Lemon Bars, Anyone?

Cat has been at it again, wanting to bake up recipes from her Magical Bakery Novel Which Contains Recipes (cookbook).  She made the same Chocolate Meltaways she made earlier in the year, this time adding a handful of mint chips which were yummy.  Then on Sunday she wanted to be more ambitious and make the Lemon Bars, which take a lot longer and are much more involved.  They have a pastry crust, and I'm still not even 100% confident in my pastry baking skills, but together we made it and it all worked great.  Eliza excitedly helped, as well, but of course "Cat made them."  No problem.

The Lemon Bars were DELICIOUS.  So so good.  We (Cat?) will definitely be making them again.

We had a lot leftover, though, and I was eager to get them out of the house so that I wouldn't be tempted to eat all of them.  Cat thought it would be great to go door-to-door selling them.  After all, she did it when she was a Girl Scout.  Why not now?  I couldn't articulate why it was different, but I told her it was different, and she may not sell the Lemon Bars.  Then on Monday afternoon she asked if she could walk around the neighborhood, giving the Lemon Bars away.  Yes!  Yes you may!

So she made up little plates containing 4 Lemon Bars each, sifted powdered sugar on top, and piled the plates and some matching napkins in a basket to carry around the neighborhood.  Eliza accompanied her, and they both had a great time.  They weren't gone long - apparently it doesn't take long to give baked goods away.  And they were eager to tell me about their interactions with the neighbors.

My favorite conversation was with an elderly man who lives directly behind us.  This man is so happy; jolly even.  He and his wife have done amazing things for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, they are very friendly and kind, and they've always made time for us when we've requested it of them.

Cat reported that the stop went something like this:

Neighbor: Wow!  Lemon Bars!  Can I buy some from you?
Cat:  No, they're for free.  I made them and we're giving them away.

Neighbor: Even better!  Thank you!  My wife and I will have them for dinner.

Cat:  Here you go.  Enjoy!

She really was thrilled that someone offered to buy her baked goods.  How sweet!  But to make it even better, this neighbor stopped by the house this morning, bringing us tomatoes and a big cucumber from his garden as thanks for the Lemon Bars.  He admitted that his wife didn't get as many Lemon Bars as he did, because he "was really hungry" which made us laugh.  We had a nice little visit, and what a great lesson it was in the worth of service.  I suppose she could have sold the Lemon Bars and might have even had some positive experiences, but it's not the same as the joy you feel when you do something kind just because.  And certainly nobody's ever brought us fresh produce from their garden because we sold them something.