For the past 7 years I have worked in the customer service field, not that I have an affinity for the general public or anything, but it does pay my bills. Because of the types of jobs I have held over the years I'm forever working on important holidays, like Mother's Day for example. I have not been able to spend a proper Mother's Day with Lori for many years now; this year was no exception. So in order to make up for my "bad daughter" behavior I took a weekday off from my job and planned a posh picnic in a local rose garden for Lori and myself. The menu was a mixture of home-made goodies and some help from Sprouts in the organic produce department. The Italian Chicken Sandwiches I made were courtesy of my favorite baking blog: Brown Eyed Baker (be sure and check her stuff out). I also went a little crazy with the organic produce buying grapes, strawberries, cantaloupe, and blackberries for the occasion. I am never one to turn down the opportunity to make dessert, as you have found out by now. I wanted something that wouldn't compete with all of the varied flavors, and it needed to be something light. I chose a lemon cookie for the finishing touch, my mother's favorite flavor, and a super simple recipe. (Also from the Brown Eyed Baker site) It was the perfect day for a picnic, we found a great old tree to sit under and the wind helped cut through the heat. Our picnic was a smashing success as my mother and grandmother got to enjoy the luscious smell of the roses as we ate lunch and talked all afternoon. The full menu consisted of: Italian Chicken Salad Sandwiches, Grapes, Strawberries, Cantaloupe, Blackberries, Antipasto and Broccoli Salad from Sprouts, Olive and Feta Salad, Lemon Burst Cookies, and Iced Peppermint Tea.
Lemon Burst Cookies
- 1 box of Lemon Cake Mix (I know....I cheated)
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup of vegetable oil
- Zest of 2 Lemons
- 2 Tbsps. lemon juice
- Powdered Sugar, for dusting
This recipe was simple and allowed me the adequate amount of time to prepare the rest of my food and pack it safely in my picnic bag. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat as these cookies may stick to the pan. Stir together the cake mix, eggs, and vegetable oil until well combined. Zest the two lemons and you can also use them for the two tablespoons of juice, real lemon juice is always preferred over the bottled stuff. After all of the ingredients are mixed, spoon small amounts onto the cookie sheet and bake for 10 - 11 minutes or until the edges are a light brown. Once they are out of the oven dust them with the powdered sugar while they are still warm and allow them to cool completely on the cookie sheet before you remove them.
