Craving: Watermelon

So I had my first watermelon this year a couple of weeks ago. I bought a little one at the market and it was delicious... and I want another one!!
I don't know why, but today I'm just craving watermelon.
Juicy, refreshing, cold watermelon... Preferably seedless, but I would deal with the seeds for the thirst quenching fruit...
Hopefully, I'll get to the market!! The baby ones were only a Euro a couple of weeks ago!

Mozzarella and tomatoes

It's been incredibly hot in Rome recently. Humid, muggy, sun blazing down, no clothes (but of course you have to wear clothes) weather.
And it, sadly, makes me lose my appetite.
I never fare well in the heat.  I never had.  I don't love summer.  I like it when I'm on the beach under an umbrella, or playing in the water... Which really doesn't happen often enough.
I know, I know, everyone hates summer in the middle of a heatwave, they go from complaining about the cold to complaining about the heat in a heartbeat. But I don't complain about the cold, even when there's a polar vortex (with the exception of one evening where I was just dressed inappropriately because I never listen to my mother).
If I could go to the beach everyday I probably wouldn't complain all that much about the heat, but sadly I'm at work everyday so I can't throw myself into the sea and cool down when I'd like.
And the heat just saps my energy so when I get home from work I don't want to do anything. I don't

My gorgeous caprese with dried basil

want to kick or turn on the stove. I don't want to eat. It's just to hot and I'm lackluster.
So my solution has been an insalata Caprese, which is the Italian for a mozzarella and tomato salad. I think the salad must have origins in Capri (an island near Naples in Southern Italy) but I'm not sure.  But with ingredients fresh out of the fridge, the salad is delicious and refreshing.
And it requires amazingly little effort. It's so easy.

With balsamic vinegar

All you need are fresh tomatoes, mozzarella (preferably bufala because it's divine), basil (fresh or dried), olive oil, and balsamic vinegar (although if you don't like balsamic that can be skipped). A traditional caprese doesn't use balsamic vinegar, but I love the added tang.
Slice the tomatoes and mozzarella, layer them onto a plate and drizzle with oil and vinegar.  Garnish with basil and maybe a little salt and pepper. It's simple but really wonderful in the heat.  And if you're not a fan of tomatoes, you can also serve your mozzarella on a bed of arugula. It's equally delicious and equally refreshing for summer
I've been eating it pretty consistently for days now.

mozzarella on a beautiful bed of fresh rucola

Recipe: Strawberry Lemonade Bars

Yessss!!  I'm writing and in a timely manner.

These bars are amazing and delicious and still really simple to make. I used the same crust from my last lemon squares but I added a twist to my lemon filling and decided to go with Strawberry Lemonade Bars this time.  I had fresh strawberries sitting in my refrigerator just waiting to be consumed and this seemed like the perfect trial. It's summertime and who could possibly resist the combination of fresh strawberries and lemonade.
To compensate for the extra liquid, I used an extra egg and another tablespoon of flower. I also cut down on the sugar content a bit because last time I found the lemon squares a little too sweet for my tastes and also because ripe, fresh strawberries should add their own sweetness to the batter.

The most beautiful strawberry lemonade bars

Ingredients

use Aluminum foil for easy cleanup

crust:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick butter) room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup all purpose flour 
• pinch of salt

filling:

• 4 eggs
• 1/2 -3/4 cup sugar
• 2 freshly squeezed lemons
• 2 cups fresh strawberries
• 1 tbs freshly zested lemon zest (I used zest that I had frozen from last time)
• 3-4 tbs all purpose flour

Line an oven proof pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper for easier cleanup.  Preheat your oven to 350°F. 

If you have an electric mixer, I would use it to cream the butter and sugar.  I don't have an electric mixer, so again I had to do it by hand. It just takes a little more time and patience but it's totally doable. I used a fork to mash the butter and sugar and then kneaded the salt and flour into the mix.  When it's a cohesive mixture and not too sticky (add a little more flour if you need to) press it evenly into your pan, bringing it up slightly along the edges. Now I'm notoriously bad at measuring, especially while in Italy. The recipe calls for a stick of butter, but the form is different in Italy, so I added a little at a time until the butter was able to hold all of the sugar. I figure, the more butter the better!  

Bake for 15 minutes, until lightly golden. Turn it, if you start to see only one area of the crust bubbling or coloring.
While the crust is baking whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and 3 tablespoons of flour.  Whisk until well-blended with no clumps.

Just look at that gorgeous color

In a blender, pulse your ripe strawberries for a few minutes. If you don't have a blender, you can alternatively crush them with a fork. Add this to your lemon and egg mixture.  If it's looking too runny, add in an additional tablespoon of flour but do it slowly so the flour blends and doesn't form clumps.
Pour the filling over the crust and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the lemon filling is set and firm.  Keep a close eye on your lemon bars and rotate to make sure it colors evenly.
The bars are done when the liquid sets. I wasn't being particularly attentive this time around (I was washing dishes instead) and my oven has a hot spot, so a little bit of my crust burnt. But that's okay because it was still utterly delicious.
Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Then cut into squares or triangles.  I used a round pan, so some of mine were oddly shaped, but that wasn't a problem.  I just ate those scrapes as testers.
Put in the fridge and then serve cold as a nice refreshing dessert!

The crust was still buttery and excellent and the strawberry lemonade filling was wonderful.  Use fresh berries and fresh lemons because the flavor payoff is fantastic.  The ripe strawberry really adds a kick of sweetness and reminds me of summertime adventures.  It also really complements the tartness of the lemon.

Recipe: Lemon squares

Soooo ages and ages ago I made lemon squares (mentioned in this blog).
Ages and ages ago I said I would post the recipe because they were delicious and I never got around to it.... Also I typed it into a word document, forgot about it and then when I finally found it, I deleted it, thinking that I'd already posted it.
Sometimes I spectacularly resemble an airhead.
So I've decided that now, since the weather is warm and lemon is super refreshing, I'll just have to post up the recipe.  Yes, it requires opening your oven, but not for very long so it's worth it.  As soon as your lemon squares are done, let them cool, take them out of the pan and cool in the fridge.
Totally and absolutely worth it.
And the recipe really is quite simple with minimal ingredients.  Even the crust is easy to make (although

I suppose you could easily buy one as well (think graham cracker lol)...
I have to give credit to Joy the Baker and Luscious Lemon for inspiration. I modified and combined their two recipes for the perfect lemon square.
I made these with lemons from my student's garden and then fed them to my classes. They were quite successful! Successful enough to make me want to make more. Which I finally did yesterday (sometimes it takes me time to get to my projects) and I played around with my base recipes again. I made Strawberry Lemonade Bars.  I'll try to post up the recipe tomorrow (since I'm typing it here, maybe I'll actually do it in a timely fashion!).

Cover your oven proof dish with aluminum foil for easy cleanup!

Ingredients
crust:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick butter) room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup all purpose flour 
• pinch of salt

filling:

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tbs freshly zested lemon zest 
• 3 tbs all purpose flour

Line an oven proof pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper for easier cleanup.  Preheat your oven to 350°F. 

So many levels of utterly delicious

If you have an electric mixer, I would use it to cream the butter and sugar.  I don't have an electric mixer, sooo I was forced to do it by hand. It just takes a little more time and patience but it's totally doable.  Add the salt and flour and mix well.  When it's a cohesive mixture and not too sticky (add a little more flour if you need to) press it into your pan.  

Bake for 15 minutes, until lightly golden on the edges.
While the crust is baking whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and flour.  Whisk until cohesive.
Pour the filling over the crust and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the lemon filling is set and firm.  Keep a close eye on your lemon bars and rotate to make sure they color evenly.
Let cool completely and then cut into squares.  I used a round form, so the edges weren't square... which is fine, because I ate them before anyone could see!
Put in the refrigerator and serve chilled.

See, absolutely simple and deliciously amazing!