It seems like lunch has evolved quite a bit since I was in elementary school. I almost never packed a lunch, and I wasn’t overly concerned about what the cafeteria was serving. Anything was ok with me, and I never complained! Sure the food wasn’t my always my favorite, but I ate it regardless.

A fun time can be anytime if you are making easy butter cookies.  It is especially fun when I bake cookies with my 5-year old grandson, Mark. To any kid, a cookie or treat is special.  But not just any cookie will do for Mark.  You see, he is gluten intolerant, which means he cannot have baked treats that include wheat flour or products that contain wheat as an ingredient.  I always like to have treats at my house when he visits and often it means a purchased gluten-free treat.

I have a co-worker, Nick, who loves to bake.  Nick is a twenty-something Human Resource Recruiter here at Land O’Lakes.  We have had the pleasure of working together for the past couple of years, as Nick helps us find our summer intern each year.  I recently found out about his passion for baking and I thought it would be fun to have him come to the Test Kitchens and bake with me. 

If I haven’t made myself clear in past blogs let me be sure to set the record straight – I love chocolate, dark chocolate especially. I think it must be genetic since my dad and sister have the same passion about this simple yet luxurious treat.    My dad has an official “candy drawer” in their kitchen. He has had this treasure trove of goodies since I was a small child. Everyone in the family knows where to go if they want a little treat to tide them over until a meal is served, to satisfy a craving mid-day or to add a special ending to the day. There is always (yes always) chocolate of some kind in that drawer.

It's graduation time!  It is hard to believe Zach, my neighbor boy or rather young man, is graduating in a couple of weeks.  Where did that time go?  It was just yesterday,  it seems, Zach was 10 years old.  But, whatever … let’s celebrate!  A special cookie recipe I made for his sister, Ashley’s, graduation party a couple of years ago is Diploma Cookies. Baking these cookies is one small way for me to be part of Zach’s celebration and bake a little something of what I love…cookies.

Nothing says "spring" like freshly-baked bunny cookies.  Of course, to the girls it's all about getting their hands in some cookie dough!  They loved rolling out the circles and logs needed to make the bunnies.  While it was a little time consuming, we made it fun.  It was like playing with play dough to them.  But then we got to cook and eat them, which was a plus!  And even though they denied it, I knew they were sneaking raw dough under the table (and so was Jeremy).  Busted!

My parents live in Minnesota.  Every winter they visit my aunt and uncle who live near San Diego, California.  And, every year they bring home a supply of Meyer lemons.  My uncle has a Meyer lemon tree in his yard and the lemons are ready for picking during my parents’ visit.  This tree also happens to be quite productive so there are lots of lemons to use up.  Lemonade, lemon cake, lemon bars, etc.  What does one do with all these lemons?  I happily take a few home to bake one of my favorite bar recipes, Tangy Lemon Bars.