Hungarian Apricot Bars

These are my mother's favorite of my Slovak/Hungarian/Ukrainian Christmas meal. And she's not even Eastern European. 

Apricot Filling:

12 oz dried apricots, coursely chopped
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup sugar

Combine ingredients in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a simmer on medium heat. Cook at a gentle simmer for about 30 minutes until fruit is soft and slightly thickened. Whisk through to break up fruit further. Pour into a bowl to cool. The filling can be made ahead up to 3 days and stored in the refrigerator, tightly covered. Do not cover until completely cool. Bring to room temp before using.

Cookie Base:

1 cup softened butter
1/2 cup sugar
zest of one lemon
2 egg yolks (you will use the whites in topping)
pinch of salt
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder

Prepare 9 x 13 pan by lining with foil. I butter the pan first. It helps the foil stick. Then butter the foil. Preheat oven to 350. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Beat butter, sugar, and zest until light and fluffy. Beat in yolks. Gradually add flour mixture. Beat just until well combined. Press into prepared pan with back of wooden spoon. Spread with room temperature apricot mixture. Set pan aside while you prepare topping.  

Almond meringue topping:

2 egg whites
pinch salt
1/2 cup baker's sugar/superfine sugar (if you don't have superfine sugar, just blitz regular sugar in the food processor)
1 cup finely chopped blanched almonds

Beat egg whites on medium speed until white and opaque and beginning to form peaks. Turn speed up to high and stream in sugar. Beat for 5 minutes until glossy and holding firm peaks. With wooden spoon, fold in almonds. Spread over apricot mixture.  


Bake for 45 minutes. Cool completely. Remove from pan by lifting foil sides. Loosen foil and remove. Cut with very sharp knife, cleaning it with hot water between cuts. Topping can be very sticky.  


Read more at BakeBakeBake: http://bakebakebake.livejournal.com/1637135.html#ixzz3MyHGMduo

A quiet book page is FINISHED!

I started a quiet book for my niece, Stella, two years ago. It was a SPECTACULAR failure. I tried the felt Mr. Potato Head. I don't know if you've seen that but it's really super cool. I'll totally try it again. But I didn't sew anything. I tried to put the book together with binder rings. Fail. They ripped. Oh, and I didn't really make a book. I made a page. And a cover. And I had this great idea that I'd make new pages all the time to add. I did not. 

Skip to now. Stella is about to turn four and now has a little brother, Harlow. Sitting still in church, at doctor's offices, etc. is even harder for her little brilliant 4 year old brain. Add in the "No that's mine!" arguments with Harlow and now they both need a quiet book. Aunt Amy has decided to try again and do it right this time. 

I went to JoAnn on Friday. As is usual for me, I was seduced by the many felt colors and my ADHD went nuts. I can make this and I can make this and I can make this... I had 40 kajillion sheets of felt in my cart in ten minutes. And let's not discuss rickrack. 

But I got it together and put things back. I realized I'd do best to get just enough to do a page or two at a time. So I stated out on Stella's first. First page is now complete!

I stitched a beehive and leaves onto a felt sheet with embroidery floss. The numbers on the flower centers I cut out free hand with teeny scissors and just glued on with fabric glue. Then I stitched them onto the background with the red flower shape behind them. The flower does not have the edges stitched down. 

With green three, I stitched a loop of green ribbon behind each flower. Then tied a cute bee button to a long ribbon and stitched the ribbon end down. The kiddo gets to lace the been through each flower and then bring it back to the hive. You may not be able to see it, but the hive has a little slit cut into it so the bee can go back into its home. 

I so enjoy actually finishing things. Next page is picking root vegetables. :)