Lemon Curd Crumble Bars and Casting my Cares

I’m so excited to share this recipe, not only because it’s delicious, but also because this is the type of simple, summery recipe you will find in the dessert section of my upcoming cookbook The Outdoor Table! By the way, have you preordered your copy yet?! We are almost a month out from the release, so I’m going to be sharing recipes for the next month that are similar to what you will find in the book, and I think you’re gonna love it! But before I get to this recipe, I’ve got to share something I was reminded of this past Sunday.

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7

I’ve never thought of myself as much of a worrier. As a teenager and college student I was always pretty care free. In fact, I probably didn’t worry enough! However, once I became a mom all of that changed. Is he eating enough? Why was he born so small? Is he too fat? Is he hitting every milestone early enough? Is he talking enough? How does he measure up to other babies? …and the list of worries/concerns/questions plays on repeat.

Am I alone here?? If not, and you struggle with this too, then hopefully what I am going to share will be encouraging to you as well.

This past Sunday, our pastor talked about our thoughts and how our minds works. He talked about solitary confinement and “time out” being punishments, because when we are alone with our thoughts the natural tendency is for the them to head in a negative direction. Something clicked when I heard this. If you are a stay at home mom or work from home like me, you probably spend quite a bit of time alone. At least without any other adults for much of your time. So in this situation, if we don’t actively control our thoughts, then they turn negative and begin controlling us. Aha! moment for me!

We put all of our time and energy into this little person and end up spending much of that time worrying about every little detail of their lives. This was especially true for me for the first 3 or 4 months of Maverick’s life, and I still battle it now to some extent. I hate to admit that, because it’s really kind of sad, but I think this is the case with lots of new moms. The good news about this, which I was reminded of during the sermon, is that we can do something about this negativity. We don’t have to let our thoughts control our lives and our emotions. We can actually take those negative thoughts captive as soon as they wonder into our minds. We can pray for our thought life and ask God to help us test our thoughts to know what is true and good and of Him and what is not. This is so empowering to me.

We can also spend time with people who lift us up and encourage us, for me, that is fellow moms and friends who love Jesus. Community is so important, even if it seems hard in this season, which I wrote about here. God did not intend for us to spend our time in worry. He says it over and over again in the bible. I am praying this over myself this morning, because I totally need this as much as anyone. We can have a mindset that produces joy and peace regardless of our circumstances, and I think that is pretty awesome. I want that for me and for my son, because we only get to do this life once. So, this week I’m practicing casting my cares on Him and taking those negative thoughts captive. We have His power within us to choose our thoughts.

“Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Man, I love those verses, I feel like I can just take a deep breath of relief every time I read them. So, while we are thinking all of these positive, life giving thoughts together, let’s bake something yummy! I have had a jar of lemon curd in my pantry for a while now, and I finally decided to make good use out of it last week. If you like tart and tangy desserts, then this is a MUST TRY! These are rich and lemony and just delightful.

Lemon Curd Crumble Bars

makes 12 squares

Ingredients

1 stick of butter, softened
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 cup prepared lemon curd (find this in the jelly/jam section or baking section of most grocery stores)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Using a mixer, beat together the butter and brown sugar until they are creamed together. Add in the salt and flour, then mix until combined. The mixture will be crumbly.
Remove about 3/4 cup of the mixture (unpacked) and add the pecans to this reserved amount for the topping.
Press the remaining mixture into a square (8×8) baking dish and bake for 15 minutes. Allow this to cook on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes.
Spread the lemon curd in an even layer onto the crust. Top the curd evenly with the pecan crumble mixture and bake for another 20 minutes. Allow this to cool completely before cutting into squares.

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