“Be safe, be smart, be kind” – Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director General, in the first months of the pandemic
NOTE: I spend my Wednesdays Unplugged from appointments. It’s my day to stay home, enjoy cooking and welcome our kids and grandkids for dinner in the evening. We end our meal with quotes from the Norwegian ‘Quote Cup’ passed on to me from my grandmother. I share a quote and a recipe here each week, along with an update and photos of what has been going on in our lives. I love trying new recipes…and love getting recipes you would like to share!
We are in the midst of our family birthday marathon. Our daughter and her fiance celebrated their birthdays, which are only one day apart, the end of February. This week was our daughter-in-law’s birthday… one week before our son’s birthday next week. We remember this time last year because our last family dinner before the pandemic shut-down was celebrating Nissa and George’s birthdays.
RECIPE OF THE WEEK
I first made and published these almond bars for Laura’s birthday back in 2009… that’s 12 years ago! They are so good, I just keep making them nearly every year for her birthday and am publishing the recipe again this year for those who haven’t tried them yet.
SCANDINAVIAN GLAZED ALMOND BARS
Bars
- 1 3/4 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 4 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
Glaze
- 1 cup sifted powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 3 to 4 teaspoons of milk
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Stir together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In mixing bowl, beat butter until soft. Add sugar. Beat until fluffy. Add egg and almond extract. Add the reserved flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat well.
Divide dough into fourths. Form each into 12-inch roll. Place 2 rolls on each cookie sheet, flatten each to 3 inches wide using glass or small rolling pin. Brush each roll with milk. Sprinkle with sliced almonds. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until lightly browned. While still warm (very important), cut diagonally. Cool completely.
To glaze, stir together powdered sugar, almond extract and milk until smooth. Drizzle over cooled bars.