In all sorts of resale shops, from high-falutin’ to down-home, the chatter that goes on in the back room as we work is much the same.

And a surprising amount of that talk revolves around food.

Here’s a recipe I learned long ago over batches of incoming merchandise. These lemon bars are easy to make, pretty to serve, and not too sweet the way commercial versions are. This recipe, from Nancy Satori of Woman’s Exchange in Sarasota FL, pleases everyone.

Back Room Lemon Bars

2 sticks (8 ounces) butter
2 cups flour
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
4 beaten eggs
2 cups sugar (I always cut the sugar to 1- 3/4 cups)
4 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup lemon juice (fresh is best, but bottled works just fine)
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
sifted confectioners sugar

Heat oven to 325º. Blend butter, flour and 1/2 cup confectioners sugar. Pat into ungreased 13x9x2″ pan. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare filling:

For filling, blend together eggs, sugar, 4 tablespoons flour, lemon juice, and lemon peel. Pour over first layer. Return to oven and bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes. Loosen around edges; cut into bars and sift confectioners sugar over the top while warm. Serve warm, room-temperature, or chilled.