Father's Day Treat

It's that time of year again, when we honor all dads and all they do for us all year long, not just the 3rd Sunday in June:) I have 3 men I have to plan special days for -my Daddy, my father in law and Alex's Daddy. Whew...this everyday mom has a lot on her plate. (Ha! What a segway, huh?) This year due to my dad's work schedule we celebrated w/ him early on Saturday night, which left today for Adam and his dad. Adam chose to have lunch here at home and go see his dad later in the day, so I let him pick what sounded good. His choice? BLTs, garden pea salad and chips. What a great summer lunch! (and easy for me....extra bonus) But a sweet treat to surprise him with and share w/ his dad was my idea! I found these over at For The Love of Cooking a week ago and knew exactly when I'd be debuting them. I have extra lemons and blueberries in the fridge that need to be used, so why not on something as yummy as these! Adam's dad loves most all things blueberries so I knew I could have them for dessert here and then treat him w/ a few too. And since I had shared the strawberry shortcake w/ my dad, it was only fair, right??!! Thanks to all the dads out there who sacrifice for their children; but none more than my Daddy, my hero, and the best Daddy I could have ever asked for my son- my husband. Both of you light up my life and remind me every day what the love of a father is capable of. "Any man can be a father, but it takes a special man to be a Daddy."

Lemon Blueberry Bars

Coconut Crust:
1 c. flour
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. sweetened shredded coconut
1/8 tsp salt
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 tsp vanilla


Lemon Filling:
2 large eggs
1 c. white sugar
2 TBS flour
1/8 tsp salt
2 tsp lemon zest
1/3 c. fresh lemon juice
handful of fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 350. Line 8 inch baking pan w/ parchment paper w/ a little extra on the sides. Spray w/ cooking spray. To make crust, combine flour, powdered sugar and salt in a bowl. Add butter pieces, vanilla and coconut. Mix w/ hands until crumbly. Press evenly into bottom of pan. Bake until lightly golden, about 18-20 minutes. Set aside. To make filing, whisk together eggs, sugar, flour & salt. Add lemon zest and juice. Mix until combined. Pour filling over hot crust and add blueberries evenly on top. Bake 15-18 minutes until filling is set. Cool completely, but into bars and garnish w/ powered sugar.

Blueberry