urban pleasures

not wanting to have my hair done by a stranger, i opted to forego going to the salon. back in manila, Arcy alone can cut my hair.

being in the rural province has its setbacks.

so i dared to do what no woman would dare do. standing in front of a mirror, i picked up a pair of scissors, muttered a little prayer, and snipped away. at least if it didn't turn out well, i've no one else to blame but myself.

as it turned out, i managed to create a soft layer with bangs and an uneven trim. haha.

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in college, my university stood in front of a row of eateries ranging from fast food to pastry shops to semi-fine dine restaurants.

one of my fondest memories was a particular shop called hmm, what was it again?

anyhow, it has the word "angel" on it and what makes it special actually, is one comfort food i discovered there-- lemon squares.

now, what do you do when you suddenly crave for it and you find yourself in a rural place without shops offering that specialty?

google it and bake your own. good thing there's a recently opened supermarket here that offered lemons. otherwise, i guess i'd have to improvise and recreate it into calamansi (green local Philippine lemon sized a quarter of a golf ball) squares.

here's the recipe...

LEMON SQUARES
A recipe for lemon squares, a popular bar cookie dessert made with a cookie crust and lemony topping.
INGREDIENTS:

* 2 cups flour
* 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
* 2 sticks butter
* 2 cups sugar
* 1 tablespoon flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 4 eggs, well beaten
* 1 heaping tablespoon grated lemon rind
* 1/4 cup lemon juice

PREPARATION:
Sift flour and powdered sugar together. Cut in butter until well blended. Press mixture over bottom of a 9 by 13 by 2-inch pan. Bake about 25 minutes at 300° until lightly browned. Combine remaining ingredients and spread on top of the baked crust. Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Makes about 12 servings.