• Out and About: P. Allen Smith’s Garden Home

    I’m just going to apologize in advance.  This is going to be one of those picture heavy posts, and it pains me to say that I cut it waaaaayyy down from my original selection of photos.  But there’s just so dang much to see, so hang in there and trust me on this one! A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about our last-minute anniversary trip to Eureka Springs.  We spent half of a day wandering around and eating our way through the city, then…

  • Black & White Monster Cookies

    So, tonight we all got home really late because our lives are insane right now.  I was all set to pull the “rotisserie chicken and vegetables” thing for dinner when my pitifully hayfevered-up seven year old begged me for mashed potatoes and gravy to eat with her chicken.  She sounds so itchy and miserable that I couldn’t possibly say no to her, so there I was at 730pm whipping up a batch of mashed potatoes, all in the name of motherhood guilt or something. Yes,…

  • Slow Cooker Apple-Cinnamon Steel-Cut Oatmeal

    If there’s one meal of the day that I’m really bad at, it’s breakfast.  For one, I’m not a morning person at all.  I like to sip on my coffee for at least an hour before I eat breakfast, but on weekday mornings, that’s just not an option.  The first-grader has to eat breakfast just 20 minutes after she rolls out of bed, and she never, ever wants anything easy – she always wants pancakes, waffles, french toast…cereal is always frowned upon, as are toast,…

  • Pina Colada Poke Cake

    Before we jump into this Pina Colada Poke Cake, I just want to take a quick second to say Happy Memorial Day!  I hope you’ve all had a lovely long weekend full of family and friends.  And while I love that Memorial day signifies the first weekend of summer for many of us, the true meaning of the day isn’t lost on me, and my thoughts are will all of you who have lost a loved one while serving our country. My weekend was spent…

  • Cookie Dough Cupcakes

    Yes, that’s right.  Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes.  I’ve heard nothing but good things about these cupcakes so I jumped on the opportunity to make these for my sister’s baby shower.  These and my Chocolate Ganache Filled Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream will go into the favor boxes and holy cow, I hope our guests are ready for a sugar high! These cupcakes are a little time consuming – you’ll need a couple of hours to make them.  The base is a chocolate-chip, brown-sugar based batter, with…

  • Oatmeal Cream Pies

    I am embarrassed to say that I have eaten an entire box of Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies in one sitting.  It was a long time ago, but it was not one of my finer moments.  These days, I won’t even buy them because they’re full of preservatives, high fructose corn syrup and sugar…I won’t keep them in the house in hopes of keeping that junk away from my girls as long as I can. Instead, I like to make treats at home so I can…

  • Cannoli Poke Cake

    There is a darling little restaurant in Kansas City called Cupini’s that I just adore – it’s cute, authentic, family-owned and operated and has some of the best pasta in the city.   The pasta is all homemade and totally delicious, but I think my favorite part of visiting the restaurant is the FABULOUS dessert case.  It’s full of beautiful pastries, cakes, tiramisu, creme brulee – you name it. And the cannoli – oh, the cannoli. The shell is delicate and crispy, and the filling is…

  • Share-It Saturday: Week 5

    Is it just me or did that week fly by?  I guess it was a short week with the holiday on Monday, but even still I feel like I was just sorting through last week’s Share-It Saturday submissions – which, by the way were fantastic!  As always it was difficult to choose my favorites, and this week, the sweet treats won. With fall right around the corner, I was immediately drawn to the Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts from What’s Cooking In The Burbs.  Have you…

  • Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

    I’ve grown up around a lot of amazing cooks.  Both of my Grandmothers rocked the kitchen, my mom and my mother-in-law are both awesome, and even my husband knows what he’s doing in there.  In fact, two of my most treasured posessions are recipe books full of my Grandmothers recipes.  My mom is practically famous for her chocolate chip cookies, and she made them all the time when we were growing up.  You’d think that I would’ve watched her make them, but honestly – I didn’t…

  • Instant Party with BACARDI® Mixers pt 2

    This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of BACARDI® Mixers for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine. You guys, we had so much fun at our #instantparty last weekend!  Because there is ALWAYS a reason to celebrate, it wasn’t hard to determine that a housewarming was the perfect excuse. My reason to party?  My dear friend Dawn has a beautiful new home and a lovely pool! Girls night slash pool party! I came armed with a cooler, chock-full of BACARDI® Mixers.  Using the Strawberry…

  • Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream

    Chocolate.  Strawberry.  Swiss Meringue Buttercream. Heaven. Have you ever had Swiss Meringue Buttercream?  It’s amazeballs.  It’s silky, buttery and not too sweet.  This particular frosting tastes like strawberry ice cream.  I’m telling you, it’s fabulous. Swiss Meringue Buttercream (SMBC) starts with eggwhites and sugar heated on the stovetop, and then whipped into a stiff meringue before adding butter and flavoring.  It has a reputation for being difficult and finicky, but really I’ve never had any trouble with it.  Once you add the butter to the…

  • Share It Saturday: Week 1

    Welcome to the first week of a new feature here at Lemon Sugar, “Share-It Saturday!”  For my many readers with blogs of their own, this is a great way to share what you’ve been up to with all of us here at Lemon Sugar.  And, for those of you who don’t have blogs, this is just another fabulous resource for recipes, crafty ideas, DIY projects and family and lifestyle bloggers.  There are so many amazing ideas out there, and I know that I love to…