Renew My Home: Naomi's Almond Bars

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Naomi's Almond Bars

My wonderful niece Naomi made these for the grad party. People raved about them. The aqua frosting was specially mixed to match Julia's party (we were going for mostly red and aqua).

Almond Bars

(Recipe has already been modified with reduced sugar amounts, so I wouldn't recommend reducing sugar further)

Crust:

1 cup butter, softened

2 c. flour

1/4 powdered sugar

Cut the butter into the flour and powdered sugar until fine and pebbly (I like a pastry blender for this).

Press into 9x13 pan, bake at 350 for 20 minutes

Filling:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. almond extract

Beat ingredients together until very smooth.

Pour over crust.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes (also at 350)

Frosting:

Allow bars to cool.

Beat together:

1 c. powdered sugar

1/4 cup butter

1 1/2 tsp. milk (or a little less, depending on how much food coloring you use)

1 tsp. almond extract

Spread frosting on cooled bars.

I was going to make these this week using almond meal for one cup of the flour in the crust. But we are still lounging around, recovering from the party! It feels great to let the house be messy, and go an entire week without weeding.

Here's what we did this week, besides cleaning up and returning all the stuff we borrowed:

Malachi got proficient at crawling. This means we are on high alert at all times until the gate gets installed (which will be tonight, I hope).

Anna Kate learned the joy of reading short stories. She started with Chronicles of Avonlea, then she asked me about scary short stories. I have quite a list of those, but she can't read them all just yet. I let her read A Rose for Emily, The Most Dangerous Game, The Open Window, Music on the Muscatatuck (my favorite, found here) *, and next I'll look for The Ransom of Red Chief. Does anyone out there have other suggestions? I won't let her read Poe!

Julia wrote thank-you notes. All done! Thanks to all for your generous gifts, she was so happy.

We are getting ready for Malachi's first birthday tomorrow. I made cupcakes. There were ten cupcakes, and they were so delicious that the girls and I ate nine of them, saving one for Malachi for tomorrow. Then I made a cake. Wow.

*This one isn't scary, maybe one reason why I like it so much.

Pin It

No comments:

Post a Comment

Hush

"Can we say 'Hush' to ourselves? Can we command our thoughts? I believe we can. God has given us the power to close the shutter of our minds upon hurtful, weakening thoughts. He has provided all manner of shutters. A book that swings us off ourselves and into another world is a very good shutter; a song set to music; beauty; the dear love of those who love us. Above all, there is this: look at Calvary. Look steadfastly. Take time to look and all within you will be hushed, for power streams forth from Calvary. We need never know defeat." (Amy Carmichael)

A Prayer (Not by Joel Osteen)

"Take from me, Oh Lord, that self-pity which love of myself so readily produces, and from the frustration of not succeeding in the world as I would naturally desire, for these have no regard for your glory. Rather, create in me a sorrow that is conformable to Your own. Let my pains rather express the happy condition of my conversion and salvation. Let me no longer wish for health or life, but to spend it and end it for You, with You, and in You. I pray neither for health nor sickness, life nor death. Rather I pray that you will dispose of my health, my sickness, my life, and my death, as for Your glory, for my salvation, for the usefulness to Your church and Your saints, among whom I hope to be numbered. You alone know what is expedient for me. You are the Sovereign Master. Do whatever pleases You. Give me or take away from me. Conform my will to Yours, and grant that with a humble and perfect submission, and in holy confidence, I may dispose myself utterly to You. May I receive the orders of Your everlasting provident care. May I equally adore whatever proceeds from You."
-Blaise Pascal

Solitude

by Henri Nouwen

We enter into solitude first of all to meet our Lord and to be with him and him alone.
Our primary task in solitude, therefore, is not to pay attention to the many faces which assail us, but to keep the eyes of our mind and heart on him who is our divine savior.
Only in the context of grace can we face our sin;
only in the place of healing do we dare to show our wounds;
only with a single-minded attention to Christ can we give up our clinging fears and face our own true nature.
As we come to realize that it is not we who live, but Christ who lives in us, that he is our true self, we can slowly let our compulsions melt away and begin to experience the freedom of the children of God.

A Meditation

by Henri Nouwen

To listen is very hard, because it asks of us so much interior stability that we no longer need to prove ourselves by speeches, arguments, statements, or declarations. True listeners no longer have an inner need to make their presence known. They are free to receive, to welcome, to accept. Listening is much more than allowing another to talk while waiting for a chance to respond. Listening is paying full attention to others and welcoming them into our very beings. The beauty of listening is that, those who are listened to start feeling accepted, start taking their words more seriously and discovering their own true selves. Listening is a form of spiritual hospitality by which you invite strangers to become friends, to get to know their inner selves more fully, and even dare to be silent with you.