• Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake Cake

    I totally bought an electric throw blanket last weekend.  I am SO dreading the cold weather that I actually took my 30-something year old tushie to Target and bought an electric blanket. It’s like I woke up and was like, “How can I be MORE like my mother today?” Sorry, Mom. I dread the winter.  I love the holidays, but I dread the cold, the wind, the leaf-less trees and dormant grass.  I hate always being cold.  I don’t like high heating bills and the…

  • Share-It Saturday: Week 2

    We had a great turnout last week for our first weekly link-up here at Lemon Sugar.  With over 40 fabulous recipes to choose from, I really had my work cut out for me in choosing our featured bloggers for this week!    Thank you to everyone who contributed, and I look forward to what you have to share with us today. So, without further delay, here are three of my favorites from last week.  Alaska From Scratch brings us Nutella Yogurt Fruit Dip.  How AMAZING does…

  • Toasted Coconut Cupcakes

    I am definitely a chocolate person. Except for the occasional carrot cake, I will almost always choose chocolate over any other cake flavor.  Vanilla cakes are just so…vanilla. I am trying, though.  I am trying to like vanilla-based cakes.  I’ve made several of them for this blog, in fact.  Yet, I’m still on a mission to find the perfect “white” cake…one that will make me change my mind – the one that will end my love affair with chocolate.  My wedding cake is, so far,…

  • S’mores Cheesecake

    Oh, heeyyy! It’s been a few days, no?  Don’t worry, pretties.  I’ve been a-ok.  Me and my s’mores cheesecake – we’ve been juuuuust fine.  Oh, and also – let’s address this right up front – did you know that my husband isn’t a “big cheesecake fan?” Like, WHAT? He just CASUALLY mentioned that to me in passing tonight.  How is that even possible?  Cheesecake is pretty much what life is about, right?  Buttery graham cracker crust, thick and creamy filling?  How can he not L-O-V-E…

  • Sandwich Rolls

    I know I just posted hamburger buns a few weeks ago, but I had to post these too.  These are completely different than the hamburger buns.  They’re slightly sweet and not as dense, and would even make a really good dinner roll.  The overwhelming consensus when I served these was that the rolls were the star of the meal.  My five year old ate one plain, and my two year old kept asking for more.  I made BBQ beef sandwiches, and when I asked my husband if…

  • Chocolate Lava Cupcakes

    These cupcakes were the result of a little color coordination.  My little sister is expecting a baby boy so I needed a favor for her baby shower.  Our color scheme was brown and blue, so of course I needed brown and blue cupcakes!  These were good cupcakes, but next time I might switch the cake out to a firmer, taller cake so it will stand up to the filling a little better.  These were actually better after they sat overnight in the refrigerator, so if…

  • 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? …

  • Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread

    Last Sunday, while my family was gathered at my parent’s house for our weekly Sunday dinner, I asked my Dad if he had any tomatoes left in the garden.  He said he’d check, and then disappeared for a while.  He came back with a handful of tomatoes and a couple of GROCERY SACKS FULL of jalapenos.  Not being one to ever turn down garden-fresh produce, I happily took a sack of them home.  I had absolutely no idea what I was going to do with…

  • Chocolate Gingerbread Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Buttercream

    Oh, heyyyy.  Remember me?  That chick who used to post new recipes three or four times a week?  Yeah, I miss her, too. My days of impromptu, mid-day baking might be over, but with a little bit of planning I’ve been able to work around it and I think I have a workable baking schedule.  This means our weekends are going to be excessively dessert-laden, but it’s all in the name of Lemon Sugar, right? So, these cupcakes have been on my baking list the…

  • A Beach Birthday Party

    Well, I survived.  I survived my first party since I’ve gone back to work in an office environment, and it was a success.  Now, I didn’t cook – it was catered, I just did the baking, and I had a little help from the candy aisle at the grocery store, but somehow I pulled off a cute little beach party in the middle of November and lived to talk about it. My Madeline turned eight years old this week, and as much work as it…

  • 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…

  • Tiramisu Cake

    “What is tiramisu?”  “You’ll find out.”“Well, what is it?”“You’ll see.”  “Some woman is gonna want me to do it to her, and I’m not gonna know what it is!” Name that movie.  Easy, right?  Sleepless in Seattle – one of my all-time favorites.  There are many reasons I love that movie, but mostly because I love Seattle, I love Tom Hanks, and I love Meg Ryan…plus, there’s nothing wrong with a good love story.  I’m sure there aren’t many of you out there who haven’t…