Recipe of the month—April

Nony's Sugary Lemon Bars

You've been asked to bring dessert to a party . . . uh oh. Don't they know your dessert repertoire consists of a half-gallon of ice cream or store-bought cookies? Take a tip from Jodi Baxter (who's also dessert-challenged) who begged Nonyameko Sisulu-Smith for her recipe for Sugary Lemon Bars, and you'll have people begging YOU for the recipe!

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1 cup confectioners' (powdered) sugar
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 Tbs. finely grated lemon peel

Preheat oven to 350º. Using a pastry blender, thoroughly mix the flour, butter, and confectioners' sugar, and then press the mixture evenly into the bottom of a 9" x 13" baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

While it is baking, mix together the remaining ingredients and pour over the “crust.” Return the pan to the oven and continue baking for another 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and loosen from the edge of the pan with a knife and allow to cool. After cooling, cut into bars and dust with more confectioners' sugar.

Yields approximately 24-30 sweet & tart bars.