation Instructions
PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 DEGREES.

Mix butter and brown sugar until well combined.

Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder.

Add oats and flour to butter/sugar mixture and mix to combine.

Press half of crumb mixture into the bottom of an 8 x 11 inch pan.

Mix together condensed milk, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Spread onto the bottom layer of the crumb mixture. Top with the other half of the crumb mixture, but don’t press.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Allow pan to sit on counter for 30 minutes after baking. Cut into squares and refrigerate for a couple of hours or until cool.

Serve cool.

These creamy lemon crumb squares were absolutely fantastic! My compliments to Ree, thank-you!

The last dessert was strictly for the children. I've always wanted to try rainbow JELL-O but I'm often intimidated by the whole process - it sounds too time consuming. My latest attempt was no different because instead of layering the JELL-O, I did the stained glass (or broken glass) effect courtesy of The Food Librarian. 

4 small boxes (3 oz. each) of JELL-O 
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
Directions: For each flavor, dissolve one 3 oz box of JELL-O in one cup of boiling water. Pour into a container and chill. After chilling the four flavors, cut them into small blocks.
Please note: Only add 1 cup of water to each box of colored JELL-O. Ignore the instructions on the box of JELL-O (they say to use 2 cups of water). Use only 1 cup of water so the JELL-O is firm and can be cut into blocks.
Carefully mix the blocks in a 9 x 13 pan.In a separate bowl, sprinkle 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin into 1/2 cup cold water. After the gelatin blooms, add 1 1/2 cup boiling water and dissolve. Add the can of condensed milk. Stir and cool. Pour cooled milk mixture over JELL-O and chill overnight. (It is a good idea to skim off the bubbles for a nicer finished product.)

I was so pleased with the final result. This was the perfect ending a summer barbecue! Thanks Mary - this version is a breeze!