• Hi-Hat Cupcakes

    I don’t know if I even have words for this one.  I think this is hands-down my favorite cupcake I’ve ever made.  It’s beyond amazing.  For me, it’s the perfect combination of moist chocolate cake and fluffy, gooey marshmallow frosting.  They are definitely best served cold, and I’m finding that they are practically irresistible when they come right out of the freezer.  My willpower around desserts is usually very, very high – especially considering the number of deserts that come out of my kitchen.  But these? …

  • Homemade Hamburger Buns

    Yes, I realize you can buy hamburger buns at the grocery store for, like, 79 cents. Yes, I realize that this takes far more effort and time than picking up a bag of easy, quick, cheap and adequately-tasty hamburger buns off the store shelves.  But. These are worth it.  Yes, store-bought hamburger buns are just fine.  But why spend all of that time making the perfect burger just to eat it on a tiny, flimsy mass-produced bun?  I promise that your effort will make your hamburgers taste even…

  • Cream Cheese Lemon Bars

    I have been eyeing* this recipe on Pinterest for a couple of months now.  I think it called to me because it reminds me of a bakery-type lemon bar, which I love.  Well, I usually love them.  I don’t like the ones that taste like egg yolk.  Have you had those before?  Ugh.  They almost give lemon bars a bad name, but if you have a really good one, you’ll forever be in search of another really good one.  Or maybe that’s just me… So,…

  • Friends of Lemon Sugar: Reese’s Cake

    Today’s guest poster in the Friends of Lemon Sugar series comes to us from BAKE ; a great foodie, lifestyle and photography blog by Jenny.  I love to read her posts because they make me happy, and I feel like I’m right there with her.  One of my favorite posts of hers is her Neopolitan Cupcakes, a recipe which has inspired me to follow suit!  Head over and check out her site, today.  You won’t be sorry!  Thank you, Jenny for stopping by to share your fabulous…

  • Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

    I have to preface this post by noting that I don’t really care for vanilla cupcakes.  They’re just ok, in my book, kind of boring.  If I had to choose a cupcake, it would almost always be chocolate.  That being said, I am pretty in love with this little guy.  Vanilla-y, moist, and seriously, the creamiest batter you’ll ever whip up.  It’s really the perfect base for any frosting you have in mind.  One caveat – I think these are definitely best if eaten the…

  • Sweet Cherry Salsa

    There are some things on this planet that were just meant to be together.   Peanut butter and jelly.  Wasabi and soy sauce.  Mashed potatoes and gravy.  Sweet cherry salsa and salty tortilla chips. Sweet.  Cherry.  Salsa. It’s sweet.  It makes me happy.  And with salty, crispy tortilla chips?  Holy cow you guys. This recipe came my way via my lovely sister-in-law.  She’s like, the queen of dips.  And parties.  She throws the best family parties and she makes the best dips. AND, she actually…

  • Banana Bread Cupcakes

    Bananas wasting away in my fruit bowl + Marscapone cheese and walnuts in the fridge = DELISH concoction by yours truly.  I love banana bread, but my girls eat bananas like they’re going out of style, so we never have any left to make treats with.  This week, however, they left me with nearly a full bunch of bananas to play with.  YAY!  Furthermore, my husband has training tomorrow so he has lots of hungry guys to feed these to.  Bonus. These are wonderful muffins. …

  • White Sandwich Bread

    Yesterday evening, I realized that I didn’t have enough potatoes to make the mashed potatoes I was planning for dinner.  At that point, most people probably would’ve nixed the mashed potatoes (which would be a very, very sad thing…) and found another side dish.   But I’m lucky enough to live a couple of minutes away from my parent’s house, which means I am just a couple of minutes away from my Dad’s garden. So, after a quick trip down the road and armed with…

  • #MyHomeTownGuide – Five of My Favorite Eats in Kansas City

    It’s that time of year in Kansas City.  Winter is slipping away, and spring is just.  about.  here.  Suddenly 45 degrees feels balmy, and we are looking for any reason we can think of to get out of the house.  Fortunately for us, KC is full, and I mean full, of fantastic restaurants and foodie hot-spots to keep our mind off of Mother Nature’s indecisiveness. Kansas City is primarily known as a barbecue town, and there’s good reason for that.  In fact, two of my…

  • Better Than Better Than Sex Cake

    Yes, I do have my moments of laziness in the kitchen.  There are days when I’m not above a frozen burrito, mac & cheese out of a box or spaghetti sauce in a jar.   But the minute I’m done partaking in those convenience foods, I always realize that it wasn’t worth it, and that making my own would have been so much more satisfying, tasty and probably even healthier. *See disclaimer below. This recipe is a PERFECT example.  I’m sure most of you have come across this very popular…

  • Coffee Cake

    I don’t have a lot of experience with coffee cake.  It’s not a dessert that my family made when I was growing up, and with the exception of the school cafeteria version, I don’t believe I’d ever had it until my mother-in-law sent it home with my husband when we were in college.  I’m not really sure why we never made it, it seems like something my Mom would be all over – white cake, sugar, butter…seems right up her alley! My husband absolutely loves a…

  • Southwestern Eggrolls

    These look like they would be complicated and mess up your kitchen, but they’re EASY and you bake them!  No frying, no splattering grease, and they use one bowl and a cookie sheet.  Doesn’t get much easier than that!  This is also one of those recipes that you can play around with the fillings and add whatever you want to meet your needs.  The only thing you have to watch is the liquid content – try to keep the ingredients drained and dry so you…