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Cream Cheese and Pepper Jelly Fillo Shells
So, how many social events have YOU been to this month? Weddings, showers, graduations, anniversary parties, end of school year parties – holy cow, it’s a busy time of year! We’ve hosted a few events at our home lately, and since we’ve been pulled a million different directions, it’s nice to have some quick and easy appetizer options at my fingertips. These little Fillo cups from my friends at Athens are amazing, and have saved me in an entertaining-pinch many, many times. Fillo (or Phyllo…
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Caramel Cupcakes
Can I just tell you how hard it is to find a recipe for caramel cake? Not yellow cake with caramel frosting, a CARAMEL flavored CAKE? It’s difficult. Very, very difficult. So difficult that I spent 90 minutes sitting on my heiney saying mean things to my laptop when I couldn’t find what I wanted…90 minutes that should’ve been spent baking because my girls were in bed asleep and the house was quiet. Grrrr. The wasted 90 minutes eventually led to a midnight trip to the…
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White Chocolate & Vanilla Bean Cupcakes
I just looked over the top of my laptop at my husband, who’s sitting on the couch next to me, and said “I don’t have any wittiness for my blog post.” He just looked at me funny. You guys don’t care about wittiness, do you? You care about cupcakes. I knew it. You’re just using me. See? No wittiness. I’m not even sure I’m spelling that right. Wittiness? Witty-ness? Wittyness? My spell checker likes wittiness, so we’ll go with it. Have you ever said a…
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Caramel Bread Pudding with Creamy Caramel Sauce
By now you know that I am a serious planner and organizer. I plan all of my meals for the week before I head to the grocery store, including recipes that will show up here at Lemon Sugar. While I’m always eager to share my new ideas with all of you, sometimes it’s much harder to plan meals for my family. I’m always fighting the urge to stick to my tried-and-true rotation of 6-8 dinner options, mostly because they work for us and our schedule.…
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Spiced White Wine Bundt Cake
Yup. Another bundt cake. I have to confess, I’m a little bit obsessed with the bundt cake lately. I think it’s because they’re way easy. There are no layers, no lug-out-the-KitchenAid frostings, no fuss. And right now, I’m all about no-fuss. What is it about this time of year? It’s SOOOOO busy. The end of the school year, dance recitals, Easter, birthdays, graduations, weddings, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. ETC. SO busy. And truth be told, all I want to do right now is be…
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No Bake Cheesecake
This recipe might not be new to you, because it’s one of those that’s been around for a long time. It was probably one of those “What can we make with Cool-Whip?” recipes that popped up back when it started hitting the grocery store freezer cases many years ago – 1967, just in case you were wondering… By now, you know how I feel about Cool-Whip. It’s full of chemicals, including both high-fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated vegetable (palm and coconut) oils. Knowing how easy it…
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Summer Sauvignon Blanc Party – Part Two
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Sonoma-Cutrer Vineyards. All opinions are 100% mine. A few weeks ago, I posted about planning a wine tasting party. Did you miss it? You can read more about it here. The party went off without a hitch, and we had a great time. The wine was delicious, the appetizers were tasty, and it was a fun night with my friends. The wine on our tasting menu consisted of: 2013 Sonoma-Cutrer Russian River Ranches Chardonnay,…
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Chocolate Chip Love Muffins
I’m one of those people who thinks Valentine’s Day is silly. Sure, I can appreciate a day that’s dedicated to making the loves in your life feel special and adored. But to me it conjures up images of people waiting in line to buy overpriced flowers, cards and chocolates with only half-hearted intent. I’ve always told my husband that flowers on a random Tuesday in August, or a card for no reason will always be more appreciated than forcing it on Valentine’s Day. Perhaps that…
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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…
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Lemon-Vanilla Sugar Cookies
I’m kind of in love with these cookies. They are the first sugar cookies I’ve ever made that taste like I imagine sugar cookies should. They’re soft, moist and have a slight vanilla and citrus undertone. A. Maze. Ing. In my opinion, sugar cookies should be thick and soft – and every recipe I’ve ever tried before has come out of the oven thin and crispy. Now, I realize that some of this is my fault. I probably rolled them too thin, and I probably…
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Tiramisu Macarons
While I was making these the other day, my Mom called me, and asked what I was doing. I told her I was making Macarons, and she said “Macaroons?” No…MacaRONS. Different. Then, I tried to explain to her what they were – kind of like a meringue sandwich cookie, though with an almond-flour base…but I’m still not sure if she knew what I was talking about. So, here you go Mom. MacaRONS. (Mack-uh-RONs). I’m very confident that I didn’t do a good job explaining them…
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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…
