What I’m Loving This Week
1. Fridays!
Oh wait, I have always loved Fridays. And really who hasn’t?
2. Strawberry margaritas.
I made a simple syrup by boiling strawberries with equal parts water and sugar then strained the liquid out, mixed it with some tequila, triple sec, lime juice and ice and voila, an amazing margarita.
I won’t lie, my mom, my sister and I each had 1.5 margaritas on Tuesday night and I think we were all feeling it. #lightweights
3. Dinners with my family.
As if you didn’t already know that.
Why do all the dinner pictures I take at my parents’ look better than any I take at home?
4. Purple nails.
And no, not Rockies purple because I’m kind of basically ashamed of our team right now. Kind of.
5. Ducks.
And not just because I got a total kick out of seeing one floating around in my apartment swimming pool, but also because the duck family floating down the stream next to the path I run on was completely adorable on Sunday evening.
Okay, it was most because of the duck in the pool.
6. Spring roses.
My parents sold the house I grew up in a couple years ago and although there are many many things I miss about that house, my mom’s rose garden is pretty high on the list. Seeing roses still makes me smile.
Even if they aren’t the same roses my mom would “say hi to” in the morning at our house.
7. This song.
And seriously, you should take the time to watch that weirdo music video.
Things I’m not loving this week:
- colds that sneak up days before you have to run two races in one weekend
- bowling a 50…
- and temperatures that aren’t in the 80’s
But I’m willing to put that all aside because it’s a 3.5 day weekend and that cancels out all bad things.
Happy Memorial Day weekend!
************************
What are you loving right now?
What are your Memorial Day plans?
Tropical Lime Squares
Look at this.
Now’s that’s vintage.
On Saturday, I committed a breaking and entering and stole this cookbook. Except I’m not sure it’s considered breaking and entering if you used a key to get in and I’m not sure it’s considered stealing if you ask politely if you can take the item.
This cookbook has been in my life since I was born. Clearly. And while the peach cobbler recipe has always been a family favorite the lemon square recipe certainly can’t be overlooked. I recently saw a lime square recipe and thought the gorgeous green color was worth switching out the lemons for limes in Betty’s recipe. We’re on a first name basis.
Between margaritas, tropical burgers, a Mexican flavored side salad and lime squares I squeezed more limes than I ever want to squeeze again. I now have carpal tunnel.
Let me be honest. This crust is delicious. But it’s made of butter, flour and powdered sugar so I don’t know how that could not be delicious.
And here’s where my poor little heart broke. Turns out anything you mix with 2 eggs turns out yellow even if you expect it to turn out bright green. Nothing 3 drops of food coloring can’t fix though.
Tropical Lime Squares
Ever so slightly adapted from the Betty Crocker Cookbook… circa 1978!
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar (+ more for dusting)
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup lime juice (about 4 limes)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- For crust, mix flour, butter and powdered sugar together. Press into an ungreased 8x8x2 square pan, building up edges.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.
- In the meantime, beat remaining ingredients until fluffy. Pour over hot crust.
- Bake until no indentation remains when touched — about 25 minutes.
- Cool, cut and dust with additional powdered sugar, if desired.
It was the perfect dessert for a tropical-themed celebration.
Serving alongside a margarita is optional but totally recommended.
*************************
Do you have a favorite classic cookbook?
Lemon or lime?
What’s kind of dessert with you serve with a tropical dinner?
A Celebratory Occasion
Last Sunday was a lot of things.
It was Mother’s Day. It was my friend Hannah’s Birthday. And it was Joey and I’s 5 year anniversary. Figures he would be out of town. So we postponed the celebration till yesterday and it was worth the wait.
There were margaritas.
Complete with homemade strawberry simple syrup.
And burgers.
And gorgeous green lime squares.
And lots of reminiscing about the past 5 years.
It got really mushy. Gross 😛
But really, it was the perfect celebration for an occasion I’m truly happy about. Here’s to many more margarita-filled celebrations in the future!
**********************
What’s your favorite celebratory meal?
Are you a fan of margaritas?
What did you do this weekend?
Lauren Loves Good Food 